IS "Only interested in trial subscription" A Valid Reason To CANCEL a MEMBERSHIP???

[ProjectNaked]

CCBILL question...I have noticed a lot of members using the excuse "Only interested in trial subscription" as an excuse for canceling, usually the same day they sign up...anyone else notice this?

[ytcracker]

thats why it is a trial

[boner 2.0]

Fucking charge back. They (visa/mc/whatever) should do something for that kind of scam

[ry0t]

Make your trial price higher, obviously your site isn't retaining the way it should be. Update your members section.

[MsCheyenne]

Originally Posted by ProjectNaked

CCBILL question...I have noticed a lot of members using the excuse "Only interested in trial subscription" as an excuse for canceling, usually the same day they sign up...anyone else notice this?

A lot of people do not want reoccurring billing. They cancel every site they join the same day as a rule. Many of them will sign back up in the next month or two. Perhaps canceling on the same day is their way of making sure they don't forget and end up getting billed for a second month. It is nothing to get upset about. As someone else suggested in this thread, offer a one time sign up option at a slightly higher fee.

Cheyenne

[quiet]

lo fucking l

[Shoehorn!]

Originally Posted by ytcracker

thats why it is a trial

Exactly. Incase you're unfamailar with the English language and the meaning of words, I have taken the liberty of familiarizing you with the works of a little company called Merriam-Webster. According to them, (yes, they are an expert on the subject of meanings of words), a trial can be defined as: "A tryout or experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness."

So, to answer your question, yes.

[Chimmy]

Without even trying, the initiator of this thread managed to sum up everything that is wrong with the business side of our industry. And no, that isn't a compliment.

[rdunn404]

Joke thread of the day.

[pornguy]

My favorite is satisfied and charging back.

[ProjectNaked]

Originally Posted by MsCheyenne

A lot of people do not want reoccurring billing. They cancel every site they join the same day as a rule. Many of them will sign back up in the next month or two. Perhaps canceling on the same day is their way of making sure they don't forget and end up getting billed for a second month. It is nothing to get upset about. As someone else suggested in this thread, offer a one time sign up option at a slightly higher fee.

Cheyenne

I understand that and I have a higher priced 3 month (1) pay option but I do not offer a "trial" - only 1 and 3 month subscriptions. I don't like seeing "only interested in trial" or the worst one, "unsatisfied" when they have not even accessed the content yet...

[ProjectNaked]

Originally Posted by rdunn404

Joke thread of the day.

you are a joke, go fist yourself and post your useless shit somewhere else prick -

[StuBradley]

Originally Posted by ry0t

Make your trial price higher, obviously your site isn't retaining the way it should be. Update your members section.

I have noticed that there is a growing percentage of surfers who cancel their recurring memberships immediately (some even before they ever enter one of our member's areas). I have emailed some of them and they usually respond that there are just so many websites out there that they can't rationalize staying at one site for more than a month and they don't want to forget to cancel later.

This is why we no longer offer trial subscriptions. This is also why we pay our affiliates a flat per signup fee that is larger than our subscription prices instead of a percentage. Oh yes, every webmaster here who runs a percentage based program will tell you that there stuff retains members but this is simply not true.

Last month I ran numbers from all 15 of the percentage based programs that I promote for the previous 12 months. The AVERAGE customer stayed 1.2 months. My BEST program kept customers an average of slightly less than 1.5 months. What does this mean? If you are pushing sites that pay a percentage you are LOSING ALOT MORE MONEY than if you promote site with a $30-40 per signup payout. If you don't believe me check your rebill stats with your percentage based programs, you will see for yourself.

Now click on my sig damnit!

[venus]

thats a good reason not to offer trials.
Its always been that way, you have a large group who surf around looking for free or cheap trials, they download all they can and cancel. Heck, I even see referring url's from SE's showing people were looking for "membership site with free trial"
thats why I did away with normal trials years ago. now my trial consist of a buy one month, get one free. Works out really well for me.

Originally Posted by ProjectNaked

CCBILL question...I have noticed a lot of members using the excuse "Only interested in trial subscription" as an excuse for canceling, usually the same day they sign up...anyone else notice this?

[venus]

I am still rebilling people from 8 years ago. some sites still do retain members.

Originally Posted by StuBradley

Oh yes, every webmaster here who runs a percentage based program will tell you that there stuff retains members but this is simply not true.

[Dirty Dane]

Valid? Yes, if it is an option.

The smart (experienced) surfer sign up for 5-6 trial sites instead of one monthly membership, grab all content, and sign up again for trials months later to grab the updates.

I think the best solution on this "problem" would be something like this, let say with a 3 day trial: Assume you have X GB of content, you can make a daily/hourly bandwidth limit on the trials so they can't grab it all.
Just make sure its in your terms
Or make something like "Silver/Gold" accounts, with limited access, only preview.
However if the paysite is bad, it wont help at all.

[Shoehorn!]

Originally Posted by Dirty Dane

I think the best solution on this "problem" would be something like this, let say with a 3 day trial: Assume you have X GB of content, you can make a daily/hourly bandwidth limit on the trials so they can't grab it all.
Just make sure its in your terms
Or make something like "Silver/Gold" accounts, with limited access, only preview.
However if the paysite is bad, it wont help at all.

[StuBradley]

Originally Posted by venus

I am still rebilling people from 8 years ago. some sites still do retain members.

Yes...I have quite a few members who have been with frostedfaces.com since the day I started it 5 years ago. My point is that things took a big turn in the last couple of years and rebills just haven't been the same since. There are also customers who join the same site on and off for years. Unfortunately, the affiliate who initially sends that customer will only get credit for the first signup and possible rebills, not when that customer comes back 3 months later and signs up again. This is why the PPS method makes sense to affiliates.

