soI Just Logged Into My Email Today....

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The thread centers around participants' reactions to a newly introduced $5 fee for accessing a community forum. Concerns are raised about the short notice given for the fee implementation, particularly for international users who face additional challenges in making payments.

Discussion Character

  • Opinion-based
  • Anecdotal
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, expresses frustration over the short notice regarding the $5 fee and requests the deletion of their contributions if access is restricted.
  • Another participant mentions that the fee is actually cheaper in GBP and suggests that the original poster could work with the site administrator to find a solution.
  • Several users share their experiences with payment methods, highlighting issues with PayPal and currency conversion fees.
  • One participant notes that the timing of the fee implementation is unfair, especially for those on a tight budget or with limited payment options.
  • Another participant expresses concern that the site may become stagnant due to the introduction of the fee and questions the rationale behind the change.
  • One participant emphasizes that the fee is not the issue, but rather the timeline for payment, suggesting that a longer notice period would have been more considerate.
  • Another participant reassures that the deadline is flexible and encourages communication with the site administrator for payment arrangements.
  • One participant appreciates the community's contributions and suggests that it is unreasonable to ask for the removal of past posts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ significantly among participants regarding the fairness of the fee and the timeline for payment. Some express understanding of the need for a fee, while others feel it was poorly communicated and implemented.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences related to international payment challenges and the perceived value of the forum. The discussion reflects a mix of emotional responses and practical concerns regarding the fee.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants who are navigating the changes in forum access and those interested in understanding the community's diverse perspectives on the fee implementation may find this discussion relevant.

M
Muppetgal
Silver Member
Messages
170
and have just found out about this $5 fee. I'm in the UK, there is NO way I'm using Paypal, and no way snail mail will ge the $5 fee to you in time (and I'm in a different country, so it will cost me MORE than $5 because of currency exchange etc).

I'm a bit miffed at the short notice actually, as I have contributed to this site a great deal and am now being told that I won't have access to it as of tomorrow.

Can you please delete ALL the files I have contributed, if I am no longer allowed to see them!?

My murder mystery in particular is quite valuable to me (and I wrote it all myself), along with Price Is Right theme shows etc. I'm sure you must be able to look through my past posts to see all my attachments.

Thank you, and it was nice being here while I was able.

:(
 
Actually, it's cheaper for you!! it's only about 2 or 3 GBP to make $5 US. You cannot use Paypal or just don't want to?? I am sure Greg would be willing to work with you to come up with something that is agreeable to all parties.

I love reading your ideas and suggestions, I don't want to see you go if it can be avoided!! Heck, I would pay your $5 just to keep getting your great ideas!!!!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #3
stephanieboyd said:
Actually, it's cheaper for you!! it's only about 2 or 3 GBP to make $5 US. You cannot use Paypal or just don't want to?? I am sure Greg would be willing to work with you to come up with something that is agreeable to all parties.

I love reading your ideas and suggestions, I don't want to see you go if it can be avoided!! Heck, I would pay your $5 just to keep getting your great ideas!!!!
Click to expand...

Paypal:
I've had issues with them in the past, and because I set up my account in Canada they now can't change it to reflect my UK bank account details. :rolleyes:

It's not actually cheaper you know...;) money is still money, it's just that with the bank charge it will work out to the equivalent of more than $5 for me. That's not really this issue, I just don't feel that some of us "out of country" people were thought about when this time frame was agreed upon. I just simply didn't have the time to get it to him for today, even if I had read the email the day it was sent.
 
I am living in a foriegn country as well. Although, I have somewhat of an advantage because I am actually American. I get charged for using my banking information in Euro (and of course in GBP) not in dollars. Again, I would be happy to take care of it for you. I think the Murder Mystery that you wrote is worth the $5 itself!! I loved that!!! If this is more about the principle, than about the money, I understand that too. I just hate to see you go!!!

I would like to keep in touch via email if that is the case. Please email me [email protected]
 
I'm with Muppetgal! I believe that the timing, and deadlines were unfair and ill considered. Some people only get paid once or twice a month and live on budgets. Greg has always been very nice and considerate of our requests and ideas, but this paid for site is not a good idea. I believe the site is going to become stagnant and will not grow like it was doing. I understand that he and Deb work hard to keep it running, but how many of us were happy with the site the way it was. All of us or near that. Now, we are going to have to pay for it and I just don't believe that we'll have the NEW blood coming on to the site after today. I also understand that the site costs money to run, but Greg started the site years ago and didn't charge a fee, so my questions are "Why now? What changed?" I asked that on another thread and never received an answer that I can remember. So, will I pay the fee? I still haven't decided.
 
Here is Greg's original post 10 days ago when this decision was made. Here is the original thread:

http://www.chefsuccess.com/showthread.php?t=6937

Unfortunately email and this forum are our only ways of informing you of what's going on. Sorry you just read about it now.

