MoviePass forcing some ex-clients to opt out again
MoviePass has undergone several changes to stay afloat lately, from canceling its unlimited plans to testing “surge pricing” and blocking in-demand showtimes, just to name a few.
So what’s the latest survival tactic? Asking former customers to “opt out” of enrollment by Thursday or risk being charged without consent, according to a company email posted on the Verge and shared widely on social media by former MoviePass customers.
Launched in 2011, MoviePass allows subscribers to pay a flat fee every month to see multiple movies. That monthly price has fluctuated between $9.95 and $14.95 over the past several months as the troubled company tries to avoid going under.
In an email sent to a select group of customers, the floundering e-ticketing app said: “Because we really hope you begin enjoying your MoviePass subscription again, we have chosen you to be a part of a select test group, who beginning Friday, October 5th will be restored to unlimited movies.”
In other words, the company will resume charging some former customers for the service unless they click a link in the email.
“To be clear, unless you opt out, your unlimited subscription will be restored and you will begin enjoying unlimited movies again ... at $9.95 per month, and your credit card on file will be charged on a monthly basis beginning Friday, October 5th, 2018,” the email said.
MoviePass says in the email the enrollment will allow customers to enjoy the “same subscription that (they) signed up for previously and ... en- joyed.” However, that’s not exactly true.
Once upon a time, in the glory days of MoviePass, customers had free reign to enjoy unlimited movie tickets for $9.95 a month. In August, MoviePass moved all its subscribers to three movies a month unless they wanted to cancel their membership.
Now, the app offers a select number of movie options based on “existing inventory,” which means users won’t have access to the latest blockbusters until demand is low.
MoviePass has yet to release a statement on the matter. However, users who choose to “opt out” or cancel service won’t be able to rejoin until nine months have passed, the email states.
Earlier in the year, a handful of AMC theaters disappeared from MoviePass, and not long after, MoviePass barred users from viewing the same movie twice. In July, the company ran out of cash, which led to a temporary outage. That month the company began charging peak pricing for popular movies.
In August, a company executive resigned citing management issues.