Goodbye Beehiiv and Hello Again Substack
Having been in business for over two decades, I've always leaned towards supporting businesses, believing in direct communication to resolve issues rather than leaving public negative reviews. This approach, I find, not only gives businesses a chance to fix mistakes but also to improve their products and services. My intention here is not to assign blame but to share my personal experience with two particular platforms, highlighting aspects I believe are crucial from my perspective.
Starting a Newsletter Journey
Years ago, I realized that we needed a newsletter, so I created a Substack account but never began writing. Finally ready to launch, I researched platforms and chose the relatively new startup, Beehiiv, despite having Substack. Beehiiv had promising features and positive reviews. Now, I just realize they probably just have larger marketing budgets to promote them.
Beehiiv: Initial Impressions
The initial experience with Beehiiv was positive, despite a somewhat complex user interface. The pricing seemed reasonable, and I quickly got into the rhythm of posting content twice a week, eagerly soliciting subscriber feedback to refine my efforts. I was particularly drawn to Beehiiv's "boost" service, designed to help monetize and grow newsletters.
The "Boost" Service: Disappointing Results
It required holding a significant amount of money in escrow for each campaign.
Many of the gained subscribers seemed fake (Beehiiv did refunds internally for these in the past, though).
After months of trying, I realized it wasn't worth the time or money. Beehiiv likely needs more development and real providers.
Any money left in "boost" cannot be used anywhere else, not even internally on another newsletter that you own within the same account, and cannot be refunded (something I realized later).
Refund Request and Customer Service
Requesting a refund for the unused boost funds was frustrating and unsuccessful. Here's a snippet from the response:
"Hi Stepan, We understand, but 'failed to provide the service' doesn't apply since you've been using it. We can refund you if you confirm the issue or haven't taken the steps mentioned previously."
Their no-refund policy is clear, but potential users should be aware: if you deposit money and their service isn't mature enough to use it, getting a refund can be a hassle. In any business, losing a customer hurts, but we focus on solutions and improvement, not creating problems when a customer seeks a refund, especially for unused funds.
This narrative isn't just about platform choices but also reflects the broader challenges startups and businesses face with refunds and chargebacks. Handling these situations is always difficult, often feeling like a personal loss, but customer satisfaction must remain the priority.
Returning to Substack: A Smooth Transition
I decided to cancel my subscription with Beehiiv, checked Substack again, and was impressed by its user-friendly interface. Importing everything and setting up my custom domain name took minutes. Plus, it's completely free, with just a one-time $50 fee for a custom domain.
Communication Matters
Typically, when I encounter issues with a startup and customer support fails to resolve the problem, I reach out directly to someone on the founding team to share my experience. This practice is generally well-received, and I encourage our customers to do the same.
This experience also underscores the importance of communication. I previously encountered a minor issue with Beehiiv (likely a bug), where months ago, I received an email from the founder inviting me to a Slack community for paid customers. The link was not working, and my attempt to reply about it bounced back (presumably from a "no-reply" address). To me, this indicates a lack of openness to communication.
Transparency and Feedback
Despite my experience, I believe Beehiiv has potential. Ultimately, I chose to support a more established business with clear communication. By the way, looking at the real benefits now, the significant advantage of Substack is its huge community of users and clear user experience, compared to the promising yet undelivered features of Beehiiv, at least for now. Although I don't typically take this approach, sharing my experience is crucial for transparency and feedback. This might not represent the company's official stance, and others may have had positive experiences with Beehiiv. If that's the case, I'd love to hear about them!