If you were made a promise it is no longer an unreasonable expectation.
And while bootstrappers may be misers they also know the value of a contract, even if it is in the form of the terms of service on a website and a price point they can live with, which they no doubt researched before signing up.
They understand giving timely notice and the reality of life for other businesses.
A 180 degree course change needs more of an explanation than 'we do this because we can', that is (far) more damaging than having some egg on your face for being overly optimistic.
I've messed up in the past, we gave out 'lifetime' subscriptions for $89.95 and we really made good money on them, for about 3 weeks. The way we plugged the hole way to stop selling them and to announce a sunset clause that said that if your account had been dormant for more than 12 months it would get deleted.
Not a peep.
That's how you deal with mistakes like this, not by suddenly tightening the noose.
And while bootstrappers may be misers they also know the value of a contract, even if it is in the form of the terms of service on a website and a price point they can live with, which they no doubt researched before signing up.
They understand giving timely notice and the reality of life for other businesses.
A 180 degree course change needs more of an explanation than 'we do this because we can', that is (far) more damaging than having some egg on your face for being overly optimistic.
I've messed up in the past, we gave out 'lifetime' subscriptions for $89.95 and we really made good money on them, for about 3 weeks. The way we plugged the hole way to stop selling them and to announce a sunset clause that said that if your account had been dormant for more than 12 months it would get deleted.
Not a peep.
That's how you deal with mistakes like this, not by suddenly tightening the noose.