Site Transfer and Upgrade scam
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I just signed up for the Host Starter Plan for £36/yr with my existing domain. Now after signing up, I attempted the process of transferring my domain to WP but discovered that I would need to upgrade to the Creator Plan £240 to transfer the full site.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS CRAP!Why inform us of the HUGH transfer price/plan bump after we just agreed to the plan we already summarised as the most suitable for our current needs only to now need to cancel a short minute after discovering this obvious scam?
“The upgrade options just completely ignored the Explorer plan (at the very least) and went straight to the Creator plan which is better suited to a site developer(which I am not).To transfer from one host to another is expected for most people to transfer the full site. It is not far to penalize clients by forcing them to upgrade to a high plan that they don’t need just to transfer their sites. This is ridiculous!
Why does the Explorer plan not offer the full site transfer?
WP.com: Yes
Jetpack: No
Correct account: YesThe blog I need help with is: (visible only to moderators and staff)
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Hi there! On our non-plugin enabled plans (all the plans below Creator) – you can transfer your site’s contents like pages/posts by following the instructions here: https://wordpress.com/support/import/import-a-sites-content/
With that being said, I took a look at your site and I can see you’re using third-party plugins and a third-party theme, both of which will need a WordPress.com Creator Plan or above to work on our platform. This is because we only offer 2 plans that allow you to install third-party plugins and themes – these are our Creator, and Entrepreneur plans. You can learn more about what other features the Creator Plan comes with here: https://wordpress.com/support/plan-features/business-plan/
Creator plan which is better suited to a site developer(which I am not).
While the plan definitely unlocks features that many developers appreciate, it’s not necessarily only for developers as you’ll see in the features link I shared above. It provides a bunch of powerful tools individual site owners/businesses can utilise without needing to work with a developer – if you can expand on your needs from the site and what’s driving your move away from your current host, we’ll be happy to help you see how the plan can address those needs.
I understand your frustration here in choosing the wrong plan – if you’d like to consider upgrading to Creator, we’ll be happy to move your entire site over at no extra cost. You’ll also only need to pay the difference of the plan’s costs to upgrade rather than canceling the current plan and subscribing by paying the full amount again.
Let us know how you’d like to proceed!
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Overall, transparency and communication are crucial in any business transaction. Customers should be informed of any potential limitations or additional costs before committing to a service. It is essential for companies to provide clear and concise information to allow customers to make informed decisions. In this case, the sudden increase in price for site transfers after signing up is not only inconvenient but also unfair to customers who were not made aware of this beforehand.
Companies should consider providing more flexible options for customers, such as offering site transfer services at a reasonable price or including it in the next plan available – not jumping two steps ahead into a plan 3 times their initial budget. If the client doesn’t require any of the additional features in the plan, they are essentially paying for unnecessary extras. This is unreasonable and illogical.
I planned to transfer 3 sites to WP, but the increased budget is much higher than I had anticipated. Your offer to waive the site transfer fee is not helpful when I still have to accept the price increase for all 3 sites.
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You find all necessary info very clear and transparant at https://wordpress.com/pricing/. But it is up to the client to sort things out and choose what he or she really needs.
Transferring a site from one host to another, has always to been done by the client himself. But wordpress.com offers all necesarry information and even a free to use plugin – https://wordpress.com/support/import/import-using-move-to-wordpress-com/
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Show me a page, highlight a paragraph or screenshot the area where the pricing sheet states anything relating to site transfer fees or upgrades needed for full site transfers with third-party plugins?
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Hi there,
We do not have any sort of site transfer fees, only domain transfer fees, which are the same as our domain registration fees you may view here:
https://wordpress.com/support/domains/domain-pricing-and-available-tlds/
Transferring an entire self-hosted WordPress site that is using plugins and third-party themes will always require a plugin-enabled plan such as Creator or higher in order to transfer your existing plugins, themes, database, etc. On our Pricing Page it is clearly stated you can install plugins and themes on the Creator plan: https://d.pr/i/OxuZYdOn lower plans that do not allow installing plugins and themes, you have the ability to use the default Export/Import tools to transfer content such as posts, pages, and media only.
We have an additional guide for Importing an Entire WordPress Site, which clearly states a prerequisite is a Creator or Entrepreneur plan.
We are also offering free migrations of self-hosted WordPress sites for a limited amount of time and can migrate for you for free. It still requires a Creator plan or higher, but we can also add a 7-day trial to migrate the site if needed. You can fill out the following form if interested: https://wordpress.com/support/request-a-free-migration/
If looking to migrate multiple sites and purchasing multiple plans, we’re also offering bulk discounts to developers/agencies for a limited amount of time. Let us know how we can help :) -
You are all doing a terrible job of distorting my words and completely disregarding my genuine concerns.
I am fully aware of the £10 domain transfer fee, which is a mere £10. Your offer to waive that fee holds no value when I am still being asked to pay an additional £204 per plan.
I acknowledge that the Creator plan allows for the installation of plugins and themes, and I never disputed that fact. My previous comment was simply pointing out that it was not explicitly stated that an upgrade from the Starter to Creator plan was necessary in order to install plugins and themes. Please refrain from exacerbating the situation by misinterpreting my messages.
The items on that list are open to interpretation, solely relying on our own assumptions. While it may be clear to you, as you work with it daily and likely contributed to its creation, it is not as clear to others. I made my budget and decisions based on misleading information.
I’m interested in learning more. Can you please provide additional details about this offer?
“If looking to migrate multiple sites and purchasing multiple plans, we’re also offering bulk discounts to developers/agencies for a limited amount of time.”
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Hi there,
I hear that you are upset and I understand why you would feel that way. If I were in your situation, I’d be confused too!
My previous comment was simply pointing out that it was not explicitly stated that an upgrade from the Starter to Creator plan was necessary in order to install plugins and themes.
I understand this information is hard to find, but we mention in on our Plans page as in the following screenshot, as well as in our support guides here: Creator plan and How to Install a Plugin.
We work with this daily, so as you said, it is easier for us to find this information, but I do understand it is challenging for you to figure out.
I’m interested in learning more. Can you please provide additional details about this offer?
“If looking to migrate multiple sites and purchasing multiple plans, we’re also offering bulk discounts to developers/agencies for a limited amount of time.”
Sure!
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It’s free to join, and signing up now means you get in early and can help shape the program!Let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help further!
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