Tried Contacting/No Response

[C_Kyle]

I want to change my username and upgrade my account. I sent an email regarding this, but never received a response. My contact info is good. This was about 2 months ago, I think.

Hopefully someone will actually read this and get the ball rolling.

 

[ColdOne]

Here are the directions to have your username changed:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4846488&postcount=3

 

[Esav Benyamin]

You should have no trouble using the standard automated upgrade instructions if you're in the US:

Upgrade your forums experience, and help support this site.

 

[C_Kyle]

I saw that, but do I need to pay $30 for the upgrade and $10 for the name change?

No offense to anyone, but $10 for a name change sounds like a ripoff.

 

[Phil Elmore]

The fee is intended to prevent the administration of this heavily trafficked site from getting bogged down in countless, mercurial requests for name changes. If it means so much to you to have your name changed, why not support the site?

 

[Suicycoprowler]

Even with the $10 fee, Spark gets plenty of name-change requests. The nominal fee is just enough to keep people from changing their name on a whim.

 

[C_Kyle]

OK, but if I'm going to throw in $30 for the membership, why not just include the name change?

My reasoning behind that request is that I could just reregister with my new name and only pay the $30. I'm not saying I want to try and get over on $10, just that I feel that I make a valid point.

 

[Phil Elmore]

The terms of membership and other services are quite explicit. Your name change is one thing. Your membership upgrade is another. If you're going to spend 30, why not 40? It supports the site, after all.

These types of "why not" questions go both ways, as you can see.

 

[C_Kyle]

Why not pay $40 instead of $30? Because I can reregister for $30 and have the name change too, with the only ill-effect of loosing my meager post count.

This is starting to sound like an argument over $10, which I don't mean it to be. I guess I just remember when the site was free.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Do you now?

The site was never free. Spark paid the freight, everyone else came along for the ride. It's still free if you're willing to settle for what he provides for Registered Users, but he's asking that people who want a bit more (expensive) functionality please help out defraying the costs.

He still pays good money to run this place on top of what paying members contribute.

 

[C_Kyle]

You know what I mean, free to the users with full functionality. Also, I'm an IT person and understand what is involved in funding and maintaining a website like this.

OK, I'll just end with this: I agree with supporting the site, and paying for certain functionality. I don't agree with paying for a name change. I understand the reasoning, just don't agree with it.

I enjoy the site, and it is very useful for the knife community. So, I'll think about what I want to do, and make a decision.

Thank you for explaining what I need to do to upgrade and change my username, and thank you for being able to have a quick discussion about the fees without it turning into a cheapskate-bashing event.

 

[Spark]

I used to do name changes for free. Well, they weren't free, because they cost me money, especially when the same person comes back and has me change their name 5 times. Multiply that by hundreds of users. Now name changes involve a service charge, just like service charges on lots of things, like getting a new credit card, ordering checks through your bank, buying tickets through Ticketmaster or MovieTickets.com, etc.

I don't view registered users as cheapskates, they are just registered users. I see people with paying memberships as people who support this community. Tell you what, though. Buy a platinum membership for 2 years, and I'll throw in a free name change