posted on October 5, 2004 05:02:37 PM new
Thank you for your answer. In billing the image hosting one month in advance how do you know how much I will be using? I sure don't, but I will try to keep it low. I understand you can't know how much my listing and FVF fees will be but can't quite get how you know how many images I will have. I suppose next month it will all wash out and be fine.
posted on October 5, 2004 05:41:09 PM new
Hi pmelcher,
Wow, this is getting to be a long thread
Again, your initial Image Hosting plan was set automatically based on your peak image storage.
Please refer to your Online Statement. You'll see in the Currect Account Status new fields for Image Hosting Plan and Current Peak Usage.
In your case, your current peak usage is 70.89 MB. therefore the 135 MB plan is the correct one for you. As long as your peak stays below 135 MB, this will continue to be your plan.
The sort of peak calculation is common for storage-based pricing just so you know (we're being crazy here ).
posted on October 6, 2004 02:45:04 PM new
I simply don't understand the need for a Pay-In-Advance image hosting fee.
Based on my "Pay As You Go" plan, and without this new fee implementation, I would have been billed $7.40. My bill is now $17.35, which includes the $9.95 minimum I must now pay for 12.2MB (miles from 55MB).
What would have been so difficult about just charging me an additional $2.55? That's the difference between $7.40 and $9.95.
So the, for next month, (as an example), let's say my insertion and FVF's are $6.00 (makin' it easy here). My next month's invoice will be as follows:
$ 6.00 Balance at 10/31/04
$(9.95) Credit for last month
$ 3.95 ($9.95 - $6.00) Image Hosting
$ 9.95 Image Hosting in Advance for November
$ 9.95 Next month's hypothetical invoice
Is my scenario correct then?
And lastly, if I were to terminate my account with Vendio at 10/31/04 or earlier, and I also didn't list or sell in October, would you refund me the full $9.95?
posted on October 6, 2004 03:36:07 PM new
Hi there,
First, I do not believe prepaid fees are unusual in any way. This is a common billing method for things like telephone service or even rent. In fact, all our subscription fees (with the exception of pay as you go) are prepaid. We just made Image Hosting work like the rest of our fees.
If you think back to how your very first telephone bill was larger than subsequent ones because you pay for a partial month and the next coming month, it's the same thing here. The difference is we're going to credit you for Sales Manager fees at the end of the month.
To your specific example, mihijo, here's what you would see:
$ 6.00 Balance at 10/31/04
$(6.00) Credit for last month since those are your SM fees
$ 9.95 Image Hosting in Advance for November
Since you already prepaid $9.95 in the previous month and you receive a $6.00 credit for your SM fees this month, the net Image Hosting charge would be $9.95 - $6.00 = $3.95.
What you said about phone bills is half true and so, it's also half lie.
At least in Portugal, with telephones I pay a sort of monthly rental of the phone and phone line. This fee is FIXED. It's allways the same, every month. It's the same with some of VENDIO plans. These vendio fees are charged at the beggining of the month or at the beggining of the year.
ALSO, with the telephones I pay , at the end of the month , the VARIABLE Fee , depending of the amount of calls I do. It should be the same with Vendio. The image hostings fees are VARIABLE. It should be charged at the end of the month, only when Vendio knows what we REALLY spent.
posted on October 6, 2004 04:31:32 PM new
Hi portugalexpress,
You are entitled to your opinion. I just wish to clarify that Image Hosting fees are fixed. It's the credits that are variable. So again, I think we've been consistent with how we approached this pricing.
posted on October 10, 2004 11:17:47 AM new
Ok I just got my invoice. I signed up for Vendio, I guess just about a week before they changed a image hosting plan (I signed up because I thought I will be getting an Unlimited Image hosting). Anyhow, my plan is variable rate sales manager plus water marking and gallery silver.
