Steven P. Administrators Posted December 19, 2023 Administrators Share Posted December 19, 2023 I've taken it down. My contact at Neowin Deals (StackCommerce) convinced me that Ivacy were honoring refunds and subscriptions when I emailed about it last time (and I commented as much) but it appears that quite a few members have had a bad experience with Ivacy, so I took it down and asked StackCommerce to stop running it in the weekly email I get to promote deals. StackCommerce determines what is promoted, and I do have a say in it of course, but one or two people complaining is not an excuse to take down deals. You can't please everyone! Finally I just want to say, how can they have a 4.7 score on Trustpilot and be as bad as some people make them out to be? https://www.trustpilot.com/review/ivacy.com Also just to remind people, it costs money to run this site, so all of our paid content can't be unicorns and rainbows. Think about it for a minute, I wish you knew how hard my job is, all 23 years of it. hellowalkman, +hedleigh, Yonah and 4 others 5 2 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrynalyne Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 19/12/2023 at 16:26, Steven P. said: I've taken it down. My contact at Neowin Deals (StackCommerce) convinced me that Ivacy were honoring refunds and subscriptions when I emailed about it last time (and I commented as much) but it appears that quite a few members have had a bad experience with Ivacy, so I took it down and asked StackCommerce to stop running it in the weekly email I get to promote deals. StackCommerce determines what is promoted, and I do have a say in it of course, but one or two people complaining is not an excuse to take down deals. You can't please everyone! Finally I just want to say, how can they have a 4.7 score on Trustpilot and be as bad as some people make them out to be? https://www.trustpilot.com/review/ivacy.com Also just to remind people, it costs money to run this site, so all of our paid content can't be unicorns and rainbows. Think about it for a minute, I wish you knew how hard my job is, all 23 years of it. It’s easy enough to get fake reviews. That said, of course the site has to be paid for. I doubt anyone here denies that and if they do, they are idiots. But some of the things being run are shady. This was one, kudos on taking it down and realizing StackCommerce isn’t always to be trusted. hellowalkman 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870602 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 20, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 20/12/2023 at 02:51, adrynalyne said: It’s easy enough to get fake reviews. Where's your proof? TrustPilot is a trustworthy site, if they are filling out their score with fake reviews, report them? Otherwise stop spouting unhelpful BS because it just reads like "oh, the facts don't support my argument, so all the reviews must be fake!" This is also interesting. My contact at Ivacy (which has nothing to do with my StackCommerce partnership) emailed me this after reviewing a screenshot of the comments This definitely feels like an issue between the user and their screen, rather than one Neowin should have to account for. So, in the actual article I offered a means to contact StackCommerce if anyone felt they were scammed (after emailing about some user complaints) here is the link TrustPilot score after more than 3,000 reviews is 4.7 (which is great!) My contact at Ivacy points out that users must renew every 5-years, and that it is a requirement upon purchasing a "lifetime" subscription Considering how many of the complaints are about the subscription "ending" after 5 years it really looks like some users have reading comprehension issues. Sigh. satukoro, hellowalkman and +Matthew S. 2 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrynalyne Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) On 20/12/2023 at 01:19, Steven P. said: Where's your proof? TrustPilot is a trustworthy site, if they are filling out their score with fake reviews, report them? Otherwise stop spouting unhelpful BS because it just reads like "oh, the facts don't support my argument, so all the reviews must be fake!" This is also interesting. My contact at Ivacy (which has nothing to do with my StackCommerce partnership) emailed me this after reviewing a screenshot of the comments This definitely feels like an issue between the user and their screen, rather than one Neowin should have to account for. So, in the actual article I offered a means to contact StackCommerce if anyone felt they were scammed (after emailing about some user complaints) here is the link TrustPilot score after more than 3,000 reviews is 4.7 (which is great!) My contact at Ivacy points out that users must renew every 5-years, and that it is a requirement upon purchasing a "lifetime" subscription Considering how many of the complaints are about the subscription "ending" after 5 years it really looks like some users have reading comprehension issues. Sigh. Where is my proof? Sorry, not playing this stupid game, because I don't need stupid prizes. I am disappointed that you went from doing a good thing to blaming users and reading comprehension problems. Shame on you. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870707 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 20, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 20/12/2023 at 17:28, adrynalyne said: Where is my proof? Sorry, not playing this stupid game, because I don't need stupid prizes. I am disappointed that you went from doing a good thing to blaming users and reading comprehension problems. Shame on you. Yes because any normal person would blame IvacyVPN when a user is raging at how his subscription ended after 5 years, when it clearly states in the lifetime purchase page that users must request free 5 year extensions. /s Unless I missed something? I feel duped. hellowalkman 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870710 Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrynalyne Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) On 20/12/2023 at 09:36, Steven P. said: Yes because any normal person would blame IvacyVPN when a user is raging at how his subscription ended after 5 years, when it clearly states in the lifetime purchase page that users must request free 5 year extensions. /s Unless I missed something? I feel duped. Even if you feel duped, is it not a better feeling that you are sticking up for your users and making the site a better place? Perception is just as important as everything else. