- This topic has 92 replies, 44 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 4 months ago by
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After yet another ‘upgrade’, the RP appear to have all their ducks in a row – to charge for access, if not to provide as useful a service as they did 9 months ago.
Story here:
http://www.racingpost.com/horses/home.sd?story=600159‘Members’ will have to pay for access to much of the content from next week, even though they still cannot produce a legible racecard, and useful features such as foreign standard times and comparisons have got lost altogether during the ‘enhancements’.
As a tool, I still find their website second to none, but am reluctant to pay for something poorer than was previously availabe free.
Will you pay the new charges, and if not, what will you use?Will wait and see. Wouldn’t pay any more than a tenner a month for it. Interesting that one of the sites best features imo, the Live Reporter isn’t mentioned as an item they will be charging for.
I have responded wait and see but my initial reaction is "no"
Of the 23 items listed only one, possibly two, is of any interest to me.
I have absolutely no interest in any of the tipping or bloodstock sections, nor on spotlight, RPR and all that stuff.
The only ones I would use are the News Archive and, very occasionally, Racing Business News
It would seem the RP betting forecasts will remain free-to-view (unless they’re included under Spotlight) and as they’re all I need from the rag I won’t be subscribing.
The only surprise is that charging hasn’t arrived sooner. For all its upgrade faults the RP database remains a damn good resource and those who rely on it as their chosen formbook shouldn’t really complain about paying for the privilege
As I recall mentioning before, if I were to subscribe then I would expect all the gaudy advertising banners to be removed from the ‘members club’ site: I’m paying therefore RP you have no need for revenue from garish, annoying and distracting adverts
In answer to "what will you use" I’ve long paid much, much more for Computer Timeform, hence I have no need for the RP
They giveth and they taketh. Yesterday on the racecard page you could hover over a link to a race and a pop up tool-tip would tell you it was eg a 2yo race. Today if you do same you have no idea if that maiden is for 2yo, 3yo or 3yo+ unless you click and progress to the race page iteself.
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Suggest you put your complaints here, where LeeMac has indicated he may be able to help:
http://www.theracingforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=77909I’m prepared to fork out for an online resource – it just won’t be with the Racing Post, because the peripheral shi*te is something I can, and do, manage without.
I want access to an online form database – nothing more.
No write-ups, no race analyses, no Spotlights, no ratings service, no tips and no news – I only want the form database.
Can anyone point me in the direction of such a beast?
Have you tried this Grasshopper.
Interesting site, Cav.
Are you a member yourself, and if so, is it any good i.e. is the form d/b comprehensive?
No chance of me paying for it either, though I’ll miss the succinct post-race analysis.
ATR website it shall be.
Are you a member yourself, and if so, is it any good i.e. is the form d/b comprehensive?
I’m not Grass. I look in there from time to time, its been going for a while now and they are continually improving it. The bloke who runs it seems to be enthusiastic and helpful, he could probably answer all your questions.
If noone on here will pay for it, you’ve got to ask who will?
Personally I would pay- even though I have RI, i’m so used to form study with the RP I’d find it difficult to change. Of course it depends on the cost- as a daily buyer of the paper version I’d object to paying a lot more- wonder if technology exists to give regular purchasers of the newspaper a discount or free access?
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