People sometimes pay to subscribe to this site. I do not ask nor demand that they do. I have some premium content in preparation that I will offer them - fair is fair. But lately, I’m getting chargebacks and disputes from people who might not recognize Stripe on their accounts. Or they feel uncomfortable asking me to unsubscribe them or give them a refund.
The problem is that I get charged every time one is initiated. Substack charges me $15, no matter the outcome. They never side with the writer. They always side with the customer, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with their subscribing in the first place.
This is what that looks like:
It’s just so much easier to write to me directly. Or better yet, cancel your subscription yourself. Here is how you do it: You click on your profile at the top right. Then you click “manage subscription.” Then, you scroll all the way down to the bottom, where it says “cancel paid subscription.”
I don’t put my stuff behind a paywall, as so many writers do here, because I never did this to make money. I did it because I wanted to write and communicate things I could not on my other website or on social media. This allowed me to do what I love—writing honestly and from my heart. It always felt wrong to charge for that, but maybe it’s better to do that if it means less chargebacks and disputes, which add up over time. It’s just easier all around to send me an email: sashastone@gmail.com.
Thank you to everyone who subscribes and reads, paid or not, and to those who comment and make this a fun Substack for debate and deeper conversations. At least, I hope so. I will stop when or if it becomes more of a drag than a joy to run it. We’re all just making it up as we go along here…
I just upgraded to founding. Keep writing Sasha. Write… write like the wind!
Thank you for notifying us! I’ve reached a point where I always investigate those oddly named charges, because they’re never scams (so far), and once I figure it out I can have peace with those names. But more importantly, I would NEVER want to cancel your subscription. I look forward to your content, and even your Tucker content (though I listen to him on both sites) because it lets me know what you think is important. I’m so sorry you have been troubled by this confusing system.