Author Topic: 2 week trial  (Read 4325 times)

ober

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2 week trial
« on: April 02, 2011, 04:27:17 PM »
OK, so let's say you allow users to have a 2 week trial period for using your web site.  How do you stop them from creating a second account with a different email address to continue using the service (even if they realize they have to renter all of their information (it would be a decent amount)).  IP would obviously be one way but I know there are loads of problems and even ways to spoof an IP.

What is a solid way to stop this?

ober

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2011, 04:32:34 PM »
Gah... I'd rather avoid that.  I don't like the risk.  Even so, someone could have 10 credit cards.

Dumah

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2011, 04:35:47 PM »
No easy way, but is it that great a site that people would recreate email accounts over and over again to avoid paying? There are disposable email tools but you can have a go at blocking those domains.

The usual way is to restrict some functionality until they pay for the service.

webwhy

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2011, 09:51:56 PM »
Generally the loss of data would be an incentive not to start over.  What's the nature of the app?  E.g why would I keep entering all of my projects, milestones, users, tasklists, etc into basecamp every 30 days?

ober

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2011, 10:20:49 PM »
Nature of the app is you enter information about securities and the app watches them for you based on criteria you enter and it lets you know when to get out.

The owner wants a 2 week trial and there really isn't a whole lot to restrict as far as functionality.  The premise is pretty simple but the overall impact can be very high.  The other thing is, most of the people that are using the site likely have the money to pay the fees, which aren't all that high to begin with anyways.

micah

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2011, 11:23:06 PM »
No easy way, but is it that great a site that people would recreate email accounts over and over again to avoid paying? There are disposable email tools but you can have a go at blocking those domains.

The usual way is to restrict some functionality until they pay for the service.

anyone with a gmail account can have an unlimited number of e-mail addresses.

username@gmail.com
username+1@gmail.com
username+2@gmail.com
username+whatever_the_heck@gmail.com

all go to the same place but look like different e-mail addresses to a dumb web app looking for unique addresses.
"I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man.  I use it to look at pictures of cats and get in arguments with strangers."

micah

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2011, 11:27:29 PM »
Nature of the app is you enter information about securities and the app watches them for you based on criteria you enter and it lets you know when to get out.

Presumably someone who wants to use the app for more than 2 weeks is going to want to watch the same securities on subsequent registrations.  Your registration script could watch for similar patterns and flag new accounts that mimic expired ones, notifying the administrator to manually review. 

edit: On a side note,  I know you're just building to the specs of your client but there are better and probably cheaper sites that do this, for instance http://www.zignals.com. Plus I'm pretty sure its a built in feature of most online trading websites too.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2011, 11:57:19 PM by micah »
"I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man.  I use it to look at pictures of cats and get in arguments with strangers."

Steve

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2011, 07:27:32 AM »
Ip address, address, phone & credit card

All u can rlly do. Eventually they will forget to cancel n get billed
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kermi3

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2011, 09:02:14 AM »
If someone wants to go through the trouble of making all those accounts....it sounds like you're reasonably enough prived for your service and client that people won't want to go through that hassle....
govtcheez03:  i kind of look for it - i seek out stupidity and annoy it until it either gets better, gets banned, or goes away on its own

Steve

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2011, 12:48:21 PM »
I'm one of the people you are trying to program against. If you require a CC you can check previous accounts for that card and flag it. Sure they may have different cards but if u don't make it easy they give up. Or I forget and get billed.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

micah

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2011, 03:20:57 PM »
If you require a CC you can check previous accounts for that card and flag it. Sure they may have different cards...

also, if the validation process on the card requires the name and billing zipcode even users with multiple credit cards can be flagged when you see the same name/zipcode pop up in the registration.  (of course, someone might have accounts with different billing zipcodes, like a card from their business, but still, you limiting them quite a bit)
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Mike

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2011, 03:24:31 PM »
One to think about is:  Why are the willing to through the hassle of opening multiple accounts, redoing the data, etc but aren't willing to pay?  Is the price point too high?  Is the service good but not good enough?  Answer that and I think your time will be better spent.

charlie

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2011, 03:50:16 PM »
ober, did your client actually ask you to put in a big ol' defense against the dark art of signing up for the free trial over and over? Sounds like it's a problem that doesn't really need to be solved unless they are specifically asking for it. I'd say that the money spent combating the possibility could end up being far more than the money that would be lost if you just let it happen.

ober

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2011, 08:45:32 PM »
Presumably someone who wants to use the app for more than 2 weeks is going to want to watch the same securities on subsequent registrations.  Your registration script could watch for similar patterns and flag new accounts that mimic expired ones, notifying the administrator to manually review. 

edit: On a side note,  I know you're just building to the specs of your client but there are better and probably cheaper sites that do this, for instance http://www.zignals.com. Plus I'm pretty sure its a built in feature of most online trading websites too.
Your second option might work but sounds like a ton of work.

The price point of this site is under zignals and aims to cover a single aspect of this type of activity.  You may be right but if the site doesn't take off, it's not on me.

If someone wants to go through the trouble of making all those accounts....it sounds like you're reasonably enough prived for your service and client that people won't want to go through that hassle....
I would agree and I've said this to my client already.
One to think about is:  Why are the willing to through the hassle of opening multiple accounts, redoing the data, etc but aren't willing to pay?  Is the price point too high?  Is the service good but not good enough?  Answer that and I think your time will be better spent.
Price point is below the competition.  He's just paranoid.

ober, did your client actually ask you to put in a big ol' defense against the dark art of signing up for the free trial over and over? Sounds like it's a problem that doesn't really need to be solved unless they are specifically asking for it. I'd say that the money spent combating the possibility could end up being far more than the money that would be lost if you just let it happen.
Yes, client specifically asked for it.  The site isn't even launched yet.  I would tend to agree with you but I'm not calling the shots (completely).

Mike

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Re: 2 week trial
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2011, 08:54:32 PM »
Ah, so this is a client demand.  NM then :D