I recently got an email offering a 50% discount to "rediscover Agenda”. As money is tight, I thought that was a good offer. Until, that is, I opened the link in iOS to discover that it’s not a 50% discount, but a 40% one (full price being 5000 JPY, expected discount 2500 JPY, but being asked to pay 3000 JPY).
This is misleading and borderline bait and switch. While I suspect this difference is down to local pricing bands used by Apple, it’s still not a good look and left me feeling somewhat sour. Needless to say, I didn’t bother purchasing. Please ensure such potential disappointments are avoided in future by clearly stating that discounts are UP TO 50% based on Apple regional pricing and not necessarily 50%.
I know, that’s only a difference of 500 JPY, but as I say, money is tight and I don’t like being lied to.
While it’s too late to do anything for this particular offer as it expires on Friday, please keep this in mind for future offers. Thank you.
Sorry for the confusion. It certainly wasn’t a deliberate attempt to mislead, just to keep the messaging simple.
You already figured out the reason: currency ranges from Apple differ, and we cannot make a sale that is exactly 50% off in practice. But you always get to the see the exact price before you purchase, so it would be silly for us to try to trick anyone.
We will try to keep the messaging simpler in future, but it is tricky, because it certainly complicates it. Eg. “Get 40-50% off based on your currency” Even “Up to” is not right, because some people will even get a little more than 50% off.
To make it up to you, I’m attaching a coupon for 60% in case you are still interested in purchasing. At least, it is a 60% coupon. In JPY it may only be 50% based on what you are describing.
My suggestion for the future if you are averse to the wording “up to”, is to simply use an asterisk: “Save 50%*”. Then add a disclaimer where you mention the end date: Actual discount may vary depending on regional pricing set by Apple.
I think a disclaimer like this would cover both potentially lower or higher discounts beyond your control and ensure you aren’t misleading customers. It should also be recognised by most trading standard laws and regulations as an acceptable way of clarifying any reasonable potential differences in your stated discount and the actual discount; particularly when exchange rates and pricing bands beyond your control are in play.
Also, thank you for the new code. That was indeed 50% off for me and I have purchased the upgrade. I look forward to trying the new features I’ve unlocked.