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by webbie917 2330 days ago
It really has become a norm and is very frustrating for customers, while there is simply a better way to do this - kill free plan for NEW customers, but grandfather existing customers. Or at least introduce some break-even (low profit margin) plan/tier to move existing customers to, no need to force them off the platform completely.

Yes, spammers are a big issue for all ESPs (my own biz in this space is no exception), but no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.
3 comments
disillusioned 2329 days ago
What value are they getting out of carrying a bunch of freeloading accounts?

Or put another way: what value are they risking by force-deplatforming the freeloading accounts, besides a bit of splashback from frustrated (non-paying) users?

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ptx 2329 days ago
The value might be a reputation for trustworthiness and fair dealing.

Those "freeloading" accounts are offered by companies to users, for the company's benefit, in order to strengthen their market position and lure users into a trap where they'll have little choice but to pay extortionate prices once they've developed a dependence on the service.

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plopz 2329 days ago
See the reputation of Microsoft and Google in backwards compatibility and support. I don't think thats the sole reason for Azure's success over Google Cloud but its certainly a factor.
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seibelj 2330 days ago
Why? It's their business. You didn't sign a contract saying "free for life". It's sad, but there is no free lunch, and you shouldn't build your own business off the assumption that some resource will be free forever.
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donmcronald 2329 days ago
Free tiers are just another type of market research where the company is collecting data to determine the stickiest features.

$8 (or less) per month to keep using the feature with competition (sending). $35 a month to keep using the feature without competition (receive filtering and forwarding). Is that a coincidence?

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chiefalchemist 2329 days ago
Features and bugs. The free tier is closer to unpaid beta testers, except the free tier comes with minimal support.
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manigandham 2329 days ago
How are they being forced off? Their plans are low profit already, and if customers are getting value then it's fair to ask for payment, even if it was free until now.
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