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870719 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 20, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 20/12/2023 at 18:09, adrynalyne said: Even if you feel duped, is it not a better feeling that you are sticking up for your users and making the site a better place? Perception is just as important as everything else. It's not "sticking up for users" if they are just plain wrong about their accusations, but yes, that was my original intent right up until I educated myself a bit about the complaints. i contacted ivacy directly, and our contact at stackcommerce, and I reviewed the trustpilot page. I even gave a direct link to make a complaint if people felt they were scammed. Others: left a nasty comment. satukoro, hellowalkman and adrynalyne 3 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870724 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 19/12/2023 at 23:26, Steven P. said: how can they have a 4.7 score on Trustpilot I have personally worked somewhere that was VERY shady and yet had a decent score. Because they paid to have negatives removed. Trustpilot is not trustworthy. adrynalyne and hellowalkman 2 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870769 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boo_star Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 On 20/12/2023 at 08:19, Steven P. said: Where's your proof? TrustPilot is a trustworthy site, if they are filling out their score with fake reviews, report them? Otherwise stop spouting unhelpful BS because it just reads like "oh, the facts don't support my argument, so all the reviews must be fake!" This is also interesting. My contact at Ivacy (which has nothing to do with my StackCommerce partnership) emailed me this after reviewing a screenshot of the comments This definitely feels like an issue between the user and their screen, rather than one Neowin should have to account for. So, in the actual article I offered a means to contact StackCommerce if anyone felt they were scammed (after emailing about some user complaints) here is the link TrustPilot score after more than 3,000 reviews is 4.7 (which is great!) My contact at Ivacy points out that users must renew every 5-years, and that it is a requirement upon purchasing a "lifetime" subscription Considering how many of the complaints are about the subscription "ending" after 5 years it really looks like some users have reading comprehension issues. Sigh. Trustpilot isn't that trustworthy. Their revenue comes from companies who pay to administer their profiles, and they're allowed to dispute reviews (usually by claiming that the reviewer isn't a customer) . This then hides the review and there is very little recourse when this happens. The positive reviews don't need to be faked if all the negative ones are suppressed. adrynalyne 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870853 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 21, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 21, 2023 On 21/12/2023 at 13:12, boo_star said: Trustpilot isn't that trustworthy. Their revenue comes from companies who pay to administer their profiles, and they're allowed to dispute reviews (usually by claiming that the reviewer isn't a customer) . This then hides the review and there is very little recourse when this happens. The positive reviews don't need to be faked if all the negative ones are suppressed. I would agree if it weren't for the fact that there are also a bunch of 1 star reviews that haven't been removed. But again these are people that purchased 5 years ago and probably don't even remember they are required to request a free renewal. Also isn't it funny how some people are raging about something that cost them 0.90 cents a month over five years, which is a bloody good deal. I've been a customer of PIA for years and paid the full price (I think it was €65/year), and I did the two year deal via Neowin Deals a few years ago which came to €65 total (so 50% off) and they automatically renewed it at the same price when it expired last year. I pay 3x more than the Ivacy deal, and even that was 50% off. I also did a 5-year Adguard VPN Neowin deal and it has been great. iPlayer and ITVX works (which is what I purchased it for). If they don't work, use the proper channels to submit a complaint. I did this for SnagIt 2022 and got a refund, because I was unhappy at how it leaves a datafile next to each screenshot capture, so I went back to using my licensed SnagIt 2019. I didn't rage about it, I took action. hellowalkman, satukoro and Yonah 3 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870894 Share on other sites More sharing options...
