Seems Photobucket just committed suicide.

[leeor_net]

For those of you who are unaware, Photobucket recently required users to pay $400 to be able to share their photos online. Now, I've never liked photobucket and in recent years they've gone downhill very, very fast. But this is a kiss of death.

Worse still, users (who weren't notified despite PB insisting that they let everybody know this was happening) can't get their photos back unless they pay. E.g., Photobucket literally is holding people's images for ransom.

Scum.

Glad I never used them to any extent. There are literally hundreds of other image hosting websites available.

Goodbye, Photobucket. We never really liked you and now we hate you.

[White Claw]

Wow, that's a pretty jerk move. Although one article I read said folks could still log in and get their pics without paying. I don't have an account, so can't verify either way.

I guess the problem with any service is they can pretty much change the terms whenever they feel like, and it's pretty easy to sneak it past most customers (ala social media).

[leeor_net]

... Although one article I read said folks could still log in and get their pics without paying. ...

I've read that too but I've also read a lot of comments of upset users who can't get their images back without paying them some amount of money first. So... I'm not sure which is true. Thankfully I never had any pics with them.

[Hooman]

I suspect the not being able to get your pics back without paying thing was a knee-jerk reaction from upset people who assumed the worst. When you're upset, it's very easy to misread things and assume a problem is bigger than it actually is, or to exaggerate about someone's shortcomings when you're angry with them. At least that was the sense I got reading the comments.

At any rate, it still sounds like a bit of a jerk move to surprise people with such a change. Seems like the change was badly managed. My guess is, there's a money problem at the company, and they need to do something fast. On the extreme end, if they shutdown, then everybody loses all their pictures, with no recourse at all.

I've never used them. Glad I'm not affected by this.