InstaMember for a membership site?

84 replies
Hi Warriors,
I got an email today about special offer for InstaMember. It's a Wordpress plug in that allows you to run membership sites. The price looks appealing ($27 for a single site) in comparison to other membership site plug ins and scripts I've seen recommended.

I'm wondering if anyone has checked out or used InstaMember and can provide any feedback.

Thanks!
#instamember #membership #site
  • Profile picture of the author dogreene
    I just bought it, as the price seemed too good to pass up. I watched a few YouTube vids on it and it seemed like a competent program.

    But it'd be nice to hear from somebody who's actually used it and can offer an unbiased opinion about it.
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      Originally Posted by dogreene View Post

      I just bought it, as the price seemed too good to pass up. I watched a few YouTube vids on it and it seemed like a competent program.

      But it'd be nice to hear from somebody who's actually used it and can offer an unbiased opinion about it.
      I'm leaning towards the multi-site license, it seemed like a good deal as well. Let me know as you go along if you like the plug in.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamtan
    I've also just purchased the InstaMember as I'm launching a product/WSO soon. Before that, I was just completing my site with MemberRocket which I was quite happy at the speed of setting it up. But the features for InstaMember make it impossible for me to pass it.

    I'm leaning toward InstaMember because of its features. But I'm a bit confused about setting up the Member Home (ie. as WordPress page). MemberRocket set up the Member Home area for you while for InstaMember, we've got to create/design the Member Home? Anyway, I've just submitted ticket to InstaMember's support.

    Secondly, I've tried to install the wp-launch and InstaBeauty themes (bonus) but both gives me installation error ie. missing style.css.

    But I do like InstaMember features on restricting IP logging in and 1-click upsell ... hopefully their support can resolve the issues I'm facing.
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    • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
      ~~~~~~~~
      7/26 Update: Due to terrible support and many software bugs, as an InstaMember customer I do not recommend purchasing InstaMember. Others in this thread are experiencing bugs.

      8/1 Update: Instamember told me they will be giving a refund, but they have delayed and delayed... so far no refund, just games. Very disappointed in Suzanna.
      ~~~~~~~~

      Date: June 26, 2013

      Got to play with the InstaMember demo, in the JV area.
      Here's my take.
      1. InstaMember: $27 is just a hook. Most buyers will pay $47 or $97.

        Here's why. At purchase time, when choosing $27 for single site license, or $47 for multi-site license, I'm pretty certain the majority of buyers will go for the $47. (especially after seeing that notice that the software will soon sell for a few hundred bucks)

        Myself I expect to pay $97 (yikes!) because something that should be included in the multi-site license (viral coupon module) is only available with the OTO upgrade to a Developer License. And God knows what other features they held back and are only available in the Developers License. (guess I'll find out when I hit their OTO page!)

        Quick rant: Normally, a Developer License simply adds rights to use software in websites you create for clients, and for flipping, etc. So I say it's rather sneaky and uncool for InstaMember to hold back features from the single and multi-site license, and force us to shell out almost 50 bucks more for a developer license. Not fair.

      2. WishList and DAP have loads more Features

        InstaMember, "Where's the beef?"

        7/1 Update: Purchased InstaMember today, and it's so easy that I'm willing to use it, and forgo some features present only in Wishlist and DAP.

      3. InstaMember can issue software keys to customers

        (haven't seen that feature in WishList or DAP)

      4. InstaMember has visual setup of Upsell/Downsell tree. Nice!

        With WishList and DAP, setting up Upsells & Downsells is more manual. Okay, so upsell/downnsell tree setup might take a little longer with WishList and DAP, but it's just a one-time thing then I don't have to do it ever again. InstaMember's visual interface for setting up the upsell/downsell tree is very easy.

      5. InstaMember's Admin area is prettier than WishList and DAP

        I won't pay extra for it, but I do love a nice, tight, easy to navigate Admin area. Makes setup and changes a snap.

      6. InstaMember's Content Drip is very basic. Dap's rocks.

      7. WishList and DAP support Authorize.net. (InstaMember does not)

        When your business clicks and you start selling a lot, you'll want to get a Visa/MC merchant account, enabling you to pay significantly lower transaction fees, compared to using Paypal, Clickbank and other third-party processors. Your credit card merchant account will most likely use Authorize.net as the gateway.

