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Comment by yreg | Hacker News Reader

They still use a subscription model it's just a non-recurring one.

Part of the advantage of the recurring subscription model is having predictable revenue every month due to it being recurring. And many businesses count on that "gym membership" effect, where people who don't use a service also don't take the time to cancel it for a while.

that's me and my audible subscription. i should cancel it, but before that i have to use the credits.

Holy cow, that’s evil.

https://help.audible.com/s/article/do-i-keep-my-credits-if-i...

Do I keep my credits if I cancel my Audible Premium Plus membership? No. If you end your Audible Premium Plus membership, your credits will be lost with your other membership benefits.

Incredibly evil. That's why I used up all my credits and then cancelled my account. I briefly flirted with "gift subscriptions" because I was still wanting new audio books a lot, but that has its own problems. So I gave up on them.

It’s exceptionally evil! I had the same issue and couldn’t understand why I was losing credits I thought I had “bought”.

This and other privacy-related issues (see my comment history) is why I won’t consciously use Amazon again.

I wind up pausing my subscription when I get too many credits. It’s not a full cancellation, but I don’t have to pay.

IIRC problem is the option of pausing subscriptions is well hidden & revealed only when you have fully made up your mind to cancel & drop all your credits. most folks would not do that instead maybe defer the decision another month in the hope they'll 'catch up'. then they'll forget about it for a few more months.

Dark patterns all over.

thats why I raced to buy up a bunch of books with my points and then cancelled immediately (you can keep the books). its one dark pattern after another, good riddance.

This is why I hate Audible and have never been tempted by their many attempts at entangling me in with their endless 'trials'. By comparison, Downpour.com had an easy on/off function for the monthly fees and the credits remain active for up to a year, with a prior warning, for one to use even after canceling the monthly subscription. Edit: also like the fact that the audio books are drm-free/downloadable and I am not beholden to their app to listen to them.

If you sign up on iOS in app, you get to keep your credits after cancelling. One of the things Apple does right imo in regards to consumer protection.

Hint: OpenAudible backup before you terminate.

Hmm, that might be illegal in Washington State

Just contact customer support and ask if you can get a refund. I've done this a few times when I was just accumulating points with nothing I wanted to buy, and it's always been quick and easy.

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