Strava apologizes after price hike backlash: 'We just moved too fast'

Published January 24, 2023 05:06AM

The activity-tracking behemoth responded to a blaze of criticism and canceled subscriptions with an official statement that sought to douse the flames caused by recent confusing price hikes.

“Our intention was not to hide these pricing changes, we just moved too fast,” read the note.

The past month saw social media simmering with bad vibes when the popular platform increased prices for its premium subscription.

Fees were upped by anywhere between 15 and 70 percent, depending on region, billing type and date of signup. Confirmation of new charges was hard to find.

“We updated our subscription pricing. Our messaging was very confusing. So we’re providing more clarity,” read the statement on the Strava website.

“In an effort to roll out pricing updates for our subscription, we made a mistake by not providing enough information directly to our community. We sincerely apologize for the confusion and concern this has caused many of our valued subscribers.

“Our intention was not to hide these pricing changes, we just moved too fast. We also missed the opportunity to inform long-standing monthly subscribers that, by shifting from paying monthly to annual, they can avoid a significant price increase altogether.”

Strava went on to confirm it is moving to consistent pricing by country, meaning all users in one nation pay the same monthly or annual price. Fees were previously determined by when a user signed up for the premium service.

“Strava is fully committed to our community,” continued the note. “This commitment means not allowing our subscribers to receive an automated email about changing subscription costs, or to read or hear about price change confusion elsewhere as that’s unacceptable.

“We hear and understand your frustration, and we aim here to make subscription rates clear to our community.”

The California-based Strava is reported to service some 100 million users. The recent round of billing hikes was the first since 2009, a 13-year period that saw services exponentially increase, with regular updates to training, mapping, and privacy features.

Strava will no doubt be hoping to have doused the flames after what has been a tricky few months for the training app monolith. The company is reported to have laid off around 40 staff – 15 percent of total workforce – late last year.