Monthly fee to use lights!!!?!?!

[OutColdCRNA]

Wrong. Lights went off last night and would no longer come on without subscription.

Mine are still working and double checked the app for the skip for now function.

 

[maddmike]

Okay, I was related this:

The fee is for the controller! If you want to but a separate controller that is not wifi then you don't have to pay the subscription. We have the wifi controller and the controller now requires a subscription. If you bought a controller in the last 2 years you got 1 year free. We bought our controller before that.

Also the screenshot of the link sent does not work.

 

[SpencerShepard]

@maddmike I'm sorry I don't really understand your post or if it's directed at me?

 

[TnFishwater98]

I received this email last night from bluefish stating that in order to keep using their lights after March 2023 a monthly fee would be charged. I have had my nanobox duo since 2017. I paid 450 for this beautiful, hand made and American made product! If I had known that the company that controls the Wi-Fi could just out of nowhere charge a fee I would have passed on the lights! The fee is nominal but the point is that they have just up and decided to charge for their product that I have already bought and paid for!! Can you imagine getting an email saying your microwave won’t work anymore unless you pay a monthly fee! This is garbage and makes me want to throw these lights in the trash on principal!!

“Low Monthly Fee”
I would demand a refund. It’s not what you signed up for. You should be grandfathered and they should make the change just to new buyers, IMO….

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I don’t believe so. All control, even just simply turning the lights on has to be done through the bluefish app. It’s a shame because these nanobox lights aren’t made anymore and the spectrum and color they provide is amazing!

report the app to the app stores, Google and/or apple. This sounds ridiculous, I would also report the company to the Better Business Bureau. Not right .

 

[TnFishwater98]

My wife and I were just talking how ridiculous this world has become. You stay at a nice hotel/resort and they want to charge you $35 a day to park your vehicle… You go pick up some food somewhere and they expect you to tip!?! Even some stores now throw you the tip option when you are just buying a t-shirt.
I’ve been a server before at a nice restaurant, I get it. But then I don’t get it. It’s gotten out of hand and it will not stop if we keep playing the game. I’m ok if people judge me or think I’m a A Hole for not leaving a tip (when no extra service was provided, just a product I decided to purchase)…. I’m over it!

 

[TnFishwater98]

My wife and I were just talking how ridiculous this world has become. You stay at a nice hotel/resort and they want to charge you $35 a day to park your vehicle… You go pick up some food somewhere and they expect you to tip!?! Even some stores now throw you the tip option when you are just buying a t-shirt.
I’ve been a server before at a nice restaurant, I get it. But then I don’t get it. It’s gotten out of hand and it will not stop if we keep playing the game. I’m ok if people judge me or think I’m a A Hole for not leaving a tip (when no extra service was provided, just a product I decided to purchase)…. I’m over it!

You take your kids to a pool…Should you Tip the lifeguards?

 

[SpencerShepard]

Hi, I am the sole person behind the app and product. I understand the frustration, but there are some fundamental misunderstandings as to why I had to do this. Reposting my statement here:

Hi guys, I wanted to provide some clarification on what's going on with Bluefish.

In a nutshell, my costs to run Bluefish have gone up, and sales have gone down. This is the reality of a product approaching 10 years old in a market that is vastly different than it was at that time. My partners like Nano Box are out of business or have moved focus to other markets.

There are significant costs to keep this thing running. I haven't paid myself or made a profit in years. Additionally a couple years back a wholesale partner left me holding a significant loss for product delivered and not paid for. Most recently a service provider renewed our service at a 400% increase. So I am at the point where I had to decide between:


1) shut down the servers, app, and Bluefish as a company, or
2) charge a fee for Bluefish service


Obviously the first option is not good. It would force people to buy another product and/or put their tank investments at risk, in a time when many people are feeling economic uncertaintly.



In an attempt to be as fair and respectful to our customers as possible, I'm taking the following approach with the second option:


-The hardware will continue to work, but app access and weather simulation will require subscription service.
-Customers who have recently purchased hardware will be given free service for a total of two years from purchase date
-15 weeks notice for the change


Additionally I am going to try to add some new features to help ease this transition.

I hope you guys understand that this is not a cash grab, or malicious or underhanded...it is what I have to do to keep things running. I know it's not going to work for everyone, and I promise this is not something I wanted to do.


Feel free to comment here or send me an email at [email protected]

Spencer

 

[Derrick0580]

I mean I’m a vindictive ****** so if it were me, I’d smash the controller up and mail it back to him with a note telling him exactly what I think! Then go buy a new light seeing how there are soo many options on the market these days!

 

[TnFishwater98]

I just cancelled all my monthly subscriptions last week. It was like throwing money into the wind.

