bushsimmer

I know this is an old, fading fast thread, and I have really nothing to say about the FSGenesis Galaxy-membership diss the new company management (whenever you see that phrase "under new management" watch out. It tends to mean the new management is out to squeeze the last penny from loyal customers of the previous company until the company's name dies a suffering death). I am posting about the marketing ploy called "Lifetime Membership". It does not mean until you die or for life. It means they don't have to keep asking for dues for some 10 years. I learned this the hard way. Upon retiring from the USNavy in the mid-1980s I worked for a defense contractor, doing a lot of consultancy for NASA, DIA, DARPA, etc. High level classified stuff. Since a lot of our work was military intelligence oriented I joined the NMIA, National Military Intelligence Association, for those who worked in the field either in the military, intel agencies or through industry, etc. After the first year I purchased a Lifetime membership, dated 1985. In 1997 I had wondered why my subscriptions to quarterly had stopped. I was told "Lifetime" is a marketing ploy so the member doesn't have to keep current and the entity does not have to keep begging you to send them money. A new one on me then. The newest version of that "automatic renewal;" it achieves the same thing. I tried that once and will never do it again because, though they claim your credit information is encrypted why would you want folk you do not know holding on to your credit card information - with your permission - but if they get a breach do not expect them to do much to clean that personal financial mess up. You will have to sue them then. Anyway, it bites FSG's Galaxy membership is history. I too thought that business model was not good for the merchant. But I was pro-active enough to keep redundant backups of all my installers. So I do not have the emotional sting of being dissed. Cheers, bushsimmer