Smart Plan now 5 cameras instead of 10?????

[CaliArloUser]

Over the last two weeks I have bought eight more Pro2 cameras, another VMB400 base station and a WMB4050 base to add to my existing five camera Pro2/VMB 4000 system at a cost of $1,200. It was my intention to eventually expand this even further to 20 Pro2 cams. Went to subscribe to the $14.99/mo Elite plan today, 12/13/19, only to find a shocking price increase/camera limit decrease in the subscription plans was also announced today. It is my understanding that  anyone who already had an existing Premier or Elite plan will not be effected by this change and their plan costs/cam count will remain the same and if I had signed up yesterday (guess I should have but I was busy spending $1,200 on more Arlo gear) I also would be able to have up to 20 Pro2 cams for $14.99 a month. Does Arlo think customers like me who spent $1,200 on more hardware immediately before this subscription plan change are now going to also pay $390 a year for 20 Pro2 cams while other customers only have to pay $180 a year for the same exact service? I don't need or want 2 or 4k video, I only need Pro2 1080p cameras. Why wasn't a separate plan for those of us who only have, and will only ever have, Pro2 1080p cams introduced? Why does Arlo think it's ok to now charge some customers more than twice the amount of money for the same exact service others are getting? Why couldn't the $9.99/10 cam & $14.99/20 cam subscriptions have remained the same but been modified for 1080p cameras only and separate subscription plans for 2K and 4K cams been added. Before I even had the chance to get a plan and hook up these new cams/bases I now have to pay more than 2x as much as others for the same 20 camera Pro2  subscription service? This is not right nor fair at all to those of us wanting to simply add more Pro2 cameras, what is Arlo thinking with this extreme egregious pricing change?? Why would I want to keep the $1,200 in product I just bought on top of the $600 I had previously spent only to now have to additionally spend over 2x as much as others for a subscription plan that offers me absolutely nothing more for my money? Can anyone  from Arlo please explain this to me or tell me why I wouldn't want to return everything I just bought? I was a happy Arlo customer but to say I am now an extremely unhappy Arlo customer would be putting it mildly.

[egjergji]

I had 5, and recently added the doorbell camera.  I was going to add maybe another 1 or 2 cameras under the 10 camera plan, but now all that's changed.  I saw they have a "business" plan for $12/mo, but it's not about the money.  It's about having a customer's trust.  I can't seriously consider investing in anymore of their products if they bait and switch the plans like this.  

[dmatt56]

That’s exactly how I feel. I think it was a huge mistake to change from 10 to 5 when arlo had a large existing customer base. As a consumer, I hate nothing more than knowing the guy next to me is paying half what I’m paying for the same service - especially as a long time customer.

More importantly, previously free features have now been turned off with the prompt to buy a smart plan.

Matt

[Jack-Malin]

Same here. Also it looks that it is not possible to add a "like" on messages on this thread 😞

[Jack-Malin]

Very disappointing. Also I did not get any notice when the free plan terminated, so I accidentally lost many days of recording.

Embassed by the change?

[StephenB]

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@Jack-Malin wrote:

 Also I did not get any notice when the free plan terminated, so I accidentally lost many days of recording.

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The free plans didn't change - do you mean you didn't get notice when the trial subscription ended?

[Jack-Malin]

That is correct. My plan included one year of Smart Plan and I did not get any notification when that ended. Few weeks later I was looking for recent recordings and could not find any. That is when I realized that the trial period ended and the new subscription fees were significantly higher.

[DrStTee]

The draw back (after I did some investigating) is:  You LOSE:  Package detection, Vehicle/Animal/Person detection unless you are willing to pay an additional $2.99 per camera.  I use these features, for my security alerts and am not willing to pay an additional $30+/month on top of the base price, to keep our $2000+ 13 device & 3 base station system running.

