The hidden costs of "free" software are actually insane
So my brother started a small local service business a few months ago, and I’ve been helping him sort out the administrative side of things. When he first launched, he signed up for one of those heavily marketed, trendy booking apps because they had a flashy "free tier." Fast forward to last week when we actually sat down to look at his net revenue, and we realized they were quietly skimming off massive percentage-based transaction fees on every single client booking. It added up to hundreds of dollars down the drain just for a basic calendar setup.
It's wild how these big corporate tech platforms prey on new entrepreneurs who don't know any better. We immediately spent the weekend migrating all his client data away from them. He ended up switching over to a flat-rate scheduling system instead since it just uses a flat monthly fee structure rather than taking a bite out of his hard-earned sales.
Ngl, it was a massive wake-up call. If you're running a side hustle or small business, seriously audit your software tools regularly. Those sneaky percentage cuts will absolutely bleed your margins dry before you even notice.
https://redd.it/1utpioa
@AssholeDesign
So my brother started a small local service business a few months ago, and I’ve been helping him sort out the administrative side of things. When he first launched, he signed up for one of those heavily marketed, trendy booking apps because they had a flashy "free tier." Fast forward to last week when we actually sat down to look at his net revenue, and we realized they were quietly skimming off massive percentage-based transaction fees on every single client booking. It added up to hundreds of dollars down the drain just for a basic calendar setup.
It's wild how these big corporate tech platforms prey on new entrepreneurs who don't know any better. We immediately spent the weekend migrating all his client data away from them. He ended up switching over to a flat-rate scheduling system instead since it just uses a flat monthly fee structure rather than taking a bite out of his hard-earned sales.
Ngl, it was a massive wake-up call. If you're running a side hustle or small business, seriously audit your software tools regularly. Those sneaky percentage cuts will absolutely bleed your margins dry before you even notice.
https://redd.it/1utpioa
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
😱2
Motorola phones now have an undisablable ad that plays sometimes on your lock screen
It's called "glance AI" and it's a prepackaged unremovable app on all Motorola smartphones. Until a recent update you could disable it but since an update a few weeks ago it keeps re-enabling itself.
Occasionally, and I mean like 1/20, this stupid app that is holding my lock screen hostage will play a full volume video ad. I just got one for Chime. Can't even unlock my phone without seeing an ad. What the fuck?
https://redd.it/1utrw24
@AssholeDesign
It's called "glance AI" and it's a prepackaged unremovable app on all Motorola smartphones. Until a recent update you could disable it but since an update a few weeks ago it keeps re-enabling itself.
Occasionally, and I mean like 1/20, this stupid app that is holding my lock screen hostage will play a full volume video ad. I just got one for Chime. Can't even unlock my phone without seeing an ad. What the fuck?
https://redd.it/1utrw24
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
🤬1
You can mute all intrusive notifications on Samsung phones. Except the ones from their store...
https://redd.it/1uu9prb
@AssholeDesign
https://redd.it/1uu9prb
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit: You can mute all intrusive notifications on Samsung phones. Except the ones from their…
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
🤬1
The "Pause instead of Cancel" button is not a mistake. It is a documented design decision and here is exactly how it works.
Been looking into why cancelling subscriptions feels so much harder than signing up. The asymmetry in the UI is not accidental.
The cancel flow for most subscription services follows the same deliberate pattern. A large, friendly, prominently colored "Pause" button sits at the top of the screen. Below it, in smaller grey text, barely visible, is the actual cancel link. The size difference is not a spacing issue. It is a calculated choice to make the default path "stay" and the exit path "work for it."
This is documented as a dark pattern called the Roach Motel, named by Harry Brignull who began cataloguing deliberate manipulative design choices in 2010. Easy to get in, deliberately hard to get out.
But the design goes deeper than just button sizing. The cancel flow is typically gated behind multiple confirmation screens, a survey asking why you are leaving, a retention offer timed to appear right before the final cancel option, and a final screen where the cancel link is visually subordinate to a pause or discount offer. Each step is friction by design, not friction by accident.
The psychology behind why this works is the endowment effect, documented by Richard Thaler, the same researcher behind nudge theory. Once you own access to something, losing it feels disproportionately painful even if you never use it. The cancel button triggers that loss aversion. The pause button offers an escape from the feeling without the company losing the revenue.
