[bad_user]

That's a rude and unprofessional answer.

If you don't have the resources for providing support and can't help yourself being rude, then maybe you shouldn't give the free/cheap option in the first place.

There are other options besides behaving like a dick.

Personally I like how mobile operators handle this. Whenever I call their free support line, I am placed on wait for at least a half an hour, with a message along the lines of "our operators are currently busy, please hold ; if you'd like priority then call this number ...".

[mark-r]

The wording is rude, but I'm sure that's because it's an off-the-cuff answer. The concept is valid though - advertise up-front that the lowest cost option does not include free support. You can add a 4th option with a link where users can ask for help from other users.

[pcopley]

If he doesn't have the resources for providing support and can't help from being rude, maybe he shouldn't be providing subscription-based software products at all.

Software is support. Sure, there are ways to mitigate the cost and quantity of support, but once the product is built support is one of the primary functions of the business.