        7/1 Update: Purchased InstaMember today, and it's so easy that I'm willing to use it instead of DAP, and forgo using Authorize.net (i.e. forgo accepting Visa/MC/Discover directly) an important feature present in DAP but not InstaMember.

      8. InstaMember has unknown WordPress theme & plugin compatibility.

        WishList and DAP have been around a while, therefore many third-party themes and plugins have already evolved and resolved their software conflicts with DAP and WishLlist. It took a year before the author of the theme (that I use for most sites) fixed some issues to work with DAP. InstaMember is a brand new kid on the block, so I'm afraid that if I purchase it now, some of my existing WP themes and plugins will have conflicts, so I'll be on various helpdesks making feature/bugfix requests, and waiting waiting waiting for new upgrade releases that play well with InstaMember. On the other hand, I may get lucky and my theme and 22 plugins will all work properly with InstaMember.

      9. All 3 platforms (InstaMember, WishList and DAP) are authored and supported by freakin' competent people. Software Gurus to say the least.

      10. All 3 platforms (InstaMember, WishList and DAP) are authored and supported by a home-based business.

        So if I build 8 membership sites using any of those platforms, and the software author's company goes out of business, or author becomes ill in the hospital for a long time, or dies, or accepts a $100k job offer at Apple, or whatever, then my entire online income is dinked virtually overnight. ....I bring this up because that's exactly what once happened to me. Paid decently for a membership platform which started to become incompatible with new versions of php plus it's built-in tools (used by my paying members) stopped working when Yahoo and Google made internal changes. The author's website disappeared. I finally tracked the author down. Told me he was hired by a (famous) company, high salary and working overtime hours, and was not interested in supporting his old software. Yes folks, things like that do happen. Heck, my bank Washington Mutual, one of the largest in the world, went out of business (they closed their doors one morning without prior notice to customers) so certainly a small home-based business can eventually go under, right? Food for thought.

        7/1 Update: Purchased InstaMember today, so new bullet point...

      11. InstaMember = Easy Setup .... DAP = Difficult setup

        InstaMember: Setting up a membership site seems very painless. DAP: I have yet to launch a site using DAP because the setup is so complicated--even after paying a few hundred bucks for their telephone-based training (mandatory IHMO), I still feel like I'm in another country and can barely speak the native language. Granted, DAP is very powerful and feature-rich, but unless you are a techno-geek, it's gonna be difficult to setup and use. But I still love DAP, because it does everything. ... Bottom line though, this morning I'm using InstaMember (because it's so easy) to setup 2 different domains with sales funnels, plus a WSO product delivery area, plus 2 membership site's that I've had "on hold" because setup was previously too difficult. I'm still a DAP fan though, and will use it for something in the future.

      Summary: (1) The winner for most features is Wishlist and DAP. But they have large learning curve. Setup is difficult and I've been intimidated by DAP so haven't yet launched a DAP-based website. IMHO you must purchase DAP's $200 add-on service with telephone based training, and even after that, implementing DAP seems to always be an uphill battle. (2) The winner for ease of use is InstaMember. Bottom line for me is this: Today I'm setting up a handful of InstaMember-based websites, whereas with DAP I've been "stuck" on a project for over 6 months and now I'm faced with paying for another year of DAP support. So I'm willing to sacrifice features and go with the system that I can actually put to use, InstaMember. Love love love DAP, but at the end of the day, the one I'm actually using is InstaMember.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/26 Update: Due to terrible support and many software bugs, as an InstaMember customer I do not recommend purchasing InstaMember.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/29 Update: Many others have reported problems and bugs. (in this thread)

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/29 Update: Refund requested

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/30 Update: Instamember not responding to Refund request

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/30 Update: Instamember says refund okay but cannot issue it until they transfer the issue to another person to handle.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      7/31 Update: Instamember still STALLING the refund.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      8/1 Update: Instamember still STALLING the refund.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      8/2 Update: Instamember no longer responding.

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      8/3 Update: Instamember no longer responding.
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      • Profile picture of the author celestmark
        Thank you very much for such a detailed overview! You've given lots of food-for-thought here.

