Life of Website Member

[Fitlakecouple 450]

SLS has replaced the term "Lifetime Member" with "Life of Website Member". Sounds to me like their legal counsel is trying to protect them. When they are bought out our "lifetime memberships" will evaporate.

[njbm 2,815]

Or they are just going out of business. Maybe membership is down during covid. 

[hkdilbert 181]

Or perhaps a way they can justify the removal of inactive (dead) accounts?

[njbm 2,815]

4 hours ago, hkdilbert said:

Or perhaps a way they can justify the removal of inactive (dead) accounts?

I do notice accounts that say last online 4000 days ago. I think it is safe to say that they are not coming back. Maybe SLS just wants to keep their membership numbers up rather than deleting people who have not logged on in years.

[shy_couple 455]

There is a fair Likelyhood that there is legal trouble brewing over hacks and security in general. Additionally, there have been several government regulations around privacy, protection of information gathered/sold in the US and Europe. One of the more strict ones is the state of California specified any cyber company doing business with clients in California (CCPA 2020) must disclose what information is being collected, for what reason, and forces websites to allow CA residents to see and/or opt out of certain data gathering and sale/trade. 
 

The guy running the site appears to be clueless about web design, web mastery, web security, and regulations that apply to his Florida based company in 2021. 
 

Sounds like a CYA for sale, reorganization, or dissolution of SLS in the near future. 

Edited July 31, 2021 by shy_couple
Typo

[NWAtlSwing 522]

There is no such thing as  a lifetime memebership anywhere.

 

Companies will always screw you if the can, and not in the good way

[njbm 2,815]

SLS ‘s lifetime, not ours. 

[GoldCoCouple 4,052]

It can be argued that all new memberships are 'life of the website' but we bought a lifetime membership and short of them trying to get us to agree to different terms, lifetime is what we expect...of course if the website goes away then there's nothing to really fight over but I hope that isn't the case (they are the best game in our area).

[cplnuswing 4,712]

When I see "lifetime membership" I just assume that means both my lifetime or their lifetime.  I mean how else could it be?  Calling up whatever organization, website, etc. that you are a lifetime member of and demanding  they stay an active organization, open business, etc. because you are a lifetime member and they are obligated to you as long as you are still alive isn't likely to do anything except waste your time.

 

I doubt it has anything to do with inactive members.  Usually, it's the opposite, sites are criticized for trying to inflate their member numbers.

 

Probably something done on the advice of their attorney after some customer pitched a fit about something or another about their membership upgrade or whatever.

[ckd539 15]

I’ve been a member since 2004.  There is much speculation lately.  Does anyone else remember that there were “Charter Members”?  I can’t remember the last time I noticed a “Charter Member” profile.  Anyone else?

[AndrewandAnn 360]

Perhaps the most important question to ask is, What happens to all of your personal data if/when the website goes belly up?

 

I would be more than a little concerned about that eventuality.

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by AndrewandAnn

[shy_couple 455]

Still much speculation, so I’ll add to it. What happens if the owner folds, sunsets, closes SLS for whatever reason; outdated technology, catastrophic crash/hack, loses sponsors and oversold lifetime membership, etc.? Fine. End of life of website. But if he opens another, renames it, and does not honor memberships he already sold, what happens? 

[AndrewandAnn 360]

20 minutes ago, shy_couple said:

Still much speculation, so I’ll add to it. What happens if the owner folds, sunsets, closes SLS for whatever reason; outdated technology, catastrophic crash/hack, loses sponsors and oversold lifetime membership, etc.? Fine. End of life of website. But if he opens another, renames it, and does not honor memberships he already sold, what happens? 

Short answer: You're out of luck. A company's "lifetime" promise only lasts as long as the company does.

 

The owner of the new company would be under no legal, or even moral, obligation to honor a "lifetime" membership sold by a company that no longer exists.

 

 

 

 

[JWSmith 0]

1 hour ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Short answer: You're out of luck. A company's "lifetime" promise only lasts as long as the company does.

 

The owner of the new company would be under no legal, or even moral, obligation to honor a "lifetime" membership sold by a company that no longer exists.

 

 

 

 

Yes. If it’s a new owner. But if original owner is still a partner or tries set up a new website, is he obligated to honor memberships bought/sold in hood faith. SEC may have to decide timeline, tactics, and motive. 
 

