Unsure if Gajin is trolling or not. Perhaps just drunk? He said enough to get JE up and onto his stump speech. I am enjoying this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeLau
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Unsure if Gajin is trolling or not. Perhaps just drunk? He said enough to get JE up and onto his stump speech. I am enjoying this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeLau
Hey Jonathon,
It's frustrating that your core consumer base is expressing frustration and you aren't taking a moment to understand their issues.
As someone in the outdoors product world, understanding your consumer needs to be the first priority.
You haven't shown either empathy or humility, you've come to chastise and educate us on why you do what you do.
We aren't saying insurance isn't valuable, we're saying that your pushing of it is over bearing.
We aren't saying that your content isn't worthwhile, we're saying that too many of your "first-looks" never resolve with a formal review.
We aren't saying that your product isn't valuable, we're saying that your pricing structure / pre-formed packages are odd and not-intuitive.
^ Well stated.
When I read gaijin’s post I kind of wanted to be on whatever he’s on.Quote:
Originally Posted by MoeSnow
I have plenty of insurance already, so I’m skipping the Blister thing.
Both. And, maybe it's time I come out of the woodwork a bit. (But even this will be kept in code.)Quote:
Originally Posted by MoeSnow
I come from venture capital. I've lost millions of other people's money, including my own life savings... in this exact industry. Which translates to "I've failed more times than you've tried."
Here, I'm playing the anonymity card hard right now for Blister. This thread alone has almost 9k views. (Perhaps that's you all just refreshing the page, lol.)
Constructive criticism does not come from below. It comes from above, or it comes from anonymity, if it comes at all.
Nowhere on Blister's front-page is there any mention of risk insurance. Yet- insurance seems to be the hallmark for subscriptions and the thorn in customer's subscriptions. That should be front and center. There should be a glaring page to sign up for insurance. How your insurance provider failed to demand that in their agreement with you is beyond me. But that's just another oversight/red flag.
Hence, WTF does this mean--
Attachment 498308
So, I'm being the asshole in the room.
I've scrolled your front page a dozen times, maybe a hundred. I don't give a shit about your bike brakes or helmets. And yet-- all of those clicks failed to inform me that you sell risk insurance.
I've been on your mailing list for years. YEARS. And I had no idea that you sold risk insurance because (I guess) I don't listen to your podcast..
You've legitimately missed 80% of the market-- dudes like me... who just float the internet because it's Tuesday.
So, as your "Now Publicly Decided Attorney", I advise you to to rethink everything and re-frame your business model, publicly. People are confused. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being the world's leading provider of risk insurance... with a blistering catalogue of product reviews. That's an astoundingly-sound business model.
Sorry for the cunting... but somebody has to throw cold water. Thank you, Arild, for starting this thread. He's the real one to get JFE to reply.
Nobody wants their business to crash. It affects families and generations. And we're all here for our kids to get to ski, right?
My guess... higher-ups at Blister got comfortable with their existing model and kind of forgot to keep working. Happens all the time. That's why Leventhal sells every company he develops... he skips the comfortable part.
I’m guessing the insurance thing helps keep the lights on, but I agree that it is an odd pairing given the site’s mandate. People come to Blister to read about gear. People go to insurance companies to buy insurance.
Yeah, agree..... The insurance is probably a good product and I can't tell you how many folks I've played hard with that are under or un insured. I appreciate what they're doing. The "crashes and close calls" shit is just plain faggotry. Who here hasn't ever gotten hurt in the outdoors? We know already. I have a body full of metal. I don't need to be told about your close calls every time I listen to your podcast. In fact, I tend to like to act like I can't get hurt playing. It makes it easier to justify continuing to play.Quote:
Originally Posted by D(C)
Every time I visit the Blister site I get this full page pop-up:Quote:
Originally Posted by gaijin
Attachment 498315
I’m always using my iPhone, and in incognito mode, so maybe you miss out if doing something different?
YupQuote:
Originally Posted by XtrPickels
Same thing I get everytime I go to the site as well. Pretty hard to missQuote:
Originally Posted by J. Barron DeJong
The end … Paleeze … lets hear some cool stuff bout new sticks in the quiv and what we learned about BOA and is it the snizzle for Ya’s … new thread time.