        I couldn't get a response about plug-in compatibility from the sales string (too busy selling) and am still considering a purchase!

        UPDATE: I also purchased (full Dev deal) and love the simplicity. I did setup a basic test site on a sub-domain. Shoot a PM if you want the link and admin logon to try this baby out!

        it's very sweet to finally have a membership plugin that doesn't take me a month just to get my feet wet!

        Trish, please let me know when you get your sites going, I'm interested in what you have to offer as the review was impressive and shows real marketing savvy!
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    • Profile picture of the author treasures4u
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      • Profile picture of the author Juana411
        I bought the multi-user license on 6/24. I sent in a support ticket the same day and haven't heard a word from them. not a good sign......
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        • Profile picture of the author williamtan
          The lack of support for my ticket 5 days back got no response too. Sighed.

          Originally Posted by Juana411 View Post

          I bought the multi-user license on 6/24. I sent in a support ticket the same day and haven't heard a word from them. not a good sign......
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          • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
            Originally Posted by treasures4u View Post

            I just bought instamember too. I emailed about instathemes not working and was sent back to download again. it said it installed correctly but i haven't gone past that.. good to see there are others with the same problems. will come back to see what others say as well and between us all we'll get it going!
            thanks!
            I originally installed their theme, but I was having issues with it as well. What I went ahead and did was I installed Optimize Press as the theme and used InstaMember for the membership plugin. Works like a charm and is much better looking than the Instatheme in my opinion.

            Originally Posted by Juana411 View Post

            I bought the multi-user license on 6/24. I sent in a support ticket the same day and haven't heard a word from them. not a good sign......
            Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

            The lack of support for my ticket 5 days back got no response too. Sighed.
            I agree. The lack of support is terrible, especially when the product was just released.
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            • Profile picture of the author sweetbribes
              Thank you, Trish, for the detailed review. I wish more people would come back after their purchase and experience to leave reviews like that for WSOs. Some do, but most don't seem to do so.

              Also, thank you to the rest of you who have left feedback so far about the lack of support that you have experienced. I have to admit, that's a deal-breaker for me if I learn about it ahead of time - really depends on how inexpensive the product/service is as to whether I will take my chances. Thanks again, all!

              Sadie
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              • Profile picture of the author Marian
                InstaMember is a wonderful piece of software. It's got many good features although you may not use all of them

                I installed it without any problems. I just wish their PDFs should be more detailed because lots of things are missing - after you watch the detailed videos you'll find out!

                Now if you compare InstaMember to WishList, DAP, etc.. features vs price - InstaMember is a real winner! There's no doubt about it.

                I wish they had fast support, but cannot comment on it more since I didn't need any help yet.

                Marian
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                • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
                  Originally Posted by sweetbribes View Post

                  Thank you, Trish, for the detailed review. I wish more people would come back after their purchase and experience to leave reviews like that for WSOs. Some do, but most don't seem to do so.

                  Also, thank you to the rest of you who have left feedback so far about the lack of support that you have experienced. I have to admit, that's a deal-breaker for me if I learn about it ahead of time - really depends on how inexpensive the product/service is as to whether I will take my chances. Thanks again, all!

                  Sadie
                  Hey Sadie, just thought I should give an update on the support issues. I was having trouble connecting my PayPal account with the website, so I opened a ticket early Monday morning (like 2 AM Pacific time). I was pleased to see when I woke up around 8, I had already received a response from the Instamember support and they had fixed the issue.

                  Their support website says they only work 9-5 Monday through Friday. This could e why there's been a lot of people having to wait a while for answers to our support tickets.

                  If you're considering running a membership site, Instamember is the way to go. I'm not affiliated with the product, I just think it's a powerful membership plugin.

                  Originally Posted by Marian View Post

                  InstaMember is a wonderful piece of software. It's got many good features although you may not use all of them

                  I installed it without any problems. I just wish their PDFs should be more detailed because lots of things are missing - after you watch the detailed videos you'll find out!

                  Now if you compare InstaMember to WishList, DAP, etc.. features vs price - InstaMember is a real winner! There's no doubt about it.

                  I wish they had fast support, but cannot comment on it more since I didn't need any help yet.

