Last week, we told you about Cardo’s plans for the new Packtalk Custom. This new comm comes with basic functionality usable at time of purchase, but to use more advanced features, you must pay a monthly or annual fee.
Response to that plan was mixed—some people understood the idea of not paying for features they didn’t want anyway, while other consumers were rigidly opposed to the idea of an ongoing fee to use the comms’ more advanced features. Cardo’s previous comms were sold with a “You get what you pay for” business model. If you bought a cheaper comm, you had less features. If you bought a more expensive comm, you had more features. Either way, you gotexactly what that comm was capable of, unless a firmware update improved your device (which was the case sometimes).
In response to all the negative reactions, we get this PR from Cardo today:
STATEMENT FROM CARDO SYSTEMS REGARDING PACKTALK CUSTOM LAUNCH
Last week Cardo Systems launched the all-new Packtalk Custom. At $269, it’s by far the most affordable Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC)-enabled communicator we have ever created. It’s also the most cost effective way for consumers to enjoy the superior performance and 15 person group-networking benefits of the world’s best motorcycle Mesh technology.
We’ve received consumer questions and feedback revealing confusion, and misinformation, that Cardo Systems is moving to a monthly subscription model. That is not the case. Our product platforms remain anchored in a singular price point, for a specific set of service features, and not subject to, or reliant on, any monthly service fees.
The Packtalk Custom platform, from conception, is designed to offer a basic set of features with premium DMC mesh at entry level price point. Additional premium features can be activated for a short-term period of a single month, or longer term if that’s what the consumer desires. This means that consumers have the ability to upgrade, short- or long-term, to additional features they may desire, without having to buy an entirely different product in order to do so. That said, the stock feature-set includes all the essentials functionality for most usage scenarios without needing to ever upgrade.
At Cardo Systems, we maintain unwavering commitment to riders, providing the widest range of products and services on the market today, and simultaneously serving up the highest level of choice and flexibility to our customers. And that is the entire motivation for Packtalk Custom – to expand accessibility to DMC technology at a lower price point, while still enabling those Packtalk Custom users the flexibility to upgrade and enjoy a wider range of features, if and when they so desire.
ADVers shouldn’t be confused, as our original write-uphereincluded Cardo’s PR, word-for-word, explaining their plan costs. Depending how long you use the device, and which plan you go for, the Custom can be more expensive than last year’s Edge modelin the long run. But if you only ride three months a year and only opt for a short term plan, perhaps you can save money.