Going back to Preston Tucker and his automobile, he sold dealerships and could not deliver on his promise and company fell apart due to fraud. Bernie Madoff took money and could not deliver and eventually SEC found out it was fraudulent. Jan Lewan (played recently by Jack Black) took money as part of a Ponzi scheme and went to jail after SEC investigation…..

[cplnuswing 4,712]

7 hours ago, AndrewandAnn said:

Short answer: You're out of luck. A company's "lifetime" promise only lasts as long as the company does.

 

The owner of the new company would be under no legal, or even moral, obligation to honor a "lifetime" membership sold by a company that no longer exists.

IANAL, but this is exactly how I have always understood it.  The company is the entity that entered into an agreement when a lifetime membership was sold, not the owner(s) of the company.

 

I'm sure COVID has not been helpful to the bottom line for any swinging related business, including SLS, but just based on the number of sponsor referrals we do from this site, I suspect SLS is still getting by ok.  I haven't seen a whole lot of change there once you take COVID into account. 

 

Not to say there aren't other good sites out there, because there certainly are, and as we have discussed here many times some sites are more popular in certain geographic areas than others are.  But, SLS is still the biggest out there that I'm aware of.  I use this analogy about every time we talk about this subject, but when I'm wanting food, I'll take the little worn around the edges been there for years grocery story that has a wide selection of good products over the shiny new store with half empty shelves any day.

[AndrewandAnn 360]

17 hours ago, JWSmith said:

Yes. If it’s a new owner. But if original owner is still a partner or tries set up a new website, is he obligated to honor memberships bought/sold in hood faith. SEC may have to decide timeline, tactics, and motive. 
 

Going back to Preston Tucker and his automobile, he sold dealerships and could not deliver on his promise and company fell apart due to fraud. Bernie Madoff took money and could not deliver and eventually SEC found out it was fraudulent. Jan Lewan (played recently by Jack Black) took money as part of a Ponzi scheme and went to jail after SEC investigation…..

So, I know a little bit about this subject. Respectfully, you are confusing a variety of lawful business activities with criminal activities.

 

When a private or, public, company goes out of business, it is not a crime. When a private company shuts down because the owner(s) make the decision to do so, for whatever reason(s), it is not a crime. Reorganizing assets of a company that has gone out of business is not a crime. These kinds of business maneuvers happen thousands of times every year in all fifty states.

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would have no jurisdiction or interest. The SEC regulates public securities markets and financial reporting of publicly traded companies. This isn't General Motors we're talking about. SLS is a tiny, "mom and pop" business, privately owned and operated.

 

SLS is owned by Dashboard Hosting LLC with a PO Box in Cape Coral, Florida, listed as its business location. There are several other small, privately owned limited liability companies listed at the same location, all inter-related with Dashboard Hosting LLC. The only "person" listed in the documents is an attorney from a small, private practice owned by two attorneys in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

Note "limited liability" means exactly that: Florida law provides "... the member or manager of an LLC is not personally liable, directly or indirectly, by way of contribution or otherwise, for a debt, obligation, or other liability solely by acting as a member of manager." This limited liability protection is a well established part of Florida's common law. Few exceptions do exist, mostly relating to demonstrable fraud.

 

Translation? Should SLS go belly up, the "lifetime" membership goes belly up with it. Any attempted recourse would likely be futile, not to mention impractical. The legal costs alone would make it unfeasible. 

 

 

 

 

[lovefest04 688]

Does anyone remember "lifetime" video store memberships.

[NWAtlSwing 522]

We got grandfathered in any way

[TricianMike 758]

2 hours ago, lovefest04 said:

Does anyone remember "lifetime" video store memberships.

Still have a Blockbuster card. 

[njbm 2,815]

6 hours ago, TricianMike said:

Still have a Blockbuster card. 

I think one store remains in Oregon. 

[GoldCoCouple 4,052]

There is a documentary on them that we watched (The Last Blockbuster - 2020). They're in Bend Oregon:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend%2C_Oregon)

 

So your lifetime membership is still valid!

[GoldCoCouple 4,052]

Think the cable companies learned anything from the video rental companies??

[shy_couple 455]

Looks like it changed again to “unlimited” membership. 

[lcmim 1,063]

Does that mean that our limitations of communicating with free members if we wish is now gone? Or that we can post email addresses openly if we wish?

 

 Just what limits are covered.

 

 Inquiring minds want to know.