It feels weird that the author is approaching this from the "the fee exceeds the actual cost to the business" angle. There's a much simpler and universal reason to hate fees: they distort the market by hiding information from consumers. Legislation in the US has forced airlines to quote a final price for their fares, which most travelers appreciate. On the flip side, travelers probably don't appreciate the "resort fees" that hotels charge them at check-in. I'm not sure what's the point in invoking some vague notion that software should be "at the service of the people that will use it".
I do not have a problem with exceeding business cost with high profit margins. I think that's OK and actually I believe it's the right way to build a sustainable business. I do have a problem when charging for conceptually wrong reasons.
When using software, instead of traditional means, to do an existing job, it gets way cheaper. That's when you don't get to charge £15 for using it.
If you do need to charge £15 for some reason, please do. It's not the software I am paying for though in that case and I need to know what I am paying for.
Comments
It feels weird that the author is approaching this from the "the fee exceeds the actual cost to the business" angle. There's a much simpler and universal reason to hate fees: they distort the market by hiding information from consumers. Legislation in the US has forced airlines to quote a final price for their fares, which most travelers appreciate. On the flip side, travelers probably don't appreciate the "resort fees" that hotels charge them at check-in. I'm not sure what's the point in invoking some vague notion that software should be "at the service of the people that will use it".
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I do not have a problem with exceeding business cost with high profit margins. I think that's OK and actually I believe it's the right way to build a sustainable business. I do have a problem when charging for conceptually wrong reasons.
When using software, instead of traditional means, to do an existing job, it gets way cheaper. That's when you don't get to charge £15 for using it.
If you do need to charge £15 for some reason, please do. It's not the software I am paying for though in that case and I need to know what I am paying for.