Plus vendio's change of plan on image hosting: $9.95 (55MB, right now usage is under 25MB)
*******************************
Although, it says "As long as your Sales Manager, Tickets Manager and Vendio Stores fees exceed the monthly minimum, you will not be charged for Image Hosting."
Right now I am billed for both Sales manger and Image hosting. Obviously, my sales manger fees exceed the monthly minimum (because I have listed many items plus they took final auction fee), I am charged with Image hosting.
I am also very concerned that Vendio claims Gallery usage is overage of 298. I don't see how possible this is because about 70~ 80 % of my listings were in mature audience category and those items were never displayed in my Gallery. How are they calculating this (by number of listings I uploaded?)
Also, Is vendio charing every listings that I uploaded? I ask this because there are few times that I found an error on my listings where I canceled many listings and revised. Are they charging me for double?
People do not want to be charged first and get an adjustment. Vendio should offer free of charge for customer support by phone. How fast are the customer service respond? but How fast they charge you?
Vendio should not just put notification or clarification about their billing on the forum where new threads/replies are flooded. They should make a separate page on their site service plan section so that everyone can view.
Please take a look at my account and answer my questions as stated above.
1. why am I being charged with image hosting fee?
2. Gallery overage of 298? Mature audience items were never showed on the gallery. Please explain how exactly this number is calculated.
3. Recommendation on which other plan suite for my need.
posted on October 11, 2004 09:11:54 AM new
Chuck: This thing is a mess and hard to understand.
So, in my case, assuming that next month is again $50.
bill 11/07: $50
prepaid 10/07: $49.95
owe you on 11/07: 5 cents plus Decembers image: $49.95.
I also question what will happen if we cancel our accounts mid-month. Will you prorate the prepaid?
Beth
www.vintageads4u.com
posted on October 11, 2004 02:21:30 PM new
Hello all,
azpirin, If you are using Image Hosting only, please email billing @ corp.vendio.com regarding your account. We will turn off the Sales Manager plan for you and credit back the SM fee that was applied.
vintageads4u, as the image hosting fees are prepaid, all Sales Manager fees that accumulate during your next billing cycle will apply toward the image hosting fee at the end of your billing cycle. If your Sales Manager fees are typically $50/month, then next month Sales Manager fees will offset the Image Hosting fee. So next month's bill will not be as high as it is this month (assuming you don't switch plans or change your listing volume.)
As for pro-rated refunds, subscription fees are not refundable. If you plan to cancel your account, you should time it so that you enter your request before you go into a new billing cycle.
posted on October 11, 2004 02:39:13 PM new
Diana,
I asked this on another thread that has been unanswered. Regarding your last statement above, WHEN is the correct time to cancel the account so that the subscription charge is not applied again? We're billed on the 8th. When is the last day we can cancel our account and not be charged again?
I have already sent an email to billing @ Vendio on the same day that I posted above concern. I still have not received any response.
I am not just subscribed to image hostings as obviously I mentioned that I had a variable rate Sales manager. You guys indeed charge me both the sales manager and imaging host.
Please review my account or somebody at billing contact me as soon as possible. I hope Vendio can halt payment withdrawal until this settles.
posted on October 11, 2004 04:12:28 PM new
in addition, what happened to 2 weeks free trial!!!!!! Please take a look at my account. Charged me all through free trial period!!!
I have signed up for Variable Rate package for only about 2 weeks and now I am billed for over freaking $70 ????
posted on October 11, 2004 04:54:32 PM newazpirin,
Please note that there is no free trial associated with image hosting. Sales Manager plans did come with a free trial prior to our pricing changes, but if you are using image hosting only you would have been required to sign up for a plan. Also, I do not find an email from your registered address in our Customer Service queue. Did you use the Contact Us webform to send your message, or did you email us directly from another email address?
seashell103,
The best time to contact us if you want to cancel your account is a few days before your billing cycle date. Use the Contact Us form, and be sure you use the email address to which the account is registered. Also note, you can enable / disable your payment plans at will under My Account -> My Service Plans, so you can disable your payment plan before you write to ensure you will not be charged again.
