I have to say, this change is mildly disappointing. I've had to, on multiple occasions, cancel auto-renewal for my subscription due to money problems and re-subscribe at a later date. And with my income, I'm not comfortable purchasing a three-month subscription. I understand the reason behind implementing this requirement. I do, however, feel it disregards a small minority of folks, myself included, who've been members for quite some time, albeit on-and-off at certain points.
Yeah, I can definitely relate to what you're saying there. I think I've been coming to this site regularly for six-odd years. Like you, my subscription periods have been on and off, but I'd say I've probably been a paying member for at least half of those 72 months. Some years, it's been one month on, one or two months off; some years seven months on, five months off. I'm pretty sure yours and mine is not the kind of customer loyalty that Daphne & Co would prefer -- the kind I assume they're trying to foster with these new download restrictions -- but it still is some kind of customer loyalty. The bonuses have been enough to keep me coming back pretty regularly for the last few years, but the flexibility of being able to take a few weeks off here and there as the cash flow dictated was pretty dang convenient for me. The way things are now, if I want all the content
and to retain download privileges, there's really no other option than staying subscribed year-round. Which does not jibe with my finances. Again, it's the prerogative of the proprietors to switch up their business model, and I understand the moves they're making, even if those moves don't suit me as a customer. I will stick around in some capacity -- I still love a whole heck of a lot of the lovely work these MC mavens produce -- but as it stands, I think I'll end up spending less overall. Though I'm pretty sure Daphne and them are savvy enough that they'll make up the losses they'll take on people like me/us with customers whose spending habits better suit the new model.
