a kick in the . . .

So, the good folks at 37signals today launched a new and improved version of their excellent online personal information manager, Backpack. 37signals offers several account options for Backpack, which they’ve reshuffled a bit with the revision, and if you had a $9 per month account, here’s the news for you: you get all the same options and resources you had before, though in improved versions with extra features, but you’ll now be charged $7 per month.

To this news one user replied: “My plan price was reduced from $9/month to the $7/month Solo plan, which is cool, but I can’t help but feel like I got kicked in the face. Touting all the new features, and not including them in ALL paid plans is not very nice.”

Now, let’s go over this: getting a new and improved version of something you’re already paying for at a reduced price is best described as getting kicked in the face? Okay . . . but what would have been the proper simile for your experience if, say, 37signals had raised your monthly rate by two bucks? “I can’t help but feel like I got irradiated for six consecutive weeks with weapons-grade plutonium”? “I can’t help but feel like I got slowly dismembered like one of those chicks in the Saw movies”? I need some help here.