REMOVING THE "TRIAL" EDITION OF THE SCAN ENGINE FROM BASIC

Today we decided to remove the limited, "Trial" edition of the Scan Engine from our Basic Service package at the end of this month. (Note: If you are not a Basic member, then none of this applies to you and you can safely ignore the rest of this post.)

The Trial edition of our Scan Engine limited Basic members to only getting 10 results from any custom scan. Originally, the Trial edition was intended to allow potential Extra members to "kick the tires" of our scanning feature and entice them to upgrade. While it may have done that job to a certain degree, unfortunately it has had several other unintended consequences.

Scanning is really a core feature of StockCharts and it is something that we will be expanding on greatly in the months to come. We will be agressively pushing into areas like alerting, ranking and system testing very soon. But as we started the planning process for our next huge set of improvements to our Scan Engine, we kept hitting the problem of what to do about the Trial edition. It became apparent that in order to really move forward, we needed to bring the "Trial" to an end so that it wouldn't limit our options for the future.

And so we will be removing the Trial Edition of the Scan Engine from out Basic service at the end of this month.

Based on feedback we've seen over the years, I strongly suspect that - despite our advice not to and despite its many limitations and despite our calling it a "Trial" edition - some people have probably become dependent on the Trial Scan Engine. To those people, I apologize for this change. You'll have to just trust me when I say that it really is necessary in order for us to move forward.

Let me also just reiterate that if you are serious about scanning - if you have come to depend on our Scan Engine's capabilities - and if you are not using our Extra service, you really are missing out on a ton of capabilities and it really is in your best interest to upgrade.

An Extra account gives you 200 different ChartLists in which to save, sort and refine your scan results. Extra gives you the ability to run scans on just the stocks in a ChartList - so you can further filter your results or, for example, scan your portfolio for exits points. Extra also gives you complete access to our Advanced Scan Workbench which most serious scan writers use to refine and document their work.

Our Extra service and our Scan Engine were really designed to go hand-in-hand and that will become even more important in the future as both our Scan Engine and our Extra ChartLists evolve in the coming months.

So, sorry for whatever inconvenience this change will cause. If it helps, feel free to rant and call me names in the comments area below. For those that decide to stick with us and upgrade to Extra, I hope that you discover how much better the non-trial, full power version of our Scan Engine really is.

- Chip

Traders want much more convenience than is available with the '' extra-rt'' membership. Viewing charts, after sorting or ranking in that order, with candle glance, 10 by etc. Same convenience for predefined charts. Generating alerts on trendline reversals are a few exemples. I dont mind paying for above average convenience. Convenience is everything in today's market. Surprise us ! Viva the fresh vision !

Posted by: Bernard LEcuyer September 22, 2011 at 06:37 AM

I just signed up today, having been a past member, and thought the Basic membership with minimal scan capabilities would be exactly what I need. Now you tell me I have to upgrade already. Yes, I complain. Get the fact that it is a trial off the site now so noone else will be disheartened.

Posted by: Margaret Calvert September 23, 2011 at 02:07 AM

I understand the need for change. Rather than an abrupt stopping of the Extra service, how about grandfathering us in for a month? We get to try the improved version at little cost to you ( I think). ============================================= Chip's Response: We aren't stopping the Extra (or Basic) service. We are simply removing a feature from Basic.

Posted by: Earl Berkun September 23, 2011 at 09:17 AM

I know what a headache it is to maintain two versions of an application, especially when in development. I was on the brink of upgrading, so now I will get off the dime.

Posted by: James W. Jennings September 24, 2011 at 10:32 AM

Chip, What gives? Are you saying currently paid up Basic members will soon no longer have any scan capabilities whatsoever? If that is, indeed, what you meant to say; this nine year member is in shock, and hugely disappointed. Over the years an underpromise/overperform philosphy seemed to have been the hallmark of stockcharts customer service, and for that you and your crew deserve accolades. I distinctly had the impression that stockcharts was in the business of trying to provide more value for the subscription dollar; not yanking the rug out from under loyal subscribers who have helped pay the freight year after year (albeit not at the highest level of support possible, nonetheless members in good standing who do not deserve this sort of a set back). With no future Basic scan capabilities whatsoever, you are very likely to being saying sayonara to me as subscriber, (from someone who has been a 99.99% satisfied customer.). It is just not in my nature to reward what appears to be potentially shabby customer treatment with more future dollars. You did not hear a peep out of me with the price increase a few years back as that increase in fees was handled artfully with appropriate p.r. Three months, (maybe six month at the most) is a trial time, not nine+ years. After nine years it has become a more or less an implicit promise of continuance of service level. Since Stockcharts has a no refund policy, thank goodness I hadn't quite yet bought into the Fall Special, as was planned. Say it all isn't so. It was all just a trial balloon, that has been deflated. I will not choose to leave as a subscriber; if the scanning stops abruptly soon. I will feel compelled to go, as a subscriber who has been poorly treated.

Posted by: Patrick McQuaid September 25, 2011 at 10:13 AM

Chip, Really not trying to rag on you. Simply, perhaps you do not realize what your sales pitch to Basic subscribers about upgrading to Extra essentially comes across like? "Hey, how ya doin'? I'm Scarface Soprano Corleone. Why don' you buy this Extry insurance policy for the the modest retail stock picking franchise you already bought from us. Trust me, you're gonna like it. Or else, ... like somebody is gonna get their legs broke. You have till next Monday, ....or else." Very disappointing. Not your finest hour of persuasion. Sadly, there is no way you'll find me taking any part of a transaction with conditions like that. (Print this on the blog, or don't. That isn't the point of this note. It is for your edification.)

Posted by: Patrick McQuaid September 26, 2011 at 01:20 AM

Racketeering anyone? This isn't what StockCharts is all about, is it? Say it isn't so. "Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes that the racketeers themselves instigate if unpaid (see extortion)." "In the example of a protection racket, the racketeer informs a store-owner that a substantial monthly fee will be required in exchange for protection. The concurrent "protection" provided takes the form of the absence of damage inflicted upon the store or its employees by the racket itself."

Posted by: Patrick McQuaid September 26, 2011 at 03:40 AM

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