backchannel rant: paying for unwanted features
inspired by (but not necessarily a response to) this reddit comment.
Brand name loyalists (or people who equate price and quality) will pay a premium. Cheapskates will look for the lowest purchase price.
Somewhere in the middle are people who do the research to buy gear that meets their needs without paying for a marketing and CS budget infrastructures they don’t want or need.
Related: approximately half the price of a ladder in the US is liability insurance to protect the company from lawsuits. Would I pay half price for the same ladder and sign a waiver saying I won’t sue? Yes, I would.
Related: approximately 80% of all insurance premium funds go to pay for chronic illnesses caused by lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, and obesity). Would I pay 80% less for medical insurance and sign a waiver that ruled out treatment for those conditions? Yes, I would.
I have zero desire to pay for services others choose to consume, and that includes the ability to solicit handholding, reassurance, or reading aloud from the instruction manual from “a non-accented by-god ‘murican phone support rep with no waiting!!!!” or other “premium” features one gets by paying 2-3x the purchase price.