After writing dozens of articles chronicling the rise and fall of MoviePass, I find each bit of news surrounding the company to just be exhausting. The subscription service made a name for itself by offering a too-good-to-be-true service (which I stupidly bought into) and then proceeded to do everything wrong (normally by deceiving its customer base) and is on the verge of doom. But even still, as the company flounders, MoviePass has stooped to yet another low.
Consider this less of a news item and more of a Public Service Announcement. According to a report by The Verge, MoviePass is now automatically re-enrolling lapsed, former members into its brand-new monthly plan. We’ve talked about how the company has done similar shady things in the past, but this new way of seemingly immoral acts of choosing users to be part of a “select test group” and re-enrolling them after they’ve already stopped paying for the service is unbelievable. Even by MoviePass standards.
If you’re concerned this is happening to you, check your email (as MoviePass just loves to send emails to canceled subscribers) for a message about their new revised subscription plan. A portion of the email explains (via Brian Feldman):
“Because we really hope you begin enjoying your MoviePass subscription again, we have chosen you to be part of a select test group…If you decide that you do not want this you must ‘opt out’ before Thursday, October 4th at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
“To be clear, unless you opt out, your unlimited subscription will be restored and you will begin enjoying unlimited movies again (up to 1 movie per day, based on existing inventory) at $9.95 per month and your credit card on file will be charged on a monthly basis…”
Unbelievable.
Make no mistake, MoviePass doesn’t give a shit about your enjoyment or offering you a good product. All the company cares about is surviving past December, when it’s likely going to be delisted by NASDAQ and could face the end. And the best way (i.e. – the latest scheme) the folks at MoviePass have come up with is to boost its subscription base (as people start to cancel in large numbers) by charging people a monthly fee for a deal they don’t want.
When will this be over? It’s exhausting, truly.