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I bought a "lifetime" subscription to Feedly when they were starting out. Recently, they added a new feature and didn't give the lifetime subscribers access to

I bought a "lifetime" subscription to Feedly when they were starting out. Recently, they added a new feature and didn't give the lifetime subscribers access to it, but instead made a new subscription level called Pro+. Technically, our subscriptions continued with the same features as before(minus one or two things which moved up a tier level). It was just frustrating that the first any of us heard about the new level and features was a big blue "upgrade" button on every page. When I just checked, it looks like we are given the option of upgrading our lifetime subscriptions to the new level for an additional $99. Probably worth it, but I think they could have handled it better by giving us some heads up and communicating with people who are arguably the biggest fans if not the people who currently earn them the most money.

JustSomeNobody 7y ago
That’s messed up. What’s the point of a lifetime sub if you don’t get the features. I bet that’s how they sold it; that you’d get the new features. Bait and switch laws still a thing?
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  If it's a feature that didn't exist at the time the lifetime sub was purchased, that doesn't seem so bad to me. If they took away existing features, or added annoying upgrade nags to the app, that's a different story.
  - pinkano 7y ago
    Please see the answer above.
  - JustSomeNobody 7y ago
    There’s absolutely no upside for the consumer to buy into the subscription model if they’re not going to receive feature updates. Security patches should be factored into the original cost of the app.
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      Yeah, but in this case they didn’t buy into the subscription model—they bought a “lifetime subscription”, which is really just a traditional, perpetual license under a different name.
archon810 7y ago
What was the feature? I'm a lifetime Feedly Pro user and haven't heard of it.
- pinkano 7y ago
  He, please see the answer on top.
pinkano 7y ago
Hello, sorry for the confusion/frustration with the lifetime tier. Let me explain: We have added Leo (smart AI/ML-powered assistant that helps you save time and prioritize content). It costs $4/user/month to run this and it is not viable to offer it as part o the standard plan, so we have added Pro+ plan and for lifetime users we have offered a unique opportunity to join that plan eventhough it won't be viable for us. If you decided to not get Pro+ via the lifetime offer, you'll keep all the features you had until now, we're not moving them to the higher plan, only for new users, not for you, never. I hope it makes sense, let me know if not. -Petr from Feedly
pinkano 7y ago
Also, you're totally right that the communication was not handled correctly. We have launched it "silently" via the blue upgrade button to see the demand and to fix potential bugs before launching it publicly. We're finally stronger on the marketing side now so you can expect a "real and proper" Leo launch in January and onward. Thank you for providing us with your insights, we can improve communication when we see how our users react.

JustSomeNobody 7y ago

That’s messed up. What’s the point of a lifetime sub if you don’t get the features. I bet that’s how they sold it; that you’d get the new features. Bait and switch laws still a thing?

Wowfunhappy 7y ago
If it's a feature that didn't exist at the time the lifetime sub was purchased, that doesn't seem so bad to me. If they took away existing features, or added annoying upgrade nags to the app, that's a different story.
- pinkano 7y ago
  Please see the answer above.
- JustSomeNobody 7y ago
  There’s absolutely no upside for the consumer to buy into the subscription model if they’re not going to receive feature updates. Security patches should be factored into the original cost of the app.
  - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
    Yeah, but in this case they didn’t buy into the subscription model—they bought a “lifetime subscription”, which is really just a traditional, perpetual license under a different name.

archon810 7y ago

What was the feature? I'm a lifetime Feedly Pro user and haven't heard of it.

pinkano 7y ago
He, please see the answer on top.

pinkano 7y ago

Hello, sorry for the confusion/frustration with the lifetime tier. Let me explain: We have added Leo (smart AI/ML-powered assistant that helps you save time and prioritize content). It costs $4/user/month to run this and it is not viable to offer it as part o the standard plan, so we have added Pro+ plan and for lifetime users we have offered a unique opportunity to join that plan eventhough it won't be viable for us. If you decided to not get Pro+ via the lifetime offer, you'll keep all the features you had until now, we're not moving them to the higher plan, only for new users, not for you, never. I hope it makes sense, let me know if not. -Petr from Feedly

pinkano 7y ago

Also, you're totally right that the communication was not handled correctly. We have launched it "silently" via the blue upgrade button to see the demand and to fix potential bugs before launching it publicly. We're finally stronger on the marketing side now so you can expect a "real and proper" Leo launch in January and onward. Thank you for providing us with your insights, we can improve communication when we see how our users react.