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"Become a Pro Member" "One-time payment, no auto-renewal" [5 lines further down] "From $ 0.79 / month"

scott_w 2y ago
I'm a member and this is just saying "it costs $.79 / mo" but you pay in one payment. There's no auto-renewal, you get an email telling you your membership is expiring and asks you to pay again. What you've posted implies they're lying and they are verifiably not.
- pbhjpbhj 2y ago
  >"it costs $.79 / mo" but you pay in one payment How do you pay a single one-time payment at a per month rate? How many months do they charge for the one-time payment? Usually a 'single one-time payment' would be a payment for life. Typically for apps they're <$10 for the lifetime of the buyer (or app if that dies first; there are issues around this sort of pricing, but people are expecting a minimum of several years). What you appear to be describing would be a pre- payment plan at 80¢/mo.
  - rob74 2y ago
    The registration page (https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/register https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/register) should answer your questions: basically you can pay for 30 days, one year or two years in advance, and the two year membership translates to 79 cents per month. But I still think they could have phrased it better in the "Become a Pro Member" box...
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - reedf1 2y ago
    Literally 5 seconds of investigation revealed that they offer three durations of membership, each a one off payment (the per month pricing is just a representative amortisation). This is actually so easy to discover, and so easy to understand, that I'm guessing you're just reflexively enraged.
    - pbhjpbhj 2y ago
      Continuing membership requires recurring payment not "one-time payment".
      - scott_w 2y ago
        It’s not a recurring payment. A recurring payment is automatically taken from you, this is a one off payment that gives you access for a set time. It’s very clear on the purchasing page.
  - scott_w 2y ago
    I just explained it in my message: you pay once for a year and that's it. This is not a lifetime access, it's a one-off payment that gives you access for 12 months. If you like it, you purchase again. I really don't understand how this is confusing for you.
    - pbhjpbhj 2y ago
      >"If you like it, you purchase again." This is not what I would call a one-time payment. If you wish to continue to use the website you pay again. That's just not what "one-time" means to me. It's not confusing, it's just annoying marketing-speak in the sense that (paraphrasing) 'a simple one-time payment' is what customers like when purchasing something. Whereas the offer is not that, the term has been used in any case. What is offered is 'a subscription without auto-renewal'. If you really wish to understand my thinking I can elucidate you at length, but it seems we've spent way too long already discussing understanding of a particular piece of marketese.
      - scott_w 2y ago
        I understand your thinking, it’s just inconsistent with the rest of the world’s understanding of the words.
- pestatije 2y ago
  so when they say "one-time payment", do they mean "one-time payment per year"?, "per decade"?...
  - scott_w 2y ago
    No, they say "one-time payment" that gives you access for a year. If you want a second year, you make another one-time payment. There's no recurring payment, it's totally under your control.
    - pestatije 2y ago
      ah i love this...i have to say i havent checked that page...one-time payment, to me, means forever...if you have one-time payment per year, you must say so
      - bluecalm 2y ago
        Or maybe that's you who must adjust your understanding of reality. One time payment for forever access to something that is constantly updated/cost money to run is not a reasonable expectations and no one "must" tell you this. You must learn it yourself instead.
- amenhotep 2y ago
  In a market where the two dominant modes are a) a subscription fee that you have to keep paying and b) indefinite membership after one payment, many people reading "one-time payment" will immediately assume that means (b) and bristle when they realise it's actually (a). They're not lying as such but it's at least accidentally misleading. "It's a subscription" should be up front, then go into how it's prepay and well behaved.
rob74 2y ago
No idea why you get downvoted... on one hand, a site like this one needs some revenue in order to keep up their work, I think we can all agree on that one. But unclear messaging about how much exactly you will be paying is not going to encourage anyone to sign up...
reedf1 2y ago
Niche website with extremely thorough and exacting analysis, that provides most of its data completely for free has a modest payment model. I'm shocked, but because of how strikingly reasonable it is.

I'm a member and this is just saying "it costs $.79 / mo" but you pay in one payment. There's no auto-renewal, you get an email telling you your membership is expiring and asks you to pay again. What you've posted implies they're lying and they are verifiably not.

pbhjpbhj 2y ago
>"it costs $.79 / mo" but you pay in one payment How do you pay a single one-time payment at a per month rate? How many months do they charge for the one-time payment? Usually a 'single one-time payment' would be a payment for life. Typically for apps they're <$10 for the lifetime of the buyer (or app if that dies first; there are issues around this sort of pricing, but people are expecting a minimum of several years). What you appear to be describing would be a pre- payment plan at 80¢/mo.
- rob74 2y ago
  The registration page (https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/register https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/register) should answer your questions: basically you can pay for 30 days, one year or two years in advance, and the two year membership translates to 79 cents per month. But I still think they could have phrased it better in the "Become a Pro Member" box...
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- reedf1 2y ago
  Literally 5 seconds of investigation revealed that they offer three durations of membership, each a one off payment (the per month pricing is just a representative amortisation). This is actually so easy to discover, and so easy to understand, that I'm guessing you're just reflexively enraged.
  - pbhjpbhj 2y ago
    Continuing membership requires recurring payment not "one-time payment".
    - scott_w 2y ago
      It’s not a recurring payment. A recurring payment is automatically taken from you, this is a one off payment that gives you access for a set time. It’s very clear on the purchasing page.
- scott_w 2y ago
  I just explained it in my message: you pay once for a year and that's it. This is not a lifetime access, it's a one-off payment that gives you access for 12 months. If you like it, you purchase again. I really don't understand how this is confusing for you.
  - pbhjpbhj 2y ago
    >"If you like it, you purchase again." This is not what I would call a one-time payment. If you wish to continue to use the website you pay again. That's just not what "one-time" means to me. It's not confusing, it's just annoying marketing-speak in the sense that (paraphrasing) 'a simple one-time payment' is what customers like when purchasing something. Whereas the offer is not that, the term has been used in any case. What is offered is 'a subscription without auto-renewal'. If you really wish to understand my thinking I can elucidate you at length, but it seems we've spent way too long already discussing understanding of a particular piece of marketese.
    - scott_w 2y ago
      I understand your thinking, it’s just inconsistent with the rest of the world’s understanding of the words.
pestatije 2y ago
so when they say "one-time payment", do they mean "one-time payment per year"?, "per decade"?...
- scott_w 2y ago
  No, they say "one-time payment" that gives you access for a year. If you want a second year, you make another one-time payment. There's no recurring payment, it's totally under your control.
  - pestatije 2y ago
    ah i love this...i have to say i havent checked that page...one-time payment, to me, means forever...if you have one-time payment per year, you must say so
    - bluecalm 2y ago
      Or maybe that's you who must adjust your understanding of reality. One time payment for forever access to something that is constantly updated/cost money to run is not a reasonable expectations and no one "must" tell you this. You must learn it yourself instead.
amenhotep 2y ago
In a market where the two dominant modes are a) a subscription fee that you have to keep paying and b) indefinite membership after one payment, many people reading "one-time payment" will immediately assume that means (b) and bristle when they realise it's actually (a). They're not lying as such but it's at least accidentally misleading. "It's a subscription" should be up front, then go into how it's prepay and well behaved.

rob74 2y ago

No idea why you get downvoted... on one hand, a site like this one needs some revenue in order to keep up their work, I think we can all agree on that one. But unclear messaging about how much exactly you will be paying is not going to encourage anyone to sign up...

reedf1 2y ago

Niche website with extremely thorough and exacting analysis, that provides most of its data completely for free has a modest payment model. I'm shocked, but because of how strikingly reasonable it is.