JoeWras
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2012
- Messages
- 11,738
Is anyone else getting tired of companies trying to jam a subscription model down your throat?
Seems like about a decade ago, the MBAs discovered that the best way to squeeze both customers and businesses is through a subscription model. No more buy once and forget.
Sure, this has been around forever with "razors and blades", or more recently, "printers and cartridges." But I'm talking a new, closer level of interaction. Monthly or yearly fees, whether you want them or not.
Pick your poison:
- Amazon Prime
- Costco membership
- Google play
- iTunes
- Netflix
- Turbotax
- Quicken (3 yrs now, what's next?)
- Satellite radio
- Dollar shave club, or new guy, Bevel
- Mobile phones
- Termite inspections
- Prepaid auto repair
- Grass service
- Water softener service
- Furnace service
The newest one I got was from Terminix. They called me up and wanted to know when they could schedule my "attic inspection." I'm like, "What attic inspection?" Apparently, they are just trying to get people on an attic inspection yearly service. I inspect my attic myself, once per quarter, thank you very much. Don't need your guy to pop in with his flashlight.
And about those furnace/ac inspections. I think there is a lot of fear here that they employ. Yes, it is not a bad idea to get a pro to check every few years, maybe every 5. But keep CO monitors in your house regardless. You can inspect and clean much of what they do anyway. And from what I saw from a "complementary" service I got when my unit was only 6 months old, I was horrified. The guy disabled all the safeties to "test the safeties". This heated up the heat exchanger to red hot. I don't think that is good for the system! Not the right way to test!
Now I'm off topic. But it just seems like some new recurring charge is popping up in my life and I'm not happy about it.
Seems like about a decade ago, the MBAs discovered that the best way to squeeze both customers and businesses is through a subscription model. No more buy once and forget.
Sure, this has been around forever with "razors and blades", or more recently, "printers and cartridges." But I'm talking a new, closer level of interaction. Monthly or yearly fees, whether you want them or not.
Pick your poison:
- Amazon Prime
- Costco membership
- Google play
- iTunes
- Netflix
- Turbotax
- Quicken (3 yrs now, what's next?)
- Satellite radio
- Dollar shave club, or new guy, Bevel
- Mobile phones
- Termite inspections
- Prepaid auto repair
- Grass service
- Water softener service
- Furnace service
The newest one I got was from Terminix. They called me up and wanted to know when they could schedule my "attic inspection." I'm like, "What attic inspection?" Apparently, they are just trying to get people on an attic inspection yearly service. I inspect my attic myself, once per quarter, thank you very much. Don't need your guy to pop in with his flashlight.
And about those furnace/ac inspections. I think there is a lot of fear here that they employ. Yes, it is not a bad idea to get a pro to check every few years, maybe every 5. But keep CO monitors in your house regardless. You can inspect and clean much of what they do anyway. And from what I saw from a "complementary" service I got when my unit was only 6 months old, I was horrified. The guy disabled all the safeties to "test the safeties". This heated up the heat exchanger to red hot. I don't think that is good for the system! Not the right way to test!
Now I'm off topic. But it just seems like some new recurring charge is popping up in my life and I'm not happy about it.