Ah, the best laid plans. Thanks to circumstances beyond my control, I’m forced to skip our June Sparkle Squad shipment. If you are a subscriber, and you missed the email I sent a few days ago, read on to learn what’s up.
There are lots of moving parts involved in creating and executing a subscription service, and in order to do so, two different software programs are used to manage the subscriptions and schedule the recurring billing. This specialty software is complicated as well as costly. It also must be accessible, both for myself as well as my customers. I’ve just been notified that one of the companies responsible for the subscriptions platform has been purchased by another company, which is located outside the US. Business owners were assured that no changes to the software will occur, at least, with respect to functionality, however, they went on to say that the business owners in the United States (that would be me) will be required to pay a 20% VAT tax, which is applied to almost all international transactions. This means a substantial increase in the price of the software, on top of what is already quite expensive, as mentioned.
Also, since there is no way for me to know yet whether or not the software will continue to be accessible to people who use a screen reader, I have decided to suspend the Sparkle Squad subscription service until I can be comfortable with the potential changes to the system. It is not a good sign that the software developer I was working with for technical support has ceased to respond to my inquiries. Of course, screen reader accessibility is critical for both myself and for my subscribers, and with no assurances of ongoing support, my only option is to wait and see.
What this means to you:
For now, I will skip our June shipments. I must be able to trust that the execution of all the tasks required to run the subscription service works flawlessly. If I am satisfied with the support available to web site administrators (me) that the program continues to be accessible and functional, then we will resume in the fall, and ship as scheduled in September. I plan to deactivate the subscription software, and suspend your subscription. You may receive an auto-generated notification as to this affect. If you like, you are welcome to log in to your account and manage your subscription yourself, or cancel it altogether if you prefer, and I will notify you if and when the Sparkle Squad continues. Until then, I will retain your shipping information and preferences.
As I said, it’s all very complicated, but I always have the best interests of my customers in mind as I seek to provide an efficient and enjoyable shopping experience. I hope to resume the Sparkle Squad service soon. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write or call. I appreciate your business, and I am incredibly grateful for your trust and support. I will keep you posted on my progress with the new software.
As ever, Sparkle On!
Laura