127% increase on my subscription!

UpdraftPlus Home Forums Paid support forum – UpdraftPlus backup plugin 127% increase on my subscription!

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  • #272130
    Michael
    Participant

    I’m a very disgruntled probably soon to be ex customer who upgraded last year for £66.60 (Developer package which was for unlimited license). I haven’t been informed that Developer would be limited to 35 sites. And that Enterprise would be necessary for unlimited sites.

    Since Enterprise is just over £151 per year (with the 40% renewal discount), this equals a circa 127% increase in the fees…to receive what is essentially the same service.

    Up until now I have not used support. I paid just under £100 for the first year on the Developer package (which was previously unlimited), had 40% off the 2nd year totalling £66.60. And this year to receive unlimited licenses I need to pay just over £151.

    Can you pass this to David to query please as I just feel that increasing a customer’s fees by 127%, with the type of products which costly for the customer t move from (since it can be infrastuture based), is out of order. I find it distasteful that nowhere on the site mentions the price increase, I received no email regarding this and I only found out when I went to renew (leaving little time to change suppliers). Additionally, in My orders, my invoice for 2016 as been altered to state 35 sites when my copy of the same invoice I have offline states unlimited.

    #272136
    udadmin
    Keymaster

    Hi Michael,

    Looking at your account, you have less than 35 sites. So the 35-site level, priced at the same price ($145 or equivalent in other currencies) as you paid last year, remains suitable for you. And you can still apply the 40% discount for timely renewal off that price. So, it looks like there isn’t a change for you, until you reach the stage where you have grown to need more than 35 licences.

    Concerning the downloadable invoice having changed, we will have to look into that – apparently a bug in WooCommerce.

    Best wishes,
    David

    #272149
    Michael
    Participant

    Thanks for your swift reply David but you haven’t really fully or adequately addressed my support request…

    I had plans to go over 35 license very soon – so of course this change affects me since the Developer plan was previously for unlimited licences and now it’s for 35 licences! I need a long term scalable solution to this which doesn’t entail a 127% price increase please! I have started to look at other solutions as had previously come from another provider so am not afraid of changing. I’m not a customer who needs lots of support so do let me know if you can do amything for me. I would like to renew, need unlimited licences as I oroginally signed up for, understand that companies sometimes have to put up their prices but I won’t be paying a 127% increase to renew and don’t think you’ve made this increase transparent at all.

    #272151
    udadmin
    Keymaster

    Hi Michael,

    I understand that price changes are rarely welcome events. But, if you’re planning to go over 35 sites, then you’re looking at 25 pence/site/month (and going down the more sites you add) – you are still eligible for the 40% renewal discount on the price of the unlimited package. We think that this price is excellent value given the importance of reliable backups (the price is published in the same places as before: our front page, and the shop product pages – obviously you managed to see the price, hence this conversation).

    I’m not going to patronise you with meaningless pleasantries, and I hope you can respect that: we’re a business, we want to be able to keep growing, employing top staff for product improvement and support, developing new products (which in today’s WP marketplace normally need to be funded from the proceeds of other products for years prior to profitability) etcetera. UD will only exist in future years if we can successfully do that. (And we have some significant improvements to UpdraftPlus, not found in any other backup plugin on the market, planned for the next year). You’re running a business too. We understand that if you don’t value our product at the price on offer then you’ll prefer to look elsewhere. That’s business. You’re not afraid of changing, and we respect that if that’s your decision. This is our new price, and if enough of our customers agree with you, then eventually we’ll have to review it. But for the near future, we’re seeing what the market makes of it.

    Best wishes,
    David

    #272160
    Michael
    Participant

    Would using 36 licences require a jump from Developer to Enterprise?

    #272263
    Michael
    Participant

    I’m repeating this questions please because I haven’t had a response in over 12 hours…

    Would using 36 licences require a jump from Developer to Enterprise?

    #272282
    Cassandra
    Participant

    I’d like to say that I feel the same way as Michael. You more than doubled the price with zero warning. That’s not good business, and it’s the wrong way to handle a price increase, especially a massive increase. Now, your response is basically “Oh well, that’s our price.” Not even an apology for not notifying your top-tier customers.

