MoviePass’ Director of Barketing Apologizes for “Ruff” Experience

After weeks of relative silence regarding ways in which MoviePass disappointed subscribers, the company found a new and unexpected way to draw ire from their customers. In response to unknown complaints, the company sent out an email from their “Director of Barketing,” featuring a picture of a dog.

“I’d like to explain why from time to time you have had a ‘ruff’ experience with us but it turns out that I’m a dog and I can’t talk,” the email read. “What I do know is that I see these humans working like crazy to make MoviePass better and better for you as fast as possible. They are so grateful for your membership and support while they work it out.”

There’s a lot to unpack here, with this email ultimately raising more questions than answers.

This isn’t the first time MoviePass has either sent out an email to subscribers or posted a statement on their site that either apologizes for a new directive or clarifies their motivations that led to users being upset with the service. The company hasn’t made any major changes to the service in recent weeks, making the timing of this email bewildering to subscribers.

One theory is that the company intentionally waited for a lull in the deluge of complaints about this service, in hopes that the humorous approach to the apology would be received more positively, reminding subscribers that the service is still being tweaked. Not all subscribers enjoyed the email, however, with many recipients taking to social media to express their frustrations with the cutesy email after the financial commitments to the service.

The service launched in 2011 and went through multiple iterations of paying a monthly fee to see a set amount of movies at participating theaters every month. The fee for the service peaked at $50 a month, with subscribers in major cities having to see four movies monthly for the service to be of value.

In August of last year, the company dropped prices to $9.95 per month and allowed for unlimited movies in the subscription period. MoviePass saw a massive surge in new subscriptions, as well as an increase in activity from its users. This price point couldn’t maintain itself, costing the company millions, with the service ultimately having to tweak its restrictions.

Currently, the service still costs $9.95, though the pass only covers a predetermined selection of six movies each day, and is only accepted at specific showtimes of those films at specific theaters. As compared to the unlimited service, MoviePass currently feels like a lottery for its subscribers who merely hope to see any movie within a certain timeframe, as opposed to planning ahead what they want to see and when.

Stay tuned for details on what changes the service will be making next.

What do you make of this email from the service? Let us know in the comments below!