                  Marian
                  I agree with you on the detail level of the PDFs. They should be mug more detailed instead I just telling you what each button does without explaining it. Someone who is not familiar with setting up a website could easily be overwhelmed. I also don't like the fact that the woman's voice in the instruction videos is extremely difficult to understand. They should have often someone to do a voice over for them.
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              • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
                Originally Posted by celestmark View Post

                Thank you very much for such a detailed overview! You've given lots of food-for-thought here.
                Hey everyone, my review was based on me playing with the InstaMember demo in their jv area.

                Today I purchased InstaMember (so now I own both InstaMember and DAP) and just now updated my review. See updated post #5 above or click here.

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~
                7/26 Update: Due to terrible support and many software bugs, as an InstaMember customer I do not recommend purchasing InstaMember. Others in this thread are experiencing bugs.

                8/1 Update: Instamember told me they will be giving a refund, but they have delayed and delayed... so far no refund, just games. Very disappointed in Suzanna.

                8/4 Update: Some warrior experiences....

                Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

                I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets
                Originally Posted by Kal B View Post

                (Instamember) Everything is all good until a purchase comes through...
                Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

                We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . . a complete wreck. So many issues we can not even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
                Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

                The problem is their support. Non-existant.
                Originally Posted by mobisocialjobs View Post

                I haven't the time to wait and am moving on to WLM (WishListMember) until this (Instamember) is ready for primetime.
                Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

                I just ran into another issue with InstaMember. I just had a member pay their recurring monthly charge, yet their payment did not show up in their member profile on the backend of the plugin. Had I not seen the email (which went into my junk folder) I would have thought members weren't paying their monthly fee.
                Originally Posted by Kal B View Post

                So all in all Insta-Member is the best thing since sliced bread UNTIL you put it in commercial use. When you do, it becomes a nightmare.
                Originally Posted by Joan Altz View Post

                she (Suzanna) and her team have had high refund rates on some of their other software, plus complaints about their support.
                Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

                I say, proceed with caution if you want to use InstaMember. If all goes smooth for you then you'll love it. If you encounter even 1 problem, then you're screwed, because they'll never help you!
                Originally Posted by Juana411 View Post

                I bought the multi-user license on 6/24. I sent in a support ticket the same day and haven't heard a word from them. not a good sign......
                Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

                The lack of support for my ticket 5 days back got no response too. Sighed.
                Originally Posted by treasures4u View Post

                I emailed about instathemes not working and was sent back to download again. it said it installed correctly but i haven't gone past that.. good to see there are others with the same problems.
                Originally Posted by kyraline View Post

                I ditched the Instatheme and installed my own theme
                Originally Posted by kyraline View Post

                unhappy with the lousy documentation/tutorials. How do people register as a member? There's a signup form somewhere but nothing in the documentation shows how people get there. I want to make a bunch of video's available within the members area and I want to spread them out over different pages, but I don't see how people can navigate through members content. How exactly should I set up the members home page?
                Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

                I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets, both to Insta-Member (because of the faulty bonus themes and the difficulty in setting up the member's home page; due to no documentation) and also a ticket to MemberRocket on a IPN bug (the IPN is indeed forwarded by WarriorPlus side but not sure why MR is not allowing paid member to register).

                The lack of support is something I don't really appreciate. ... ... With no support and tickets hanging there for more than a week or 2, I'll have to abort using both of 'em.
                Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

                Update : My InstaMember ticket has been replied ... after more than 10 days.
                Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

                It also lacks integration with Paypal Pro, which is a must if you're running a real business and want to offer Paypal payments.
                Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

                Hi Mike,
                My main issues with InstaMember have been the lack of support and lack of detailed instructions. I had a problem setting up the site that completely froze my website for a few days before someone in their support got back to me. I understand that it was a huge product launch, but they should have had some sort of customer support in place ready to go before hand.

                I'm giving MemberMouse a try right now since they have a 14 day free trial. I haven't been able to get real deep into it, but I'm liking the system so far.
                Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

                Ouched ... I was thinking of using back InstaMember for my next WSO but (a big BUT) looks like I'm going to abort that idea. It's pity such a full-featured membership plugin is now going to be shelved at a dark corner of my harddisk.