    #272307
    udadmin
    Keymaster

    Hi Michael,

    I can confirm that the packages are as published on the front page and shop pages: 2 licences, 10 licences, 35 licences, unlimited. If you want more licences than is in one then you’ll want the next one up, yes.

    By the way, in your calculation of the increase, you’ve added UK VAT to this year’s price, but not to last year’s, and thereby added total of 27% to your calculation of the increase.

    Cassandra, we will take on board your feedback that you think future price increases should be notified of in advance, thank you for it. Though, like Michael, since you’re not using over 35 licences, our software that sends you out your renewal reminders should be pointing you towards the same-priced package as you bought last year – i.e. if you click the ‘add to cart’ link in the ‘renewal reminder’ email, it shouldn’t be putting the more expensive ‘unlimited’ product in the cart, since you’re still a distance off needing that. Is that not happening? Let me know if not, and we will investigate.

    Best wishes,
    David

    #272309
    Michael
    Participant

    Hi David

    That’s incorrect. Last year’s was £66.60 including VAT. This year £151 odd including VAT. So around 127%.

    Also since Developer is what I’ve always had unlimited. So unlimited is the best package due to need for scalability.

    #272313
    udadmin
    Keymaster

    Michael,

    Aaah…. I am sorry; one of our staff did the wrong thing when entering prices. They had the new ‘Enterprise’ USD price to hand, which was fractionally over 2x the old ‘Developer’ USD price. They were meant to apply the same ratio to the EUR and GBP prices, but instead looked up daily exchange rates, and entered prices based on that. The end result of that is that the shop price for ‘Enterprise’ in EUR and GBP was somewhat over what it should have been – and our testing/review missed that. (I was doing my calculations based in my previous post on USD and then guessed that the discrepancy must be due to VAT).

    I sincerely apologise for that unnecessary part of the sticker shock. It has now been corrected, and the proper pre-tax GBP price for Enterprise is £187.50, or £112.50 after the 40% discount.

    David

    #272319
    Cassandra
    Participant

    Hi David, the renewal link did not take me to the Developer product and instead added the Enterprise product. Like Michael, however, I have a need for scalability, and I could easily go over 35 sites this year as I plan to onboard many more maintenance clients utilizing MainWP and UpdraftPlus together.

    #272346
    Michael
    Participant

    So now you’ve corrected your pricing this reduces the increase from 127% to 102%. Still over double and still out of order for a product that, due to the nature of it, you know will cost your customers to move away from, in favour of a competitor who would treat its customers better. Many other suppliers would grandfather their existing customers and increase pruces for new customers. You, infact, have done this in the past with your lifetime customers – albeit they don’t receive support. But what proportion of your customers use support apart from to reissue licenses (which you should have a better system for) or to complain about outrageously high percentage and out of the blue price increases like Cassandra and I have.

    Your existing customers are the ones who have supported your business and made it possible to build it. To turn around and more than double their pricing with a like it or lump it attitude is disgraceful and builds distrust. Especially with the lack of transparency you’ve done it with this year. What’s to stop you from more than doubling it again next year IF you get away with it this year without losing a proportion of your once loyal customers.

    #272351
    udadmin
    Keymaster

    Hi Michael,

    At this point, I don’t think there is more to add, and so I will lock this thread from further replies. I am grateful for your feedback, and, as a company, we will of course respond to how the market views our current pricing offer. I can only assure you that we do not have the attitude that you accuse us of – it is purely business and our attempts to remain on the scene with a desirable product for years to come – but I don’t think it’ll be a good use of time for you or for me to thrash over that.

    I’d just point out that you can buy at the same price as last year (without inflation), and support the same number of sites as you did last year, and from that point of view are effectively grand-fathered in.

    I understand that you want to support more sites next year than last year, and view that potential as something you’d like to have grand-fathered in as well, but, we’ve been through that already, so, I’ll leave it there for now. If you ever change your mind and decide that we’re the best option on the market, you will be very welcome to come back.

    Best wishes,
    David

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