posted on October 12, 2004 05:11:42 AM new
I HAVE NEVER VISITED THIS COMMUNITY SIGHT BEFORE BUT WHEN I GOT MY.... VENDIO BILL!!!! I HAD TO SEE WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT IT. I'M STILL CONFUSED!I HAVE BEEN WITH VENDIO A LONG TIME AND LOVE THE PROGRAM BUT 64.00 IS A BIT MUCH TO PAY FOR ANAVERAGE OF 85 AUCTIONS A MONTH!
posted on October 12, 2004 06:47:00 AM new
Hi! I have read all of these posts and I think I understand but I just want clarification and/or reassurance! I saw the prorated charge and the credit for the first month and I see a $9.95 charge on my new invoice as well as my flat rate of $12.95. If I am getting this than I will see a credit of $9.95 on my next statement to offset the charge? But won't there be another $9.95 charge for the NEXT month? How will that lower my bill back to what it used to be. As I see it it will always be $9.95 higher. I just don't see why you had to do this. You were offering image hosting free with a paid monthly subscription. Why couldn't that stay the same? That was one reason I joined. It was easy. Now it is confusing and I think quite a few people are annoyed.
posted on October 12, 2004 10:12:05 AM new
Check this out guys. When customer asks a specific questions about billing, shouldn't vendio explain which fee was associated with which? I mean specific.
Regarding my billing, there are so many questionable ones, but here is one thing that I asked where I get an assumption from Vendio. Not a fact!
About my Gallery Silver plan. Vendio is billing me for an overage of 298 items which costs me now over $14. Vendio also claims that I have listed over 390 items and mature items will not be compatible with Vendio's Gallery. About 75 to 80% of my listings were adult items. How the hell can i be overage of 298 items????
If vendio is going to bill a customer, shouldn't they have specific information in which is which associated, etc????
Vendio's customer rep used my stored ebay information to search through ebay for my listings. Shouldn't they use their own data instead of using my private information which should only be used to log and list my items or retrieve sold information, etc??? There are many listings in ebay which are not relevant with Vendio's billing because many items were relisted without using Vendio's service. I had to relist each of items using ebay's relist system (lots of time consuming, not a smart way, but i had my reason). Vendio cannot count these items.
Anyway, it is ridiculous how the billing rep poorly reviews the case and response irresponsibly. Customer does not want assumption please.
In next month's billing cycle you will see a credit for all Sales Manager fees - this credit will work to offset your image hosting fee. The only reason your bill is higher than expected this month is because image hosting is a pre-paid account. Next month, the Sales Manager fee credit will be applied.
azpirin,
We are currently looking into the Gallery overage charge. We will get in touch with you after we determine what has happened there. Thank you for your patience.
portugalexpress,
You have control over the state of your Vendio services. If you want to cancel your account, simply go to My Account -> My Service Plans. You will be able to discontinue your service plans here. Once your plans are discontinued, and Sales Manager switched to Pay As You Go, you may email us from the Contact Us form selecting "Account Cancellation" from the drop-menu.
posted on October 14, 2004 09:07:05 AM new
Hello Chuck and Diana,
I am currently using the "pay as you go plan" but I am not using the image hosting for my auctions. The only thing that I NEED the image hosting for is for posting images for discussion in the forums here. Will I still be charged a monthly minimum fee of $2.95 and if so then do you have an option to be able to just post images in the forums without charging a monthly fee?? Can you possibly set something like that up?? Heck you can even have some sort of an automatic image deletion after a week or a month.
Here's more of what I am talking about in another thread posted in the EO;
posted on October 14, 2004 02:24:50 PM new
I just received a Vendio monthly bill for $25. I've been using the same plan and pay about $15/mo for 4 years. Nobody notified me about any changes in pricing policy. I asked why I was over billed, but received the answer that does not make any sense.