 

[LSU-reefer]

I mean I’m a vindictive ****** so if it were me, I’d smash the controller up and mail it back to him with a note telling him exactly what I think! Then go buy a new light seeing how there are soo many options on the market these days!

I’m with you! If i were in this position or if my light vendor goes this route I will trash the light and buy a dumb T5/MH with a timer regardless of cost just out of spite.

If you want this type of behavior to stop then you cannot support it by using their products. If they cannot find a way to be profitable without subscriptions then let them go out of business.

 

[paintman]

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How about this..........Why not just make a light, pump, heater, etc.etc.etc. with a simple on off switch and a home depot timer? You know just like how we did it back in the day. Always worked and never had to rely on WiFi or whatever the hell it is that connects it to your stupid smart phones. I'll answer my own questin. Because the current generation have not only become lazy but they enjoy sexy gadget that go blink, blink, blink. Thus the reefing industry is taking advantage of it. Good for them!

I spoke about this pertaining to CUC's on another thread. Instead of getting up off our backsides and doing some hands on husbandry, we would much rather just throw a CUC in our tanks and hope for the best. Or, sit on the couch with our heads buried in our phones, press a button, and have some kind of snake oil dispersed in our tank via a doser.

I always ask myself why in the hell would somebody use a main supply pump (the heart of your tank) on their tank like a COR15 that needs a controller and phone to run it. Thats just plain stupidity! I can't wait to watch everyone squirm when the global communication sytem gets hacked into and it all goes dark. Don't doubt me, it's going to happen.

I also shake my head when I hear about all these different apps people are downloading on their phones knowing full well all their personal/banking info is being tapped into. Don't even try and convince me you have personal fire walls to prevent this from happening. The people who produce these phones have specificaly designed them to be data mined.

As for me I have come to the conclusion that when the current equipment on my tank needs replacing and if there is no other option except to buy something controller based, I will shut my tank down.

 

[SpencerShepard]

I’m with you! If i were in this position or if my light vendor goes this route I will trash the light and buy a dumb T5/MH with a timer regardless of cost just out of spite.

If you want this type of behavior to stop then you cannot support it by using their products. If they cannot find a way to be profitable without subscriptions then let them go out of business.

This is not about being profitable. It hasn't been profitable in years. I have kept it going in order to support the product I made and the users that depend on it. The 'smart' business decision would have been to shut it down years ago.

 

[pennied]

This is not about being profitable. It hasn't been profitable in years. I have kept it going in order to support the product I made and the users that depend on it. The 'smart' business decision would have been to shut it down years ago.

And??

 

[SpencerShepard]

And??

And users still depend on it, and I still think it would be wrong to shut down the services that they depend on. Adding a subscription is the only option.

I understand that it is upsetting for some, and I understand the principled opposition. But I don't have any other option at this point. It's a tough crowd here, but believe it or not, I have been trying to do what is morally right.

I am not some big company trying to pull something over on customers. I am one guy trying to keep service going for a product that is 10 years old.

 

[Daenion]

Spencer,

Most manufacturers do not engage people in the forums for a reason. It is a never win situation as most people use anonymity to be even more insane than usual.

If the financial situation is as you described it might be a good idea to pull the plug. Your efforts and lost money will not be appreciated by the usual customer base and it is always good to cut the loss no matter how late.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I received this email last night from bluefish stating that in order to keep using their lights after March 2023 a monthly fee would be charged. I have had my nanobox duo since 2017. I paid 450 for this beautiful, hand made and American made product! If I had known that the company that controls the Wi-Fi could just out of nowhere charge a fee I would have passed on the lights! The fee is nominal but the point is that they have just up and decided to charge for their product that I have already bought and paid for!! Can you imagine getting an email saying your microwave won’t work anymore unless you pay a monthly fee! This is garbage and makes me want to throw these lights in the trash on principal!!

Aren't bait and switch schemes illegal?

 

[SpencerShepard]

Spencer,

Most manufacturers do not engage people in the forums for a reason. It is a never win situation as most people use anonymity to be even more insane than usual.

If the financial situation is as you described it might be a good idea to pull the plug. Your efforts and lost money will not be appreciated by the usual customer base and it is always good to cut the loss no matter how late.

I appreciate that. However, I don't have any employees or an office to pay for, and the majority of my costs are scaled with the userbase. I won't shut it down.

I do think I might have to step away from this thread however, as it's been a bit brutal. I'm available via email for any customers who need support. @OutColdCRNA would you consider adding my statement/explaination or some additional context to your first post?

 

[Wyvern]

Bullshi. Its a light, not Adobe Photoshop.

I can see a one time fee of like $15, but to charge a monthly subscription when the health of your animals is on the line is crap.

 

[Hats_]

Aren't bait and switch schemes illegal?

yep, OP can probably take this to court