                Is there NO ONE that has successfully used InstaMember operationally?
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                • Profile picture of the author pokerdawg
                  I've bought it but haven't played with it yet ... I intended to buy Optimize Press but see version 2.0 of Optimize Press is due out in the next week or two, so I'm going to wait ... my luck I will buy it and then have to pay for an "Upgrade"

                  I'll wait for the next version - and shouldn't have to wait to long
                  Signature

                  Ask me any questions, and I'll do what I can to help with search engine optimization, pay per click bid management and lead generation. Your Long Island advertising agency in New York.

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                  • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
                    Originally Posted by pokerdawg View Post

                    I've bought it but haven't played with it yet ... I intended to buy Optimize Press but see version 2.0 of Optimize Press is due out in the next week or two, so I'm going to wait ... my luck I will buy it and then have to pay for an "Upgrade"

                    I'll wait for the next version - and shouldn't have to wait to long
                    I saw somewhere here on the forum that if you're already an Optimize Press member, they are offering an upgrade to 2.0 for $97. If you're not a member, it will cost $197. Not sure if that's 100% accurate, but that's what I've been seeing around here.

                    I'm already a member of Optimize Press and it does everything I need it to, so I don't think I'll be shelling out another hundred bucks for the upgrade.
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  • Profile picture of the author iffokerbi
    Hello Warriors,

    Please let me know is this plugin only for PAID membership sites? Can I build a FREE membership level, too?

    Thanks,
    Derek
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    • Profile picture of the author christianS
      Yes, there is the option to create a free membership, in addition to a paid lifetime (one time payment) and subscription memberships.
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      • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
        I went ahead and paid for the multi-license site. I've just begun setting up the website, and so far I'm finding that all the features I would need to run the membership site I am setting up are easy to do with InstaMember. I'm happy with what it can do, especially for such a reasonable price.
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  • Profile picture of the author ShutupAndEarn
    I have been looking for a Wishlist alternative. I have had lot's of trouble with plugin conflicts with it. Might need to check this out.
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  • Profile picture of the author dagger2190
    Can anyone tell me how this stacks up against MemberMouse - WordPress Membership Plugin and has anyone used both MemberMouse and InstaMember?
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    My Time is Now

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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      Originally Posted by dagger2190 View Post

      Can anyone tell me how this stacks up against MemberMouse - WordPress Membership Plugin and has anyone used both MemberMouse and InstaMember?
      I've never used Member Mouse, but just by looking through the videos on their website, it seems to do the same things InstaMember does. The one thing that stuck out to me is Member Mouse has pricing tiers based off the number of members your website has. The cheapest is $20 a month for up to 1,000 members. On the other hand, InstaMember is a one time payment and can hold any number of members. Might be something to think about. If both systems do what you need them to do, it may just be a question of how much you want to spend.
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  • Profile picture of the author mikefeldman66
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      Originally Posted by mikefeldman66 View Post

      Is insta member same as member rocket from martin cumlish? Or is it a modified version? instamember.com appears to be going to member rocket forum special offer forum.
      InstaMember is different. The InstaMember website url is insta-member.com
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    • Profile picture of the author williamtan
      Originally Posted by mikefeldman66 View Post

      Is insta member same as member rocket from martin cumlish? Or is it a modified version? instamember.com appears to be going to member rocket forum special offer forum.
      It's not the same. To me, MemberRocket is easier to set than InstaMember. At least, member area for MemberRocket is automated whereas for InstaMember, you'll have to create (and design) the member home page.

      I'm back to using MemberRocket until I get my ticket resolve .... which is waaayyy toooo long ... more than a week without any reply. Plus the bonus theme and another instabeauty theme are not working ... bad impression.
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      • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
        I don't like the lack of support either. And I was having issues with their theme as well. I scraped their theme and uploaded Optimize Press instead and just used the InstaMember plugin. Setting everything up was a little confusing because the instruction pdf files were a bit vague. Took me a couple days but I got it figured out now.

        Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

        It's not the same. To me, MemberRocket is easier to set than InstaMember. At least, member area for MemberRocket is automated whereas for InstaMember, you'll have to create (and design) the member home page.

