I don't remember where, but once I read an article saying something like "If Space-X can have price calculator right on their side, so can your shitty SaaS solution."
Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
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Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#12This practice is to enable suppliers to perform "value based pricing" i.e. adapt their price according to how much you want / need their offer.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#13You shouldn't call them and find something else. It's a money grab.
Yes it is a money grab, but there are industries where every player does this, so you have no choice but to play their game if you want in.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#14Absolutely. Try to imagine how much different the world would be if, for instance, job listings were required to post their compensation exactly.
I've gotten multiple jobs in life where I was able to negotiate a much larger salary then they had intended to pay due to being of more worth to them once they interviewed me.
So that would be done away with? No thanks. I'm happy that people have varying skillsets and that employers can pay more or less for a posting based on the person they choose.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#15Yes, this means the business model is based on extracting whatever they can get from you.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#16Absolutely. Try to imagine how much different the world would be if, for instance, job listings were required to post their compensation exactly.
I prefer ranges. Not all candidates are same even for the same job. If I hire an A player, I may give them a bit more to sweeten the deal. If I hire a B player (who is good enough for the role but is not an A player so far), I would negotiate the compensation a little early on as long as it is something the candidate B accepts.
Range gives you the floor (if they are honest). Let's say the range is 65k-85K, then its fair game to say that the best candidate may get 85K but a good enough may only get 65K or say 70K. Also as a candidate if you are looking for 100K min, you know this position is not for you.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#17Can you clarify a bit more ? Are you saying you call these companies and they just give you a price for Item X without asking you any questions ? Are you saying it is a commodity product/service that has no variation at all depending on your needs ?
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#18Absolutely. Try to imagine how much different the world would be if, for instance, job listings were required to post their compensation exactly.
I prefer ranges. Not all candidates are same even for the same job. If I hire an A player, I may give them a bit more to sweeten the deal. If I hire a B player (who is good enough for the role but is not an A player so far), I would negotiate the compensation a little early on as long as it is something the candidate B accepts. Range gives you the floor (if they are honest). Let's say the range is 65k-85K, then its f…
I’ve never understood this logic, can’t you just create different roles?
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#19Wow! A lot of fast replies here without much substance.
"A dark pattern is "a user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying overpriced insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills"."[0]
By this definition, no, it's not a dark pattern. It may be a pricing strategy that you don't like, but not a dark pattern. It's an invitation to start a full discussion with the vendor about what you're trying to achieve.
Usually, you'll see "Contact Us" on the pricing page for enterprise services. If you're an enterprise buyer, you usually have lots of people on your team who want different things. You might have special requirements for your industry. You probably need to sign a contract for special provisions or services.
Or maybe the vendor is in a new market and they're trying to learn about their customers with an MVP. How many times have you seen the recommendation here on HN to set up a landing page and add a button that says "Email me if you're interested"? Same idea.
Re: Ask HN: Is “contact us for pricing” a dark pattern?
#20As others have said, it's an old sales tactic that benefits the seller. You'll see it mostly in places where:
1. There's not much competition for the product, so the seller has no reason to compete on price and make things easy to compare
2. The sales process / cycle for that industry requires so many stakeholders and agreements etc that pre-committing to a price range up front is just an unnecessary handicap. They'll be in negotiations with numerous executives with a prospective buyer potentially for years before getting a signature. In these situations the buyer is not a naive consumer, they're a corporation that can take care of themselves and giving out the price is a free point in that game.
3. They haven't sold anything yet. They are still in the research phase and are feeling out what people might pay.