Tado Introduces New Fees, Users React Strongly

Key Takeaways

1. Tado plans to implement a paywall of one British pound per month for app access starting May 1.
2. Users can still control Tado devices through Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa without fees.
3. The fee increase is attributed to rising costs of server maintenance.
4. Tado clarified that the advertisement may have been part of a marketing test, indicating serious consideration of the paywall.
5. Community reaction is strong, with many users reconsidering future purchases and questioning compensation for previously free features.

The Tado community is abuzz across Reddit and on the company’s own forum. The stir is caused by Tado’s announcement to potentially implement a paywall for some of its products. An advertisement that was released recently reveals that Tado plans to charge one British pound per month for access to the Tado app. This fee will apply to each household and is set to take effect on May 1. Nevertheless, users will still be able to control Tado devices through Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa without any fees. One of the reasons mentioned for this fee increase is the rising costs of server maintenance.

Clarification from Tado

Following this news, Tado addressed the situation in its community forum, albeit quite curtly. The company explained that it conducts regular marketing tests and this particular message was likely part of one such test, which wasn’t shared with all users but only with those involved in the trial. This means that Tado isn’t retracting its advertisement, indicating that they are seriously contemplating this as a means for additional revenue.

Community Reaction

The response from the community has been notably intense, with many Reddit users expressing that they will think twice about buying Tado products in the future. There’s some ambiguity about whether users are entitled to compensation if a previously advertised feature, like app usage, becomes chargeable. Regardless, Tado’s strategy doesn’t seem to offer any benefits to its customers.

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