P411 Price Increase

I guess until you have your own legit business people may not understand. A small increase due too economy restraints is viable, 50 % is crazy. If business is booming then an increase is not required , even if more staff is needed, money is paid for by ncreased review. As for providers having to pay for advertising,,,, boo hoo. Give me a break . Your lucky that's all you pay, try paying taxes like a real business as well as advertising then come cry to me... Until then STFU with that bs. Just like strippers that want all the money and everything for free. And please to one back with " I do pay taxes" ya right the only provider in the world that does..lmgive me a break

Extra 46 dollars .. How bout times 100 or 200,,, it's a lot more then you think.. Eccie is not the best but better then p411

Thank you for bringing your highly informative business accumen in what has been a lucid thread.

Here is what Gina had to say on the subject in a recent thread:

Please keep in mind that there are nine people (including myself) working full time behind the scenes, all of whom have worked with me for 10 or more years (with the exception of our developer, who has been with us for 8 years). So as far as "low overhead", wages alone are no where near "low", we all make a decent living (and deserve to, because we work our little tushies off!).

One of the things we are known for, and strive towards, is providing excellent customer service. If you need to speak to someone, we are EASY to reach, via telephone, LiveChat or email. If you are book an appointment through P411 and then have a problem, we are there for you... whether it be to lend an ear, mediate a dispute, or to take more serious steps if the situation warrants it. The site is continually upgraded and features added, to make your hobbying experience more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, costs are rising and the value of the US dollar has dropped by about 20% since the inception of P411 (we are in Canada, and the dollar is converted). So some decisions have had to be made, and we will continue to be there and do our jobs as we have for all of these years, which means that the rate is going to increase.

Laying people off and/or doing a lesser job is not an option for me, although from a financial standpoint that would be the smart way to go. However, I am very proud of Preferred411 and the job we do, and it would break my heart to become just another "technology based enterprise" that takes your dollars and doesn't offer any real support.

I don't like raising rates, and we have been inching it up every couple of years, which isn't fun (each time there is a bit of an uproar). So this time, it's going up enough that we no longer have to increase the rate every couple of years and we can focus on improving the site and our service, instead of staying awake worrying about finances.

I hope we don't lose a single member due to the rate increase, although I know that might not be possible. Most of you know I'm a big softie though, so if the increase really presents a hardship to you, let me know when the time comes and perhaps we can figure out a way to keep you as a member without putting you in the poorhouse.

Always,
Gina Originally Posted by GinaXXX

You can read the thread in its entirety at this link:

http://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=656700&highlight=

Gina announced well in advance how one could become a lifetime member, or how one could buy any number of years of membership before the rate went up. ie. This is no surprise. I am very thankful for Gina and p411.

Originally Posted by GinaXXX

One of the things we are known for, and strive towards, is providing excellent customer service. If you need to speak to someone, we are EASY to reach, via telephone, LiveChat or email.


Or you could do what the big boys do and outsource customer service to a call center in India. In the long run probably won't help much but should add to the overall drama level.

Gina announced the increase a while back. Plus, one could buy several years worth of membership at the old rate. Alas, Waverunner did not see the wisdom in this. Have fun on TER.

Gina announced the increase a while back. Plus, one could buy several years worth of membership at the old rate. Alas, Waverunner did not see the wisdom in this. Have fun on TER. Originally Posted by pyramider

I didn't see the announcement of the increase. If I would have maybe I would have become a life time member probably.

What this all boils down to..If you want to keep P411 they have gone up on their price and if you want to keep it pay the price.
If you don't - Don't its not that big of a deal .
Its just like any hobby - its costs money to play and yeah maybe a 50% increase in price was a bit of a jump but when you compare it to what you are spending to hobby its pretty well in line .
the average price for a 1 hr session is around 220 and P411's rate isn't going to stop me from hobbying and Ill keep P411 because I trust them and so do most of the providers that use them.
Its just like the cost of gasoline...everybody bitches about it and then walks into the store and pays $5 dollars for a pack of smokes and don't say a word.
Get over it !

As for providers having to pay for advertising,,,, boo hoo. Give me a break . Your lucky that's all you pay, try paying taxes like a real business as well as advertising then come cry to me... Until then STFU with that bs. Just like strippers that want all the money and everything for free. And please to one back with " I do pay taxes" ya right the only provider in the world that does..lmgive me a break Originally Posted by Mata Leon

Sounds like a pretty uninformed rant to me.

All they pay for is advertising? Get real. I've done books for a number of ladies (actually, set up their books and done their taxes). The good ones run a pretty hight expence percentage and a low profit margin. Rooms, travel, advertising, health check-ups, clothes (which some neandertal too often rips on the first wearing), lawer on retainer, photography, make-up, laundry, etc., etc., are not generally free last I looked.

And I personally know a whole lot more than one who does pay taxes.

They set their rates as they think appropriate. I assume you do the same, don't you? It should all be figured into the price, so you are asking the customers to pay for your advertising too in that case. You just hide it as part of your overhead.

I won't even go into the NS rate which can be 35-40% in some cities, even for well reviewed ladies. And if she hints the guy should cover some of the room cost that she got specifically to meet him--and he confirmed a couple hours earlier--then the result is too often an annonymous fake review trashing her.

Don't like P411's increas, don't use it. I'm a lifer on 411, but if I wasn't I make up the yearly fee in a couple months from discounts the ladies give for membership. One I am planning to see soon has a 250 discount for an overnight so that covers the new full year price almost twofold.

Your post comes across as jealousy mixxed with myopia, little more.

Thank you, Old-T. A true hobbyist who knows there is so much more that providers do than obvious.

p411 and others like it were smart to realize people would pay for this kind of service even though they are basically a social networking website where there are many that are free.

Could you share these sites with the rest of the boys and girls?

For me it wasn't as much the cost as what I was getting out of it. The board I used to belong to out west (actually still do) costs about the same and functions like eccie and P411 combined.

Add that to the fact that there are so few local women to Pcola, me not hobbying that much and rarely traveling it just seemed like I would not get anything out of my investment.

Had they left the price where it was I probably would have renewed though, I know that sounds silly but I probably wouldn't have "re-evaluated" my membership the way I did if it hadn't been in response to their price increase.

I liked P411 and thought Gina was doing a great job, but when you raise your prices you should expect some people to stop using you. All you can do as a business owner is hope that you didn't raise them too much and you don't end up making less at the higher cost.

I understand and am okay with the increase in price. I use P411 because of the convenience and security that it provides. Gina and her service definitely makes it easier for me to hobby. I'm confident that the ladies are verified; and the ladies are confident that I am a verified "hobbyist" and they can check with my OK/references.
I look as it as part of the overhead in our hobby, just like hobby phone, separate e-mail account, etc. Better to pay upfront for the verification, rather than for the lawyers, etc. afterwards...