Premium Members will Not be Refunded but this is how they could make it better...

Morning all,

I was just as upset as you all when I read that a new Studio Pass Subscription was being introduced with Premium Classes included but no discount or refund for those of us with lifetime Premium Memberships. I first bought a Premium Membership when the first Premium Class was introduced years ago and felt a similiar let down when the Joule was introduced and came with a free Premium Membership but as an existing member I did not get any discount on my Joule purchase... Nothing was done to placate us then so I doubt anything will now...but maybe by contacting Breville that will change? I would suggest doing so.

But bottom line,Chefsteps as we know itnearly dies with Joule which is why we lost all the new content and community interaction and it has been all hands on deck on Joule which has clearly been a massive resource drain. I will pay the $69USD (which is closer to $90 in CAD plus apparently they will be collecting Canadian sales taxes?) If it means helping the Chefsteps we knew and love survive and come back to its former glory. I understand they need the revenue to undertake such an initiative and probably figure that most of the former community has moved on and us died hard loyalists will be upset for a bit and stick around... I am sure they would like to help us but simply can't afford to.

But there are some ways Chefsteps could make it right without completely alienating community members.

1) Eliminate the Premium Membership to any new customers. And give Premium members access to the new recipies but not all the great new features like support and behind the scenes unless they upgrade. We'll still be getting what we paid for but have the option to upgrade. I am sure they don't want to do it this way because most new members would elect only for the Premium Pass and they need the dependable, recurring revenue of a subscription to stay viable.

2) Put your money where you mouth is and start demonstrating to us that support and community interaction is for real. Move the form back up in prominence in the home page and have staff start posting again. Yes, I realize they couldn't provide the same support otherwise no one would pay the Studio Pass but we could at least feel reassured that their are people following the boards and responding giving us confidence our $69 a year will be worth it.

3) How about a Go-Fund Me Style Campaign exclusively available to us OG members... It's a win-win. Chefsteps cam squeeze some extra money out of us and us OG members can feel like we are getting some love with access to buy special perks like swag or maybe a Chef's table tasting menu as the Chefsteps studio (I would fly across the continent for this).

Maybe others could pitch some ideas on ways to make it right that could benefit us OG members but also help fund the launch of this revival.

Find more posts tagged with

Announcements

Comments

Sam_Smith_1033240

Breville are a global company. If they are linked why should I give them money to set this up. They have the money and resources to set this up for free,.

Daniel_Curren_48454

I don't know the structure of Breville's ownership of Chefsteps and while I haven't checked, I highly doubt the acquisition met materiality thresholds to require public disclosure in their regular filings. I would venture to guess though that it is a controlled subsidiary of possibly even a minority interest. Breville would have some/alot of control at the board level but Chefsteps operates as its own independent entity rather than a full-on merger that would see Breville operate Chefsteps as part of the integrated business..... So Chefsteps still needs to fund itself and be suistanable on its own and they may get a dividend from time to time.

But if you read the release when negotiations kicked off, Breville clearly wasn't investing expecting any significant financial return. I wouldn't be surprised if Joule got rebranded and folded in as Breville's own circulator but otherwise they were acting as an Angel Investor... A cash lifeline to keep the business afloat because they admired their work and also realized the more resources that encourages people to become food enthusiasts the more potential for Breville product sales... Plus expect these videos to be loaded with product placements.

montebello1964

In an interview shortly after the Breville announcement, Chris Young said that Breville was going to be supporting the website. Which sounded like great news. However, in hindsight, I can't say I'm surprised that it may turn out to be more of "We'll support you, but you need to help pay the bills too." Hence the pivot to a subscription model in the new business plan.

Hopefully, going forward, CS/Joule + Breville will have some great synergies on the equipment side (Chris also seemed to promise in that interview that there would be some new equipment by the end of 2019), and the website content will break even or at least not loose too much money, since it is a unique resource that hopefully can be sustained.

Daniel_Curren_48454

Couldn't agree more. Despite my recent purchase of 3 Control Freaks, I hope they develop a thinner, lighter, sleeker and, mostly, a much more affordable version like they did for sous vide with Joule.

Also, I am very pleased to be eating my hat right now.

mikecuts

Or maybe just do a patreon subscription. Pay monthly what you feel is right.

Or perhaps a pay by recipe. $1 a recipe...

IDK. I’ve been with the site for a long time as well, put up with the nonsense of trying to sell sauces as opposed to the teaching they originally promised.

This is nothing more than a bait and switch. Certainly won’t be “upgrading”, or supporting them in early adoption of any new hardware.

Overall, very disappointed

Brandon_Schilling_181464

I loved Chef Step, and still use my Joule, but after the way they have treated customers over the years I no longer recommend the Joule to friends looking for a sous vide.

Jonathan_Mayberg_439823

I was a die hard Joule convert. But then I came on also as I LOVE the recipes and boom they are charging an insane amount for those of us who thought we had a life time set of support.

JackLeffler_1643013

Thanks for the info, I didn't know it. To anyone in need of research paper writing services, I heartily recommend this application. Their excellent writers, reasonable prices, and helpful support staff make them a reliable option for all of your academic requirements. I recently hired https://www.grabmyessay.com/write-my-research-paper to write my research paper, and I'm really happy with the outcome. Their service is outstanding in terms of professionalism and quality. My project was assigned to a writer who possessed extensive subject-matter knowledge and produced an impeccable, meticulously structured paper. Their dedication to meeting the deadline without sacrificing quality was what most impressed me.