[ProjectNaked]

Originally Posted by Dirty Dane

Valid? Yes, if it is an option.

The smart (experienced) surfer sign up for 5-6 trial sites instead of one monthly membership, grab all content, and sign up again for trials months later to grab the updates.

I think the best solution on this "problem" would be something like this, let say with a 3 day trial: Assume you have X GB of content, you can make a daily/hourly bandwidth limit on the trials so they can't grab it all.
Just make sure its in your terms
Or make something like "Silver/Gold" accounts, with limited access, only preview.
However if the paysite is bad, it wont help at all.

very nice, I'm gonna look at this as an option

[Maureenoz]

If you maintain your site in such a way that you put your members' experience first, you'll retain members. Not only new content but also customer service gives a sense that you're not just looking for a fast buck but creating a business that will last.

At SexyAds, once an affiliate sends a free signup to us, that member is tagged with the affiliate number for the life of the membership. Like someone else said, people join the same site over and over again. SexyAds pays the affiliate every time that referral buys.

[Rich]

Of course. You offer the trial as just that, try it and continue if you like the site. Buying a trial doesn't commit them to buying a month.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by boner 2.0

Fucking charge back. They (visa/mc/whatever) should do something for that kind of scam

He's not talking about chargebacks, he's talking about canceling.

[StuBradley]

Originally Posted by Maureenoz

If you maintain your site in such a way that you put your members' experience first, you'll retain members. Not only new content but also customer service gives a sense that you're not just looking for a fast buck but creating a business that will last.

At SexyAds, once an affiliate sends a free signup to us, that member is tagged with the affiliate number for the life of the membership. Like someone else said, people join the same site over and over again. SexyAds pays the affiliate every time that referral buys.

I don't buy into that 'member's experience first' stuff. The fact is that many people now have high-speed connections. Combine that with the fact that the average surfer really only wants to see about 20-30 of the content on any given website and they can download everything they need in a day or two. What reason is there to stay for 6 months in a row at 30 bucks per month? They can just come back in a few months and download the new stuff.

As far as your affiliate program tracking customers, it is a good theory but how do you track them? By name? Too many John Smiths in the world. By IP Address? If they switch providers or God forbid have dial-up that won't work. By there credit card number? Doesn't the average American adult have 4.5 different cards? I'm sorry, but PPS is still the way to go if you are an affiliate.

[Digipimp]

Originally Posted by ProjectNaked

I understand that and I have a higher priced 3 month (1) pay option but I do not offer a "trial" - only 1 and 3 month subscriptions. I don't like seeing "only interested in trial" or the worst one, "unsatisfied" when they have not even accessed the content yet...

if they haven't accessed the content yet then why do you deserve their money. isn't that the best time for them to get their money back?

[StuBradley]

Originally Posted by Digipimp

if they haven't accessed the content yet then why do you deserve their money. isn't that the best time for them to get their money back?

He means BEFORE they access the members area. Surfers do this to avoid the recurring charge. They cancel within a few seconds of joining. But yet there are revshare programs out there that will tell you that they can keep these same customers for 6 to 8 months.

[BIGTYMER]

Thats the reason I pick when I cancel.

[Chimmy]

Here's a novel idea. Treat the trial as part of the overall revenue strategy, and price it accordingly. That way, if the customer cancels, you still make some money.

Or you can do it the way all the big players do it. Offer you affiliates high commissions on trials, so that you have no choice but use every scamming trick in the book to make sure that trial converts to a paid membership.

[venus]

Live content, it is new each time a cam girl is on, cant be duplicated, cant be seen again, the cust. cant participate in it if he missed it.
thats what keeps people recurring month after month after month after year.

By cam girl I am not talking about upsells to a place that sells pay per view, I am talking live sex, live toys, live orgies and so on.

Originally Posted by StuBradley

What reason is there to stay for 6 months in a row at 30 bucks per month?

[Maureenoz]

Originally Posted by StuBradley

I don't buy into that 'member's experience first' stuff. The fact is that many people now have high-speed connections. Combine that with the fact that the average surfer really only wants to see about 20-30 of the content on any given website and they can download everything they need in a day or two. What reason is there to stay for 6 months in a row at 30 bucks per month? They can just come back in a few months and download the new stuff.

As far as your affiliate program tracking customers, it is a good theory but how do you track them? By name? Too many John Smiths in the world. By IP Address? If they switch providers or God forbid have dial-up that won't work. By there credit card number? Doesn't the average American adult have 4.5 different cards? I'm sorry, but PPS is still the way to go if you are an affiliate.

Well, as a personal ad site, everyone has a membership and every member is tagged in the database with the affiliate number if there is one. You're right, we couldn't do it by name or IP, but unique member ID works just fine.

[TheSaint]

Originally Posted by ProjectNaked

I understand that and I have a higher priced 3 month (1) pay option but I do not offer a "trial" - only 1 and 3 month subscriptions. I don't like seeing "only interested in trial" or the worst one, "unsatisfied" when they have not even accessed the content yet...

The "only interested in trial" - CCbill uses that term even if you don't have trials. It should really say "only intrested in 1 month".

I have found (and very very few sites do this) that retention goes way up by offering a higher priced 1 month subscription with no rebilling also. Forcing people to join and cancel before they forget is no way to improve customer satisfaction, yet many sites do this hoping to catch a number of people who retain by accident. It also leaves the distinct impression on the customer that is exacty what you are hoping for.

I did a database search once and found that a huge number of people purchasing memberships for only 1 month bought several a year, which is still a pretty decent dollar amount off 1 customer.

[http]

No it's not "valid". Sue them