Guest and Member subscriptions being discontinued - Page 30

Bamb0 · 5 Jul 2017, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pfolson

What, exactly, is not "clear" about FastMail's explanations? They stated their reasons for both decisions in simple, straightforward language.

I think Brong said the interface we liked was harder to maintain.....

thisisnotgood · 15 Jul 2017, 07:49 AM

What is really quite funny, is that when I signed up for my big free account with them 15 years ago or so I thought the site was run and written out of some geeks basement. And guess what? it still looks like it!!!! Therefore I never really used it much.So, anybody who is upset about losing their free or member accounts should look at it this way. It give a reason to move on and forget about this junk once and for all and never again have to worry about a company holding your email addy at ransom. And as far as going to a "less" secure/safe email provider, I can assure you in this case size matters. It would be the little guy I would be more concerned about. Bye-bye!

sflorack · 15 Jul 2017, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thisisnotgood

What is really quite funny, is that when I signed up for my big free account with them 15 years ago

..and here is where I stopped reading.

somdcomputerguy · 15 Jul 2017, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thisisnotgood

What is really quite funny, is that when I signed up for my big free account with them 15 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflorack

..and here is where I stopped reading.

+1

- Bruce

n5bb · 15 Jul 2017, 10:13 AM

Fastmail is not run out of a basement.

Location: Office building in Melbourne, Australia
Privately held (employee owned) company with between 11 and 50 employees
Over 40,000 business customers:
https://www.fastmail.com/forbusiness/
Picture at their office last December: https://blog.fastmail.com/2016/12/01...ear-in-review/
More about them (including more photos inside their office):
https://blog.fastmail.com/2014/12/24...g-at-fastmail/

BritTim · 15 Jul 2017, 12:21 PM

As Bill says, FastMail is a pretty substantial company.

In its early days, FastMail was a lot smaller but, under Jeremy Howard, possibly even more professional then it is today.

FredOnline · 15 Jul 2017, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n5bb

Picture at their office last December: https://blog.fastmail.com/2016/12/01...ear-in-review/

Is that you in the photo, Bill?

n5bb · 16 Jul 2017, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredOnline

Is that you in the photo, Bill?

No. I have never been in Australia and have never worked for Fastmail. I learned Fortran programming 45 years ago, before all but a couple of those people were born, I'm afraid.

Bill

Bamb0 · 16 Jul 2017, 03:19 PM

Berenburger · 16 Jul 2017, 08:09 PM

Yeah, head of the support department would be

.

thisisnotgood · 17 Jul 2017, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflorack

..and here is where I stopped reading.

With 2800+ posts, you think you would certainly have the time. I am so offended

samhu · 1 Aug 2017, 12:02 AM

"We didn't actually use the term "lifetime", we said "one-time payment". I know it sounds like weasel words - but we chose to shut both Guest and Member down at the same time because they are basically the same." - wrote a certain "brongondwana" 74 days ago at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14357859

People who are losing their account can head over there for some solace. It appears to be a Fastmail fanboi free zone.

Over, and out.

p.s. Bron, you're a weasel AND a liar
http://web.archive.org/web/200212151...ricingtbl.html

walesrob · 1 Aug 2017, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samhu

"We didn't actually use the term "lifetime", we said "one-time payment". I know it sounds like weasel words - but we chose to shut both Guest and Member down at the same time because they are basically the same." - wrote a certain "brongondwana" 74 days ago at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14357859

People who are losing their account can head over there for some solace. It appears to be a Fastmail fanboi free zone.

Over, and out.

p.s. Bron, you're a weasel AND a liar
http://web.archive.org/web/200212151...ricingtbl.html

Ah yes, time to re-flog that dead horse.

In the words of Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves..."You wouldn't let it lie!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vECGh9hY68

ioneja · 3 Aug 2017, 02:20 AM

As I've come back and visited this forum from time to time, I've been doing a little more thinking about this topic and I have changed my mind -- a few pages back (on page 27 and/or 28) I gave a very long breakdown of my take on the situation... but on further thought, I think FastMail really could have handled it very differently than they did. There was really no need for them to cancel the accounts, and I now think it was a poor decision and also poorly handled.

Now I still agree with most of what I said before in this thread -- that it was poor decision for FM to offer the accounts in the first place, etc., etc., and I think I understand their reasoning for doing it.... but I think there could have been a couple of other paths they could have chosen to honor the "lifetime" accounts but reduce the internal costs and purge out the bad apples that were probably giving them the most headaches.

In the end, I don't think solving an initial poor decision with another poor decision will be good for them. I've come around to the point of view that I just don't think they were creative enough to solve the issues they were dealing with.

Anyway, what's done is done now, and it's unfortunate that many good customers who supported FM early on in their business have been lumped together with what certainly was a difficult group that caused FM most of the cost, and collectively they were all booted. I think the negative PR from this will actually last longer than they may realize. But they were never great at PR anyway.

