Subscription Fear

Recently I’ve really started to get really annoyed by subscription services. In fact, as I start to write this blogpost I’m already in fear by the thought of what I’m paying for on a monthly basis.

I’ve nixed most of it but it’s not easy to track everything (monthly, yearly or quarterly). I’m going to have to go through everything in the next few days but it’s not a great experience.

Because most of my dealings are in the US these days, I’ve let certain subscriptions in my UK account lay dormant and some of it is semi-hidden as it goes through PayPal (although this is far easier to track and stop).

I’ll happily pay for content and services on the web but I think I’m going to think carefully before starting any services in the future, I’d rather pay more but outright. Even if I think it’s that valuable. It’s probably not worth the effort.

Almost all of this is my fault, of course. AOL had this in 2002 and their subscription revenue is slowly toppling. Mostly because cards are expiring and the transactions will decline. There are lots of startups (mostly selling physical goods) that are creating subscription signups that look like regular checkout screens, this isn’t a problem for me but it seems to be a big one for the general public.

Many consumer startups are receiving monthly revenue for products or services that people don’t use. Everyone is focused on a low churn rate but does that hook up with a high usage rate? It only hurts the industry if you’re designing your product to take advantage of these effects. Just send me an email, with the details of my subscription, once in a while or in the other circumstance make it clear to consumers what you’re selling.

I’m pretty sure something will end this eventually. Whether it be regulation or tech from startups or financial institutions.

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