Whenever I get my cell phone bill each month, I go through it with a fine tooth comb. I check each line item and if there is something I don’t understand that I am being billed for then I call them. If my service was down for a few days but I’m billed for it, then I call and I get a credit for it.
When I set up my home phone service, they didn’t show up when they said they would, I called and I got a credit for it.
When I get my electricity bill in, I know it is only for the amount of BTU’s I used.
When I get billed for my lawn service for mowing, I know that they list dates and times that they were there and only bill me for those times.
When I go to the grocery store, I can bring coupons for discounts and if I’m over-charged for something, I can get my money back.
When I pay my income taxes and then file my return and find out I over-paid, I get a refund.
When I represent a client in selling their home, I only get paid if I provide the service that I promised.
When a buyer hires me, I only get paid when I fulfill my service contract with them.
When I order something from a website online, I can file a complaint and get a refund if the item was not delivered.
When I use my credit card to charge something then I can file for a refund if I don’t get what I paid for.
If I write a check to a vendor and don’t get the service or product that I paid for I can place a stop-payment on the check.
When I order food for delivery and it doesn’t arrive, I get credit.
So why am I paying for Activerain every month, regardless of whether the site is working or not. I have no recourse for credit. It’s either full payment every month or not at all.
I pay my $43 MLS dues every month, so I can access a site that never goes down.
I pay my $560 Association dues every year for a service that is always available.
I pay Constant Contact $45 every month for an online service that’s always reliable.
I pay IDX broker $78 a month for MLS access on my site which never goes down.
I pay Supra $460 every year for a service that is always available.
I pay $700 a month for advertising in the local real estate book that is always current & on the shelves.
I pay $1,600 a month for office space that I can access whenever I want.
I could go on……
Yet I still pay Activerain $29 a month for an unreliable service that goes down too many times, where I have no recourse and no chance of credit. A site that your either a paying member or grandfathered in. A site that I would love to see grow more but can’t recommend because of unreliability and increasing membership dues.
Why do I pay it?
As I am typing this, here is what is written above:
Service Temporarily Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.
Apache/2.2.3 (Red Hat) PHP/5.1.6 mod_ssl/2.2.3 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 Server at activerain.com Port 80
I pay it because it’s a valuable source of information. It’s a way to get great online exposure. It was my introduction to blogging and as such I feel like I owe it something. I pay because, I care about it. I care about the people that use it and run it. Do I care about my utilities or my phone service? Yes, because I need them but if some other company came along with cheaper rates, I would switch in a heartbeat.
I have absolutely no loyalty to my phone or utility company. I’m with them because I need them.
However, I do have a loyalty to Activerain but do I need them? No!
Most members of Activerain tolerate the downtime because they care not because they need!!!
Don’t belittle us by saying your down because of Earthday. Don’t think that apologizing for downtime on facebook will always be enough to keep us content. We know your trying but we are too. Be honest with us. If it’s more servers your need or more knowledgeable staff then let us know.
We can only be tolerant for so long and we can only help so much. Tell us what is really going on. You might be surprised at what your loyal following can do.
Sugar coating only results in rotten teeth!
