imgur.com

 

this has been going around quite a few of the forums, I have already sent a letter, basically they ruined every HOW TO that I wrote for my Harley Davidson sites.. wouldn't have been so bad if they gave us notice so we could migrate to another photo hosting site but they didn't.. by not giving any type of warning and then wanting $400 or a fee of $40 per month to repair the 3rd party links it is tantamount to EXTORTION ...
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file a complaint with the Colorado state AGs office which is where they are based SO

If you want to see that Photobucket gets what it deserves, write to:

Colorado Office of the Attorney General
Criminal Justice
Ralph L Carr Colorado Judicial Center
1300 Broadway, 9th Floor
Denver, CO 80203

I'm sure that the Attorney General's office would like to hear about the criminal unfair business practice and extortion.
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It is unfortunate. On one site I frequent, several users have reported build threads they have on other forums are all dark, due to the hot-linking issue. However, this will not fall under the purview of the AG for extortion or any type of criminal act.

It's interesting how some people in this thread reported not having experienced any problems, yet it seems like it has been a domino effect where threads are displaying the hot-linking image on a daily basis. It may have taken time for the update to their servers to propagate.

 

well we will see what the AG decides.. to charge $40 per month or a yearly fee of $400 to get your links back WITH NO WARNING that they were going to do this is dirty and underhanded... at minimum there should have been a 90 day warning so people could migrate to a different host.. with no warning and only the $400/$40 option IT IS extortion not only in my book but a great many others that have been posting on the web about their tactics..

 

They were providing a free service, which they now want to charge for. It isn't extortion, is just poor business practice, which, unfortunately, isn't illegal.

 

But if enough people quit their service over this they will be forced to change or go obsolete.

 

Got an email notification today. 40 bucks a month for 3rd party hosting. Time to move.

 

I think most people understand this of course being inundated with the pop up ads the tossed at you every time they should have paid us..


the argument millions of us have is the NO WARNING!! they just pulled the plug and said you want 3rd party linking you will have to pay $40 a month or $400 per year.. THIS IS THE ISSUE WE HAVE and why it cant hurt to file with your states AG and the Colorado AG....

 

You would be more likely to get some action from the folks at Photobucket if you simply downloaded all your photos, then closed your account. If they see users fleeing by the thousands, they might get the hint.

 

Legal Definition of Extortion:Extortion
The obtaining of property from another induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.
Under the Common Law, extortion is a misdemeanor consisting of an unlawful taking of money by a government officer. It is an oppressive misuse of the power with which the law clothes a public officer.Most jurisdictions have statutes governing extortion that broaden the common-law definition. Under such statutes, any person who takes money or property from another by means of illegal compulsion may be guilty of the offense. When used in this sense, extortion is synonymous with blackmail, which is extortion by a private person. In addition, under some statutes a corporation may be liable for extortion.

Just because you and other people "consider this to be extortion" does not mean that is true. No one is taking your property and demanding remuneration. Everyone with a free account is free to keep use the site for hosting. The fee is being charged for Hotlinking.

Photobucket alternatives for third-party hosted images
At which time did you thoroughly read the Terms and Conditions of the service agreement? Have you been diligent in reading each update to those terms? I will bet there has always been a clause which states that Photobucket can, at any time, enact fees or modify features of the free account.

This is why people should ALWAYS read any and all contracts they sign.

Surprising Things Lurking in Terms of Service

10 Ridiculous EULA Conditions

Terms of Service: Didn't Read

So, what kind of recourse does an end user have?

1. Pay the subscription fee
2. Continue using the account but not hotlink
3. Move to a different free hosting service
4. Buy server space for cheap