Positive practices: Difference between revisions

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Positive practices are pro-consumer business approaches that prioritize the interests, rights, and well-being of customers. They are designed to empower consumers, offer fairness, transparency, and value:

*;Transparency

::Clearly disclosing pricing, terms, conditions, and product information upfront.

~~This page aims to provide an outline of what types of~~ products to invest in, in hopes of avoiding the pains potentially experienced by companies enacting poor consumer behaviors. While the main goal of this wiki is to articulate all instances where this doesn't happen, this page assists as an escape that may benefit you (the reader) and the overarching goal. The companies making anti-consumer decisions are primarily driven by the goal of capital and financial gain, so by re-allocating investments away from them to better options the ~~incentive to enact those negative policies lessens~~.

*;Fair value

::Offering products/services at reasonable prices that match the value provided.

~~==Things to watch out for==~~

*;Consumer control and choice

::Giving customers genuine options, easy cancellation, ownership rights, and repair ability.

*;Longevity and durability

::Designing products to last and be repairable, reducing waste and repeat costs.

*;Respectful support

::Providing accessible, helpful, and fair customer service to resolve issues.

==Examples==

{| class="wikitable"

|+Common Positive Practices

!Practice

!Description

|-

|One-Time Purchase

|Offering a product or service for a single payment with no recurring fees for core functionality

|-

|Right to Repair

|Designing products to be repairable, and making parts, tools, manuals and software accessible

|-

|Transparent Pricing

|Clearly displaying the full price (including all mandatory fees/taxes) upfront in advertising or early during checkout

|-

|Fair Return Policy

|Offering easy returns, exchanges, or refunds within a reasonable timeframe

|-

|Clear Cancellation Policy

|Making it simple and straightforward for consumers to cancel subscriptions without hoops

|-

|Ownership Model

|Ensuring consumers own what they purchase, including the ability to use, modify, resell, or transfer the product freely

|-

|Honest Marketing

|Providing accurate information about products.

|-

|Proactive Customer Support

|Offering readily available support to identify and resolve issues efficiently.

|}

----

===One-time purchase vs. subscription plan===

Subscription plans are usually cost-efficient in the short term, benefiting consumers who are unsure on a product and want to try it out. Many services exist exclusively under a subscription model and operate sensibly. One-time purchases are typically designed to operate cleanly and effectively for an extended period of time.

Subscription plans are usually cost-efficient in the short term, benefiting consumers who are unsure on a product and want to try it out. Many modern services exist exclusively under a subscription model and operate sensibly. One-time purchases are typically designed to operate cleanly and effectively for an extended period of time.

====Considerations for subscription plans====

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===Offline product vs. online services for digital goods===

Services that run exclusively online innately have more control over how their product operates and are received. This control can lead to changes in the product that can ~~be improved~~, but can also introduce ~~incompatibilities~~. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.

Services that run exclusively online innately allow the company to have more control over how their product operates and are received. This form of control can lead to changes in the product that can improve it, but can otherwise also introduce a myriad of issues such as incompatibility and the removal of functionality. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.

====Considersations for online services====

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*How likely am I to maintain an internet connection to this service?

*Can this service alter itself into an incompatible state? Can this service remove functionality that I need?

*Is this service distributed from a centralized organization?

**If so, is there legislation and effective enforcement in said organization's location that protects me from malicious practices with my data?

====Considerations for offline products====

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===Source availability===

Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[~~Security Through Obscurity~~|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.

Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[security through obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.

====Considerations for physical goods====

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*Does the product provide schematics?

*Are parts available?

**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who ~~does it~~.

**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who performs the repair.

*Are there anti-repair measures in place?

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{ToneWarning}}
+Positive practices are pro-consumer business approaches that prioritize the interests, rights, and well-being of customers. They are designed to empower consumers, offer fairness, transparency, and value:
+*;Transparency
+::Clearly disclosing pricing, terms, conditions, and product information upfront.
-This page aims to provide an outline of what types of products to invest in, in hopes of avoiding the pains potentially experienced by companies enacting poor consumer behaviors. While the main goal of this wiki is to articulate all instances where this doesn't happen, this page assists as an escape that may benefit you (the reader) and the overarching goal. The companies making anti-consumer decisions are primarily driven by the goal of capital and financial gain, so by re-allocating investments away from them to better options the incentive to enact those negative policies lessens.
+*;Fair value
+::Offering products/services at reasonable prices that match the value provided.
-==Things to watch out for==
+*;Consumer control and choice
+::Giving customers genuine options, easy cancellation, ownership rights, and repair ability.
+*;Longevity and durability
+::Designing products to last and be repairable, reducing waste and repeat costs.
+*;Respectful support
+::Providing accessible, helpful, and fair customer service to resolve issues.
+==Examples==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+Common Positive Practices
+!Practice
+!Description
+|-
+|One-Time Purchase
+|Offering a product or service for a single payment with no recurring fees for core functionality
+|-
+|Right to Repair
+|Designing products to be repairable, and making parts, tools, manuals and software accessible
+|-
+|Transparent Pricing
+|Clearly displaying the full price (including all mandatory fees/taxes) upfront in advertising or early during checkout
+|-
+|Fair Return Policy
+|Offering easy returns, exchanges, or refunds within a reasonable timeframe
+|-
+|Clear Cancellation Policy
+|Making it simple and straightforward for consumers to cancel subscriptions without hoops
+|-
+|Ownership Model
+|Ensuring consumers own what they purchase, including the ability to use, modify, resell, or transfer the product freely
+|-
+|Honest Marketing
+|Providing accurate information about products.
+|-
+|Proactive Customer Support
+|Offering readily available support to identify and resolve issues efficiently.
+|}
+----
 ===One-time purchase vs. subscription plan===
-Subscription plans are usually cost-efficient in the short term, benefiting consumers who are unsure on a product and want to try it out. Many services exist exclusively under a subscription model and operate sensibly. One-time purchases are typically designed to operate cleanly and effectively for an extended period of time.
+Subscription plans are usually cost-efficient in the short term, benefiting consumers who are unsure on a product and want to try it out. Many modern services exist exclusively under a subscription model and operate sensibly. One-time purchases are typically designed to operate cleanly and effectively for an extended period of time.
 ====Considerations for subscription plans====
@@ Line 18: / Line 61: @@
 ===Offline product vs. online services for digital goods===
-Services that run exclusively online innately have more control over how their product operates and are received. This control can lead to changes in the product that can be improved, but can also introduce incompatibilities. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.
+Services that run exclusively online innately allow the company to have more control over how their product operates and are received. This form of control can lead to changes in the product that can improve it, but can otherwise also introduce a myriad of issues such as incompatibility and the removal of functionality. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.
 ====Considersations for online services====
@@ Line 27: / Line 70: @@
 *How likely am I to maintain an internet connection to this service?
 *Can this service alter itself into an incompatible state? Can this service remove functionality that I need?
+*Is this service distributed from a centralized organization?
+**If so, is there legislation and effective enforcement in said organization's location that protects me from malicious practices with my data?
 ====Considerations for offline products====
@@ Line 35: / Line 80: @@
 ===Source availability===
-Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[Security Through Obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.
+Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[security through obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.
 ====Considerations for physical goods====
@@ Line 41: / Line 86: @@
 *Does the product provide schematics?
 *Are parts available?
-**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who does it.
+**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who performs the repair.
 *Are there anti-repair measures in place?