New "premium" module i have to chuckle at

[Patrick]

http://hostbillapp.com/features/apps/transactionalmail/

Why do i find this funny?  Because it's a paid $299 USD module.  Again you'll ask why it's funny.

Well you see, you can use these services for free by using the smtp service or simply pay $299 to utilize their API..  How silly. 
Now what concerns me is, come Friday's update, is Hostbill going to continue allowing us to use Mandrill for example (as i, Lawrence and few others use it) using SMTP settings.   It's not hard to stop us from using it as all it takes is a simple

Code Select Expand

if ($smtp_server == "smtp.mandrillapp.com") { echo "Ha ha! You can no longer use this"; }

I'm sure you get my drift.  So...Question remains.  Would you pay for something you can get for free?

[tallship]

That would be a total violation of the agreement wth customers.

The issue you raise is really ominous and simple to implement, but three things would happen. The first, was mentioned above.

The second thing that would happen is Hostbill would be branded in the media as crippleware.

The third thing would be the immeasurable fallout - like a nuclear blanket.

Still, it's had me scratching my head, wondering:

1.) Why would somebody pay for what is already free

2.) Why would somebody pay kbkp when they can pay Mandrillapp instead and use across any sotware?

3.) So other than one of the suckers that's born every minute, or giving it away to the pre-4.6.0 owners, why would he bother to make that?

I'm totally perplexed about #3 

[Speedy059]

Is he done playing games? Why not just change everyone back to $100/mo or something. Charging $100/mo would bring in more than just creating modules that everyone refused to buy.

Hostbill dazzled me with the software when I first saw it, and now is baffling me with bull s**t. I just don't get it. Even the holy Ubersmith doesn't do crap like this.

[tallship]

Even the holy Ubersmith doesn't do crap like this.

Did you mean, "Even the unholy..."?

[enddo]

Premium model may work for Kris for now.

the problem here;  in my opinion is every single app shouldn't have same price tag.

Kris should start pricing from 29-49$ and then he should increase the price with new feature upgrades when it gets demand from customers.

More features; increase prices, get more demands.

So people who gets the product in first days they get more benefits with new features in next releases.


For instance I know that it is not valuable for me to get the mandrillapp.
But if it were 29$ something like this ı really would like to give it shot and try it.

[Patrick]

No disrespect to anyone on this topic but this isn't about what he should do.  The fact they are charging $299 for something that we already get free via SMTP access is quite funny that they even try to charge this price for this.  Go read about PHP for about 2-3 hours, you'll learn how to utilize Mandrill's API for example in no time.  It's pretty simple stuff and to charge $299 for it is quite funny.

This is a feature that should be included free with friday releases.  Our friday releases funny enough are bug fixes LOL.  We each look forward to bug fixes, to break more things.  Awesome software.  I dislike WHMCS, but after seeing how much WHMCS order pages can be customized and the client area if you're really good. ASO (asmallorange.com) has an awesome customization of it.  At least it's supported, at least development is there with a strong 3rd party community.   Colocation plugins i believe are being worked on right now as it's a feature that's been requested for years.  If they had IP management of some sort i'd switch fairly quick... they offer a decent refugee discount, so it's uder $300 for an owned unbranded license. 

It's sadly something we've started considering ourselves.  I like hostbill, i mayu continue to use it for other projects that just require support, live chat and billing and i'll stick around here of course but we're a foot out the door

[enddo]

I am no telling that I will spend 299$ for that app.
But if it were 29$, ı may investigate on it. at least I would now that in later releases it may get better if people buy at that price and ask for more features.

There are some other apps like that too;
For instance manual domain; it just sents email when somebody gives an order. I am not using it.
Ok It is functinual and does it works. Worthes 199$?; not actually.

By the way  I really like the asmallorange.com website. It looks unique.
With whmcs if you work on your webpage you can make those websites.
And in these days I know that whmcs team is working for orderpages options and dedicated server plugin.
they are top 2 feature request in there websites.
http://requests.whmcs.com/
Probably orderpage function will be for free but dedicated server will be sold as plugin.
Aanyway listening your customer is important.
You keep them active and they keep you as well.
You learn what is valuable for them. For which app you should charge and for which you shouldn't.


They have great  community.
This is the only forum that hostbill has.
When I login to whmcs forum I see always 250 users.
In this forum that amount is 5.
Is whmcs 50 times better than hostbill; I don't think so.
But thouching your customer is important.

This is what hostbill needs.
There are several people here I know that would want Kris get better position in that sector.
This community is not asking something for free.
If that was true most of those guys wouldn't praise hostbill on wht.
This community wants hostbill be better than other billing softwares.
That is the way we all win.


Kris should use this community and should get the power of it and bytewcs

[Lawrence]

I don['t get how $299 is the fee when SMTP settings takes 30 seconds to implement and is an easy configuration.

Why $299 when you can pay an admin $18 per hour for 30 seconds of work which equates to $0.15 total in labor?

/facepalm (Yes, I did it.)

Some of these modules run at about $199 with less than 20 lines of code. That's what, $10 per line of code? If 100 customers buy it, Kris got paid to write a module at the rate of $1,000 per line of code.

If each line of code takes 10 seconds to write, then that's at a rate of $360,000 per hour. Kris must really want that CEO salary.

[Patrick]

I don['t get how $299 is the fee when SMTP settings takes 30 seconds to implement and is an easy configuration.

Why $299 when you can pay an admin $18 per hour for 30 seconds of work which equates to $0.15 total in labor?

/facepalm (Yes, I did it.)

Some of these modules run at about $199 with less than 20 lines of code. That's what, $10 per line of code? If 100 customers buy it, Kris got paid to write a module at the rate of $1,000 per line of code.

If each line of code takes 10 seconds to write, then that's at a rate of $360,000 per hour. Kris must really want that CEO salary.

lol @ facepalm.  You said it perfectly well and exactly what i think he's trying to do.  Problem is, he's doing all this for nothing.  No one will buy these.  This "cloud email" module is at most 5-10 lines of code.  IF that.  Crazy the price eh?  Especially since they disabled third party development to new customers and then try to sell these things for $300 a pop.  It's really unfortunate.   Everyone complained about hostbill and their unstable pricing going up, up down, up  up up up, down, down, up down.  So he leaves pricing alone and comes out with insanely wild pricing on anything as simplistic as making 1 API call LOL.

So for google to index.

DO NOT BUY THE Transactional/Cloud Email module from HOSTBILL (Review, cloud, email, hostbill, module) <-- ignore... keywords
You can do these things absolutely free by using SMTP settings within Hostbill. 

From now on i'm going to wait until i hear reviews on updates to ensure we don't loose custom smtp settings

edit:  Apparently the world finds their decisions odd.. i was slipped this link via PM http://mrgeekchris.com/  You'll see what i'm describing.  Who ever owns the site, great blog post and i hope to see more of these show up