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AgreeQuote:
Originally Posted by Crystal Skier
Ya we all get a bit feral this time of year.Quote:
Originally Posted by obi wan kenobi
I’m gonna tape pillows all over my body and sit on our main floor (stairs are way too dangerous) and order the Blister print guide as that is safer than going to a ski store to look at skis where there is a high probability I will have a crash or close call. Then I may phone my house insurance provider and see if they have any Heritage Lab Swallowtail 120’s for sale. FFS.
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Woah, they took the marketing thing seriously. Instead of getting stoked on Ski/Bike content now I get reminded how expensive crashing can be.
Thanks Blister
Attachment 501285
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I just checked and the last flash review I was interested in last year still hasn’t been updated. That’s not worth $60.Quote:
Originally Posted by XtrPickels
I'll pay $60 for a Gaijin subscription.Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasGortex
Remember when Blister fed stoke instead of fear? Never thought that’d be something we could reminisce….Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiLyft
My feed is filled with their ads now
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Haha. I'm a bit of a yesterday-year as a voice on TGR. Half of these maggots take me seriously, and they get offended. The other half realize that I'm a textual comic,, just experimenting with posts through a medium that I know-- skiing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Island Bay
Anyway, those who can see through the pageantry and view my posts with a comic's eye, are going to be a bit bummed to learn that I'm in Sober October. Meaning, my posts are likely to read a bit less cutting-throat and a bit more supple this month. Sorry about that.
Those who have anticipated my posts with a bit of angst, in their own hopes to reply and get angry, are probably gonna be relieved that my previous alcohol-induced rants are going to be quite subtle this month. You won't have to try so hard.
Sorry about that. But I'm dealing with "a thing."
In the meantime, Blister-- You, too, should have a sobriety check. Re-think your business model. Heck, you should hire me as a reviewer/writer. I've got decades on your entire staff on both real-world riding and writing.
Just sayin'. You might gain a bit of credibility by getting real and rethinking the commercialization of past failures.
^ where is the like button?
Blister lost my support when they stopped doing follow up reviews on skis I was interested in. So many of their reviews are not finished product.
Can't help but roll my eyes at the outrage over the ads.
+1 to more reviews criticism, though. In my humble opinion: if the ski is in the buyers guide there should be a full review for that ski on the website (I would expect a flash review as the bare minimum).
Wanting to get a narrower ski this year for some insurance (I used the evil 'I' word TGR, are you mad?) for shitty snow days and have been looking at the Blizzard Anomaly 88s. The ski appears in the front-side section of the buyers guide but there is no accompanying review on the website. There is a review for the 94 and 102 on the website. Maybe the review for the 88s will appear later this fall? Perhaps the Blister's reviewers did not get enough time on them?
FWIW Ski Essentials has a 30+ minute video about the Anomaly 88s on YouTube, which was helpful. The paragraph about them in the buyers guide and the spectrum page helped me, too (but not nearly as much as the Ski Essentials video).
That Blister ad with the guy eating it on the bike and the $7,000 bubble is kinda using fear of injury to sell insurance. We all eat shit at times doing sports we love. But show me another sports mag/website that talks about getting maimed as much. And I know Blister is saying they are doing it to help people….but they must profit from it. It’s just a bit weird. And repetitive.
$60 for Gaijin is a bargain. $40 if he’s sober.
PS I cancelled my online subscription to Blister due to the changes. That being said I just got shipping notice for this year’s Buyers Guide. It’s $77CDN to get it delivered to Canada but it’s worth it as I do like to keep a few years copies of the guides by the couch to flip through periodically. It’s informative and I love that they specify rec mount points and tip/tail measurements. So thanks for that.
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Exactly my gripe over the past year and halfQuote:
Originally Posted by Upinsmoke
I've been a blister member for about 3 years and I've unfortunately just canceled my subscription. I initially signed up because I wanted access to the deep dive comparisons and the gear recommendations and the book. I got charged my 60 dollars back in March, assuming that I was getting my copy of the Blister guide, along with all the other things offered I used before.
When I found out today that I wasn't getting the blister guide with my 60 dollar subscription like before, I felt blindsided. I follow the site fairly regularly during the ski season (october-may) and I had no idea that I was losing access to the blister+ perks and now they're behind a $400 paywall.
I lost access to the book and to the gear recommendations (which are what really kickstarted my obsession with skiing), and all I get now are flash reviews and deep dives.
