Right. Consoles can’t be sold at a loss and stores never sell things at a loss at a sale because they make it back with other products that are sold at the same time…
It is very possible that if not enough people buy the subscription they will be at a loss.
However, I understand it from a business standpoint.
Cars are usually good quality now. They will probably last 15 years or more. Which means manufacturers are their own competition now. Not to mention that China is making some pretty cheap and impressive cars too.
So how does a brand keep existing? Extracting more value out of the customers they have. And hope that this minor thing isn’t enough to make them buy a different car. Or hope other brands do the same thing so it doesn’t matter.
I think on expensive brand cars, the buyers usually can afford a subscription. Odds are they also have a strong preference for a brand so they are not very likely to switch.
So for a Mercedes, Audi, Bentley, BMW etc I understand why they think they can get away with it.
I just hate it with a passion and will never ever go with it unless I literally don’t have a choice. My car, I paid for it. Want me to pay extra to build an extra option? Fine, but it is a one time fee of the cost of building that option on the car. If it does not require anything that is a returning cost to the seller, I am not paying a returning fee.
Vote with your wallet and the bullshit will eventually disappear.
I don’t believe it is worth it. You’re much better off keeping your data off the Internet in the first place.
The problem is, if you employ a service like that:
It is a cost that returns every month.
What happens with your data? You have to give your data to the company so they know what to remove. Can you imagine what happens if they are hacked? Would they even tell their customers? Or just keep quite? They have everything you don’t want the Internet to know in one location, not only for you, but a lot of users. It’s a target, for sure.
For me, it’s not worth it. I keep minimal info out in public. I don’t have social media. If I Google myself, I find nothing. So why would I pay for a service that I don’t need?
Can you even see what data a service like that removes? And how often?
Now, if you know your data is on the Internet and it’s being used you may consider it. But it’s probably to late already. The people using your data already have it, and may sell it to their scamming buddies too. There’s not much a company can do about that.