3 ms·

Honest question: If they had asked you to pay for the service up front without a trial would it have made a difference? Would it be better marketing to call i

Honest question: If they had asked you to pay for the service up front without a trial would it have made a difference? Would it be better marketing to call it a "free month" instead of a trial? I think that most people who might use this have some idea what an IRC Proxy is. That makes me wonder if it isn't better to just call it a free month to avoid these "why am I paying for a trial" issues.

mrcharles 14y ago
No, and no. The issue here is: 1. I have never used this kind of service before. 2. I am not sure I would be willing to pay for it. 3. I am exactly the kind of person who would pay $5 a month for the convenience factor. 4. I am also the kind of person who would completely forget to cancel and then get billed, even if I didn't use it. Basically, a free trial with credit card info attached, for me, isn't a free trial, it's a post-billing situation.
- pearkes 14y ago
  We will send you an email before billing your card. We're also very open to fixing issues around accidental billing - sometimes I forget to cancel in time as well.
  - pavel_lishin 14y ago
    > We will send you an email before billing your card. You may want to put that in very clear text on the homepage.
  - Spoom 14y ago
    I know if I saw something like that explanation on the page asking for CC details, I would be much more likely to acquiesce. If you, say, offered a refund if someone emailed requesting one within a week(?) of their paid term starting, it would go a long way.
    - pearkes 14y ago
      Interesting. I'm definitely going to add something around the fact that we'll a) remind them and b) be flexible in dire situations. Thanks for the feedback!
  - mrcharles 14y ago
    That's cool but for me it's also just as likely that I sign up for a trial and then use it once and forget about it, so having to go in and find out how to prevent billing and such is extra steps that simply shouldn't exist. Frankly I don't see why it is a "give us your card up front" instead of a "Okay! Your trial is over and the service doesn't work for you anymore until you pony up!" The latter is infinitely preferable to me.

mrcharles 14y ago

No, and no. The issue here is: 1. I have never used this kind of service before. 2. I am not sure I would be willing to pay for it. 3. I am exactly the kind of person who would pay $5 a month for the convenience factor. 4. I am also the kind of person who would completely forget to cancel and then get billed, even if I didn't use it. Basically, a free trial with credit card info attached, for me, isn't a free trial, it's a post-billing situation.

pearkes 14y ago
We will send you an email before billing your card. We're also very open to fixing issues around accidental billing - sometimes I forget to cancel in time as well.
- pavel_lishin 14y ago
  > We will send you an email before billing your card. You may want to put that in very clear text on the homepage.
- Spoom 14y ago
  I know if I saw something like that explanation on the page asking for CC details, I would be much more likely to acquiesce. If you, say, offered a refund if someone emailed requesting one within a week(?) of their paid term starting, it would go a long way.
  - pearkes 14y ago
    Interesting. I'm definitely going to add something around the fact that we'll a) remind them and b) be flexible in dire situations. Thanks for the feedback!
- mrcharles 14y ago
  That's cool but for me it's also just as likely that I sign up for a trial and then use it once and forget about it, so having to go in and find out how to prevent billing and such is extra steps that simply shouldn't exist. Frankly I don't see why it is a "give us your card up front" instead of a "Okay! Your trial is over and the service doesn't work for you anymore until you pony up!" The latter is infinitely preferable to me.