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Andrew 8808 · Sep 30, 2003, 10:27 AM

Ok, I know this is part of my own stupidity for not paying attention, but I either didn't realize or forgot, that they auto-renew. I just got my renewal thank you in the mail. Thing is, I do NOT want it anymore!! I totally forgot about the email they sent me a month ago, and didn't cancel it. Now, they're charging my credit card, and I don't even have the $99 available on it!!! What can I do!? Who would I call?

beb · Sep 30, 2003, 10:33 AM

I don't want it either. My membership expires in 15 days. I turned off auto-renewal at the .Mac website.

I'm sorry but $99.95 is a lot to ask for just hard drive space and a few pieces of software. If they threw a copy of Panther in along with it -then it would be worth it. Or even $129.00 for Panther along with a one-year .mac subscription would be worth it.

But by itself -nope.

Developer · Sep 30, 2003, 10:36 AM

Isn't auto-renew off by default anyway?

Originally posted by Andrew 8808:
Who would I call?

Your credit card company.

Ken Masters · 10:44 AM

Originally posted by Developer:
Isn't auto-renew off by default anyway?
Your credit card company.

No it is not

and yeah, $99 ($150 AU) is expensive, for online space and crappy freeware and email.

Email is free, and my ISP gives me 50Megs of storage and my own Web Hosting for free.

The Placid Casual · Sep 30, 2003, 10:44 AM

My renewal is in 15 days too. I am seriously considering backing out too...

�70+ is just too much for the services they offer these days no matter how convenient and integrated.

Still no iTunes music store here either. :/

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Andrew 8808 · Sep 30, 2003, 11:12 AM

So I wouldn't try to contact Apple first? My card site says to call if the merchant is unwilling to resolve the issue...I guess I'll give 'em a try though

Axo1ot1 · 05:20 PM

I'm so tired of you guys whining about .mac. Seriously, .mac is your decision and if you're too inept to stop them from auto-renewing, then it's your fault. I say make lemonade, and figure out a way to use your services to their full potential. The more parts of the .mac service they add, the better it gets. I'm sure ou can find a way to make it worth $100. If not you're a moron.
[Edit: removed 3000 pixel wide transparent GIF, which is resulting in instant banning. --tooki
[edit: addded emphasis

]

m a d r a · Sep 30, 2003, 11:32 AM

.mac is an over-priced POS. fortunately for apple, by playing the "downtrodden hero battling microsoft world domination" card, they have garnered themselves a legion of loyal fans who will pay through the nose for anything [no matter how worthless] branded with an apple logo.

i wait in breathless anticipation for the forthcoming "icrap" announcement, when apple make steve's sh*te available to buy online. the die-hards here will be pre-ordering the 'sweetcorn deluxe' model as fast as they can type in their creditcard numbers.

remember way back in the sepia-toned days when .mac was free?... that was probably about right as regards 'market value'. myself: i've already got an email adress that doesn't cost me �99 a year, so i just keep setting up 60 day free .mac trials under different names, to avail of the idisc storage.

mishap · Sep 30, 2003, 12:04 PM

dot mac was and still is a waste of time. I turned off auto-renew last week.

mishap · 12:34 PM

Originally posted by m a d r a:
so i just keep setting up 60 day free .mac trials under different names, to avail of the idisc storage.

wow, that sounds like a waste of time too. I have 1 gig of server space on a much faster server...and it only costs me $10 a month.

If i was being paid $10 an hour to swith 60 day free trial .mac accounts, it still wouldnt be worth it ( 10 times more space, faster server, no hassle)

daimoni · 08:09 PM

.

mitchell_pgh · Sep 30, 2003, 12:19 PM

I understand that some people find .mac expensive, but it's like me continuously bitching about how expensive an Bose speakers are (arguably the most over-hyped speakers on the market)

I could complain about every single thing that seems overpriced, but .mac seems to be a sticking point for Mac users.

I think .mac is worth $50 a year, but it's not.

- - e r i k - - · Sep 30, 2003, 12:44 PM

I had a free renewal code from buying my 17" PowerBook along with two iPods. But I would probably have renewed anyway. Not that I'm that dependent on my mail, but iSyncing is just too cool and an integral part of my life now.

kovacs · Sep 30, 2003, 01:06 PM

I love my .mac subscription, probably because I don't have to pay for it ( I found another victim in my family ). I really couldn't live without my iDisk, I use it to sync between my computer at home and my computer at the university. Webmail and iCal calendars are nice, but I really like the whole package you get, iDisk, mail, back-up, ical publishing, address and bookmark syncing...

finboy · Sep 30, 2003, 01:13 PM

It's not simple enough to turn off auto-renew. I actually had to call Apple (and fight the queue) to get it turned off because it kept popping up.

mishap · Sep 30, 2003, 01:55 PM

hahah... now mac.com is trying to get me to go back with free copies of the Sims and everquest...what a joke.

Adam Betts · Sep 30, 2003, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by finboy:
It's not simple enough to turn off auto-renew. I actually had to call Apple (and fight the queue) to get it turned off because it kept popping up.

That's completely untrue. I bet it have something to do with your browser settings, not Apple turning them on again.

It's not really necessary to spread misinformation about .Mac

mishap · Sep 30, 2003, 02:13 PM

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
That's completely untrue. I bet it have something to do with your browser settings, not Apple turning them on again.

It's not really necessary to spread misinformation about .Mac

yes, just log out and log back in to see if it works. You will notice the difference

edit: in the Account section.

