I am interested if people here think this is okay or not.
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.
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.
What do you think of this? Is it too much to expect the $49 or $149 licenses to apply to $8/mo new version?
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…"
Are you still able to use the Plugin? Or are your forced to use the SaaS product?
> so you can continue using the Wordpress version... and we're going to keep support it
Yep, you still have your WP Plugin w/ "Lifetime Support", don't see a problem, sorry.
This what their FAQ on website originally said about the Wordpress use: (they changed it recently)
"However keep in mind we're focusing the most resources on our new version going forward."
> https://kingsumo.com/pricing
It looks like they are offering an going SaaS version that they host for you, and a self-hosted WP version that you can install yourself for a fixed one-time price.
> ... the $49 or $149 licenses to apply to $8/mo new version?
The prices for self-hosted now look a lot more than those (early-bird/introductory?) prices you guys paid.
Sorry if you feel wronged, but I think you need to understand that this is a pretty common pricing structure, i.e self vs hosted pricing.
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?
same as with every other deal on AppSumo ... I wasn't promised Zapier integration from Mailshake, but have it ... I wasn't promised image templates from Missinglettr, but have them .... etc. this is how AppSumo deals just are ... because they promise lifetime licence
When you go to McDonalds anywhere in the world, you expect a similar cheeseburger because of the brand/platform ... when you get used to the same cheeseburgers and then suddenly you get something awful ... you would be surprised too .. and outraged at McDonalds
Did you even look at the facebook thread in the link? There are now dozens of other disappointed people, you can't have that unless you set a wrong expectation. There are countless other AppSumo lifetime deals that don't have any problems like this, because they do upgrade us on features as expected. If you can't deliver on it, then don't sell it right?
If you go to a take-away and always get extra napkins for free, you feel entitled to those extra napkins for free, so when they no longer do that you feel like you've been wronged although the extra napkins were never part of what you paid for.
AppSumo didn't take anything from you. They just didn't go above and beyond their duty this time for whatever reason and now you feel like you've been cheated because you justified the expense for yourself based on the expectation that they'd do it again.
In their FAQ they said this: "keep in mind we're focusing the most resources on our new version going forward." but changed it since and claim they will update it ... but look as those products separately ... they are like night and day ... the wordpress version has outdated design and only the new version looks good
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
https://appsumo.com/kingsumo1-black-friday-2016-offer/ - the 2016 sale says "free updates for life"
https://appsumo.com/black-friday-kingsumo-personal-2017/ - the 2017 black friday sale suddenly does not have that (seem like here they already knew they will sell SaaS soon, but this is rare on appsumo to not promise updates for life, most probably overlooked this)
All AppSumo lifetime deals include all future upgrades (unless they clearly specify its 1 year licence or so), this is the general expectation, and that's the point of it.
Many deals are kinda broken and unusable at the point of their sale, but people will buy they in hope they will become great in future. Yes its kinda like beta versions.
This is happening time and time again ... many AppSumo deals changed dramatically and the lifetime deals are still honored, some even change their pricing models completely, but in some shape or form, the lifetime deals are still honored. It's basically early funding and exposure (more importantly).
When I bought Mailshake it was pretty basic, but damn, they still keep adding features. They could have done the same and say, hey, if you want the new Zapier integration, you gotta pay for it, but they dont do that, because they set certain exepcation with lifetime licence.
The point is that this didn't go as expected.
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...).
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.
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.
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.
Kingsumo is the brand and the products are 1) a SaaS, 2) a wordpress plugin.
From their FAQ (https://kingsumo.com/faq)
> I use the WordPress version. Why isn’t my login working for the web app?
> 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'd have to come with the terms of service though.
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).
if ($sumo_makes_more_than_it_costs ~* "/making-$$$/") {set $happy "${happy}1";}
if ($happy = "11") {set $no_problem "true";}