        I'm back to using MemberRocket until I get my ticket resolve .... which is waaayyy toooo long ... more than a week without any reply. Plus the bonus theme and another instabeauty theme are not working ... bad impression.
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        • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
          Hi AJ,

          In another thread you mentioned that you purchased S2Member. Because you're still searching for a membership solution now, I'm going to assume S2Member didn't work out for you. What were the gotcha's or limitations you saw?
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          • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
            Hi Trish,
            I actually didn't end up getting S2Member. The day I was planning on downloading S2Member I got a marketing email for InstaMember. InstaMember looked too good to pass up, so I ended up paying for the unlimited site usage.

            I didn't see anything that prevented me from trying S2Member, I guess I just got caught up with how nice InstaMember looked before giving S2Member a try. However, I have set up a membership site using InstaMember and am quite happy with it.

            As others have said on this thread, InstaMember's support is poor, taking a few days to respond to most tickets. Their set up instructions are also vary vague, and their video instructions are hard to understand because English is clearly not the first language of the person who did the voice overs. The theme they provide when you purchase InstaMember is glitchy, so I replaced it with Optimize Press on my site. Other than those issues, I am happy with the way InstaMember works.

            If you're looking for a membership site, I would also take a look at a software called MemberMouse. There is a monthly cost to run a site, but it looks solid as well.

            Let me know if you have any questions about InstaMember! I'll do my best to help out.

            Originally Posted by Its Trish View Post

            Hi AJ,

            In another thread you mentioned that you purchased S2Member. Because you're still searching for a membership solution now, I'm going to assume S2Member didn't work out for you. What were the gotcha's or limitations you saw?
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  • Profile picture of the author mikefeldman66
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    • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
      Originally Posted by mikefeldman66 View Post

      Wasn't the developer Theresia also the same person who developed member rocket? I found a post somewhere that had the same name, but I may be mistaken.

      What happened to member rocket by the way? When I researched a while back, there was a lot of buzz around that. Also, remember Fast member?
      InstaMember (and InstaBuilder) were developed by Suzanna Theresia

      MemberRocket was developed by Todd Spears (IIRC)

      FastMember is from Dave Dunn.

      All three are very capable plugins with FastMember as arguably the most self-contained of the group.

      I own, use and really like all three of these plugins.

      InstaMember has a few early bugs they're ironing out (to be expected with a brand new release into the wild). For example, WP User sync is borked right now for me. I have every expectation this will all be resolved shortly.

      Imagine being on the other end of a big six-figure software launch with a few thousand new users all at once... that's what they're digging out from now.

      And that said - the customer always deserves a great experience, pre/post-sale.

      No time for a full review (that's happening elsewhere) but I'm well impressed with the combo of InstaMember for memberships and InstaBuilder/Twenty-Twelve for skinning a site and marketing.

      Best,

      Brian McLeod
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      • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
        Brian, I may ask, what have you found to be good ways to bring in new members to a membership site? I've even using solo ads to get list sign ups, then I'm offering a free trip into the membership site, but so far no new members have signed up. Any advice?

        Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod View Post

        InstaMember (and InstaBuilder) were developed by Suzanna Theresia

        MemberRocket was developed by Todd Spears (IIRC)

        FastMember is from Dave Dunn.

        All three are very capable plugins with FastMember as arguably the most self-contained of the group.

        I own, use and really like all three of these plugins.

        InstaMember has a few early bugs they're ironing out (to be expected with a brand new release into the wild). For example, WP User sync is borked right now for me. I have every expectation this will all be resolved shortly.

        Imagine being on the other end of a big six-figure software launch with a few thousand new users all at once... that's what they're digging out from now.

        And that said - the customer always deserves a great experience, pre/post-sale.

        No time for a full review (that's happening elsewhere) but I'm well impressed with the combo of InstaMember for memberships and InstaBuilder/Twenty-Twelve for skinning a site and marketing.

        Best,

        Brian McLeod
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  • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
    I just posted a full review of InstaMember here on the forum if anyone wants to read it. It may help if you are on the fence.
    http://www.warriorforum.com/internet...rent-user.html
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    • Profile picture of the author kyraline
      Originally Posted by williamtan
      I've also just purchased the InstaMember as I'm launching a product/WSO soon. Before that, I was just completing my site with MemberRocket which I was quite happy at the speed of setting it up. But the features for InstaMember make it impossible for me to pass it.

