Important changes at RapidShare.com

Biggins

Glad to see I am not the only one emailing them.

They might get the hint that they are doing themselves no service by the upcoming changes.
When their user numbers rapidly drop in the coming months, by gawd then they will get the message!

What they are doing is pure stupid.

calex71

Just doing the math for myself here based on my very low usage, this new system would end up costing me twice as much as the old one, for a lot less in return. My account is up in the next few weeks thankfully.

Also what with having to switch between tariffs, it would mean oyu would have to log on to the site itself all the time , which ain't download manager friendly at all , minor thing but an annoyance all the same.

Not for me thanks RS

Edit : Just reading back on the thread , regards alternatives etc, This week alone I have noticed a huge shift away from RS I have seen it in the last months but not on the scale I saw over the net this week, a big sign I think.

RoyalMarine

Traffic left: 24 971 MB (+0 Bytes)
Free RapidPoints: 196 604
Server time: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:25:04 GMT
Premium RapidPoints 481 802
Files: 1,299
Paid until: Wed, 21 Jun 2011 00:22:12 GMT


mother ****ers! my account is ****ed!

AntiRip

I think this is going to be the end of RS. This is a post from admin from a big hdsite about the situation

RS has become a pain for all us uploaders....and we are looking for the best alternate solution.
MU is good....but not rewarding at all :mad:
HF is becoming the new home for all uploaders around the globe....so maybe it will be our next stop

Some other sites are following suit. Hotfile is laughing now!

Biggins

AntiRip wrote: »

I think this is going to be the end of RS. This is a post from admin from a big hdsite about the situation

Some other sites are following suit. Hotfile is laughing now!

If the owners of Hotfile have any business sense, NOW is the time for them to start offering special sign-up inducements (watch and see, then take advantage if so).
Once people sign up to what they consider to be a good service, they usually stay loyal to it.
Hotfile management should know this and arise to this timely opportunity.

I was very loyal to Rapidshare - but no - with this messing of a confusing purchasing system where as indicated by others, the buyer is losing out more so, I will be dumping the Rapidshare account when it runs out, never to return under the upcoming condition mess.

Cuddlesworth

ahh well, my two rapidshare accounts expire in a month. Think I'll just grab a hotfile and megaupload account and see which one gains popularity. Rapidshare are shooting themselves in the foot.

AntiRip

Best thing now is wait and see what happens in the next few months. RS still have the majority of content and until another host gets dominant, it best to wait and see before paying for a particular host. I can't even extend my RS account because I'm outside the 6 months.

I'm sorry I signed up for a 12 month subscription. They really shouldn't be allowed to change conditions like this for existing customers. Seems wrong.

Krieg

AntiRip wrote: »

I'm sorry I signed up for a 12 month subscription. They really shouldn't be allowed to change conditions like this for existing customers. Seems wrong.

I was thinking about this. I was under the impression that if a provider of service changes their terms and conditions, than the customer is fully entitled to say "No thanks, ill have a refund please".

Prezatch

Krieg wrote: »

I was thinking about this. I was under the impression that if a provider of service changes their terms and conditions, than the customer is fully entitled to say "No thanks, ill have a refund please".

They aren't really stealing you of value by changing the terms and conditions of a current premium account though. You'll be given 20 rapids per day left on your premium account which equals 5gb day on rapidmedium. You'd only get 5gb day with the old system also.

It's when you go to buy rapids that you'll feel the pinch. I also don't understand why there is no discount for buying larger amounts of rapids. Only a small discount exists between the 400 and 1000 rapid packages. It costs €0.00995 per rapid regardless of whether you buy 1,000 or 20,000 - Bizarre

CapaCapaCapa

I wouldn't be surprised if this was just an attempt to shake off the pirates. I'm not sure how many folk nowadays have premium accounts, but as a percentage of the pirates who use RS, I don't imagine it will be a huge number. And therefore, probably not worth all the legal bindings for the relatively meagre profits.

