autoskip pricing

Started by Dazza, June 19, 2015, 05:18:01 PM

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Rat

I'm not out to sabotage, I do hope I am happy with my Skippa purchase, but I am not very impressed with the way marketing and information has been handled or feedback to posts here. Nearly everytime staff post people here are disappointed or annoyed by what they have said, they don't need me to sabotage they are doing a fine job themselves.

That said, I know we are quite a difficult bunch to impress and for every unhappy post there could be a few who are happy and don't bother posting.


csutak40

Quote from: nis200sx on June 28, 2015, 07:51:04 PM
Quote from: csutak40 on June 21, 2015, 04:23:31 PM
No, the first ad did not mention that the autoskip is part of the special offer  (as it proclaimed loudly for the IceTV subscription)  The fact that  it wasn't built into the unit out of the  box wasn't mentioned until this ad.
And no, I am "whinging" because I don't like false advertising, which is what this was, and I would get a bad taste in my mouth, even if I had purchased one already, because I do agree that they  are making  it up as they go, which does not fill me with confidence.

Actually it was clear to those who read between the lines that the pre-order was a bargain. There were 3 balloons indicating 3 benefits of the initial 'pre-order offer':

  • Red outline: Free IceTV for the life of your SKIPPA.
  • Green outline: No Annual Fees - ever!
  • Solid Blue: $399 $599 RRP inc. GST Save $200
The red and green balloons suggested (to me) that the 'Free IceTV" and "No Annual Fees - ever" were 2 separate benefits of the pre-order offer and were subject to change.

The 'pre-order extension offer' has purple and green balloons stating:

  • Purple outline: 1 year AutoSkip Included Valued at $39
  • Green outline: Free IceTV for the life of your SKIPPA.
  • The price isn't in a balloon this time: $449 RRP $599 inc. GST Save $150

Why does one need a university degree in how to read between the lines, when dealing with a supposedly  trustworthy company? 

Sure, you can interpret their ad like that, especially with the wisdom of hindsight (ignoring the fact that just a week or so before the ad appeared, they were saying that the Skippa will cost $499, not $599 - but no doubt, looking at that with a magnifying glass, there is a way of  interpreting that as well) but, silly me, I didn't think I need to look for hidden meanings when reading an ad from IceTV, a company I've always trusted.

I suppose, that is the reason why I am so upset.  I expected more from IceTV

And I still say, that a PVR that is called "Skippa" which refers to the fact that it skips ads as its main claim, should actually do that, without extra cost
Cheers,
Judy
Last Update Dec 9 2020; Beyonwiz V2, T2,

snuke

Quote from: nis200sx on June 28, 2015, 07:51:04 PM
Quote from: csutak40 on June 21, 2015, 04:23:31 PM
No, the first ad did not mention that the autoskip is part of the special offer  (as it proclaimed loudly for the IceTV subscription)  The fact that  it wasn't built into the unit out of the  box wasn't mentioned until this ad.
And no, I am "whinging" because I don't like false advertising, which is what this was, and I would get a bad taste in my mouth, even if I had purchased one already, because I do agree that they  are making  it up as they go, which does not fill me with confidence.

Actually it was clear to those who read between the lines that the pre-order was a bargain. There were 3 balloons indicating 3 benefits of the initial 'pre-order offer':

  • Red outline: Free IceTV for the life of your SKIPPA.
  • Green outline: No Annual Fees - ever!
  • Solid Blue: $399 $599 RRP inc. GST Save $200
The red and green balloons suggested (to me) that the 'Free IceTV" and "No Annual Fees - ever" were 2 separate benefits of the pre-order offer and were subject to change.


Contextually that makes no sense. As you have said, you would have to read between the lines, or as I would put it, ignore the English language.
Point Two can only be read as a reference to point One.

snuke

For those not watching the pre-order thread, here is more salt to rub into the wounds of horrid communication.


bodogbodog

Quote from: snuke on July 02, 2015, 06:26:37 PM
For those not watching the pre-order thread, here is more salt to rub into the wounds of horrid communication.
Whats your point? - They made a series of offers and have now made another offer - with a deadline. They're trying to encourage people to place an order - a series of offers with different terms is not surprising
Beyonwiz V2: 4 HDTV Tuners, 16gb SD + unRaid 10TB NAS + IceTV Skippa (for old times sake - make me an offer and it's yours!)
Beyonwiz V2: 2 HDTV Tuners - spare

warkus

And more importantly, it's highly likely this offer has been brought about by all the complaining on here and other forums by a specific few people who very much seem like spoilt children because they didn't take up the initial offer, whether that's the reason for all the posts or not, it certainly presents like that, seriously I think it needs to be toned down.

