The Snoo, a high-end smart bassinet with a reputation for being expensive but effective, recently announced a new $19.99 monthly premium subscription that has left many owners fuming. This move has caused a wave of complaints on the Snoo subreddit, with users expressing their frustration at having previously free, essential features now locked behind a paywall. Some have described the decision as exploitative, taking advantage of sleep-deprived parents who have already invested a significant sum in the bassinet.
One Snoo owner, Sarah from Australia, shares her surprise at the sudden change in the features that were originally included with the Snoo. She likens it to a mechanic intentionally breaking a car to sell repairs, highlighting the disappointment felt by many owners who expected a certain level of service when purchasing the bassinet.
The Happiest Baby app, which pairs with the Snoo to enhance its functionality, offers a range of tools such as sleep tracking and a “weaning mode” to help transition babies to larger beds. Previously, all these features were available for free, but now, as of July 15th, many of them are locked behind the premium subscription. This decision is particularly hard to swallow for owners given the already high cost of purchasing a Snoo outright.
Happiest Baby is offering incentives for those who buy directly from them or authorized partners after July 15th, 2024, providing a premium subscription for one baby for nine months. Renting a Snoo also includes access to premium features for the rental duration plus one extra month. However, for those who purchase a secondhand Snoo, the decision to pay for the subscription becomes a personal one. The company aims to cater to resale market customers with the subscription but acknowledges the challenges that may arise from lack of affiliation with Happiest Baby.
Owners like Sarah, who purchased a secondhand Snoo from a refurbishing company, express willingness to pay for the premium subscription despite not receiving any free months. The desire to access the benefits they initially bought the device for outweighs the additional cost. On the other hand, prospective owners like Jordan Leventhal, who found a Snoo on Facebook Marketplace, question whether they would have made the purchase knowing about the subscription fee. The Snoo has been a critical tool for many families in improving sleep routines and transitioning babies to independent sleep.
Despite the backlash from owners, Happiest Baby stands by its decision to introduce the premium subscription. CEO Harvey Karp defends the move as necessary to make the Snoo more accessible, suggesting that the company needs to be agile in adapting its business structure. The decision, while met with disappointment and frustration from many Snoo owners, underlines the complexities of balancing cost, value, and accessibility in the tech and parenting industries.
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