Yahoo uses “bait & switch” to manipulate people: “
I’m pissed at Yahoo Small Business. Their ‘bait & switch’ sales technique has cost me time and money. I would expect this from some other players, but not Yahoo. Here’s the story . . .
Yahoo has been advertising web hosting at $8/month. This sounds pretty good to most people, including me.
But there’s a problem. After you take many steps to order the Yahoo budget plan, you eventually see this error message:
A few months ago I thought this was a temporary error, a glitch in the Yahoo’s system. However, after seeing this problem many times in ten weeks, I’ve changed my mind. (Why wouldn’t Yahoo fix this problem immediately?) Right or wrong, I’ve concluded that Yahoo’s so-called ‘problem’ is a technique to manipulate people into paying more for web hosting.
We can all learn something by analyzing how this manipulation process works:
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Step 1: Get Psychological Commitment
I see that Yahoo offers a cheap plan for web hosting. I like the idea and make a psychological commitment.
Step 2: Frustrate
I try to order the budget hosting and fail repeatedly. My frustration grows. This emotion clouds my judgment.
Step 3: Offer Fast Solution
I discover a fast way to relieve my frustration and stay true to my psychological commitment: Order a more expensive web hosting plan. I order the more expensive plan.
—
Note how my actions are not logical. Yes, I should have abandoned Yahoo and found a better host, ideally a company that doesn’t have a perpetually broken backend or doesn’t manipulate their users (take your pick). But we humans are not so logical. We’re psychological. The sequencing of commitment, frustration, and relief is an effective way to manipulate people, even someone like me.
Two cheers for Yahoo!
– BJ Fogg
(I’m still pissed at Yahoo Small Business. I will phone them [800 318 0870] to insist on a refund and their lowest rates moving forward. Stay tuned . . . )
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(Via Captology Notebook.)