      I'm leaning toward InstaMember because of its features. But I'm a bit confused about setting up the Member Home (ie. as WordPress page). MemberRocket set up the Member Home area for you while for InstaMember, we've got to create/design the Member Home? Anyway, I've just submitted ticket to InstaMember's support.
      Did you work this out? I'm confused too about the setup too, and unhappy with the lousy documentation/tutorials. How do people register as a member? There's a signup form somewhere but nothing in the documentation shows how people get there. I want to make a bunch of video's available within the members area and I want to spread them out over different pages, but I don't see how people can navigate through members content. How exactly should I set up the members home page?

      The plugin itself seems a great tool to have, but there's a lot missing in terms of step-by-step tutorials for people who have never set up any member site before. I would very much appreciate a walkthrough from sales page to members registration to accessing the content.
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    • Profile picture of the author mikefeldman66
      [DELETED]
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      • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
        Hi Mike,
        My main issues with InstaMember have been the lack of support and lack of detailed instructions. I had a problem setting up the site that completely froze my website for a few days before someone in their support got back to me. I understand that it was a huge product launch, but they should have had some sort of customer support in place ready to go before hand.

        I'm giving MemberMouse a try right now since they have a 14 day free trial. I haven't been able to get real deep into it, but I'm liking the system so far.

        Originally Posted by mikefeldman66 View Post

        Hi xismfofx22,

        I see your review of IM below. More recently you referred to member mouse. Did something change?

        Just genuinely curious, not trying to be a smarta$$ :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author williamtan
    Hi kyraline,

    I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets, both to Insta-Member (because of the faulty bonus themes and the difficulty in setting up the member's home page; due to no documentation) and also a ticket to MemberRocket on a IPN bug (the IPN is indeed forwarded by WarriorPlus side but not sure why MR is not allowing paid member to register).

    The lack of support is something I don't really appreciate.

    Yes, I see there's tons of positive feedback like "this is the best piece of membership plugin I've seen ... blah blah blah" ... to me, it's not just installing and activating it and play around with the setting to conclude that it's a good product, it's about really using it operationally.

    With no support and tickets hanging there for more than a week or 2, I'll have to abort using both of 'em.
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      Take a look at setting up a site using MemberMouse. I'm strongly tempted to switch my site from InstaMember to MemberMouse because of the lack of support and lack of detailed instructions. I have another couple of weeks before the 60 day refund policy is up, so I'll be doing more research on MemberMouse.

      Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

      Hi kyraline,

      I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets, both to Insta-Member (because of the faulty bonus themes and the difficulty in setting up the member's home page; due to no documentation) and also a ticket to MemberRocket on a IPN bug (the IPN is indeed forwarded by WarriorPlus side but not sure why MR is not allowing paid member to register).

      The lack of support is something I don't really appreciate.

      Yes, I see there's tons of positive feedback like "this is the best piece of membership plugin I've seen ... blah blah blah" ... to me, it's not just installing and activating it and play around with the setting to conclude that it's a good product, it's about really using it operationally.

      With no support and tickets hanging there for more than a week or 2, I'll have to abort using both of 'em.
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      • Profile picture of the author williamtan
        MemberMouse is with recurring subscription ... will be out for me. Don't really like subscription

        Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

        Take a look at setting up a site using MemberMouse. I'm strongly tempted to switch my site from InstaMember to MemberMouse because of the lack of support and lack of detailed instructions. I have another couple of weeks before the 60 day refund policy is up, so I'll be doing more research on MemberMouse.
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        • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          MemberMouse is with recurring subscription ... will be out for me. Don't really like subscription
          MemberMouse is an SaaS (Software as a Service) which basically is software hosted in the cloud or on a server, which you remotely use, and pay for on a recurring basis.
          Update 7/10/2013: @xismfofx22 points out that Membermouse is a WP plugin, and as mentioned by @mikefeldman66 it may be partly self-hosted (part of the software resides on your own site) and partly vendor-hosted (while another part of software resides on MemberMouser's site) maintaining the SaaS model.

