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Tweetbot and Twitterrific Users Can Support the Developers by Declining Subscription Refunds
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It's quite simple. Are people getting the service they paid for? No? Then they should get a refund.
Developers aren't like sports teams. If people are investing in the dev, then that's a whole different scenario of expectations. This is a ridiculous article.
Developers aren't like sports teams. If people are investing in the dev, then that's a whole different scenario of expectations. This is a ridiculous article.
eLOn muSk IS ruINING ThE worLd!!!1
In that case, can I have some money from you? I'm sad that a personal workflow I used for twitter is now broken, and apparently you give people money for absolutely nothing.
Right. They decided to go the subscription route. You live and die by that. It's compounded by the fact that this subscription is entirely dependent on a service they have no control over. I am not fundamentally against subscription models, but it is crazy to build that subscription business on top of something you have no say in.
Had they they sold apps for 2.99 or 4.99 or whatever, the idea any meaningful number of customers would request a refund that was for more than 30 days ago is highly unlikely. If you have a subscription though with 11 or nine or even five months remaining that can't be delivered, that is different situation.
If you subscribed to Amazon Prime for $139 and had months left and they stopped free shipping, it would be perfectly appropriate to ask for at least a partial refund or do a charge back. It would be hilarious if Jeff Bezos sent out requests asking customers not do so.
I will 100% do this. I loved tweetbot and was sad to see it go. I'm shocked by how many people in here have zero empathy over this.... It's only a few bucks jeez.
A businesses customers are entitled to what they pay for - if that can't be provided then they should get their money back from said business. This isn't a bloody charity. This is a fairly basic and simple exchange that billions around the world across multiple generations understand. Why it's so difficult for some in this thread is bizarre.
Maaaaaaaaybe building a business around an unauthorised API and subscriptions was just a dumb move in the first place?
they always treated their customers with disdain, cause they knew they were the best in the market. Why should I help them when their business broke down? No offer for a transfer to mastodon has been made. No discount for frustrated tweetbot users - I think they are pretty wild asking to let them keep our money
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
If that were to happen, Elon is going to end up raising the dumb subscription prices for Twitter.
Honestly, I’ll go along with this because I want to be kind. But you know what? When I lost my job, no one in the apple echo chamber that I support gave a single ph*k about me. This is what it’s like out there.
And I might add, no one cared about the throngs who cried foul on the whole subscription crap—they just did it anyway. This is one example of subscriptions coming home to roost on the devs for a change and part of me really wants to set an example of these people. But, as I said, I’ll help them because I know what it’s like. Not that they or anyone else will ever do the same for me.
And I might add, no one cared about the throngs who cried foul on the whole subscription crap—they just did it anyway. This is one example of subscriptions coming home to roost on the devs for a change and part of me really wants to set an example of these people. But, as I said, I’ll help them because I know what it’s like. Not that they or anyone else will ever do the same for me.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. And nothing of value was lost
Tell me that someone signs your paycheck without telling me.
You can have some money from me if you can answer yes to the following 3 questions:
1) Did you create an app that not only did I use multiple times a day but also contributed significantly the development of the service upon which it was based?
2) get shafted by a megalomaniac who decided to change the terms of service and simply revoked api access one night?
3) are you in fact not asking for any money from me, but simply that I consider not making you give me back $3?
It was literally the official Twitter API that they paid to access, funded through the use of subscriptions. I know you don't seem to understand that, but it's the truth.
They are literally offering the opportunity to transfer the remaining subscription to Ivory.
Too many Muskbros on here. Incredible that people support a man who made his fortune off generational wealth and taxpayer dollars.
Also the Twitter app is faeculent garbage.
No, developers like that are pretty scummy to have apps like theirs as subscription based in the first place.
Are… are you comparing AMAZON making a decision to a small Indy developer being impacted by a change in another company’s policy, and comparing $139 to $6?
If I have a subscription and the service stops early, I expect at least a partial refund. I don’t care why they can’t provide me the service.
As to support, developers are businesses. I don’t support businesses. I pay businesses for services and products. I’m not going to walk into McDonald’s, hand them $10 and walk out empty-handed because I want to support McDonald’s. I’m going to walk in, hand them some money, and walk out with my food. if you have a product, I will give you money for it but if you don’t have a product, sorry.
I am not cold or mean because I don’t give a business money for nothing. If they have some sort of charity connection, sure then I can understand that. I give to charities and expect nothing in return. That’s the big difference for me.
As to support, developers are businesses. I don’t support businesses. I pay businesses for services and products. I’m not going to walk into McDonald’s, hand them $10 and walk out empty-handed because I want to support McDonald’s. I’m going to walk in, hand them some money, and walk out with my food. if you have a product, I will give you money for it but if you don’t have a product, sorry.
I am not cold or mean because I don’t give a business money for nothing. If they have some sort of charity connection, sure then I can understand that. I give to charities and expect nothing in return. That’s the big difference for me.
Yeah, I'm inclined to agree here. I would decline a refund since it's such a small amount, but this is kind of the flip side of an app subscription. If you are REALLY arguing that you providing a service that users need to continue paying for then you can't realize the revenue for the entire sale at once. Otherwise charge a flat fee and the transaction is closed out.
I'm willing to be proven wrong, but I don't think anyone is saying the developers are morally entitled to the money. They are asking people to consider, as you say, "declin[ing] refunds as an act of charity."
Just because someone may make a moral case for something doesn't mean there is an entitlement attached; merely a justification.
Just redownload Tweetbot to use the „don’t need a refund“ option, had a great time using their app and being forced to use the crappy official Twitter app now makes me even more realize how many years of such a so much better Twitter experience I had thanks to them 
Ask? 💯 reasonable.
Expect? 💯 unreasonable to expect people to pay for services you cannot provide. Always and forever. Good thing too, because the law doesn't allow it.
It is definitely a bit of a jerk move to ask for a refund. No doubt.
But it's a MUCH bigger jerk move to expect customers pay for services not provided.
Good thing that the devs are not being jerks. They are not being entitled at all and taking the best approach possible. Mega kudos to them after getting the shaft from Twitter. 👍
Not sure which company you're talking about, but Tweetbot is offering to transfer subscriptions to Mastodon. It's in the screenshots and mentioned in the article. Twitterrific is not offering that as Twitterrific does not have a Mastodon app.
Responsibility...
When your only, irreplacable "supplier" can pull the rug from you literally overnight, the responsible thing would be not to charge yearly advance payments from your customers - and book them as revenue already safely pocketed.
If it's such an existential threat, these developers acted very irresponsibly.
When they could have - rather safely - offered monthly or weekly subscriptions only.
Of course I know that and how more tempting yearly subscriptions are. I can well imagine that cancellation rates and customer attrition are lower when you only charge them a modest yearly fee - rather than nickel-and-diming customers every month. I have little doubt that pushing yearly subscriptions was and gave them a competitive advantage - which they deliberately chose to do.
You're missing the multiple people in this thread that are saying exactly what you don't think anyone is saying.
The devs are absolutely not being entitled to the money. But many people here are saying they are.