When Greg started this forum 2 years ago he had no idea how big and popular it would get. He figured if we got to around 150-200 members it would be great. Well we now often have 100 or more on our board at the same time. This results in alot more cost and time to keep this site running smoothly.
Plus everyday Greg and I answer many emails on lost passwords, logins, and how to use the site.

For those having trouble affording the $5 a year we are setting up a donation area. For those not having a Paypal account, per the above post you can pay without one. For those undecided, being a very experienced PCer myself I can't believe Chef Success isn't worth 42 cents a month. I get something new and wonderful from this site everyday.

Thanks to all of you sharing your creative genius and expertise- this board has and will continue to help and inspire so many.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread starter
  • #7
I'm not quibbling over $5, I'm quibbling over the timeline set. My account, as of today, will become limited. There was 10 days to get the money to you, but even if I had read my emails on the day they were sent that still meant I couldn't have it to you in time as I'm in another country. Because email and this forum are the only communication avenues perhaps the timeline should have been longer? Certainly a month would have been more reasonable.

What about people that were on holidays for a few weeks, or people ill/sick etc etc. It was an unfortunately quick turn around time which I'm sure will have people raising eyebrows.

I can't pay with paypal, so this leaves me the option of sending a cheque, which will cost me fees to change to the correct currency etc etc OR sending cash through the post, which I don't feel comfortable doing, OR giving my personal debit/credit card details to someone I don't really know, instead of through a secure server online.

Do you see my issues?

As I've asked in my first post I would like to have all my contributions to this site deleted. They were offered free of charge in return for the information I would be able to download free of charge, and now that this has changed I'd like to have them back.

It's not that I don't value that you have run this site, and that it is a rather large community with a lot of knowledge and wealth of information, and it's not that I don't appreciate what you've both done for the last few years...I just would have liked more advanced warning of changes.
 
Last edited:
You can still send the money. It is not a deadline really. That is just the date that he will start collecting money. If your money gets to him 3 weeks from now you would then be allowed to log on. Yes you will have a short period that you will not be able to get on here, but, as soon as he gets your money you should be able to get online. I would email him directly and work it out with him. He is so much help to us. I could never run this kind of site...much too complicated. I appreciate all his work.
 
I love voting!I really like that Greg did a poll first to see who would pay and who would not. It's great to get things for FREE but when the time and energy and cost of running a site get too much, we all need to chip in to keep it running.

I think it's selfish to ask Greg and Deb to remove your posts. What if they asked us to pay for their services since we first became members or to send back all the wonderful information you downloaded at one time from this site.

I am not saying that everyone has the $5 or a little more in UK to give to this site but just like someone else said, it's not about the time limit, Greg would be willing to work something out with you if you asked him. Maybe even partial payments or something until you could pay it off. They are reasonable and easy to work with on this site so please try to work something out.

I understand it was a short notice to some but according to the poll 90% of members would pay for this site. So let's just be grateful that this site hasn't been shut down, then we all would have been upset and paid the money right away. I LOVE this site!!!

Debbie
 
  • Thread starter
  • #10
DebbieSAChef said:
I think it's selfish to ask Greg and Deb to remove your posts. What if they asked us to pay for their services since we first became members or to send back all the wonderful information you downloaded at one time from this site.

Debbie
Click to expand...

I don't think it's selfish, I think it's unfair that because of unreasonable timelines I won't be allowed to continue to download from this site (and fwiw, I've added much more than I've taken) for the next three weeks or so until this can be sorted, yet my files will be still available to members who found it easy to pay the $5 because they live in the same country.

I guess no one understands that I dont grudge the $5 at all, I think this site is worth at least a $20 membership (at least!) but it's the fact that we weren't given time to get our money in that bothers me.

Why the urgency?

I'll have to order currency from my bank, which isn't open again until Monday (it's after business hours over here now) and then send it via registered mail or whatever, which will take a few weeks. That's a few weeks - month of not getting valuable advice that I may need, that's a few weeks - month of not having questions answered, that's a few weeks- month of no pm's, no access etc etc. I'm just saying that this could have been avoided IF we'd been given a bit more time. My month of not having access will be a direct result of only being given 10 days warning (which, for some people, may not have been 10 days, we don't all log in every single day)

I usually log in every day, tbh, but this last week has been crazy for me, parties, work, child in hospital...so I simply wasn't aware.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread starter
  • #11
DebbieSAChef said:
I understand it was a short notice to some but according to the poll 90% of members would pay for this site. So let's just be grateful that this site hasn't been shut down, then we all would have been upset and paid the money right away. I LOVE this site!!!

Debbie
Click to expand...

Um, fwiw, the poll has also been closed, and I didn't get to vote. Now, that said I would have voted to pay, as I do think it's more than worth it. The poll had NOTHING to do with time lines though....and I'm sure more than just myself would have voted for at least a month to get our money in.
 
