I subscribed to Netflix in the summer of 2016 to show a documentary during a presentation. I’ve never canceled it. Each month I see the credit card statement I think, “Damn it! I need to cancel that,” but it’s always so far down the priority list that I never do.
I’m sure I’m not alone.
I loath subscription and auto-pay so much that I’ve not incorporated it into our company. Every time someone sends us money, I want it to have been a conscious decision, not because they forgot to cancel.
About six months ago, we met with a company that provides ticketing for swinger lifestyle events. The representative told me that ticket income is one thing, but the real money comes from small, monthly membership fees that many people don’t even realize they are paying. He showed me examples from parties across the nation. Some couples hadn’t been to a party in over a year but kept paying the membership fee every month.
I understand the business aspect, but again, I don’t want to “trick” anyone into sending me money. I want couples to pull out a credit card every single time, giving plenty of time to reconsider and not make a purchase.
Money aside, there are some excellent reasons to do a membership.
#1. We could list the party rules in the membership application. Then if someone is a problem, we could say your membership has been revoked and point to the standard they violated. Right now our rules are only given during the tour, and removing someone can seem arbitrary to the person shown the door.
#2. There is a rule in the facebook group that a couple must attend at least one event per year. We could change that to “must be a paying member,” and as long as they keep their membership paid, they can stay in the group.
We may do membership at some point, but if we do, it will be a one-time purchase and not an auto-bill feature.