I just graduated from College, and I'm currently struggling to begin my career. I don't have $400 dollars right now to spend on insurance and to get what I used to get for 60 dollars. I don't even know if I'll be able to ski this year! But I was really looking forwards to the blister guide book, I love reading over all of it so I can get a good feeling for where the industry is at so I can help my friends and family find the gear that might work for them.
Blister was one of my favorite tools to stay up until 3 am comparing and contrasting products to be able to navigate this extremely expensive and incomprehensible sport/industry. I love skiing and I loved the tool. It's a shame I can't justify it anymore. I'd be happy to resub if I could get what I used to, even if it was at a slight price increase.
EDIT: You also never explained why you removed features from the 60 dollar tier. You hinted that things cost more money, but why not just increase the price of the subscription? You took my money and took features away. Doesn't feel right. I should have gotten an email saying **NOTICE WE ARE REMOVING FEATURES FROM THIS SUBSCRIPTION**. You just keep going on and on about why insurance is important. I'm 24 and even I know why insurance is important. I'm sure this site full of grumpy old men from the stone ages understand it too.
400 dollars skiing insurance sounds awesome! But I want to know why that insurance took away the things I used to pay for. You were happy to continue to bill me while completely changing the name of my subscription and the contents of it! If you can't understand that, then you're just another out of touch rich guy.
^^^ This whipersnapper gits it
"EDIT: You also never explained why you removed features from the 60 dollar tier. You hinted that things cost more money, but why not just increase the price of the subscription? You took my money and took features away. Doesn't feel right. I should have gotten an email saying **NOTICE WE ARE REMOVING FEATURES FROM THIS SUBSCRIPTION**"
Hi, we actually sent multiple emails to every member - 4 or 5 in total, over the course of this past year - explaining the change - and the reasons for the change. Most recently, you would have received 2 emails prior to your subscription renewal. You're welcome to send me an email or a DM if you somehow never received any of those emails, and I'll help you out.
And if you go through this thread, I spelled out the reasons for the changes - if we wanted to be able to offer coverage to people outside of the US, we had to.
Again, feel free to email or DM me about any of this.
JE!
I think it is rad that you came on in here and responded to these posts (no matter how insane they were).
I think your rollout of membership service updates was clear and frequent and I honestly don’t know how people can claim otherwise.
I’m so confused as to why people are mad that you are offering a service (Blister+) that will help others at no detriment to those who chose not to participate.
I think everyone needs to check themselves and realize how lucky we are that Blister and Ski Essentials and all the other great publications exist and provide for the most part FREE content.
And if you think you can do it better, start your own business and take these guys on! If your superior business model is so great you will crush them and make all the money!
Much Love,
Radskier
PS. No, this is not Luke Koppa’s burner account. I am a real person.
Lotta good posts in this thread. I would just say that perception matters, and my perception now (as a semi-informed consumer) is that Blister is now more of an insurance sales company than a review company. This is disappointing for me, because I used to really respect how Blister handled themselves and their business. I don't agree with how they are doing it now.
The review content they put out is good. I just wish they would get to reviewing more of the skis. In their defense there are, like, a lot of them.
I am pretty sure JFE shared that there was an option to get the guide and all of the digital content that didn’t cost $400?
Complaining about the insurance is stupid. It’s not like Blister is United HealthCare making THOUSANDS a year off of me and my employer every year so I can have the privilege of only having a $50 copay for my yearly checkup.
Thank you. I'm getting lots of emails and messages from people who've read this thread and are saying similar things, not many people are willing to say it publicly. So again, thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by RadSkier_
Also, FWIW, I personally think the Blizzard Anomaly 88 is a fantastic ski. I just recommended it to one of my best friends today. I talked about it on our GEAR:30 podcast that we did in Taos... was hoping to get more time on it back in CB before the season ended... but then, we were just on to producing the big buyer's guide. But I definitely should have gone back and gotten a flash review done on it. To be honest, I kind of forgot, because I was getting a lot of comments & questions about the ski from Blister members who'd listened to that podcast, so I felt like I was talking about that ski a bunch. So I messed up on that one.
RE: Anomaly 88sQuote:
Originally Posted by JFE24
All good. This is literally my only complaint. Thanks!
RE: This thread and moaning about Blister+
It’s saved me $4k after getting shoulder surgery this year due to injury. There are probably people complaining in this thread that could benefit from it.