I am sure it was a difficult decision for them, and I do want them to succeed, but I wish they had been more creative in the solution. I'm still a paying customer, and I will likely be around for a long time. Even my son doesn't want to leave because he loves his email address. But there's the point that FM somehow totally missed. People love their email addresses. Or at least they become attached -- out of convenience, habit, or even an emotional attachment. Somehow in all their email expertise, FM missed out that people are emotional beings of convenience, and to take something away from them that was promised just rubs them the wrong way.

TenFour · 3 Aug 2017, 05:51 AM

I doubt they lost many customers over this, and the ones they did lose weren't paying anyway. Most new customers look at price and features first, and then possibly star ratings on some consumer sites and maybe a few general articles. Those on a forum like this are vastly more in the know than the average customer for a service like Fastmail. From what numbers we do see it appears that FM is doing well and growing. I suspect a high percentage of their business and profits come from business customers, who have no interest in free limited accounts.

15 Jul 2017, 07:49 AM	#437
thisisnotgood Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 53	The end of near....... What is really quite funny, is that when I signed up for my big free account with them 15 years ago or so I thought the site was run and written out of some geeks basement. And guess what? it still looks like it!!!! Therefore I never really used it much.So, anybody who is upset about losing their free or member accounts should look at it this way. It give a reason to move on and forget about this junk once and for all and never again have to worry about a company holding your email addy at ransom. And as far as going to a "less" secure/safe email provider, I can assure you in this case size matters. It would be the little guy I would be more concerned about. Bye-bye!

15 Jul 2017, 10:13 AM	#440
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,926	Fastmail is not run out of a basement. Location: Office building in Melbourne, Australia Privately held (employee owned) company with between 11 and 50 employees Over 40,000 business customers: https://www.fastmail.com/forbusiness/ Picture at their office last December: https://blog.fastmail.com/2016/12/01...ear-in-review/ More about them (including more photos inside their office): https://blog.fastmail.com/2014/12/24...g-at-fastmail/

16 Jul 2017, 03:19 PM	#444
Bamb0 Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,868	It would be neat if you DID work for them.....

15 Jul 2017, 12:21 PM	#441
BritTim The "e" in e-mail Join Date: May 2003 Location: mostly in Thailand Posts: 3,090	As Bill says, FastMail is a pretty substantial company. In its early days, FastMail was a lot smaller but, under Jeremy Howard, possibly even more professional then it is today.

16 Jul 2017, 08:09 PM	#445
Berenburger The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,905	Yeah, head of the support department would be .

1 Aug 2017, 12:02 AM	#447
samhu Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 50	"We didn't actually use the term "lifetime", we said "one-time payment". I know it sounds like weasel words - but we chose to shut both Guest and Member down at the same time because they are basically the same." - wrote a certain "brongondwana" 74 days ago at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14357859 People who are losing their account can head over there for some solace. It appears to be a Fastmail fanboi free zone. Over, and out. p.s. Bron, you're a weasel AND a liar http://web.archive.org/web/200212151...ricingtbl.html

3 Aug 2017, 02:20 AM	#449
ioneja Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 713	As I've come back and visited this forum from time to time, I've been doing a little more thinking about this topic and I have changed my mind -- a few pages back (on page 27 and/or 28) I gave a very long breakdown of my take on the situation... but on further thought, I think FastMail really could have handled it very differently than they did. There was really no need for them to cancel the accounts, and I now think it was a poor decision and also poorly handled. Now I still agree with most of what I said before in this thread -- that it was poor decision for FM to offer the accounts in the first place, etc., etc., and I think I understand their reasoning for doing it.... but I think there could have been a couple of other paths they could have chosen to honor the "lifetime" accounts but reduce the internal costs and purge out the bad apples that were probably giving them the most headaches. In the end, I don't think solving an initial poor decision with another poor decision will be good for them. I've come around to the point of view that I just don't think they were creative enough to solve the issues they were dealing with. Anyway, what's done is done now, and it's unfortunate that many good customers who supported FM early on in their business have been lumped together with what certainly was a difficult group that caused FM most of the cost, and collectively they were all booted. I think the negative PR from this will actually last longer than they may realize. But they were never great at PR anyway. I am sure it was a difficult decision for them, and I do want them to succeed, but I wish they had been more creative in the solution. I'm still a paying customer, and I will likely be around for a long time. Even my son doesn't want to leave because he loves his email address. But there's the point that FM somehow totally missed. People love their email addresses. Or at least they become attached -- out of convenience, habit, or even an emotional attachment. Somehow in all their email expertise, FM missed out that people are emotional beings of convenience, and to take something away from them that was promised just rubs them the wrong way.

3 Aug 2017, 05:51 AM	#450
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,722	I doubt they lost many customers over this, and the ones they did lose weren't paying anyway. Most new customers look at price and features first, and then possibly star ratings on some consumer sites and maybe a few general articles. Those on a forum like this are vastly more in the know than the average customer for a service like Fastmail. From what numbers we do see it appears that FM is doing well and growing. I suspect a high percentage of their business and profits come from business customers, who have no interest in free limited accounts.