Peter · Sep 30, 2003, 02:25 PM

I like .mac �80 well spent.

zigzag · 06:02 PM

[Deleted by me for unnecessary sarcasm - I was feeling grouchy. I don't really care that much. Sorry.]

mitchell_pgh · Sep 30, 2003, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by zigzag:
Gee madra, that's sheer genius! You mean if I take the time to sign up for a trial account every 60 days, I can save a few bucks a month? And I have to move all of my files back onto a new disk every time I do that? And redo my homepage and tell everyone the new address, every 60 days? Bonus! And I can sync my address books, my bookmarks, and my calendar by hand? Extra bonus! Nevermind the other benefits - I can see now that I'm just buying into the "Apple as downtrodden hero" thing. And here I thought I was getting a lot of use out of .Mac! Thanks for setting me straight.

It's not a big deal if all you use .mac for is synchronizing address books.

(and you only do it three or so times a year)

zigzag · 06:07 PM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
It's not a big deal if all you use .mac for is synchronizing address books.

(and you only do it three or so times a year)

Not a big deal to you or madra. Could be a big deal to someone else. I have 4 Macs and use iSync all the time.

I would never suggest that .Mac is worth the $$ for everyone. But it's worth the $$ to a lot of people.

Sep 30, 2003, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by mishap:
hahah... now mac.com is trying to get me to go back with free copies of the Sims and everquest...what a joke.

Uhm... everybody gets that deal. It isn't just for you. Since when is giving people stuff as an incentive to do business with them a joke? Lots of businesses do that.

ajprice · Sep 30, 2003, 05:09 PM

I'm happy with .mac, and I re-subscribed. I figured that the free stuff you get pays for a lot of the inital payout. OK, so i payed my �70 or whatever, in return I get the email account (which I use just as much as my hotmail), iDisk space and Homepage site hosting (for the crappy excuse for a site I have in my sig at the moment), iSync, Backup (both of which I use), The Sims (which is on the way pretty soon, I hope), and the free and discount offers (Versiontracker plus and iBlog at the moment). If you don't use this stuff, fair enough, don't re-sign, but I came into this 12 months ago with the attitude of 'I've paid my money for this, so now I'll get my moneys worth of use from it, and I have, and I'm happy to carry on.

PS. Why is this thread about 3 screens wide?

mrfrost · Sep 30, 2003, 05:26 PM

People who find .Mac a POS haven't used it to its full potential IMHO.

ThinkInsane · Sep 30, 2003, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by ajprice:

PS. Why is this thread about 3 screens wide?

Orignally posted by Tooki:
[Edit: removed 3000 pixel wide transparent GIF, which is resulting in instant banning. --tooki

On to .Mac. I have renewed, as it serves my needs pretty well. I still think $50 would be a more reasonable price, but I think lots of things are over priced. I get enough use out of it to justify it, so I'm not complaining too much/

finboy · Sep 30, 2003, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
That's completely untrue. I bet it have something to do with your browser settings, not Apple turning them on again.

It's not really necessary to spread misinformation about .Mac

If so, it's the browser settings on three different machines. Funny, though, that once I called them it works properly. Hmmmm.

You're right, though, that it is redundant for ME to slam .Mac when they're pissing off folks on their own.

talisker · Sep 30, 2003, 08:29 PM

Putting aside the question of whether it's currently worth it, anyone got any prediction as to what .mac goodies we'll see coming with Panther and beyond?

sniffer · Sep 30, 2003, 08:52 PM

I've been in doubt yes. But Apple have those nice software gifts now and then. And the sync/backup solution have saved me more than ones. The iBlog app is the perfect addition to the iLife package and i got it from free from my .Mac.
So I'll probably sign for a renew when that time arrives.
So what's the point of what I've said? I don't know. But I think it's unnecessary to make a big deal out if it if .Mac doesn't fit your needs or what-ever. You know what you are paying for when you sign up in the first place.

mathew_m · Oct 1, 2003, 01:41 AM

What are some other options that others here are using to take the place of .Mac? I'd like 50 megs or more of webspace along with email.

I don't plan on renewing unless they come up with something pretty revolutionary. �his might happen because it does appear that many of us are unsatisfied with the price vs. performance of .Mac.

BasketofPuppies · Oct 1, 2003, 05:47 AM

http://www.fastmail.fm/

Offering tiered service plans to serve your needs at prices lower than .mac.

I've been using it for e-mail ever since Apple started charging $100/year for .Mac. $15 one time fee for that. You'll pay more (and annually) if you want online storage, personal Web hosting, and/or more e-mail features; but chances are it will still be lower than .mac.

Link · Oct 1, 2003, 06:16 AM

Originally posted by m a d r a:
.mac is an over-priced POS. fortunately for apple, by playing the "downtrodden hero battling microsoft world domination" card, they have garnered themselves a legion of loyal fans who will pay through the nose for anything [no matter how worthless] branded with an apple logo.

i wait in breathless anticipation for the forthcoming "icrap" announcement, when apple make steve's sh*te available to buy online. the die-hards here will be pre-ordering the 'sweetcorn deluxe' model as fast as they can type in their creditcard numbers.

My feelings, exactly!

Andrew 8808 · Oct 1, 2003, 09:49 AM

I don't think I'd have much of a problem, if I had the available credit for it, but it put me over my limit

So now I have to call and see if I can dispute it..blah

Adam Betts · Oct 1, 2003, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by finboy:
If so, it's the browser settings on three different machines. Funny, though, that once I called them it works properly. Hmmmm.

You're right, though, that it is redundant for ME to slam .Mac when they're pissing off folks on their own.

You love conspiracy theory, don't you?

typoon · Oct 1, 2003, 11:42 AM

How does one shut off Auto renew. I couldn't find anywhere to do it in the account section.

Never mind I found it.

daimoni · 08:10 PM

.