Muppetgal said:
Um, fwiw, the poll has also been closed, and I didn't get to vote. Now, that said I would have voted to pay, as I do think it's more than worth it. The poll had NOTHING to do with time lines though....and I'm sure more than just myself would have voted for at least a month to get our money in.
Click to expand...

Muppetgal, I've sent out a few emails the past week and a half. Did you recieve any of them?
 
DebbieSAChef said:
I really like that Greg did a poll first to see who would pay and who would not. It's great to get things for FREE but when the time and energy and cost of running a site get too much, we all need to chip in to keep it running.

I think it's selfish to ask Greg and Deb to remove your posts.

but according to the poll 90% of members would pay for this site
Click to expand...

with all due respect, the poll only stayed open a short time before the decision was made....and there wasn't a huge turnout for votes at that time...only 118 out of 6000+ members-and it wasn't 90% of members saying they would pay-only 76% of members that voted said they would pay.

and it isn't selfish to want her files gone. they are *HER* files afterall...she owns them. if she doesn't want them shared anymore, I can understand that...and I also think she is just reacting out of hurt and frustration right now.

muppetgal..I am sorry you are upset.
itsok.gif


and Greg--out of all the emails you have said you sent out over the last 2 weeks, I have only gotten one myself. :confused:
 
  • Thread starter
  • #14
Admin Greg said:
Muppetgal, I've sent out a few emails the past week and a half. Did you recieve any of them?
Click to expand...

as I stated previously I did recieve the email, but only a day or so ago. I hadn't logged in due to being busy and my son being taken to hospital.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #15
jessica_momof6 said:
with all due respect, the poll only stayed open a short time before the decision was made....and there wasn't a huge turnout for votes at that time...only 118 out of 6000+ members-and it wasn't 90% of members saying they would pay-only 76% of members that voted said they would pay.

and it isn't selfish to want her files gone. they are *HER* files afterall...she owns them. if she doesn't want them shared anymore, I can understand that...and I also think she is just reacting out of hurt and frustration right now.

muppetgal..I am sorry you are upset.
itsok.gif


and Greg--out of all the emails you have said you sent out over the last 2 weeks, I have only gotten one myself. :confused:
Click to expand...

thanks, I am actually upset. I didn't expect to log in the other day to be told the clock was ticking, and that I'd only have access for another day.

I would like to pay the $5, but it will take awhile. I'm upset I have to miss out, despite feeling this site is worth it, just because the timeline wasn't a reasonable one.

I guess I'll see you all in about a month! So be good until then!

:rolleyes:
 
With other people now experiencing the things I was talking about in the original post I hope NOW you all understand. It was never about the cost!
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I see a lot of unread emails in my inbox?

If you see a lot of unread emails, start by prioritizing them. Look for important messages from your team, customers, or Pampered Chef updates. You can also use filters to sort emails by sender or subject to manage them more efficiently.

How can I organize my emails for better productivity?

What if I can't find an important email from Pampered Chef?

If you can't find an important email, try using the search function in your email client. You can search by keywords or the sender's email address. If you still can't find it, check your spam or junk folder, as it may have been filtered there.

How can I ensure I don't miss important emails in the future?

To avoid missing important emails, consider setting up notifications for your email app. You can also create rules to highlight or move emails from specific senders to the top of your inbox. Regularly checking your email at set times can also help you stay on top of important messages.

What should I do if I suspect my email has been hacked?

If you suspect your email has been hacked, immediately change your password and enable two-factor authentication if available. Check your sent folder for any unauthorized messages and inform your contacts not to open any suspicious emails from your account. It may also be wise to contact your email provider for further assistance.

You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Pampered Chef Threads

Can I Use a Different Email and Name for My Pampered Chef Consultant Account?
  • delightfulkitchen
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
2
Views
5K
Admin Greg
Is Your @Chefsuccess.com Email Address No Longer Receiving Messages?
  • pcsharon1
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
2
Views
3K
Admin Greg
Help! I Forgot How to Log into My @chefsuccess Email
  • cmdtrgd
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
2
Views
2K
cmdtrgd
soI Can't Have Pampered Chef in My Email Address?And if That Is the Case,
  • turtle15
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
5
Views
1K
turtle15
Find a Kindergarten Pen Pal for Your Homeschooled Child in Delaware
  • chefmoseley
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
4
Views
1K
vanscootin
Check Out This Email - Prospecting!
  • ChefCKHall
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
8
Views
2K
jbondr
Where's My Shipment? No Email Notification Received
  • kdangel518
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
12
Views
2K
pchefjaime
Troubleshooting Email Issues: Tips for Opening Gmail and Yahoo Accounts
  • lesliec
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
4
Views
1K
3RingChef
Emailing a 'Fancy' Email - Karen's Request
  • thehaleykitchen
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
2
Views
1K
NooraK
I Got All of My Contacts & Email Back!
  • pamperedpals
    • General Pampered Chef Chat
Replies
6
Views
1K
Chef Bobby
Back
Top