antichef

I have not had any message about this, but I do have a Pro subscription and an Ignition for iPad so that is probably why.

I have four free subscriptions for the other machines that I do the "maintenance" for, and had found it so good that I took out a Pro subscription some years ago. My attitude was, as has been said upthread, if you think it is of value, why not support it?

When I got, and started to travel more with, an ipad rather than a laptop I also took a subscription for the Ignition app. Perfectly happy with both, and happy to pay for a service that I consider gives me value.

mee

I use the free client to support family members who are several thousand miles away.

If this was done in a more thoughtful way with, say 30 days notice to either subscribe or find an alternative, I might have considered signing up. But with zero notice they have alienated me (and many others) so I will never consider giving them my money.

richarddd

Many people recently paid $30 for the app in the belief they would get the service for free. If they had known otherwise, they wouldn't have paid for the app.

Reportedly, their web site included a statement that logmein free would always be free. That might be technically true (they're not charging for logmein free, they're discontinuing it), but it is misleading.

Tummy

Couldn't you use Hamachi to setup a VPN and then use the built in Remote Desktop or mac Screen Sharing? For free. I use this all the time.

Join.me is also free and similar.

wco81

Hmm, Hamachi is made by LogMeIn?

Sounds like it would compete with their own product.

gfunkdave

They're two different things. Hamachi is a VPN on demand. Logmein is remote desktop.

wco81

Right but it sounds like they would both enable/facilitate remote access to your computer over the Internet, which is what LogMeIn Pro seems to be selling now.

GUWonder

People using it "for free" have paid them money for things like the iOS app "Ignition".

scubadu

Many people pay money for things that don't work out. People have paid lot's more than $30 to businesses that went bankrupt and sacrificed a good deal more than what is at stake here. If $30 is all you are out consider yourself lucky.

Look folks, there is a storm a comin' and if you are building your lifestyle and habits around "freemium" tools/services, etc. then you better be prepared to see more of these situations occur. We are just starting to see the cracks in this model. Believe it or not, businesses, which are ultimately made up of people, need to actually make money to survive. That way they can do crazy things like pay their employees, so their employees can, you know pay their mortgage (perhaps to the bank that one of you reading this works for, then you can pay your mortgage too)

I read something recently that sum things up better than I can articulate my own thoughts, he said, "if you are using a technology/web service that you aren't paying for, you are the product." Now if these companies can't even make money with "you as the product" (i.e. monetizing your personal information, etc. ) then they are going to go boom...

Regards

scubadu

If you've been using the service for any period of time and you are familiar with it, why would you need more than 7 days to determine if you would pay for it or not? You either value it or you don't. Now, my guess is you really just wanted the time to find another free alternative, which seems to be the tone of this thread. So, not to be brutal, but assuming most posters here had no intention of paying, whether the company had given you 7, 30, or 60 days, you likely weren't going to convert anyhow, then honestly the prudent business move is just to cut your losses and move on.

Regards

robroy90

I had used them for years, including a multi-year subscription to their professional 123 product while I was doing consulting. But, they failed to innovate. They never did offer the ability to remotely control most android phones on a subscription I was paying about $1200 annually for. Teamviewer allows you to do this right now, for free.

They did not handle this correctly, period. Yes, it was a free service and I wondered myself how long it would last, but they could have earned and retained the business of many (myself included) had they been more open about their plans.

I know they are a company, and I know they need to have a sustainable business model, but there is a lesson to be learned here for everyone.

What would have it "cost" them to come forward (in say, November) and say "Due to the costs associated with our free service, etc. etc."

cblaisd

Can you say Facebook?

I can't tell you the number of otherwise smart people I have had to remind that for Facebook (and as noted, other "free" sites/tools) you are not the customer, the advertiser is.

scubadu

That is only one, of a very long list of reasons why I've never had, nor do I plan to have, a Facebook account.

Regards

mikew99

I agree with those who feel that the company did not handle this issue well at all. There's no reason that such changes can't be announced further than only a week in advance. Yes, some people will use the time to evaluate alternative solutions (and why shouldn't they?), but giving people enough advance notice demonstrates a level of respect for their customers that is completely missing in the way this was handled.

Full disclosure: I am not a LogMeIn customer. But if the inconsiderate way that this company treats its current (potential) customers is any indication, I'm not interested in becoming one. Next year, it will be a price increase with no notice, or perhaps they'll drop support for one of their products with no notice, or it will be something else. No thanks! Even if I did use LogMeIn, I'd make a point to research other solutions before giving the company a dime.

GUWonder

The company hasn't gone bankrupt (yet), and yet it has done what it has done to customers who paid it money which it accepted for the "free" service.