Also, if you're using WORD on a subscription Microsoft will have automatically updated you to the new premium, more expensive version with AI for next time you resubscribe. If you go to your subscriptions the non AI one is still there at the same price but you have to manually swap it back. - ThreadSky

rjbarker.bsky.social • 37 days ago

Also, if you're using WORD on a subscription Microsoft will have automatically updated you to the new premium, more expensive version with AI for next time you resubscribe.

If you go to your subscriptions the non AI one is still there at the same price but you have to manually swap it back.

Comments

aknighton.bsky.social•37 days ago

Where did you find the option to go back to the old subscription? I've been looking all ovver the account management section and can't find it.

jamesbennett.bsky.social•37 days ago

Apparently this is only for monthly subscriptions. A friend with an annual subscription had the same problem.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

Mine's annual. You have to go to 'turn off recurring billing.'

jamesbennett.bsky.social•37 days ago

ok I'll pass it on.

ddalglish.com•37 days ago

Currently you have to cancel, and then they finally reveal the old price to try to keep you from leaving.

aknighton.bsky.social•37 days ago

Tried that, but they still didn't offer me the old price. I've still got eleven months paid on my current rate though, so I'll leave it cancelled for a bit and see if they get in touch.

ddalglish.com•37 days ago

Aah that's it, I believe. I think it needs to run out first.

aknighton.bsky.social•37 days ago

Makes sense. Mine renewed for a year in December, so it looks like I've just missed this nonsense affecting me for another eleven months. I've sent them feedback, will see if they have anything to say about it.

jrberkeley.bsky.social•37 days ago

I'm in the same boat as you - have turned off subscription renewal and will keep an eye on it.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

You have to go into 'Turn off recurring billing.' Then it gives you the option.

ddalglish.com•37 days ago

Did you buy a year in advance? Because I had, and I was given no option upon cancelling. I've still got like eight months at the old price, tho.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

Might be a UK thing?

aknighton.bsky.social•37 days ago

I wondered about that, but if you and I aren't seeing the same thing when we're both in Leeds, it's probably not even regional. More likely about where you're at in the billing cycle, or maybe they're doing A/B testing of how people respond to different options.

chrismason.bsky.social•37 days ago

Thanks, this worked for me.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

You have to go into 'Turn off recurring billing.' Then it gives you the option.

trailofleaves.bsky.social•37 days ago

I didn't get the option either (I've still got a couple of months left until renewal), and had to contact support. You have to be quite insistent, but they do eventually offer to manually switch your subscription over to Classic.

shaunduke.net•37 days ago

This makes me want to stab something.

sawcat.bsky.social•37 days ago

Mine doesn't renew until the fall. Will have to see if I can get this done now

threadsaplenty.bsky.social•37 days ago

Or just use Libre Office, which is free, and fabulous.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

But not the industry standard.

threadsaplenty.bsky.social•37 days ago

You can literally save everything in Office format.

richardclegg.bsky.social•37 days ago

Libreoffice just doesn't play nicely with word unfortunately. It is ok for the basics but anything complex and it is a world of hurt.
If you are not collaborating or sending your work to others it is fine though.

threadsaplenty.bsky.social•37 days ago

So someone else has already explained. As I said, I use large Calc/Excel files in a regular collaborative way without any issue.

richardclegg.bsky.social•37 days ago

It isn't large that is the problem so much as complex. The basics work just fine. Libreoffice will open many GB of data in just the same way and formulae as well. Unfortunately I get a bunch of spreadsheets that have complex rules which just kills it. Likely deliberate on the MS end.

adrienneleigh.bsky.social•37 days ago

LibreOffice does NOT play well with Word when you're working on long documents with change tracking. Formatting gets messed up everywhere as the document goes back & forth between Word/LO. That means it's completely fucking useless for authors dealing with publisher workflows.

threadsaplenty.bsky.social•37 days ago

Ah, that's a shame because it really handles spreadsheets and Excel seamlessly.

adrienneleigh.bsky.social•37 days ago

It's a drop-in replacement for a lot of use cases! But not even slightly for book publishing! (And "just switch to X" is very seldom something you should drop into a stranger's mentions to say; you should, in general, assume that people know something about their own needs.)

jonathanlhoward.bsky.social•37 days ago

Thanks for the warning. It was due to renew tomorrow, so I was just in time. The price points were identical, but I still opted out of the AI on principle.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

Just a heads up, for the Uk version at least. You have to go to 'Turn off recurring billing' and it will give you the option. So if you're paying monthly am not sure what option you get.

jamesbennett.bsky.social•37 days ago

You get classic or basic options. I went for basic, because MS peed me off. It cost them £5 a month.

nibus.bsky.social•37 days ago

Thanks - this is the option for 365 Family in the UK

trailofleaves.bsky.social•37 days ago

That is...interesting. Because they're charging me more than that to renew my 365 Personal, which you'd think would be cheaper!

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

MS 'Hey friend, how about you pay more for this thing you don't want? Cool right? I know, I'll just do it for you.'

'No.'

MS 'Oh, wow. Rude.'

dazza1639.bsky.social•37 days ago

Just switch to open office, it’s free, open source and does 90% of what word does.

rjbarker.bsky.social•37 days ago

OO hasn't been supported for quite a while. Libre Office is the updated version and its pretty good to a point. Sadly, both tend to fall over when you get to heavily annotated documents and Word is the industry standard.

hawkwinglb.bsky.social•37 days ago

If only LibreOffice played better with Word's track changes.

ianallwyn.bsky.social•37 days ago

Thanks for the heads up! Might just buy the one off older version…

ynsenwrites.bsky.social•37 days ago

Ah, that's why the price changed!

emmaladams12.bsky.social•37 days ago

Oof, mine renews in a couple of weeks so I'm really glad I saw this!

sahuntbooks.com•37 days ago

So I tried the super vague suggestions in this thread and managed to only cancel my Word subscription.

Luckily I don't need Word right now, but hopefully I can still get it at the $7 price point in the future.

richardclegg.bsky.social•37 days ago

Older versions already used AI (grammar and spellchecking) but did not market this as heavily.

trailofleaves.bsky.social•37 days ago

Tried to swap it through turning off recurring billing, but it didn't offer me the option, and I got nothing to tell me of this excessive 30% price hike. Maybe I needed to wait until the renwal notice came through...?

trailofleaves.bsky.social•37 days ago

Now they're offering me 1 month free.

Nope.

Their move.

trailofleaves.bsky.social•37 days ago

I did the maths, and it was actually a 42% price hike, so I contacted support, and lo and behold, after some negotiation, they are offering me a Classic subscription now.

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