Last Thursday Markos wrote a diary about subscription changes (among other things) and he said, "The Cranky Users haven't been cranky enough lately. Makes me nervous."
Be careful what you wish for, Markos.
What started out as a subscription drive quickly turned into a site-wide lovefest, with those who have more buying subscriptions for those who have less ... except for the thousands of us who are locked out of the party. Kind people tried to buy subscriptions for others, only to get weird denial messages talking about "PayPal legacy accounts" and/or telling them the user must cancel their current subscription, purchased through PayPal because that was the only payment option we were given by Daily Kos. (Well, some people mailed checks, but many people got so frustrated by the ads that they wanted them to stop NOW.)
There's just one problem with that "cancel your subscription" message: it can't be done.
Here's what I had to say to the Help Desk:
I made a one-time transaction in October to buy an annual subscription. I used PayPal for that one-time transaction. If anyone, including me, tries to purchase a lifetime subscription for me, the request is denied with this message: "You can't purchase a new subscription for yourself. You have an existing subscription setup through pay pal. If you'd like to cancel that subscription, you can do so through pay pal. " THERE IS NO SUBSCRIPTION TO CANCEL! If I gave you a check for $100 last fall that you cashed, and then I walked into my bank today and said, "Please stop payment on elfling's check and give me my money back," they'd laugh me out the door. Why won't the DK system let me have a lifetime subscription? It's a money maker for kos as, presumably, he can't extend my lifetime by ten months.
Second example: my friend pittie70 used PayPal to buy monthly subscriptions for a while. The last one has expired. THERE IS NO TRANSACTION TO CANCEL, and she is not a subscriber of any kind. Yet no one can gift her, either, because they see a message that says, "That user has a legacy PayPal subscription and cannot receive a new one." What the hell?!?!? pittie70 is a user with NO SUBSCRIPTION. Someone wants to give her one but can't.
DK is losing money out the ass because of these and similar problems. People are standing in line, cash in hand, wanting to hand it over to DK. Why won't you find a way to take it?
I don't WANT to cancel my subscription. I want to EXTEND my subscription - or some kind person wants to do it for me - and you can keep the money I sent in October. I am NOT going to get in a pissing match with PayPal over something that is not their fault.
Apologies for the tone, but I'm so frustrated I could bite myself. I keep hearing from MB and Markos, wanting me to promote the subscription drive, and I won't do it until this is fixed. Thousands of users, including me, have been locked out of the drive - and that is unfair to us and detrimental to the drive."
Okay, Cranky Users. Markos wants to hear from us, does he? If you're locked out of the subscription drive, please sound off in the comments.
#OCCUPY THE COMMENTS, CRANKS!
WHERE TO TURN: LINKS
☀ For more stuff sort of like this, the Cranky Users group.
☀ For lots of official detail about the site and its workings, the DK4 FAQ (frequently-asked questions). The main Daily Kos FAQ is still here.
☀ For help with bugs and technical problems, the fabulous new HELP DESK! You can search for others who have already reported the same issue, post the issue yourself, submit it privately, or even answer questions posted by other users. And, you can check out the "knowledge base" for information both general and specific.
☀ You can still use the contact form to get a response about site problems of a non-technical nature (such as issues with rules and banning/reinstatement). Please select an appropriate radio button when filling out the form.
☀ For immediate catharsis, complain in a Cranky Users thread. These threads are regularly scanned by kos and developers, but it's not a guaranteed way to bring an issue to the attention of these folks. But sometimes you just need some sympathy from other cranky people! (And sometimes, other cranky people have advice that can help you.)
Our thanks to kos, the development team, and the Dkosopedia contributors for their vigorous efforts to deliver a site that works well and to help us know how to work it!
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