Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to cancel

Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by andrew_eu on Saturday January 20, 2024 @01:10AM (#39065166)

Long ago I used to be a regular customer at a massage therapists office and paid dues into their sort of "subscription service" program. They charged a monthly fee about equal to a 1 hour massage, but would give a substantial discount when you actually get massages -- it broke even after about 2x per month which worked well enough for me.

The incredible part was that they tracked whether you got a massage that month. If not, you'd get a 1/3rd credit for a free massage. And after 3 months of no use they would stop billing the monthly fee until you return (and collect your free massage). It was, to me, unbelievably consumer-friendly and reflected well on the business. I recommended everyone I could, and they deserved it.

Unfortunately the place shut down shortly after I moved away.

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by PakG1 on Saturday January 20, 2024 @01:34AM (#39065259)

I suppose the cynic would argue that if they didn't have this billing practice, they may have survived. Which the other cynic would say is the problem, are businesses being too subsidized by unethical billing?

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by freetanga on Saturday January 20, 2024 @02:47AM (#39065531)

Or would have created negative backlash with initial clients while still open, accelerating its demise?

Let’s chuck this one on the bin of “who knows? Who cares?” Mistery Bin.

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by pxc on Saturday January 20, 2024 @02:54AM (#39065553)

We also don't know that it closed because it failed. Small businesses like that can end up closing just because the owner moves away or something like that, if the owner is highly involved in operating the place.

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by setr on Saturday January 20, 2024 @04:42AM (#39065994)

I’m highly suspicious that the whole 90% of restaurants fail thing is largely because small business owners don’t know how to manage their finances and maintain adequate buffers for lean months. I expect even the highest revenue places to just fall over suddenly because of it

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by 4b11b4 on Saturday January 20, 2024 @10:19PM (#39075203)

do you have any proof for this? this is up the alley of something I'm building

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Re:Americans are spending billions on stuff they forget to c... by prossercj on Saturday January 20, 2024 @07:40AM (#39067055)

> Unfortunately the place shut down shortly after I moved away.

Clearly you were their most important customer, eh?

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