[Mavrrick]

Ofcourse every use case is different, but do you really need the AI driven rich notifications features on all your cameras? My guess would be unless you have an extream circumstance probably not. Being you have 13 cameras maybe I am wrong. But lets be honest do you need package detection anywhere but your fron door? Person notifications would likely be nice outside, but if you have cameras inside probably not that useful. It is all about use case.

I only have 6 cameras including my front door video doorbell. The only camera that will have Arlo smart will be the video doorbell.

It is also 2.99 per camera upt tp 3. Then you would spend 9.99 for up to 5 cameras. To go beyond 5 each additional camera is half price. So your cost is closer to $22 a month. I have also seen suggestions about using a business plan when you get to that many cameras

[Carsondriver1]

I have been an Arlo subscriber since the beginning with set-ups at a couple of places. Yesterday I signed into one of my accounts only to see I could only see 5 of my cameras and the others were inactive and needed a new plan. I went to Arlo support to see what was up and they said my legacy plan had been cancelled? I said I never cancelled my plan and wanted it re-instated and they said that was not possible!! Obviously I am not happy that they can just go and cancel my plan on me when I have spent so much money over they years on gear. It is against what is posted on the web site and I am shocked that they can just do this on me? Does anybody have experience with this and what did you do to get the situation fixed? Not a very happy Arlo subscriber.

[brh]

@Carsondriver1,

Arlo has drastically altered their subscription plans lately. Gradually they are charging more and more and offering less and less. No wonder their stock is dropping like a lead weight. I too have spent many thousands of dollars on Arlo equipment and although I really like their products, the cost of keeping them active is surpassing what I am willing to pay. My current subscription runs out in about 3 months and with nearly 15 cameras I am not going to pay for 3 plans. There are many other options out there and even if they are not as nice as Arlo, their cost is far less.

Not a happy customer lately.

Brian

[SSur]

I have two houses, two different camera systems, and 16 cameras.  If I had known they were going to make it this costly and difficult, I would have just sold my first system and went on to a company that actually cares more about its customers than just balling us out of every penny that they can get.  I have used Arlo for a long time.  Not only do we pay high costs for the systems, more than other companies charge, but now, the plans are becoming unaffordable.  These systems are no longer worth it.  It is not cost effective.  The iPhone and iPad notifications are pathetic.  

I have a feeling that this company is going to go under a lot quicker than it thinks.

HEY ARLO!  NO CUSTOMERS, NO BUSINESS!  Maybe you should think a little more about what word of mouth and a poor reputation can do to a company, instead of being so greedy.  

[SSur]

I feel your pain.  I just added another system and six cameras.  Mine are no where near as many or as much as yours.  However, I have two different systems and sixteen cameras.  Now, what?  I have to buy 3.1 plans?  They are making me feel like I am shopping the roulette wheel called eBay!  You never know what you are going to be getting and whether or not it is worth it. 

[brh]

I too am furious about this change. Even if the money was worth it, (which it isn't), limiting the plans is counter productive to Arlo customers. Why buy more than 5 cameras? I have been with Arlo for about 4 years and to date have spent between $4,000 and $5,000 on their equipment. I truly regret purchasing all those Ultra and Pro 3 cameras. Now, not only do I have to pay 3 times the money to keep what I have, I also need to purchase more hubs/base stations, lose the 60 day storage and the arming/disarming manually will be a royal PITA. (16 cameras here plus 2 Security Light bridges). 

I am going to have to sell some of my recent Ultra purchases at a huge loss provided I can sell them.

It looks to me firstly, that Arlo has abandoned those that brought them here by stopping integration with Smartthings with their new products and secondly, want to screw the people that have purchased so many of their products by eliminating plans for power users and offering some sort of discounts for those who have purchased many Arlo products.

I realize that with the ever growing resolution of the cameras that cloud recording costs would escalate and thus be passed on to their customers, but this is ridiculous! 

I purchased the Arlo cameras when my home was burglarized 4 years ago and I had no security system. With these plans I will be paying more yearly than my insurance deductible and insurance plan combined. Might as well drop the cameras.

