Over the past 11 years, I’ve been a Trakt VIP subscriber, with the promise that the price would never change. However, you’re now offering a one-year subscription for $30 and a subsequent year for $60. I believe this pricing strategy may not be the best approach for loyal VIP customers who’ve invested in the product. While I understand the cost-of-living increase, I’d appreciate a gesture of gratitude for those who’ve remained loyal.
I’m willing to pay $30 instead of $15, but I’m not comfortable paying $60.
I believe this move will result in the loss of more VIPs than you anticipate.
$15 or $30 is significantly better than $0.
What’s sad is they probably already finalized their decision just like when they finalized reducing functions for free users. They will probably feel a huge impact rock a year from now…
Not sure how they are going to stay going with that many more VIPs cancelling.
At least it won’t matter to us anymore, because we’ll be gone. I cared about Trakt, often enough providing suggestions how to improve it.
But this “caring” about Trakt immediately ended, when I read this tone-deaf email. It feels like them doubling down on the mistakes they already made earlier about the free accounts.
I think they did not realize how fast and huge reaction would be (should have though). Somehow they lost completely understanding what is value of this and how many VIPs actually just pay because this is nice and gives some (not mandatory) help on keeping track on shows and movies. Most probably pay VIP because that 30 a year is small enough for some “nice to have” but 60.. that’s way too much.
Sad, that probably they just killed themselves.. because loosing paying members at this rate.. well.. they will not make it long.
-edit-
but hey.. nice and effective way to get activity in forums
Nah. I’m sure they knew but still didn’t care. When they reduced functions for free users, that also caused a lot of backlash but it didn’t stop them.
They should just end features that is costing them too much to manage. Like I heard they pay to obtain metadata so users can scrobble streaming platforms like Netflix, prime, etc. don’t know how many users actually use that feature but I think each vip user incurs that fee that have to pay.
I don’t use it, so rather they just cut that feature out completely. I rather rely on what TMDB has and rely on with basic api to mark things as watched etc.
I mean sounds like they got greedy, deer in headlights at the thought “we could charge all these guys, this price!” And didn’t stop to think how a 100% price increase might actually cause people to react, and overinflating their own worth. If they weren’t in financial trouble before I don’t know how they won’t be now after this.
I’ve been a paying subscriber since 2012. I’ve beta tested their apps. I’ve even kept my sub running during years I wasn’t using it.
Today I get an email to see it’s jumping up to $60 a year unless I (someone they thank in the email for early support) OPT-IN to a cheaper price for the first year.
I then log in and see the dark-pattern of “Earn up to 2 months of free VIP!” where in actuality I only earn one month per subscriber I bring to the platform, and the subscriber gets a free month. That’s not me earning 2 months.
Trakt, you’ve absolutely lost your minds. You’re hosting a database, and you think users will justify $60 (300% price increase) for the little storage and bandwidth we use.
You describe pretty much exactly me. Nice to have, but really nothing I need - or ever needed. I was fine with 30, even though I’d been debating even that, but figured “Why not? nice service, love movies and shows, let’s support them” but a 100% increase is beyond me. I won’t even return if they reverse the decision. Free is fine for me.
Similarly I’ve been a VIIP for 11 years and I’m constantly beta testing the app. This is a huge kick in the teeth asking me to pay a 400% increase over a 12 month period. Supporting the company financially and practically isn’t enough for Trakt it seems. Another VIP leaving here. I never EVER thought I’d see this day. Very sad indeed. Very badly handled Trakt, very badly.
After being a VIP-member for 10 years I have to pay double the price. Guess I was just a bit to late to become an OG, but an increase of 100% is absurd. Too bad, but I’ll cancel my subscription and will be looking for something else.
Because of this action I don’t even want to keep using Trakt anymore.
I’m not sure whether this is greed or desperation but I’m out. Apparently I’ll lose 9 years of seniority. I like the service but it just isn’t worth $60 and even if it was treating existing VIPs like this is not on.
Announcing you were going to do this and grandfathering people in who signed up before a particular date might would have been a much better approach in my view.
I stopped caring for Trakt when they introduced the new design language without asking anyone if they even wanted that. I’m still struggling to immediately recognize the awful icon in my bookmarks. After they just brushed off the backlash and didn’t follow through on promises I already knew this ship was sinking. The obvious changes in support, community involvement and choice of features (one of which is an at least questionable feature regarding your data security) and the unresponsiveness of the devs was speaking for itself. I’ve already moved movies to Letterboxd and will now move shows to another app. Trakt died a year ago. This is unfortunate but at this point was inevitable…
