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Comment by ulkesh | Hacker News Reader

It was a horrible service in the beginning and it still is. It won't matter how much it changes hands. You cannot ask a customer to pay money, commit to a contract (they required this in the early days), and then limit their use in various ways.

In the beginning, you could see one movie per day which was great, but you couldn't share the account with your spouse, you couldn't use multiple devices, and you couldn't see the same movie twice if I am remembering correctly. And that was when it was $30/month (albeit a cheap price if able to take true advantage of the movie-watching).

And now they're changing the terms, seemingly on a weekly basis.

It has been a complete failure throughout its run. It's time for MoviePass to go away.

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I do not fully understand your comment. This is an honest interpretation question:

1. MP cannot require a contract, then change the terms (e.g., raise price, limit frequency, etc.). While I understand the frustration it is likely legal. However (at least in the US), I believe the company has to either offer you the previous terms for the duration of the contract or an opportunity to terminate. I think it is the customer's choice, but IANAL.

2. If you are saying that all memberships must support unlimited use (which is how I read it first) this is insane, sorry.

1. Yes they did, I had it in 2013. They didn't change the terms at that time, like they're doing now.

2. I didn't say that at all. I would have simply liked to have shared it with my wife so she could go see a movie from time to time. I would have liked to have it tied to more than just one device in case I happened to have a different device on me (restriction can still be in place, but limited to, say, three devices).

It's all about usability for me. It was considerably unusable for anyone who isn't single and has a single device always.

I find your message hilarious. Do you have better alternatives if you're calling this horrible?

Netflix

> 3.4. Changes to the Price and Subscription Plans. We reserve the right to change our subscription plans or adjust pricing for our service or any components thereof in any manner and at any time as we may determine in our sole and absolute discretion. Except as otherwise expressly provided for in these Terms of Use, any price changes or changes to your subscription plan will take effect following notice to you.

And there is a forced arbitration clause (and as much as I think those are a mockery of our legal system), this would seem to allow fairly substantial changes at any time.

Yeah, except for the fact that historically they have never pulled any crap approaching the ongoing drama that is MoviePass. The biggest shift I recall is the move to split the DVD/streaming services, which I think was completely reasonable.

I'm glad you find it hilarious. Does MoviePass have competition? If not, then of course I have no better alternative since they're the only ones in this space.

Better alternatives to what I laid out? Sure, restrict to, say, three devices so if I forget my main phone, I can use my work phone, or I can let my wife go see a movie from time to time, etc.

Feel free to pick everything apart, I'm simply speaking in terms of a subscription service being reasonable for usability. This is why it's always been horrible. And keep in mind, I paid for a one year contract at $30/mo for it, so it's not exactly armchair criticism.

The competition is always to not go see movies in theaters.

Theaters have just barely been holding on to my business for weekend matinees, between 0 and 2 times per month. I get that the movies-in-theaters industry seems ripe for disruption, but people are already doing that by not going [as frequently] any more.

It's nice that MoviePass is trying to throw a flotation ring to the theaters, but when I heard Disney was unilaterally upping its take from certain movies that it will be distributing, and pulling out of Netflix to pursue its own streaming service, I started looking for ways to replace certain elements of my entertainment. The industry itself is killing the golden goose, and I may just go back to reading fantasy novels by the shovelful, and trying out all those games I licensed on Steam/GOG/Humble and never played, and binge-watching niche shows on Netflix/Hulu that would have been canceled from regular television.

Buying a ticket directly from the theater?

It's not as cheap, but they won't change the deal on me after I have already paid them.

I find this argument confusing. Rationally, this is still more than 3 times cheaper than any theater. My goal isn't to take revenge on them but to spend my dollar wisely.

Stubs A-List through AMC.

That is cool. I don't know why they don't advertise that option more aggressively, even in the theater

Just about every other way of buying a ticket (either AMC A-List, Sinema, or even just buying a normal movie ticket the old fashioned way) offers a much better, and much more consistent experience.

Well MoviePass was competing on price, not on experience. Is that why people flock to MoviePass?

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