In short: MoviePass seems to be in the process of trying to coerce members who had previously opted out of the monthly service by automatically enrolling them into a new service which is similar to the one they originally had. A move which at the same time is confusing for those members who have stayed with the service during its turbulent period, as the new deal now being offered is better than the one they currently have.
Background: In recent months MoviePass has been trying to strike the right balance in cutting down on its expenses while not alienating its user base. This has led to multiple changes to the service, and in some cases has resulted in the company undoing changes that were only announced the week before. In this latest round of changes, some of those who had previously opted out of the service are being sent emails saying they are automatically been re-enrolled to a plan which offers the main selling point MoviePass axed for members who have not opted out – the ability to watch one movie per day. In other words, those considered ‘loyal’ customers are now forced to adhere to only three movies per month, while those who chose to no longer support the service are being rewarded with an unlimited service.
Impact: There are two main issues arising from this latest MoviePass move, the first and most concerning is some of those who previously ended their membership are finding out they have not actually ended their membership. At least not in MoviePass’ eyes. As a result those users will once again need to to opt-out and this will need to happen before an October 4 deadline otherwise they are likely to be charged for another month. To some, this might actually be a good thing, as MoviePass is now technically offering them the same deal they had before. Although, it does now come with a caveat that movies are subject to availability, and based on user reports on social media that availability is strained to say the least.
The other issue pertains to those who are continuing MoviePass members as it would seem showing loyalty to the company, and when it needed loyalty the most, has resulted in them being moved to the new plan which by comparison is far less of a product than what’s now being offered to deserting customers. For those users, it seems there is no particular recourse at the moment as this is simply designed to stop the company losing customers who have already made it clear they are leaving. MoviePass seems to be justifying the action by stating this is a “limited-time promotional offer” to some customers who had previously had their account “suspended.” Based on some of the user comments on social media, it would seem the words “suspended” and “cancelled” are largely interchangeable.
Hi, for customers who had their subscriptions suspended due to inaction, we’re making them a limited-time promotional offer so they can re-start their subscriptions under the terms they originally signed up for.
— MoviePass CS (@MoviePass_CS) October 1, 2018