here is full context - https://imgur.com/a/aP9ZZ<p>I am interested if people here think this is okay or not.<p>In short, they sold lifetime license for their own product (KingSumo) that functioned as Wordpress plugin and recently remade it into a SaaS. We were informed on email to give new version of KingSumo a try. I couldn't login and was then informed I have to pay for it because it is separate from the wordpress version that I paid for.<p>I posted about it in their facebook group, which caused uproar from all buyers, but eventually they shut it down and any new post I make gets deleted immediately.<p>What do you think of this? Is it too much to expect the $49 or $149 licenses to apply to $8/mo new version?<p>Someone else wrote this: (which feels to me like it makes sense)
"Now, we have invested in a plugin, they took our money and converted it into a SaaS model. That does not feel ok. The plans for this must have been known 3 months ago, when you sold the plugin version. It simply makes the lifetime deal from last November feels like a type of crowdfunding to get funds for the new version…"
As bad a taste as it might leave, I'm not sure there's a leg to stand on here. You can still use the product you bought in the form you bought it (as I understand it), under the license you bought it, and you'll still get access to "lifetime updates" included. Granted, there might not be any futures updates to be eligible for as part of that, but unless you had an SLA on a roadmap, seems likely there's no real recourse here?<p>Business-wise, having a sale on something you're going to deprioritise/eventually sunset passes my smell-check, though there's a slight whiff with the leading point around "lifetime" (given that the lifetime seems to be, ahem, pretty short...).
Sounds like feigned outrage to me; you're conflating a software product (WP plugin in this case) w/ an ongoing SaaS product -- I don't see how you could expect one to honoured by the other.<p>Are you still able to use the Plugin? Or are your forced to use the SaaS product?<p>> so you can continue using the Wordpress version... and we're going to keep support it<p>Yep, you still have your WP Plugin w/ "Lifetime Support", don't see a problem, sorry.
To clarify... AppSumo sold people a WordPress plugin for $49 for one site or $149 for unlimited WordPress sites on Black Friday which offers unlimited giveaways and mailing list integration. AppSumo still offers the standalone WordPress plugin but has also launched a SaaS app that integrates with WordPress as well as other systems. This SaaS app is offered for $0/mo for unlimited giveaways and mailing list integration. They also offer a pro version for $8/mo which adds in the ability to custom brand your offers. This ability to custom brand was not a part of the product you purchased on Black Friday. The publisher is giving one year of access ($96) to this new pro offering to people who had purchased the WordPress plugin.<p>I'm unclear what the issue is. If you'd like to use the current plugin on WordPress because you like the integration, you can do so. If you'd like to use the new SaaS product on WordPress or any other site, you can do so for free. If you'd like to custom brand, a new offering from this publisher, you get a year of it for free and you can pay to do so after that. Were you expecting the publisher to give you their new offering with a new feature you weren't promised and didn't pay for for free forever?
IMHO, there are issues on both sides.<p>Using words like "lifetime deals" entice customers but also sets expectations which might be hard to maintain. Especially when when companies they oversold their promises and the generated fees might not be enough to hire devs and keep the product running. Personally, I think lifetime should at least include 5 years of service, irrespective of version changes.<p>From the looks of it, the lifetime plugin sold very well and Appsumo realized later that web app and subscription model are a much better fit. So, I doubt they knew 3 months ago that they might end up doing this.<p>On the flip side, companies do grandfather existing customers to newer and potentially expensive plans. So, if the webapp is better and faster then I think asking people for more money isn't wrong. If the wordpress plugin continues to work and is updated then it is an expected solution.
This seems like a branding vs product issue.<p>Kingsumo is the brand and the products are 1) a SaaS, 2) a wordpress plugin.<p>From their FAQ (<a href="https://kingsumo.com/faq" rel="nofollow">https://kingsumo.com/faq</a>)<p>> I use the WordPress version. Why isn’t my login working for the web app?<p>> If you already have the WordPress plugin, you’ll need to register again. This new web app version is different than the WordPress plugin version. We’ll continue to support both, but since they’re two separate products you can register for each.
You got what you saw: unlimited use of the WordPress plugin. I don't even see mentions of any guarantees about updates -- but as long as they maintain the plugin for say 3-5 years or so I think the "lifetime" claim is perfectly valid.<p>The SaaS app is an entirely different product, as evidenced by the fact you're saying it even looks different. It also has a different business model.<p>If you buy a finished product you don't normally expect new features to be added if it's not on a subscription model. If it's explicitly "early access" or "beta" software you might reasonably expect it to be polished and maybe get whatever features it is currently missing (if they have been advertised or are obviously necessary for it to fulfill its advertised purpose) but a finished product is a finished product.<p>My understanding of a plugin being sold with a "lifetime license" would be that I get any updates to that plugin for free but that that won't include new "major" versions. Similar to how if I paid for MS Office 1997 I wouldn't expect that to mean I also get a free "upgrade" to MS Office 2000.<p>If you saw enough value in the plugin to justify the purchase and keep it past the 60 day no-questions-asked money back guarantee, there's frankly no reason to be upset unless they stop providing security updates or no longer maintain the plugin for compatibility with newer WP versions.<p>Would you be equally upset if they never released the SaaS version but still stopped adding features to the plugin (while still offering security and compatibility updates)? If not, what difference does it make they now also offer a SaaS product?<p>You bought a software product and an implicit guarantee of keeping that software product in a working condition. You didn't buy a team of developers continuously working on improving that product and adding new features.
What was the lifetime license for? Updates? If so, are they still updating the plugin? If it's still being updated, and they didn't just abandon it altogether a few months after you bought a lifetime subscription, it seems to me that you got what you expected and what they told you you were getting.
I do not see a problem. The plugin still works. I do not fault them for deleting your posts as they are factually incorrect and only spread your invalid interpretation of the situation.
Depending - you might be able to take them to small claims court. Given the small value, they likely wont fight it.<p>You'd have to come with the terms of service though.<p>Given the value, it'll be a huge headache for them to fight it. They'll likely just convert you all over. If not, they'll have to pay damages, which would be awful for them (if there's a few thousand people).