"The pieces I produce here take me time to think about, write, rewrite, and record." Oh my, yes! The extremely high quality of your pieces, incorporating news, culture, politics, and Hollywood, ALWAYS places them at the top of my reading/listening pleasure. The song at the end is icing on the cake! As I've mentioned before, your fabulous creation needs its own Grammy category!
Thanks for the behind the screen info. Don’t get me started on credit card companies! $15 on a $70 charge? That’s like 20% of the original charge. That’s not a convenience; that’s theft.
Don't advertise your ignorance. It's not the credit card company but the processor that charges the fee. Do you think it all just happens by itself? There are many people employed in providing the service-new account boarding team, tech support, risk and loss prevention, customer service, developers, etc. Every processor has a chargeback department too, where each claim gets adjudicated. Nothing is free. It is 100% fault of the person who filed the chargeback.
I stand corrected. Mea culpa for my ignorance. Now that’s a bit of knowledge I’m eternally grateful for NOT having been previously acquainted with. Kind of in the category of watching paint dry and commenting to anyone within earshot about how it happens. Mea culpa.
I subscribe to 190 newsletters and most of these are free. I pay for about 15 or so. I review my paid subscriptions quarterly. If I am not reading or unhappy with the content I do exactly as you described. I manage the subscription and cancel it.
In fact, last week I unsubscribed from a paid monthly subscription. The writer has gone stark raving mad. His posts became almost psychotic. Enough is enough.
I suggest to every reader to review your paid subscriptions and cancel where appropriate.
This was a very appropriate and helpful post. Thanks again, Sasha!
Yikes! Bingo! I don’t mind a little unhinged at all. We have every right to be pissed, but CJ has gone full boar lunatic. It’s like worms have entered his brain and are eating every moral cell. He may as well join the looney leftists and beat the TDS drum.
I had no idea that Substack offers a tip feature. Thanks for the heads up. I will go right now and submit an appreciation donation for Sasha’s compelling work!
Most people don't know how credit card processing works on the merchant side. Before retiring my wife and I operated a retail store. Every dollar paid by credit card cost us about 3 cents. In the rare cases of problems we would issue a refund rather than get dinged with a chargeback fee. And refunding a dollar would cost us $1.03, as the fees are applied in both directions. As more writers are turning to Substack for a living, the powers behind it should come up with a better way to handle this process. They should also allow for payment methods other than Stripe, which is undoubtedly paying them for the exclusivity.
A few minutes after I read this I bumped into an almost identical report about cancellations from an English Substack author named Tom Cox. I had never even considered the issue and suddenly it appears twice in ten minutes. That's odd.
Anyway it hadn’t occurred to me until now that because an author ends up suffering a net loss and the “subscriber” breaks even, it’s possible to weaponize this bug in the system. Given that fact, maybe you shouldn't spell it out so directly? It doesn’t take very many malicious actors to do a lot of damage. I actually recommend you delete this comment after reading it. I mean it. I love your voice. I don't want to see your work burdened with this kind of craziness.
Same here. We had just called our credit card company to reverse a charge on a software app that ny husband had cancelled a couple weeks ago and then I received this Substack email! Ha!
We normally cancel things without reversing a charge (which is also a hassle), but the company was based in Hong Kong and had already cancelled his access so we couldn’t contact them to have them issue a refund.
Sasha, your content is very valuable to me and I'm sorry you received a "chargeback" on someone's payment. It really isn't fair that you have a fee to pay on top of not getting your money for the subscription, but I guess the card companies like to make money no matter what. I was happy to subscribe because I realize that what you do here takes time, and we all need to have money coming in to live (unless we're independently wealthy, which I can't even imagine). Please keep up the good work, and I hope everyone subscribes so that you can keep doing it.
I read & subscribe using the app. Substack does not let you manage your subscription from there, nor link to the tip jar. I figure it out but it’s pretty convoluted. Anyway a Suggestion Sasha that may help on the business side - Some substacks, like Childers Coffee & Covid , do have a direct link at the end of their posts that says “How to donate”. And it works! Even from the app. Seeing it after reading a post is a good reminder that we can tip & it makes it easy. Just my 2 cents.
I had to go to my browser & put in manage my substack subscriptions. It then requested my email for verification & texted me a digital code. Entered it & from there was able to manage my subscriptions, find Sasha & the tip jar. Very convoluted. Substack needs to spend some money on upgrading the app. It’s also the same convoluted process if you want to upgrade from free to paid. I bet many app users don’t bother because of the process.
"The pieces I produce here take me time to think about, write, rewrite, and record." Oh my, yes! The extremely high quality of your pieces, incorporating news, culture, politics, and Hollywood, ALWAYS places them at the top of my reading/listening pleasure. The song at the end is icing on the cake! As I've mentioned before, your fabulous creation needs its own Grammy category!
Oscars should give her an award for Critic with the Most Integrity.
Thanks for the behind the screen info. Don’t get me started on credit card companies! $15 on a $70 charge? That’s like 20% of the original charge. That’s not a convenience; that’s theft.
Don't advertise your ignorance. It's not the credit card company but the processor that charges the fee. Do you think it all just happens by itself? There are many people employed in providing the service-new account boarding team, tech support, risk and loss prevention, customer service, developers, etc. Every processor has a chargeback department too, where each claim gets adjudicated. Nothing is free. It is 100% fault of the person who filed the chargeback.
