INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Whoop has backed down, somewhat, from the questionable upgrade plans around its Whoop 5.0 physical fitness tracker.When the company first
announced Whoop 5.0 this week, it stated members who desired the new gadget might either extend their memberships by 12 months or pay a
one-time upgrade fee of $49 ($79 for the design with EKG sensing units)
This seemed inconsistent with Whoops total value proposition, where it charges higher subscription rates (varying $199 to $359 a year) while
allowing consumers to upgrade their hardware free of charge
More particularly, it seemed to contradict a statement on the business site promising users free hardware upgrades if theyve been members
for a minimum of six months.After consumers started complaining, the business reacted with a Reddit post both announcing a more expansive
upgrade policy and claiming to clarify its overall approach.Now, anyone with more than 12 months staying on their membership is qualified
for a complimentary upgrade to Whoop 5.0 (or a refund if theyve currently paid the cost)
And clients with less than 12 months can extend their membership to get the upgrade at no additional cost.While the company said its making
these changes because it heard your feedback, it also suggested that its obvious stinginess was tied to its transition from a model
concentrated on monthly or six-month membership plans to one where it just uses 12- and 24-month subscriptions.We also want to acknowledge
that a previous blog article improperly specified that anyone who had been a member for just 6 months would get a totally free upgrade, the
This was never our policy and must never have actually been posted.Techcrunch eventBerkeley, CA|June 5BOOK NOWTheres been a combined action
to these changes on the Whoop subreddit, with one moderator describing it as a win for the community
Other posters were more skeptical, with one writing, You dont release a policy by accident and keep it up for years
Eliminating it after backlash does not erase the fact [that] it is real.There were also a number of grievances from users who stated they
had 11 months left on their memberships, so they just missed the complimentary upgrade cutoff.
