Membership Subscription Options Change

[PaulB2005]

Those who buy an occasional monthly subscription might feel this is to do with greed but it's isn't - well not on the part of PGPSW anyway. Their view will be distorted because they'll feel like they have to pay more per year.

However don't forget that whilst you have a valid subscription you can get a free lifetime subscription by being the first to submit a new camera.

If you want to feel annoyed at anyone feel annoyed at those that swap and share the database. It's because of their actions that this change has had to take place. Under the old system someone could pay £2 for a sub and get the database and share it. Once we found it on a Sharing site or P2P they would get banned and loose their remaining sub. However they could then pay just another £2 to rejoin - although we do have methods of detecting those that rejoin under new names and they just get banned again loosing another sub. This way it'll cost them more to do it.

Just think that £19 payment just once has to save your license and it's paid for itself two or three times. I often wondered what the point was when i mainly drive around the same 5 miles square area and then 4 new camera went up in a week. I wouldn't have known without the database.

kissack - The only "greed" is on behalf of the sharers. If you read the WHOLE thread you'll see how i explained the changes to Nick_Russell and their desired effect. As for the payment system you proposed, we can only offer a system that works with PayPal and that sort of scheme isn't possible.

aj2052 - How you can compare the database to AutoCAD i don't know. When someone pirates AutoCAD they save £3500 in one hit and they NEVER actually pay anything towards it. It's also because it's so VERY expensive that it gets pirated. People also have nothing to loose by pirating it or allowing their copy to be pirated.

With the PGPSW database someone has to subscribe in order to start pirating it. As it's updated every few weeks they need to keep that subscription active in order to get the updates - something you don't need to do with pirate copies of AutoCAD - if we catch them pirating the PGPSW database we ban them and they loose their remaining subscription. Under the old system this might have been £2 - now it'll be £19 each time.

The argument of "you'll never stop P2P" keeps coming up. Oh, well, the Police will never stop crime so perhaps they shouldn't bother? Perhaps we shouldn't try to deter any crime at all?

We never thought this would "cure" file swapping but with the database being available on-line for free we had to do something. As i said before feel annoyed at the swappers who made this necessary.

[DennisN]

I feel rather embarrassed to be supporting the change to annual subs, because I'm one of the members who benefits most from the database - my van is 18 months old and had its 90,000 mile service yesterday, so you can see I get my money's worth! Even worse, by contributing submissions, I got a free lifetime subscription, even better money's worth.

But let me make two points.

First, anybody could get a free lifetime membership in the same way, by being first to report something. And incidentally, there's a nice way to get a free extension of membership - find a pirate copy on one of the P2P sites, or wherever, send it in to PiracyATpocketgpsworld.com and if it results in another blackguard getting the chop, you'll get a free extension.

Second, on 28th August, Darren started a Sticky Poll on the question of where to go with subs. It currently shows a grand total of 25 votes! The change in subscriptions was not announced until three weeks after that poll. Anyone who is now objecting to the change might care to consider why they failed to take the opportunity to participate in a democratic exercise.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[aj2052]

Missed a bit out when comparing Autocad, The point I was trying to make was the comparison between Value or cheap programs against expensive, all of them will be pirated irrespective of cost, and I wouldnt be surprised if the database download has already been doctored for distribution. Again who is being greedy, without knowing how profitable this company is and bearing in mind that this site started as an"Hobby" Site and has now gone totally comerciall i await to see how long it will be before the POi database also turns into a moneyspinner, although I firmly support and contribute to this It is always at the back of my mind when submitting although if the same criteria is used when it does go pay to use I maybe still a winner i.e. previous submitter

[Darren]

[DennisN]

[swanson2]

To all of you at the Pocket GPS Team,

Thanks for all that you are doing.

In my opinion you should not have to go to such lengths to justify your actions to your members.

I believe that the vast majority of us are fully supportive of your stated intentions regarding subscription changes.

For me this site represents the best value for money that I have come across in over 40 years of motoring.

If it were a truly commercial site, the annual subscription would be far more expensive - however it would still be good value for money for the unlucky motorists who at the best have to pay speeding fines for inadvertantly being slightly over the limit, and at the worst have their licences, (and perhaps their livelihood), suspended.

Please keep up the good work for those of us that are very appreciative of the service that you provide, and the way that you do it.

Regards,

Robert Swanson


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I have enjoyed the past, but my main interest is in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there!

[GPS_fan]

For all those members who feel aggrieved at having to pay £19/year, perhaps they should take a look at the prices TomTom, Garmin, Navman, Mio and others charge.

Snooper charge £4.95/month (£59.40/year)

Remember also, that most of these other databases rely solely on users of their own units to update cameras, whereas the PGPSW database is updated by GPS users of all manufacturers, not to mention the stringent verification process which PGPSW has - so which would you put your money on being the most comprehensive?? I know which one my money would be on.

The PGPSW database is also second to none when it comes to support - be it download, submission or any other question, MaFt or another team member usually have a reply within minutes, but what kind of service do you get from these other providers?
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Andy
PocketGPSWorld.com supports Help for Heroes - Read here

[GPS_fan]

It appears that some individuals, even those who may have subscribed at one time or another, have no qualms about using warez.

Perhaps the scope of free lifetime membership could be extended to also include "a subscribed member who is the first to successfully report a 'bootleg' copy of the database", effective from the next allocation of free subscriptions after the originator of the database has received a ban from PGPSW.
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Andy
PocketGPSWorld.com supports Help for Heroes - Read here

[PaulB2005]

[aj2052]

Dennis I am not criticising or being Hypocritical just offering a different point of view which obviuosly you take umbrage often, i did run my own business quite successfully although not multinational but enough to enable me to retire at an early age some 15 yrs ago without my customers supplying my materials and I still lead a very active life, If anything we can possibly call you hypercritical for being a freebie member, but then i do not want to get personal, Bear in mind that different people have different uses of the site and in my case cost is not an implication and personally I think the cost is reasonable for a years use but for people who do not travel often then thier opinion may be different as in my case, For me I fully support the site and do very much apreciate the effort put into itincluding submitting to the POI database, But being a forum I do have an opinion and others like yourself should realise that.

[GPS_fan]

[mrgrimsby]

Well I might as well stick my oar in here , I will dip out, being an IOW resident does not really justify me paying £19 per year as I only visit the mainland two or three times a year , "The pay as you need" strategy suited me and I used it a couple of times this year so I am disappointed.
Having said that I have to say the people that run this service are fair and more than helpful in these here forums and it must hurt when all the effort they put in to run this service is hijacked by greedy parisitic morons who have to steal to make a bit of money.
I support this move and I fully understand why it has to be done, I dont know what I will do regarding updates , we will have to see but rest assured I will not line the pockets of pirates.

[Andy_P]

[Darren]

Semantics I know but you're right, you have to pay to access it but it is but one of many features of membership which payment of the subscription brings.
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Darren Griffin

[Andy_P]

Just thought there might be some legal reason you had to say it that way...
(Like competitions where it says "send twelve bottle tops... (no purchase necessary)" )

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