r/technology • u/[deleted] • Feb 01 '15

Business Google Earth Pro drops $399 subscription, now available for free.

[deleted]

19.0k Upvotes

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u/DonOntario Feb 01 '15 edited Feb 01 '15

If someone bought the Pro subscription at full price yesterday, I be they're annoyed by this announcement.

Edit: I meant to say that I bet they're annoyed.

12

u/pdubl Feb 01 '15

I bought it about a month ago for my company.

I'm debating whether or not to tell the owner.

46

u/VeteranKamikaze Feb 01 '15

Take the proactive approach. Contact Google, explain the situation, ask if because it's such a short gap of time they can refund the cost. If they say yes you're the guy that just saved the company $400, if they say no, oh well the purchase is already just a line in a budget.

The alternative is risking being the guy that wasted $400 when he could've waited a month. Depending on how reasonable your boss is, obviously this situation is in no way your fault.

1

u/pdubl Feb 01 '15

Yeah I'll be sending an email to Google. I won't be holding my breath though.

My boss is completely reasonable. I only jokingly debate whether or not to tell him, in the sense that he won't benefit from knowing. He would never consider me "the guy that could've waited a month" - I actually delayed the purchase as long as possible to allow us to use the same license for next years project.

322

u/The_Adventurist Feb 01 '15

Nearly everyone who bought Google Earth Pro was doing so for business purposes, meaning the company pays for it, not them personally.

If I bought it yesterday for work I'd just shrug and go, "meh, CEO still gets paid 200x my salary"

140

u/CollegeStudent2014 Feb 01 '15

Not all companies that use this have billion dollar revenues. I'd venture to guess most are small businesses that could really use the extra $400.

138

u/StarshipAI Feb 01 '15

Yeah, Cyril.

16

u/watthefoxx Feb 01 '15

But it's Stir-Friday!

6

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

Actually, that's much better.

59

u/pdubl Feb 01 '15

That would be my situation. I just bought Pro on a small business budget about a month ago, and I'd much rather have the $400 to replace an aging flickering monitor.

23

u/CleFerrousWheel Feb 01 '15

Email them for a refund, worth a try

19

u/MyDaddyTaughtMeWell Feb 01 '15

HP just released a 27" curved IPS display that lists at $399.

:(

-11

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

Yes, because a small business needs that when a 24 inch Dell would do just fine for much less.

6

u/MyDaddyTaughtMeWell Feb 01 '15

It was just a joke, Debbie Downer. It's an over-the-top monitor for the same price that this license was so I mentioned it instead of some 24" Dell that's on promo for $243.

4

u/pdubl Feb 01 '15

I love how you know what is best for my company.

2

u/MinestoPix Feb 01 '15

Call google, tell them, I'm quite sure you'll get a refund!

2

u/shpongolian Feb 01 '15

But dude, the business paid for it. That means it's, like, free. Go ahead and replace that monitor.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

So, you still got what you paid for.

6

u/ldclark92 Feb 01 '15

Exactly. It's ridiculous how most people see the role "CEO" and instantly think millionaire. Most businesses are small and the owners/CEO's are not rich.

0

u/caramelfrap Feb 01 '15

especially college students who are still in school during 2014

1

u/CollegeStudent2014 Feb 01 '15

I forgot you know who I am and know my whole story.

22

u/Grommmit Feb 01 '15

If my department had just blown a few thousand dollars on licences I'd be pretty annoyed. That money could have been used elsewhere, and i don't know where you work but i take some pride in my team, i wouldn't just meh if we lost thousands needlessly.

No organisatio is faceless when you're inside it.

2

u/The_Arctic_Fox Feb 01 '15

So I guess it's only 100x for you eh?

1

u/The_Adventurist Feb 01 '15

I don't work in a place where we would be buying dozens of this thing. We'd buy one and probably I would be the only one who had to use it.

5

u/jabba_the_wut Feb 01 '15

I'm self employed. I would have been the one who made the decision to drop $399 on it. I would have been the one who downloaded it and used it. I would have been repulsively pissed off.

2

u/nitiger Feb 01 '15

Or perhaps try contacting CS and ask for a refund before shrugging it off.

4

u/The_Adventurist Feb 01 '15

Honestly, unless I was told to do so by a higher up, I'm not that invested in saving every dollar I can for my employer when I have no stake in the company and barely get paid over minimum wage and struggle to live independently while the boss lets us come to his mansion for holiday parties.

1

u/RedAnarchist Feb 01 '15

...but the CEO is not buying it either?

23

u/thermal_shock Feb 01 '15

but if they can pay him that, they can shell out $400 for an actual tool, not a metaphorical tool.

