Whoop Angers Users Over Reneged Free Upgrade Promises (theverge.com) 22
Wearable startup Whoop just announced its new Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker yesterday, but some existing users are already calling foul. From a report: Previously, Whoop said people who had been members for at least six months would get free upgrades to next-generation hardware. Now, the company says that members hoping to upgrade from a Whoop 4.0 to 5.0 will have to pay up.
Whoop is a bit different from other fitness trackers in that it runs entirely on a subscription membership model. Most wearable makers that have subscriptions will charge you for the hardware, and then customers have the option of subscribing to get extra data or features. A good example is the Oura Ring, where you buy the ring and then have the option of paying a monthly $6 subscription. Whoop, however, has until now said that you get the hardware for "free" while paying a heftier annual subscription. Previously, Whoop promised users that whenever new hardware was released, existing members would be able to upgrade free of charge so long as they'd been a member for at least six months.
Whoop is a bit different from other fitness trackers in that it runs entirely on a subscription membership model. Most wearable makers that have subscriptions will charge you for the hardware, and then customers have the option of subscribing to get extra data or features. A good example is the Oura Ring, where you buy the ring and then have the option of paying a monthly $6 subscription. Whoop, however, has until now said that you get the hardware for "free" while paying a heftier annual subscription. Previously, Whoop promised users that whenever new hardware was released, existing members would be able to upgrade free of charge so long as they'd been a member for at least six months.
Uh oh (Score:5, Funny)
Whoops.
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Whoomp, there it was.
I'm shocked, shocked...well not that shocked... (Score:4, Funny)
I am altering the deal... pray I do not alter it any further.
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Hell is a small cottage industry of YouTube channels that exist solely to buy those scams and go over all the ways they are scams in detail and videos.
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And Whoop was marketed up the ass on YouTube. Saturation levels of advertising. All for a shitty fitness tracker tied to a horrendously expensive subscription service. No surprise what the bulk of that subscription money goes on - profit & more advertising. No wonder either why Whoop forums are replete with complaints about the company fucking people over who joined on a 30 day "free trial", or "month by month" and got locked into a 12 month sub.
Honestly at this point if you're buying a wearable (Score:2)
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Most wearables aren't tied to a pay subscription service though and have functionality outside of just fitness tracking. Most obviously telling the time.
That's the definition (Score:1)
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Actually, I think the legal term might be "latches", but I haven't seen the original promise.
Still, if anyone feels like suing Whoop, they've probably got a good case.
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Actually I think this would be promissory estoppel. but the principle is that a promise without consideration (not a contract) is legally binding only when it has been reasonably relied upon, and if that reliance causes harm. I'm not sure if it the principle applies when the "reliance" is buying a product. Perhaps there is harm, i.e., you could have a different and better product but you don't. Or perhaps the bar for "harm" is higher, for instance you have a debt to pay as a result of a promise that was bro
Fraud System (Score:3)
Our current system allows criminal fraud by corporate actors. A class action suit will cost less than the profit made from intentional fraud and Courts love to claim that a corporate shield protects these actions.
Perhaps it shouldn't.
Until it does don't trust any corporate promises without preagreed consequences.
That's something Gaël Duval would do. (Score:2)
He pulled similar shit with promises of Sun StarOffice with Mandrake if you bought any of the 3 subscription levels. He lied. Hate that guy. Hate that guy so much it hurts.
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Look on the bright side, we all have it now
Whoop! Whoop! (Score:2)
Whoop! Whoop! And the CEO will say that they are "sorry" "we apologize" and just pay for it. Sorry and apologies are free, free upgrades eat profits.
I'm waiting for Whoopie Goldberg to sue over the name. :) or the cushion.
JoshK.
Well there's your problem right there (Score:2)
Whoop. A shitty product tied to an expensive subscription service. It's so brazenly a terrible concept that it filters out sensible people leaving just the idiots.
the upgrades are in fact free (Score:2)
tl/dr:
the problem is the buyers don't understand that the hardware cost is included in their monthly payments.
Financial education needs to be part of basic high school curriculum.
Longer answer below:
When the buyer originally signed up they agreed to a 12-month subscription.
The cost of the hardware was baked into that subscription price.
Seller offers to supply upgraded Hardware before the 12-month period expires as long as buyer agrees to maintain the subscription for an additional 12 months. That's the sam
Sounds like a dodgy company (Score:2)
https://www.whoop.com/eu/en/wh... [whoop.com]
Isn't that price fixing?
All of their products features include disclaimers that they're not to be relied upon. EGC? Yep, but if it's wrong, not our fault. AFib? Yep, but not accurate. Blood pressure? Approximate, if that. General health advice? Don't trust it. Menstrual cycle? Also not accurate.
I like how they put these disclaimers saying those features don't work on the "Hot it works" page.
There's no outright disclaimers that heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking doesn't
People buying this shit are part of the problem. (Score:2)
Any physical product dependent on an online subscription to function lasts only at the company's whim, and no one with a brain should be buying it.