satukoro Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 On 20/12/2023 at 03:19, Steven P. said: Where's your proof? TrustPilot is a trustworthy site, if they are filling out their score with fake reviews, report them? Otherwise stop spouting unhelpful BS because it just reads like "oh, the facts don't support my argument, so all the reviews must be fake!" This is also interesting. My contact at Ivacy (which has nothing to do with my StackCommerce partnership) emailed me this after reviewing a screenshot of the comments This definitely feels like an issue between the user and their screen, rather than one Neowin should have to account for. So, in the actual article I offered a means to contact StackCommerce if anyone felt they were scammed (after emailing about some user complaints) here is the link TrustPilot score after more than 3,000 reviews is 4.7 (which is great!) My contact at Ivacy points out that users must renew every 5-years, and that it is a requirement upon purchasing a "lifetime" subscription Considering how many of the complaints are about the subscription "ending" after 5 years it really looks like some users have reading comprehension issues. Sigh. I know how you feel. Many of the users I support are educators who, unbelievably, have terrible reading comprehension skills. Aside from that, if you're happy with the deals/sponsors/content you have here and it pays the bills, that's what is important. Steven P. 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870900 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boo_star Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 On 21/12/2023 at 17:10, Steven P. said: I would agree if it weren't for the fact that there are also a bunch of 1 star reviews that haven't been removed. But again these are people that purchased 5 years ago and probably don't even remember they are required to request a free renewal. Also isn't it funny how some people are raging about something that cost them 0.90 cents a month over five years, which is a bloody good deal. I've been a customer of PIA for years and paid the full price (I think it was €65/year), and I did the two year deal via Neowin Deals a few years ago which came to €65 total (so 50% off) and they automatically renewed it at the same price when it expired last year. I pay 3x more than the Ivacy deal, and even that was 50% off. I also did a 5-year Adguard VPN Neowin deal and it has been great. iPlayer and ITVX works (which is what I purchased it for). If they don't work, use the proper channels to submit a complaint. I did this for SnagIt 2022 and got a refund, because I was unhappy at how it leaves a datafile next to each screenshot capture, so I went back to using my licensed SnagIt 2019. I didn't rage about it, I took action. Most smart companies are not going to blast all their 1-star reviews away, it's far too obvious. If you're pulling a scam it's far better to remove any negative reviews referencing said scam, and leave a few of the stupid 1-star reviews (you're always going to get a few) for realism. I don't have a horse in this particular race, just commenting on how Trustpilot isn't as trustworthy as many people think. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870912 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 21, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 21, 2023 On 21/12/2023 at 19:58, boo_star said: Most smart companies are not going to blast all their 1-star reviews away, it's far too obvious. If you're pulling a scam it's far better to remove any negative reviews referencing said scam, and leave a few of the stupid 1-star reviews (you're always going to get a few) for realism. I don't have a horse in this particular race, just commenting on how Trustpilot isn't as trustworthy as many people think. OK let's not trust anything ever anymore, okay? 😛 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870925 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Matthew S. Subscriber² Posted December 21, 2023 Subscriber² Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) On 21/12/2023 at 14:48, Steven P. said: OK let's not trust anything ever anymore, okay? 😛 Steve, you don't live by the DTA rule? The moral of the story, Steve took action against something his community feels is a scam, and people are still bitching as per the norm (hint this shouldn't be the norm but everyone is entitled to an opinion). Dick Montage and Steven P. 1 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598870976 Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrynalyne Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) On 21/12/2023 at 12:48, Steven P. said: OK let's not trust anything ever anymore, okay? 😛 I don't... On 21/12/2023 at 15:19, Matthew S. said: Steve, you don't live by the DTA rule? The moral of the story, Steve took action against something his community feels is a scam, and people are still bitching as per the norm (hint this shouldn't be the norm but everyone is entitled to an opinion). Actually, I gave kudos for it until I was asked for proof on faked reviews Don't poke people and they won't poke back. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598871004 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boo_star Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 On 21/12/2023 at 19:48, Steven P. said: OK let's not trust anything ever anymore, okay? 😛 There's no need to not trust anything, but I give little weight to Trustpilot reviews on claimed profiles. I've heard far too many stories of obvious manipulation of reviews. Steven P. 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598871121 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoopZ Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 I see this article is back up after it was taken down? https://www.neowin.net/sponsored/celebrate-christmas-with-ivacy-vpn-at-54-for-5-years-last-chance/ Steven P. and adrynalyne 1 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598871576 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted December 25, 2023 Author Administrators Share Posted December 25, 2023 On 25/12/2023 at 20:25, SnoopZ said: I see this article is back up after it was taken down? https://www.neowin.net/sponsored/celebrate-christmas-with-ivacy-vpn-at-54-for-5-years-last-chance/ The post that was taken down, and the one that was published today are two different things, this should answer your query. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1436677-the-ivacy-vpn-neowin-deals-article-was-taken-down/#findComment-598871598 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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