That's just an educated guess of course, can't accurately say much without rock solid figures.

In any case, this news is sucky. Hotfile looks like a good contender now, but apparently their speeds rarely max out connection speeds. Let's hope a golden age hasn't passed.

Stinicker

I wonder will Happy Hour* still exist?

*Download after 1am Irish time and the download is only worth 10% of your balance so a 100MB file would only count as a 10MB file.

dizzy_davidh

You'd only get 5gb day with the old system

The difference is though that if you didn't use your whole\partial 5gb allocation one day it would be carried over the next up to 25gb so you had more chance to use it rather than loosing all your unused traffic allowance each day if you didn't use it.

It doesn't sound as if the new system will have any kind of carry over of points or non-deduction for having not used your allocation.

That point has yet to be confirmed one way or the other but realistically each day allocates 5gb (20rapids level = current premium account) and so it can't be said that you are getting less traffic allocation until you want\need to download more than 5gb in one day at which point you need to increase you rapids usage level.

Do you then get charged the difference between the level you where on and the the next level or the whole 'points required for that level' again which could end up being way more expensive?

Also there is still the point about having to remember to lower your rapid\traffic usage level so as to not use up your points when not using your account (assumes you get charged under all circumstances regardless of your actual usage).

I can only pray that RapidShare quickly realise what a pathetic system they are introducing and revert to the current system after a very short period of time. I suspect they will very quickly see their renewal number drop sharply which should be enough of an indicator!

dizzy_davidh

CapaCapaCapa wrote: »

I'm not sure how many folk nowadays have premium accounts, but as a percentage of the pirates who use RS, I don't imagine it will be a huge number.

:eek: Are you kidding?!?!?!?!

I believe that the vast majority of all Rapidshare use is related to illegal activity (80%+) on the part of both hosters and downloaders. Sure some people pay for their usage with Premium Points they gain through their own files being shared but the rest pay for premium accounts to download other peoples dodgy files.

The simple example is to ask yourself when, besides a mirrored copy of a trial app etc., have you ever downloade something that was legit from Rapidshare.

Rapidshare must appreciate that point as well but be under such pressure from legal challenges and their own ever increasing running costs that they have no choice but to take steps to dump the majority of their user base while still somehow making money.

IrishTonyO

dizzy_davidh wrote: »

:eek: Are you kidding?!?!?!?!

I believe that the vast majority of all Rapidshare use is related to illegal activity (80%+) on the part of both hosters and downloaders. Sure some people pay for their usage with Premium Points they gain through their own files being shared but the rest pay for premium accounts to download other peoples dodgy files.

The simple example is to ask yourself when, besides a mirrored copy of a trial app etc., have you ever downloade something that was legit from Rapidshare.

Rapidshare must appreciate that point as well but be under such pressure from legal challenges and their own ever increasing running costs that they have no choice but to take steps to dump the majority of their user base while still somehow making money.

Well if pirate use is 80% like you say, do you know any company that is willing to get rid of 80% of it's turnover without being forced to legally? And if they do it won't be much of a service with the lack of funding.
There is something very strange about all this, does anyone know if there are any legal actions happening against Rapidshare at the moment?

Bob_Harris

In recent months they won a few legal challenges against them.

The Judge / court said they were not responsible for the content uploaded and it was not feasible to monitor these uploads due to the sheer amount of uploading activity (both legal and illegal)

Gonzo

what a stupid system and I dont understand it either, gonna move to a different provider like hotfile as soon as my subscription is up in september

softdancomputer

...So the next step is to see a poll about whats the second best option after RS...

Kirby

probably hotfile or megaupload.

Its going to take a few months for a new market leader to emerge.....which will be annoying for a while.

Prezatch

The major pirates are not fans of megaupload as their rewards scheme isn't very rewarding. Hotfile is not as fast or reliable but on the other hand, they have a rewards scheme - http://hotfile.com/affiliate.html

I believe Rapidshare will be releasing more clarification on the 29th regarding their new policy. I very much doubt they will continue with the crazy pricing structure and lack of rewards scheme for very long.

