Questionable marketing tactics, yet full refund given
Written: May 08 '08 (Updated May 08 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Maybe get laid by some former classmate from high school.
Cons: If you're young, just use Facebook.
The Bottom Line: If you're young and beautiful, stick with Facebook. They don't care about you or your privacy either, but at least they have a decent business model.
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| dhtns's Full Review: Classmates.com |
By know, everyone knows that Classmates missed out on the Web 2.0 revolution, and no one is to blame but the management of the organization. King-of-the-Hill in the late 1990s, Classmates is now struggling to find enough premium members to support their continuing existence. Had they decided to innovate, had they decided to change to a twenty-first century business model, perhaps they would be relevant today. However, they're now a third-tier social networking website, profiting predominantly from baby boomers looking to find friends who are still alive from their graduating class.... Any recent graduates would simply use Facebook or Myspace.
However, I graduated in 1993, and Classmates was one of the first service that attempted to exploit this market. To make a long story short, I signed up for classmates with a free account in the late 1990s and largely ignored my account until recently, when I began receiving email from classmates that certain visitors had signed my guestbook: "Guestbook alert: 1 new signature, sucker!"
I should have been rational. I was antisocial in High School. There is no valid reason anyone should have signed my guestbook... But, it's now 2008, and I have disposable income. Why not, I figure, I'll spend the $15 and see who signed my guestbook. So I paid the $15. When I checked my guestbook, the names were meaningless. I had never heard of them. $15 down the drain.
At this point I sent Classmates an email requesting that they delete my account, and all associated information. I had no desire that they profit from my name being listed on the site. Unfortunately, the representative didn't read my initial email and send back an irrelevant response about auto-renewal. I stressed to the Classmates representative to actually read my e-mail, and was pleasantly surprised with the reply: my account would be deleted and the money for my membership would be refunded. This was a kind gesture, as I never asked for a refund.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dhtns
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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