1) "pre-paid image hosting plan" (What if I don't list anything next month? Why are you charging me prepaid fees for the services not provided? Besides, image hosting is free with my plan.)
2) "credit for Sales Manager fees applied that will offset your Image Hosting fees" (these bunch of words does not make any sense to me - I use a flat fee plan that includes free image hosting.)
3) "If you use Sales Manager during this billing cycle, the Sales Manager fees will work to offset the Image Hosting fee." (the sentence does not make any sense whatsoever...).
I asked to explain in simple language the new pricing policy, but keep receiving the answers that sound like gibberish and absolutely do not make any sense or explain the new policy that I have NOT been advised of prior to receiving the bill.
It seems like Vendio made almost a 100% increase in our fees without notifying us about it and now are trying to obscure the fact by answering our questions in a "highly scientific manner" that are meant to confuse us even further. I don't think it is the right way to treat customers who give business to Vendio and make it happen for them.
Guy, do you know any other image hosting services that I could use instead of Vendio? I simply can not afford to pay $25 for several pictures to list about 10 items monthly.
posted on October 14, 2004 04:27:34 PM new
Hi yellowstone,
Image Hosting fees are the same regardless of where or what images you store. So yes, if you wish to store an image for a week just for Forums, you must sign up for an Image Hosting plan which also means being charged.
pacruss,
All the details of the new pricing are posted in this announcement. A similar announcement was posted weeks ago. These changes mean that there is no longer unlimited image hosting. We just cannot afford to do so now that we offer permanent image storage.
In your case, you should experience no net increase. Your first bill only looks larger because of the time difference between when the Image Hosting fee is charged and when you receive a credit. By your next bill, you'll see that your bill amount will return to it's usual levels.
This is all because your Image Hosting fees now serve as a monthly minimum for Sales Manager. But your account seems well above your Image Hosting minimum so you should see no net change.
posted on October 14, 2004 08:59:42 PM new
I will be cancelling my image hosting with Vendio but I think it's a little rotten that you are charging me $4.33 before I do. Yeah sure it's only a few bucks but if you add it all up from every member that got caught up in this and are being charged these fees before opting out also, I bet it sure adds up to quite a bit-o-change. I'll still stay as a member just for the discussion forums though.
I guess we all know now that Vendio will be throwing themselves a really great Christmas party this year with the extra revenue collected. Have fun.
according to your explanation i should not be charged for the 19.95 since 29.95 was higher.....if i a wrong please explain....thanx cj
ok skip answer ----i saw msg on prepay for imaging.....credit will appear on next months????is that right.....
[ edited by hmngbrd on Oct 15, 2004 02:20 AM ]
posted on October 16, 2004 09:34:15 AM new
I don't think i received an email on this from vendio. Is there a place to turn on emails??
ok i think i may understand. Is this statement true,
****I have the pay as you go plan for salesmanager. Since my image space was low I was automatically assigned the 2.95 plan. I will have to pay this as long as i have 1 picture in my image bin.
If I use salesmanager and the .10 fee per auction and fvf add up to 3.00, then I will be given a credit of 2.95 to cover the image hosting.?????? ******
ok i just checked my image page, all mine were deleted (not by me) and this note was there. So why does my account show a charge if I don't have images
"You have 0.00 MB of Standard Images (including Recycle Bin)."
[ edited by mildreds on Oct 16, 2004 09:45 AM ]
[ edited by mildreds on Oct 16, 2004 09:46 AM ]
posted on October 17, 2004 07:48:35 PM new
I as well still dont understand
i hav "pay as you go " program - I list 400 + auctions per month -and thus have listing fees and fvf's which i average about $ 70 a month to vendio
i have the stores bronze plan that i also pay $ 4.95 for a month
yet i see on my 10/6 statment - a billing to me for $ 9.95 for image hosting - (the second tier ) as well as my $ 4.95 bronze plan ** and only an image host credit of $ 1.99 ** ?