Yeah, if you don’t the money to throw down then it probably seems ridiculous. But, chances are your deductible (if you have insurance) is huge and you’re screwed if you get hurt. It is maybe not worth it if your out of pocket max on your plan is < $1,000? I don’t know a single person with a plan like that…
I don’t think JFE/Blister is trying to be the UHC/Blue Cross Blue Shield of adventure insurance. I pay those leeches thousands of dollars every year so I can pay thousands of dollars if I do end up needing any care at all.
I love the ski industry and I work in it. At the end of the day I’m supporting other folks in the ski industry and getting stoked reading/listening to folks getting stoked about gear/adventures/movies/etcetera.
Plus, the end of the day I get:
- A fat guide to place on my coffee table and read with my friends.
- A bunch of digital content to enjoy.
- Accident insurance so my wife doesn’t get pissed when I drop $$$ on healthcare because I hucked something too big.
YMMV
Taking a break from this place for a while.
I'm gonna partially unmask myself a bit. But forgive me if I protect those brands around me.
Yes, I'm an asshole/provocateur on the TRGz. I think it's fun. But I'm also a venture capitalist. I've raised over 20 million dollars, bought several resorts, and have lost my life savings. I've done it all. That's enough vague background to stop there and say this...
This thread has over 12K views. Blister subscribers are dropping publicly. If there is a table of investors about to enter the next meeting to discuss quarterly earnings, and the loss of subscribers, I'd be terrified as a CEO. However... If I were a lone CEO, with no outside investors, I'd be even more terrified. That would mean that I have nobody to provide me any feedback.
Enter us.
Blister's business model has flipped upside down. It's now an insurance model, not a gear/review model.
Maybe this flip will make Blister a billion-dollar company. Who knows? That would be rad.
But, my 2018 ACL reconstruction surgery in JP by JP's National Ski Team Lead Surgeon, who was also JP's National Soccer Team Surgeon, did my surgery for US$130 after surgery/insurance. My custom DonJoy Carbon Fiber knee brace was free. My rehab cost 7$/day. (Yes, JP Insurance.)
Point being? Insurance is a race to the bottom. You're competing against other very well established organizations that can formulate plans that outsell you.
This isn't your market. You built your audience around gear reviews, and you mistakenly grabbed an outside investor/partner to sell insurance. Then you made compromises and your audience is confused about your product.
Blister did send a bunch of emails about the change. Probably a lot of people didn't read them. I read mine. Forgot about it. This atrocious thread reminded me to order the catalog manually. I did. And now it is here, and again, I love it.
We hit our insurance deductible every year because my wife has well controlled RA and the drug prices are absolute madness. So I'm not sure how much accident insurance would be helpful. Really. I still don't know.
My wife had a very serious bike accident two years ago that has been a nightmare getting insurance to pay for dental reconstruction. United HC stops paying after 1 year, Wellmark 2 years. Depends on policy fine print. She changed jobs and we had to switch to my insurance for a year before going back to Wellmark. Her reconstruction is going to take more than two years. Medical insurance will fight tooth and nail not to pay anything dental even when they have to because it was an accident. Every bill is a battle because you have to trace the entire procedure trail back to the accident. They never pay the first claim. Just last week, we got $6k for a procedure this spring after securing multiple letters from doctors and sending them a huge package certified mail, again. She is having posts put in for 2 implants next week, one day before her 2 years is up. That is one month earlier than her doctors minimum after the bone graft surgery. But he thinks it will be okay. We need insurance to pay, and this still isn't a guarantee they will.
There is nowhere that I can see that Blister plus covers dental reconstruction, or when the limit of coverage from an incident ends. Very few details given on the website. Do they pay for orthodonics and if so when does that end? My wife had to wait a year to even start orthodonics.
Moral...wear a full face. Get insurance. Get accident insurance. They probably still won't pay.
So, it is hard for me to get too pissed about Blister selling accident insurance, even if it is just one more thing to spin my head and not be able to make sense out of. It is Jonathan's business, young healthy people definitely can use it.
I blew my knee in 2016. We had good Wellmark, it cost me $60 because our deductible was met. I wouldn't have benefited. Her original oral surgery from this accident, which involved an entire team of doctors overseen by the head of oral surgery at the University of Iowa for several hours, and three days in the hospital, was paid for by insurance because it was October and again our deductible had been met.