Given the fact that they won 2 major court cases against them in May - the threat of major fines/closure can't be of too major a concern. I think they're merely trying to be seen as doing the right thing to ease the heat on themselves. Deep down they are well aware of that 90%+ of their hosted material is copywritten. Also, I'm sure they have been inundated with angry emails from current customers threatening to leave. One only has to take a look at one of the many message boards with Rapidshare links to see a thread with outraged members.

Kazuma

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

Traffic left: 24 971 MB (+0 Bytes)
Free RapidPoints: 196 604
Server time: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:25:04 GMT
Premium RapidPoints 481 802
Files: 1,299
Paid until: Wed, 21 Jun 2011 00:22:12 GMT


mother ****ers! my account is ****ed!

That's an awful lot of premium points you've got there, how on earth did you get so many? :pac:

Hopefully they'll see reason (and the hugely negative response), I'm stuck with them till september...

RapidRaped.

IrishTonyO

Everyone just make sure to email them at support@rapidshare.com and let them know how you feel.

Stinicker

IrishTonyO wrote: »

Everyone just make sure to email them at support@rapidshare.com and let them know how you feel.

If happy hour is gone then that is the final straw for me, I have a Hotfile account and find myself using it more and more often anyways and can always nearly find what I want in Hotfile as easily as on RS.

dizzy_davidh

I read recently that many film companies are now giving up with their efforts to stop pirating by filing suit against online copyright violators a thet realised it costs too much to push for the prosecutions. They went so far as to advise the music industry to follow suit.

It all fell on deaf ears though as the comments where made at the same time as the Independant firm responsible for The Hurt Locker made a big play to file copyright breach\infringement claims against hundreds, possibly thousands (I forget how many) of file sharers\hosters.

As for companies that choose to loose their customer base in an effort to go legit how about 'Napster' (remember them?!).

Cuddlesworth

The hurt locker case is interesting. The company behind it is basically blackmailing for a immediate settlement of 2.5k. They have no intention of taking it to court.

NothingMan

So, If I was to go on the Rapidmedium account it would be the equivelant limit as I currently have but cost more.

However, if I was to go to Rapidsmall it would cost considerably less but I would only have 1gb a day.

It really comes down to whether traffic limits carry over as they do now. In which case rapidsmall would benifit me and a lot of people who may not download everyday.

The scary issue is the removal of rewards. The reason there is an abundance of uploaders is the reward scheme. With this gone, my account in theory could cost less but what good is that if I can never find what I'm looking for.

My account expires on July 11th so i'm not too bad. I'll use that 2 weeks to get familar with the scheme and see if the files keep coming.

CapaCapaCapa

I'm not too bummed out by this whole situation, I can always just fall back on torrents if need be. Internet speeds are getting faster and faster every year, and torrents are actually at usable level now. They don't have the almost luxurious speeds of RS, but they aren't horrendously slow unless you're downloading something very niche. I'm not sure if the situation is slightly different for you folk in Ireland (hello from Scotland!) since I heard something about The Pirate Bay being blocked by one of your ISPs.

hidinginthebush

I've read that email 4 or 5 times and still get a brain sore. Guess I'll be taking my business elsewhere come renewal time in September

dizzy_davidh

CapaCapaCapa wrote: »

...I can always just fall back on torrents if need be.

A quick legality point;

The problem with sing torrents is that if you are downloading copyright materials the legal risks are much higher with torrent use than with just downloading as with a simple download you aren't seeding and therefore not making something available to others yourself and so can't be portrayed as distributing copyright material.

IrishTonyO

Well coming up 72 hours since I sent them an email and still no response from them

Lenny

IrishTonyO wrote: »

Well coming up 72 hours since I sent them an email and still no response from them

of they've read it alright, my account was phished twice, and I received prompt emails from them very quickly