You might have already heard about Twitter’s blue checkmark and all the interesting things about it. Perhaps you even want a blue tick on your Twitter (now X) profile. But, in my opinion, you might be better off without it (at least for now). Here’s why.
The Story
In August 2023, I decided to try Twitter Blue (now X Premium). I was intrigued because Twitter was reportedly rewarding content creators generously through a revenue sharing model. Plus, I was eager to check out the additional features like prioritized support and, of course, the famous blue checkmark. The cost? IDR 1,250,000 for a year.
I particularly needed better support because Twitter had suddenly suspended my advertising account, and I couldn’t figure out why. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t get a clear answer from them.
After four months, I heard X introduced new subscription tiers: Basic, Premium, and Premium+ (the last one offering early access to Grok, X’s AI model). I was under the Premium plan. But I wasn’t happy with it – too many bots, frequent errors, and not enough value for the price. So, I decided to downgrade.
To my surprise, when I downgraded, X didn’t offer a partial refund. Thinking it over, I decided to resubscribe to Premium, assuming I wouldn’t be charged again. I thought to myself, ‘Surely the system will recognize me as a previous customer, so there won’t be any charge. And if there is, they’ll inform me about the amount, right?’ Usually, when subscribing to any premium product, there’s always a confirmation of the cost. But X charged me IDR 604,107 without prior notice!
An extra cost for a year subscription.
Suggestions for Improvement
Working in a product team while also interacting with customers, I’ve come to understand the importance of balancing between the technical aspects of product development and the real-world needs and experiences of those who use our products. My experience highlights the need for better customer service and transparency, especially in these areas:
- Pro-Rated Refunds: Companies should offer refunds for the unused subscription time.
- Clear Cost Confirmation: Before any downgrade or resubscription, customers should be clearly informed about any costs. I think my experience with subscribing through Google has been very good in terms of this confirmation process.
- Extend Subscription for Charges: If there are charges for resubscribing, extend the subscription period accordingly.
Conclusion
Despite being a Premium subscriber, I didn’t get the support I needed. I DM’ed @premium and got no replies within 24 hours. I am truly disappointed with X’s premium service; it might just be the worst paid service I have ever experienced. Nevertheless, I am still awaiting a response or some form of resolution from X, though I’m not overly optimistic. I’ll keep you updated.