Definitely looking to sell my equipment and go another route!

[ShayneS]

Hello,

If you do not upgrade to a new Arlo smart plan you will retain your legacy subscription.

[Jack-Malin]

Thank you for the clarification.

I had a legacy plan with 10 cameras. I thought it would auto-renew. At some point I found myself with an expired plan - no notice, no email, no auto-renew. So I had to resubscribe to the new plan.

So I should be able to reinstate my legacy plan, right? Can you help me with that?

[brh]

@ShayneS,

I really hope you are correct, but from what I am reading here, you are wrong.

Not having a plan with more than 5 cameras not only discourages people from purchasing more than 5 cameras, and especially with people that own more than 15 cameras now have to purchase more equipment - hubs, storage, etc. and go through the terrible ways Arlo has chosen to arm/disarm the devices, plus it introduces more possibilities of interference from the extra hubs. If you are wrong, there is no incentive for long time customers to continue with Arlo.

Brian

[StephenB]

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@brh wrote:

Not having a plan with more than 5 cameras not only discourages people from purchasing more than 5 cameras,

 FWIW, there are quite a few people for whom the new plans are cheaper.

If you had 5 ultras before and wanted 4K cloud recording for all of them, you'd have needed to pay $99 for smart and 1.99 per camera per month.  That would be ~$218 per year..  The new plans give you that for about $180 - and you could get 2K for $120.

But I agree they need to do something to make things more affordable for people with lots of cameras.

[brh]

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB,

You are correct if you need 4k or 2k video on all your cameras. In my case I only need 4k recordings on one or possibly two of my 9 cameras. For the other cameras I prefer to use the track and zoom feature and besides, they are at the edges of my home and are really too distant for the 4k to be of much use. I really purchased my Ultras and Pro 3s because of the built in spotlight. When the Pro 3 Floodlight cameras are available at the retail level, I will need another plan if I purchase any of them.

Brian

[StephenB]

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@brh wrote:

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB,

You are correct if you need 4k or 2k video on all your cameras. In my case I only need 4k recordings on one or possibly two of my 9 cameras.

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Of course with that mix the costs are much higher.  Maybe a 1080p plan for 10 cameras at the same price point as premier?

[LandJS]

ShayneS, Sorry but I'm tired of seeing you and other moderators stating "if you don't upgrade to a new smart plan you retain your legacy plan"  BS myself and others I assume you have seen on here have found this not true.  I got up one morning to have mine shut off one day before the end of my year with a message saying I had to subscribe to the 2K or 4K plan.  No option to keep what I had, literally turned off period, no access.  I was happy with 1080 to the cloud and 4K to my SD.  So now I'm stuck with 2K cloud and 2K SD. There is no option to keep what we had for the last year.

[ShayneS]

Hi @LandJS

I have provided our FAQ article that provides more in depth information regarding the new Smart plans. New Arlo Smart subscription plans FAQ

[brh]

@ShayneS,

Thank you for your reply. I truly hope you are right. You might want to reach out to those that suddenly lost their plans and see if their problems can be solved. I still have 3 month to go before my plan expires, so I will wait with bated breath. I have 15 cameras and if I lose my current plan I don't know what I'll do.

[ShayneS]

@brh

Make sure your card is up to date & do not change from your current plan. 

[LandJS]

Shayne, I understand what is being said in your link.  I also understand that that is not what happened to me or some others that have been on here.  It matters not what the link said at the time or what it says now.  They turned mine off with no access except a screen telling me I had to subscribe to 2K or 4K to continue and that is all it said.  My credit card info was up to date and is the same one they are using now so there was no reason for it not to renew.  So you can tell people what it says but the experience of some says otherwise and so people beware and if your turned off, do not click on any subscription link, call them until they turn it back on.

[ShayneS]

@LandJS

  Please contact the Support Team to further investigate this issue. You will find several options for contacting support in the provided link. Arlo Tech Support