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Terrible Value very disappointing

ChinesePod Website
#1

I just subscribed to this site. Its beyond disappointing to see two of the ever present hallmarks of a terrible company.

Firstly the tired paid access. Just have one plan. Its very deceptive to get access to a lesson but not the practice exercises (What good is a lesson without that? I can just google the dialog). That is the ENTIRE POINT OF PAYING. Paying once is not enough. Again just have ONE PLAN.

Secondly the recurring subscriptions. This one is self explanatory. Everyone knows this sucks. You should be able to purchase without a subscription.

And another thing to note - The lessons are way to short. I suspect this is another way to up the “lesson count”. Just extrapolating from the few I’ve seen so far (And I picked at random), about 20 lessons = what one would reasonably call a “lesson”

I would like my money back please…

#2

Hi Riker,

Sorry for the inconvenience that the practice function only works for premium users. But the point of having different plans and different subscription cycles is to fit different needs of our subscribers.

Moreover, regarding auto renewal there are notes where it clearly states “subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period”. Because we are aware that auto-renewal can be unpopular, we make cancellation as easy as possible so that a user can opt out of auto-renewal as soon as he/she buys a subscription. Cancellation does not rescind a purchase so the user enjoys the full term of our full services.

As for the length of the lessons, some of them are short because everyone knows that learning Chinese is a bit tough and we want to keep every student motivated to learn it. And to make it, shortening the lessons is one of the ways.

Last but not least, we are sorry that you are disappointed about the subscription plans and the content. And I have already forwarded your message to our finance team. Please check your email for further information.

Thank you and please let us know if we can assist further.

#3

Can you not offer a one time purchase instead of an auto-renewing cycle that you have to cancel? If you really believe in what you are saying that should be available at time of purchase.

Also, my mistake I was referring to the exercises. That is what we commonly refer to as “practice”. And I don’t have access to that on the website or app.

Thanks,
Bye

#4

Hi Riker,

Because of the system, we are not able offer that; however, we do send emails to remind our students that the expiry date is coming and that they should make the decision whether to cancel the auto renewal or not.

As for the practice/exercise function, we are sorry that you don’t access to that. But, the comment tab and the Forum are free to everyone, so if you have any question, feel free to ask. We are always here for you.

Sincerely,
Betty

#5

Betty,

Thanks for your reply. Your content is top notch and I like the colloquial focus, which is what brought me here. I put it in the top 10% of material I’ve used (And I’ve used them all it seems).

This is just my opinion, I find it absurd that not all paid users have access to the exercises. If you would fix that I would pay for many months (Assuming its any good, I can’t see what it is. But I definitely learn by practicing with exercises).

#6

Hi Riker,

Sorry again that our subscription plans and policy can’t meet your needs. We will have more discussion about it. Still, videos on YouTube, comment tab and forum are all open to you. Feel free to use them to practice as much as you can. And we are always here to help you solve any problems about Chinese or learning Chinese.

Best,
Betty