Made a full breakdown of how these mechanisms stack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5124FW5\_l4
Curious whether anyone here has documented specific examples of cancel flows that are particularly egregious. The pattern is consistent enough across services that it feels coordinated even when it is not.
https://redd.it/1uunohm
@AssholeDesign
Been looking into why cancelling subscriptions feels so much harder than signing up. The asymmetry in the UI is not accidental.
The cancel flow for most subscription services follows the same deliberate pattern. A large, friendly, prominently colored "Pause" button sits at the top of the screen. Below it, in smaller grey text, barely visible, is the actual cancel link. The size difference is not a spacing issue. It is a calculated choice to make the default path "stay" and the exit path "work for it."
This is documented as a dark pattern called the Roach Motel, named by Harry Brignull who began cataloguing deliberate manipulative design choices in 2010. Easy to get in, deliberately hard to get out.
But the design goes deeper than just button sizing. The cancel flow is typically gated behind multiple confirmation screens, a survey asking why you are leaving, a retention offer timed to appear right before the final cancel option, and a final screen where the cancel link is visually subordinate to a pause or discount offer. Each step is friction by design, not friction by accident.
The psychology behind why this works is the endowment effect, documented by Richard Thaler, the same researcher behind nudge theory. Once you own access to something, losing it feels disproportionately painful even if you never use it. The cancel button triggers that loss aversion. The pause button offers an escape from the feeling without the company losing the revenue.
Made a full breakdown of how these mechanisms stack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5124FW5\_l4
Curious whether anyone here has documented specific examples of cancel flows that are particularly egregious. The pattern is consistent enough across services that it feels coordinated even when it is not.
https://redd.it/1uunohm
@AssholeDesign
YouTube
Why Cancelling Anything Feels Harder Than Signing Up
You forgot about that $12 charge for eleven months. That wasn't an accident.
This video breaks down the hidden psychology behind every subscription you've ever struggled to cancel, including the endowment effect, status quo bias, the pain of paying, and…
This video breaks down the hidden psychology behind every subscription you've ever struggled to cancel, including the endowment effect, status quo bias, the pain of paying, and…
ISP puts a captive portal behind certain Wi-Fi devices connected to the ONT router so that I can update my information to "enjoy better services"
https://redd.it/1uuza3g
@AssholeDesign
https://redd.it/1uuza3g
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit: ISP puts a captive portal behind certain Wi-Fi devices connected to the ONT router…
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
Sorry, Amazon, you do not have any need to delete my emails on contacts. This was for my Fire tablet.
Amazon
https://redd.it/1uva6f4
@AssholeDesign
Amazon
https://redd.it/1uva6f4
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
Sorry, Amazon, you do not have any need to delete my emails on contacts. This was for my Fire tablet.
Amazon
https://redd.it/1uvacoo
@AssholeDesign
Amazon
https://redd.it/1uvacoo
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
Google, why did you remove the '/' keyboard shortcut to refocus the search bar?! 😡
This was one of my favorite and most used shortcuts on google.com — pressing '/' used to instantly focus the search bar so I could quickly edit my search query. Now it's gone and I have to manually click into the box every time. Why would you remove such a simple, useful feature? 😡 Anyone else notice this, or know a workaround?
https://redd.it/1uxesd5
@AssholeDesign
This was one of my favorite and most used shortcuts on google.com — pressing '/' used to instantly focus the search bar so I could quickly edit my search query. Now it's gone and I have to manually click into the box every time. Why would you remove such a simple, useful feature? 😡 Anyone else notice this, or know a workaround?
https://redd.it/1uxesd5
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community
Mail.ru email provider BLOCKS you from reading ALMOST ALL emails in your inbox if you have their cloud storage overfilled (earlier they given 100GB but took it away). Thankfully you can still connect it to a desktop email client.
https://redd.it/1uxunpq
@AssholeDesign
https://redd.it/1uxunpq
@AssholeDesign
Reddit
From the assholedesign community on Reddit: Mail.ru email provider BLOCKS you from reading ALMOST ALL emails in your inbox if you…
Explore this post and more from the assholedesign community