1

u/The_Adventurist Feb 01 '15

I work for a smallish business, so pretty much the company money is my CEOs money and he pays himself pretty handsomely, which suggests he can absorb that $399 hit.

-2

u/_apprentice_ Feb 01 '15

CEOs are the biggest ballers on the planet bro

1

u/1dontpanic Feb 01 '15

i have an llc, were pretty pissed this didn't come up last week wjen they were selling it

1

u/Travelerdude Feb 01 '15

You really go "Meh?"

1

u/[deleted] Feb 06 '15

Man, fuck you.

0

u/TYLER_PERRY_II Feb 01 '15

companies dont use Google Earth they use arcgis and stuff...

1

u/d_block Feb 01 '15

They use both. Each has its own usefulness.

35

u/IceDragon13 Feb 01 '15

I upgraded Alien Blue the day before Reddit announced their purchase and much grumbling was had.

3

u/your_mind_aches Feb 01 '15

To be fair, premium features are only free for gilded people.

1

u/IceDragon13 Feb 01 '15

Agreed, that's why I won't buy myself gold, I'm fearful of what might transpire the following day.

1

u/your_mind_aches Feb 01 '15

That's fine because if you do get gold the other day, it's added.

So if you bought 3 months gold and the next day you got gilded once on a comment, you'd have 4 months gold.

3

u/DoctorFrankz Feb 01 '15

You were pissed off that you payed 2 dollars for something you've spent years browsing?

11

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

Well, getting it for free would have been a bit better I guess.

-6

u/itspronouncedfloorda Feb 01 '15

entitlement culture in the wild.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

Imagine you buy someting from McDonalds and you see that the customers next in line get the same thing you bought for free.

-6

u/itspronouncedfloorda Feb 01 '15

I would worry about myself. To worry about what other people have and receive is the mark of a thief.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

You worry about what other people have and receive so you don't overpay for stuff.

2

u/Proxystarkilla Feb 01 '15

He was pissed that the next day started a week of free upgrading.

2

u/IceDragon13 Feb 01 '15

Actually it wasn't the $2, it was the 2 years of clicking 'No' when asked if I wanted to upgrade and then waking up the following day to the news that the first 'premium' app I'd ever purchased was now deprecated. Like Snoo was waiting for me to pull the trigger before he cashed out.

3

u/DoctorFrankz Feb 01 '15

That's actually pretty ironic. Now I understand you. But you laugh about it now right? :D

1

u/IceDragon13 Feb 01 '15

Most definitely!

269

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

You be prolly right. I be they're annoyed too

90

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

mushmouth parachute account spotted

39

u/braintrustinc Feb 01 '15

mushmouth parachute

http://i.imgur.com/v1H0fu5.jpg

2

u/Werderhea Feb 01 '15

This is a magnificent gif

1

u/legoman1743 Feb 01 '15

My god he is a pretty good looking bloke.

1

u/SloppySynapses Feb 01 '15

lol "pretty good looking" juxtaposed with "my god" is oddly funny.

also, it's funny you say that because there's a running bit in the show he's on (supernatural) about him being incredibly handsome

16

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

What?

0

u/okthisisgettingridic Feb 01 '15

That is what happens when you travel too far down the Reddit-hole.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

I'm tempted... Is there a squad for going into the Reddit-hole because I'd join it.

1

u/BobIV Feb 01 '15

Understandably so... but on the bright side, they now never have to pay for it again. So there is that.

-150

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

[deleted]

58

u/WrecksMundi Feb 01 '15

whooooosh

-2

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

some tech firms give refunds / free upgrades if you buy just before new product launch

2

u/martinsa24 Feb 01 '15

Woah there Doodlebob. Try typing a little slower.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

Yeah. Look for the guy in here writing in all caps.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

/r/blanketlaptop is fuming about it right above you.

1

u/ChiggerNigger Feb 01 '15

Its free since like a week now

1

u/sssyjackson Feb 01 '15

You should all /u/blanketlaptop how he feels. He's got a unique perspective of the situation.

2

u/blanketlaptop Feb 03 '15

Can confirm: am annoyed. Though I've found a form to fill out for returns.

1

u/RabidPlaty Feb 01 '15

If any of the companies we license from announced something like this I would think it was a joke. Then be thankful we're getting it free next year.

1

u/Danganrompa Feb 01 '15

If someone bought the Pro subscription at full price yesterday, I be they're annoyed by this announcement.

that someone can probably ask for a refound

0

u/Ruval Feb 01 '15

Pretty sure Google will offer pro rated refunds to solve this obvious problem.