If you have an uncovered event bring you to your deductible, then have an accident, you get little value from Blister plus right? They cover the second event too but you may well have met your dedication by then. I realize this is why it is relatively affordable but also something for folk to think about.
I'm pissed about the whole fucking insurance system, and anybody who ever has to deal with a complex recovery will be too.
But I do go to Blister to read about 88 mm skis. And anybody that knows me, knows most of my days since the Brahma was invented have been on Brahmas. So I appreciate the anomaly talk.
It does seem like insurance is part of the gear equation, but strange bedfellows at the same time.
Could my position be anymore unclear? That is where the opaque finish of insurance leaves me.
I have zero dog in this fight re: insurance sales or not, but speaking as a (probably all too common) idiot who doesn't actually check my online subscription renewals and auto pays often enough , and also ignores emails because I get too damn many, I had no idea that my subscription was now $59.99 for just the Deep dive and flash review access.
I went back through my email and I was warned, so that's on me for not realizing that and Im not even slightly upset about not knowing, as it's my fault. But the value really isn't there for me for $60 so it's probably not something I would renew next year.
Not entirely sure how your experience as a venture capitalist and/or C-suite guy is relevant to this conversation. I am sorry to hear about your financial hardships, I hope you're doing okay.Quote:
Originally Posted by gaijin
Blister is still reviewing gear. They post tons of ski/mtb reviews. I have this year's (2024-2025) winter guide next to me right now. Only legitimate (in my opinion) criticism I have seen in this thread are delays on reviews for some skis and that the new pricing model has taken some folks by surprise.
Not all of us are lucky enough to live in Japan or a different country with a healthcare system where you can receive quality care for affordable prices. How much would it have been if you did not have insurance in Japan? Not sure if you're a local or not, but getting injured in a foreign country can be a bank-breaking experience.
Just because the insurance program doesn't fit your needs doesn't mean it's bad. Your argument makes no sense. Lots of pathos, but no egos or logos.
For the record, I enjoy your posts and am making my argument in good spirits. Perhaps I'm doing Blister too much of a public service. But, I feel the need to stick my neck out for a product that has saved me thousands of dollars.
I can understand the complaining about the changing pricing structure and loss of the physical guide with the $60 tier... but you got like 5 emails saying the pricing was going to change, come on
Also, the last few pages just can be summed up in the above. I have supplemental insurance through my insurance broker... and it saved my ass. I can understand not wanting or needing the insurance, but the capitulating and hand wringing over it just feels like false outrage. Ya'll know you can hide instagram ads right?Quote:
Originally Posted by MoeSnow
I don't disagree on some of the posts here, nitpicking nonsense, but it is a review website. I think it is fair for us to review their insurance and it's applicability and point out that that it is sometimes hard to do depending on someone's situation.
Also, because there is no option to be a full Blister member without B+, even if it isn't cost effective for an individual. Blister may need this to make this work, as JE has made clear, but as individuals we have to look out for our own interests.
Also, I'm not dropping my basic membership as long as they keep making excellent podcasts. I know they are 'free'. Worth $5 a month to me easily.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JFE24
Guess it's a skill issue on my part then. Sorry Jonathan I had a few too many last night.
Since this is the Blister public suggestion thread can you please send David Golay some riding clothes that aren't black, dark blue or dark green? Maybe something with electric, bright or safety in the color name?
I get that the Print edidtyion extra cost was a bit of surprise and bummer. I always wondered how they survive financially. I only signed up as a member a few years ago to keep them afloat. SO i consumed free content for probably 10 years. So I’m grudgingly ok with paying the extra cost for print guide.
As far as the insurance, it is a good thing to offer as a bundle, given how bad the US insurance scene is. And it is probably necessary for the whole thing to make any kind of profit. But at this point, it would be nice to hear a little less about it.
I get that the Print edidtyion extra cost was a bit of surprise and bummer. I always wondered how they survive financially. I only signed up as a member a few years ago to keep them afloat. SO i consumed free content for probably 10 years. So I’m grudgingly ok with paying the extra cost for print guide.
As far as the insurance, it is a good thing to offer as a bundle, given how bad the US insurance scene is. And it is probably necessary for the whole thing to make any kind of profit. But at this point, it would be nice to hear a little less about it.