4 ms·
If I sign up for a gym membership and then don’t show up for months on end, I don’t feel like I’ve been swindled — I knew that’s how it works when I signed up.
by goodside 6y ago
If I sign up for a gym membership and then don’t show up for months on end, I don’t feel like I’ve been swindled — I knew that’s how it works when I signed up. I’m not confused about what a gym membership is for or why I’m paying for it. I might still never cancel because I don’t want to admit how lazy I am, so each instance of me considering the wasted money ends with me thinking, “I really should get to the gym more. Maybe next week.”
This same dynamic plays out with any service that sells you long-term self-improvement but is burdensome to use. Exercise tracking apps, diet tracking apps, health-conscious meal kits, subscription lessons for music or foreign languages, etc. There are shadier examples for sure, but it’s not always cut-and-dry evil.
- S_A_P 6y agoOn the flip side I think it’s probably cheaper to cut ties with an inactive user than deal with small claims lawsuits, chargebacks and other hassles from people who forget they are subscribed. Honestly I could see this being an honesty test class action at some point.
- TeMPOraL 6y agoOn the other hand, you can also do it nicely even in self-improvement space. Beeminder comes to mind; they let you set your productivity goals and costs of not meeting them, and they only ever charge you if you fail, and accept that you've failed - charge is automatic, but if you tell them there were extenuating circumstances, they'll give you that money back.