B Ozanne
EF5
Any word on why it went to $90?
I'm planning on signing up in the next few days.
I'm planning on signing up in the next few days.
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CHASE HOTLINE active for 2005
- Thread starter Tim Vasquez
- Start date
Darren Addy
EF5
Since his original message notes packages starting at $49.95, I would imagine that he has not raised that package to $89. I'm sure he'll clarify things shortly.
Darren Addy
Kearney, NEDavid Wolfson
EF5
The silence leads me to think that Tim might be still "working out" some of the details.... :wink:
I just signed up at $90, and don't think that's a high price for what he's offering, though for reasons which may be clarified he offered it at $50 until recently.
$50 is less than the basic CH email-only service cost a few years ago, and was very worthwhile.
Suspecting that there may be a quandry afoot at CH, Inc., over how to maximize customer satisfaction, I'll throw a suggestion out: since SMS messaging is I'm quite sure an added cost and complexity over email distribution (and limited to those with SMS-enabled phones), that the $50 service might be clarified to include email-only updates, and SMS messaging be an additional feature for $40 more. Just a thought....
Scott Olson
EF5
There have got to be six or seven websites that allow you to send free SMS messages to many people. Even the pay ones which give you more control area releatively cheap.B Ozanne
EF5
That's ridiculous. You can send an SMS to anybody for free via email. For example to send an SMS to my Verizon mobile the address is: [email protected]
I imagine its the same deal for the other providers as well.
If he did up the price it would have been nice to know in advance. I would have singed up earlier, I just got lazy and put it off.
mrobinett
EF3
Cingular is pay for messages both sent AND received, AT&T wireless was free incoming.B Ozanne
EF5
When was the last time you paid to send an email from your computer?
If you use your mobile to send a message you typically pay (depending on your plan). I'm sorry if my last message was confusing, so I'll try again.
You can send an SMS message to any Verizon phone via email....for free. Just enter ##########@vtext.com
I imagine its the same with other carriers.
Tim Vasquez
EF5
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2003
- Messages
- 3,411
Sorry about the delay... I am in the midst of moving and boxing up our house down here in Austin.
Yes, there has been a price hike, and I regret to say the early birds got the worm. I came close to having to call off the Hotline for this season as I initially wasn't getting enough signups to make the service viable. I'm only getting 50% the signups of previous years, largely due to competition from WxWorx/XM.
I decided to hike the price in a last-ditch attempt, and I'm glad to report that it's carried the Hotline over the threshold for this year.
If $89.00 is too expensive, I apologize, however I was a bit premature in thinking the $49 plan was going to cut it. I thought the low cost would make up for it in volume, but it didn't.
TimDavid Wolfson
EF5
Fair enough. The bottom line is $90 is a very fair price for what Tim's offering, and $50 was a steal.B Ozanne
EF5
Sounds good. I'll be signing up in the next few days....for real this time.
Ryan McGinnis
EF5
It's not my place to tell anyone how to do business, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone respond to increasing competition and falling sales by doubling their subscription prices. It might help you out for this season, but I doubt it'll do much for long-term viability of the product. I was planning on trying it out this year and might have been a repeat subscriber -- but not after a sudden nearly 100% subscription price increase. Of course, you may not be planning on continuing this service, in which case the price increase would make sense, in a slash-and-burn kind of way.
Just mah 2 cents, YMMV.
Mikel Shively
EF3
I have never tried the serivce, but I hear it is really good. $90 doesn't seem too awful bad for a service of that caliber.
Robert Dewey
EF5
I think part of the idea is the fact that $49.99 was too low to begin with anyway - That's as little as $25/month. I mean, if Tim has to sit at the computer and produce forecasts and NOWcasts for the chasers with the $49.99 package, and lets say that there are 20 days where Tim does this for people, your only talking $2.45/per person, per chase day...Not much profit if you ask me, and that's what business is all about. Now, imagine if you only have 5-8 people sign up...
Now, what Tim really needs to do is get some of his books published on a largescale basis, and sell them to book stores like Barnes and Nobles or Borders books (the brick and mortar stores). His books are really excellent peices of work, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in weather.
Ryan McGinnis
EF5
I actually agree with you -- $90 doesn't seem too bad for his service which I've heard is really, really good. (Really -- I've heard a lot of great testimonials for his service and am kinda bummed I won't get to see it.) For me, it's more personal budgetary reasons and a slant of principle. I had set aside $49 for his service at the end of the month, and now it's $90. That's okay, it's a free country, but this customer got away. If it were $90 at the beginning, I probably would have set aside $90 for the end of the month. I have a bunch of Tim's books, and I get the impression that if anyone's day-of-storm target advice is worth $90, it's his. I doubt Tim will be offended; it's a well known that as prices increase, sales decrease, especially if the increase is sudden and sharp.David Wolfson
EF5
Ryan, your reaction is understandable, and why I posted what I did in a roundabout way. Psychologically it looks like a "price increase". The way I prefer to look at it is that the early signers took advantage of a very good deal. Tim isn't getting rich off CH, for sure. He needs enough revenue from it to justify his investments of money and time. For most of two months Tim is pretty tied down serving CH subscribers.
Monica and I can only chase for a few weeks this year and we're with someone who is more than capable of doing his own targeting. So for me Tim's CH is education and training, pure and simple. I attempt a forecast and targeting; then compare it with Tim's analysis; and finally with Reality. The $90 is like the cost of a credit or two at a community college, assuming you could find a course anywhere like that.
Consider that one bustola chase avoided more than pays for the CH service.Similar threads