The way I see it is they can't win either way, people not happy with their offer and complaining so they put up a new one, clear, easy to understand and straight forward. And still they cop it.

I can't understand it myself, it was clear to me in the original email, yes admittedly not as clear as it could have been but still clear enough, that's why I took the risk and purchased, if you didn't well you can't hold ice responsible for that. How they market the product is up to them, yes their wording has been poor in several examples but intentionally misleading it isn't...

Can we all just move on now please, and focus on the product itself and how good or not good it is when it comes out. Nobody is forcing you to purchase it so if your that unhappy, go an purchase a beyonwiz T3 or T4, then you'll really have something to complain about...

Mark



snuke

Yeah, I am sure all those that paid $449 last week are just ecstatic that they have the same deal for $399.

warkus

Presumably nobody did I dare say, another reason probably why they have changed it again and made it more clear to all who buy...

Mark

Rat

Warkus I can see your point...but I can also see that all the negativity has been generated by IceTV comments (or lack of them) and haphazard promotion style, they only have themselves to blame.

Thier reaction to all this negativity is one again typical of what we have come to expect from them  ::)

Quote IceTV email

"The launch of SKIPPA has generated terrific feedback from our customers"

Now if we take that at face value then I really can't see how that can be true, between here and Whirlpool customers are disgruntled, disappointed and anxious about what the product will be like, hardly what I would call terrific feedback.

But if we read between the lines and check the online dictionary meaning of "terrific" we find that yes that is an apt description as terrific doesn't actually mean good or positive at all.

terrific
təˈrɪfɪk/Submit
adjective
1. of great size, amount, or intensity.
"there was a terrific bang"

2. archaic causing terror.
"his body presented a terrific emblem of death"

So yep, the feedback has been terrific.

warkus

Let it go, move on, find another avenue for your frustration on another forum, this ones been done to death and honestly, I cannot believe you have stooped to the level of commenting on their advertising material.

Can't fault the product description this time so let's look at other wording, it's pathetic...and freakin annoying to have to read, not to mention it's pretty dam low.


injidup

I'm really looking forward to the comments when the SKIPPA finally gets into people's homes!

Leon K

Quote from: snuke on July 02, 2015, 10:57:44 PM
Yeah, I am sure all those that paid $449 last week are just ecstatic that they have the same deal for $399.

We have already contacted these customers and have upgraded them.

csutak40

Quote from: Likkie on June 22, 2015, 08:39:51 AM
Also if it were just a feature built into the unit, I think they would have trouble justifying charging a fee to turn of a feature and then charging a subscription fee to not turn it off (which seems like extortion to me).

I have been reading some of the older posts, searching for something in particular.  Found some interesting things on other subjects as well.  For instance, re your comment above:

Since then, they have admitted that is exactly what they are doing –"AutoSkip continues to process all recordings with or without an active subscription. This means that once a subscription has been renewed, all processed recordings can immediately be played back without ads." http://forum.icetv.com.au/iceforum/skippa/44/skippa-pre-order/4483/msg21709;topicseen#msg21709

So, the subscription is a payment for them not to turn an inbuilt feature off.
Cheers,
Judy
Last Update Dec 9 2020; Beyonwiz V2, T2,

Likkie

Quote from: csutak40 on August 18, 2015, 03:37:57 AM
Quote from: Likkie on June 22, 2015, 08:39:51 AM
Also if it were just a feature built into the unit, I think they would have trouble justifying charging a fee to turn of a feature and then charging a subscription fee to not turn it off (which seems like extortion to me).

So, the subscription is a payment for them not to turn an inbuilt feature off.


As I'd said, this doesn't affect me as I got the early offer with lifetime ad-skip. 

From my point of view the subscription thing just doesn't sit right though.  You're effectively paying them a ransom to not disable a feature on your own equipment.

Isn't that like what those ransom-ware scammers do? Pay up and we'll unlock your PC ;)

FMB

I suspect you're probably correct. The way I see it, they developed this functionality and built it into the device and then someone (probably in management) pointed out that IceTV is a subscription company and they should find a way to monetize the ad skip feature. That resulted in a firmware update which contacts the mothership each day to confirm a paid up subscription.

I'm all for companies selling products to make a profit, but this certainly appears as nothing more than a money-grab. Once the dust settles and the Skippa hits retail shelves, your average buyer won't be aware of what's gone on before. For those of us who followed the development, it doesn't leave one with much confidence in the company.

For the record, I pre-ordered a Skippa on day one and will get a lifetime subscription.