Early project users cancel without explanation
11 posts across 5 communities in the last 90 days; 36% from r/SaaS.
“I’ve been thinking about cancellation surveys lately. Why do we ask a customer who joined 2 months ago the same questions as someone who’s been using the product for 2 years? They might both say “too expensive”, but the story behind that answer could be completely different. So…”
“Under your model were fans supposed to tip creators directly or were you an intermediary? If it was the latter, then unfortunately you'd need to implement a KYC/AML program. Kofi doesn't touch the money so they're fine, buymeacoffee does but they have a KYC program, and thus…”
“Pretty quick. One paid right away the other maybe a week? I haven't been launched for that long yet.”
A user highlights the frustration of Stripe cancellations, specifically noting that early project users often leave without providing a reason. They suggest direct founder outreach as an alternative to surveys.
SOURCES (20)
“Under your model were fans supposed to tip creators directly or were you an intermediary? If it was the latter, then unfortunately you'd need to implement a KYC/AML program. Kofi doesn't touch the money so they're fine, buymeacoffee does but they have a KYC program,…”
“Pretty quick. One paid right away the other maybe a week? I haven't been launched for that long yet.”
“The split between “used everything and still cancelled” vs “hit a failure and left” is useful. For the first group I’d ask one exit question about what they expected vs what they got; for the failures, fixing reliability before more traffic often beats another marketing push.”
“I’ve been thinking about cancellation surveys lately. Why do we ask a customer who joined 2 months ago the same questions as someone who’s been using the product for 2 years? They might both say “too expensive”, but the story behind that answer could be completely different. So I started thinking about what a cancellation flow could look like when it actually considers who is leaving. Made this little comparison 👇 https://preview.redd.it/6sxvy4peugph1.png?width=760&format=png&auto=webp&”
“I’ve been thinking about cancellation surveys lately. Why do we ask a customer who joined 2 months ago the same questions as someone who’s been using the product for 2 years? They might both say “too expensive”, but the story behind that answer could be completely different. So I started thinking about what a cancellation flow could look like when it actually considers who is leaving. Made this little comparison 👇 https://preview.redd.it/danntwzj1cph1.png?width=760&format=png&auto=webp&”
“For sure so sweet spot is less but specific options. Have cancellation flows based on plan type, persona(trial, paid), how old the account is, etc.”
“yes. mine was the signup wall sitting in front of the first result. moved it after, so you see one before anything asks you to sign up.”
“One cancel after a failed first command is actually a useful signal, not a reason to rewrite the whole week. She typed a question because that's how people talk. If the product only accepts instructions, the first screen has to show that, not assume they already know the syntax. The three clickable examples are the right move. I'd also make the failed command do something instead of dying. Even a "did you mean X" that runs one of those examples keeps the first session alive. Th”
“That spiral from one polite rejection is so real, and the session data digging is exactly what I would do. At least you turned it into onboarding fixes instead of just stewing on it, that is the part most people skip”
“Wasn't even a bad cancellation. She just said "not what I needed right now, will check back later" which is about as polite as rejection gets. But I kept replaying it. Two hours. She didn't even give it a real shot. Went and pulled up her session data out of pure anxiety. She'd opened the app, tried one command, it didn't do what she expected because she phrased it more like a question than an instruction, and she just closed it. That's when it hit me that I'd b”
“Big win on the first paid user — and the real lesson here is huge: people don’t come back for the idea; they come back for continuity.”
“Congrats on getting your first paying customer! That's a milestone a lot of founders dream about. It definitely hurts when they churn without feedback, but one canceled subscription doesn't necessarily mean the product isn't valuable. Keep talking to users, keep shipping improvements, and the next paying customer will likely teach you something new too. Good luck!”
“Congratulations, keep going! Even if customer cancleed their subscripiton, it is a big thing!”
“Congrats, that first Stripe ping is a real milestone. The no-reason cancel is the part that stings. Worth sending that user one short personal email asking what made them leave. Skip the survey tool, write it yourself. People who won't fill out forms will often answer a founder directly.”