AMAZON has left Ring subscribers infuriated after abruptly announcing fee increases.
On Wednesday, the Seattle-based company introduced several new features for its smart home security system, Ring.
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Along with the new features, Amazon also announced it would be increasing its subscription fees.
“With our continued investment in innovation and commitment to bringing you new capabilities, we are raising the price of our Ring Protect Basic plan,” Amazon said in a statement.
The fee increase will set users back $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year in the U.S – up from $3 a month.
Price changes will take effect on the first billing date on or after July 1, 2022.
Amazon noted that the price change will not affect Ring Protect Plus and Pro plans, which include the same features as Basic and more.
Shortly following the news, many Ring subscribers took to social media to express their dismay.
“We’re canceling our service and selling our equipment to move to a non-subscription service. These cost increases cannot be justified,” one user wrote on Reddit.
Other users said they felt blind-sided by the price increase as Amazon had not notified them.
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“I didn’t even know the price was going up? I have two devices, only paying for the cloud service on one of them- $30/year. Anything more is not worth it in my opinion,” one subscriber remarked.
Although an Amazon rep told The Sun that current Protect Basic customers were notified of this change and their options on June 1 – users are advised to check their emails.
What’s more, Amazon’s new features don’t seem to appeal to many of the paying subscribers.
The updated tools include getting access to 180 days of video, which is up from 60, bulk video downloads, and more package alerts.
“Really, Ring? 33% price increase for features NO ONE cares about? It all seems like bad faith bs to me. Y’all know you have competition, right,” one Twitter user wrote.
Still, it’s important to note that users don’t need a subscription to use Ring devices.
However, many features outside of basic doorbell alerts, two-way talk, and live camera view are not available without a subscription.
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