DK, no need to be a dick.
You could have said "Sasha, i care about you, so here's some information that I uniquely am in a position to know..."
I stand corrected. Mea culpa for my ignorance. Now that’s a bit of knowledge I’m eternally grateful for NOT having been previously acquainted with. Kind of in the category of watching paint dry and commenting to anyone within earshot about how it happens. Mea culpa.
I’m quite content being a paid subscriber. I truly enjoy your posts. Thank you
Thanks for letting us know, Sasha.
I subscribe to 190 newsletters and most of these are free. I pay for about 15 or so. I review my paid subscriptions quarterly. If I am not reading or unhappy with the content I do exactly as you described. I manage the subscription and cancel it.
In fact, last week I unsubscribed from a paid monthly subscription. The writer has gone stark raving mad. His posts became almost psychotic. Enough is enough.
I suggest to every reader to review your paid subscriptions and cancel where appropriate.
This was a very appropriate and helpful post. Thanks again, Sasha!
My guess would be CJ Hopkins. I cancelled him after a year. He seemed a little unhinged, then. Now he’s gone full on door on the floor unhinged.
Yikes! Bingo! I don’t mind a little unhinged at all. We have every right to be pissed, but CJ has gone full boar lunatic. It’s like worms have entered his brain and are eating every moral cell. He may as well join the looney leftists and beat the TDS drum.
Thanks for reminidng me to go to the tip jar link and drop a ten spot in. :-)
I had no idea that Substack offers a tip feature. Thanks for the heads up. I will go right now and submit an appreciation donation for Sasha’s compelling work!
No worries. Stone sent out a note on it awhile back. Not sure if it is a regular feature of Substacks.
Tip Jar link?? Where is that?
Click on "Free Thinking" text link above and then you will see "Tip Jar" option displayed on the called up screen.
I’m on my way to the tip jar as well! Thanks for everything, Sasha
I had no idea either - thank you for the tip (pun fully intended).
Badda-boom! Gratefully received. :-)
Most people don't know how credit card processing works on the merchant side. Before retiring my wife and I operated a retail store. Every dollar paid by credit card cost us about 3 cents. In the rare cases of problems we would issue a refund rather than get dinged with a chargeback fee. And refunding a dollar would cost us $1.03, as the fees are applied in both directions. As more writers are turning to Substack for a living, the powers behind it should come up with a better way to handle this process. They should also allow for payment methods other than Stripe, which is undoubtedly paying them for the exclusivity.
I agree with that. Competition is always good for the person selecting the service.
Sasha, as a suggestion, perhaps post your tip jar link in the comments when folks do chargebacks. That way we can cover them.
Good idea.
A few minutes after I read this I bumped into an almost identical report about cancellations from an English Substack author named Tom Cox. I had never even considered the issue and suddenly it appears twice in ten minutes. That's odd.
Anyway it hadn’t occurred to me until now that because an author ends up suffering a net loss and the “subscriber” breaks even, it’s possible to weaponize this bug in the system. Given that fact, maybe you shouldn't spell it out so directly? It doesn’t take very many malicious actors to do a lot of damage. I actually recommend you delete this comment after reading it. I mean it. I love your voice. I don't want to see your work burdened with this kind of craziness.
Same here. We had just called our credit card company to reverse a charge on a software app that ny husband had cancelled a couple weeks ago and then I received this Substack email! Ha!
We normally cancel things without reversing a charge (which is also a hassle), but the company was based in Hong Kong and had already cancelled his access so we couldn’t contact them to have them issue a refund.
I am glad Sasha has written this ‘how to’ though.
1000 percent value on my Sub Sasha thank you!! 😊
I wouldn’t even consider unsubscribing! Keep up the good work!
Interesting.
I need to start up a paid portion on my Substack – yes, procrastination is my middle name – but that gives one pause.
Sasha, your content is very valuable to me and I'm sorry you received a "chargeback" on someone's payment. It really isn't fair that you have a fee to pay on top of not getting your money for the subscription, but I guess the card companies like to make money no matter what. I was happy to subscribe because I realize that what you do here takes time, and we all need to have money coming in to live (unless we're independently wealthy, which I can't even imagine). Please keep up the good work, and I hope everyone subscribes so that you can keep doing it.
Completely agree, Patricia.
I enjoy your ruminations a lot and just paid for another year. Hope it helps.
Sorry this happened to you Sasha. I never even knew chargebacks existed. If I need to cancel a subscription I do as you’ve recommended.
I read & subscribe using the app. Substack does not let you manage your subscription from there, nor link to the tip jar. I figure it out but it’s pretty convoluted. Anyway a Suggestion Sasha that may help on the business side - Some substacks, like Childers Coffee & Covid , do have a direct link at the end of their posts that says “How to donate”. And it works! Even from the app. Seeing it after reading a post is a good reminder that we can tip & it makes it easy. Just my 2 cents.
Right! I was trying to find the tip jar on my phone also. Would be good if she can add a tip jar link to phone app.
I had to go to my browser & put in manage my substack subscriptions. It then requested my email for verification & texted me a digital code. Entered it & from there was able to manage my subscriptions, find Sasha & the tip jar. Very convoluted. Substack needs to spend some money on upgrading the app. It’s also the same convoluted process if you want to upgrade from free to paid. I bet many app users don’t bother because of the process.
Got it. Thanks, Dena.
No way I would cancel this paid subscription! It’s an incredible value.