I think it is sort of incumbent upon you, as a business offering a lifetime membership, to properly invest some of that initial fee, such that the returns cover future operating costs. Many other companies work on this model.

If the bank refused to return the money I loaned them, I would rightfully be very upset. I think it's similarly fair to be upset about a company revoking lifetime memberships.

This particular situation is more of a grey area, but I don't think maintenance and operating costs are a sufficient excuse.

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JumpCrisscross 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

> it is sort of incumbent upon you, as a business offering a lifetime membership, to properly invest some of that initial fee, such that the returns cover future operating costs

We may need a law that regulates "lifetime" purchases. One part is standardised disclosure. The other is putting fees into a trust.

	▲	Zagorath 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		I don't think a trust should be necessary. A plan for longterm sustainability should be. The streaming video service Nebula, for example, has a lifetime membership. The company was very straightforward with potential customers: this is not their best deal, it's explicitly meant for people who want to help support the company (or who prefer not to have ongoing subscription costs), and they are doing it as an alternative to seeking outside investment money. The money they raise won't go into a trust, but into expanding the business in the same way a company might if it went to seek venture capital. At the time I signed up for it, it cost roughly 10 years' worth of subscriptions.

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johanyc a day ago | parent | prev [-]

> as a business offering a lifetime membership

> If the bank refused to return the money I loaned them, I would rightfully be very upset.

Everyone who bought the app STILL have access to the app. All features they paid for are still available (except if you consider no ad a feature).

The "correct" way to do it is change current app to classic and release a new app but that's quite cumbersome. I would like Apple or Google to offer an option to provide paid upgrade options.

	▲	derektank a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Which is why I said this specific case is a bit of a grey area (that and the fact that the lifetime membership was initially offered after moving the app to a freemium). I was speaking to general practice of offering lifetime memberships. But yes, I do consider no ads to be a feature. My attention is valuable
	▲	fullstop a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		When I bought the app they specifically listed "No Ads!" as one of the selling points.