          Myself I would not feel confident putting my entire business on a Saas system. Or on any system that is proprietary and for which there are not any similar fallback solutions.

          (1) If for some reason MemberMouse closes down, or raises their prices dramatically, or cancels your account, then you're out of business overnight. Losing your SaaS account would result in you having to develop your membership site over again from scratch.

          Whereas with a WordPress-based system using a third-party membership platform (via a WordPress plugin), you "own" the membership software. (well technically, software is "licensed" to you, you never own it) ...and if for some reason you had to change membership platforms, with a WordPress-based system you can do that with minimal changes, and be up and running within a day.

          (2) MemberMouse is not cheap. Starter plan is $20/month (you'd pay $750 after 3 yrs, and then keep on payin' and payin') and next higher plan is $40/month. (you'd pay $1,500 after 3 yrs) Instead, purchasing InstaMember or DAP's or WishLists's most expensive package, with every single add-on option, would be sooooo much cheaper than perpetually paying into a SaaS system.
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          • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
            MemberMouse is a Wordpress Plugin. I just downloaded it to give it a try on a new website.

            As for the monthly cost, I would happily pay $20 a month if I have 1,000 members paying me $10 each every month.

            Originally Posted by Its Trish View Post

            MemberMouse is an SaaS (Software as a Service) which basically is software hosted in the cloud or on a server, which you remotely use, and pay for on a recurring basis.

            Myself I would not feel confident putting my entire business on a Saas system. Or on any system that is proprietary and for which there are not any similar fallback solutions.

            (1) If for some reason MemberMouse closes down, or raises their prices dramatically, or cancels your account, then you're out of business overnight. Losing your SaaS account would result in you having to develop your membership site over again from scratch.

            Whereas with a WordPress-based system using a third-party membership platform (via a WordPress plugin), you "own" the membership software. (well technically, software is "licensed" to you, you never own it) ...and if for some reason you had to change membership platforms, with a WordPress-based system you can do that with minimal changes, and be up and running within a day.

            (2) MemberMouse is not cheap. Starter plan is $20/month (you'd pay $750 after 3 yrs, and then keep on payin' and payin') and next higher plan is $40/month. (you'd pay $1,500 after 3 yrs) Instead, purchasing InstaMember or DAP's or WishLists's most expensive package, with every single add-on option, would be sooooo much cheaper than perpetually paying into a SaaS system.
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            • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
              Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

              As for the monthly cost, I would happily pay $20 a month if I have 1,000 members paying me $10 each every month.
              Yeah price is not the issue for me either. However that fact that you are completely dependent on a Saas does. Clearly this software phones home to verify the membership count and that the monthly fee has been paid. If for any reason on their side it can't then the software I presume would grind to a halt.

              Not good

              is there any reason I never hear much about emember pro in these discussions? Has plenty of the features has a reasonable price but despite seeing no real bad reviews it doesn't get the mention. Is there something I am missing?
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  • Profile picture of the author williamtan
    Update : My InstaMember ticket has been replied ... after more than 10 days. They did explain that the delay was due to an influx of support tickets ... understandable as they have just have a mega launch. Though it's way delay. Anyway, glad they get back to me.

    And yes, we've to set up member home page ourselves and they confirmed the InstaTheme was corrupted and they have uploaded a new version which they claim will be okay (I've yet to try them; probably tomorrow).

    As of now, I might give InstaMember another try.
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  • Profile picture of the author chuckharris
    We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . .a complete wreck. So many issues we can even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
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    • Profile picture of the author sunnysmiles
      Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

      We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . .a complete wreck. So many issues we can even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
      I second that. In theory we have a really good product here, with a decent amount of features and an incredible ease of use. The problem is their support. Non-existant. Average reply time I've experienced: 7 days.

      That's indecent! It also lacks integration with Paypal Pro, which is a must if you're running a real business and want to offer Paypal payments.

      Anyway, I'm not giving up on it just yet because it's so simple, it hurts to think that I might have to go back to the other supercomplicated plugins ( I use S2Member on other websites, and it's amazing for what it can do, but it's really hard to configure).

      I say, proceed with caution if you want to use InstaMember. If all goes smooth for you then you'll love it. If you encounter even 1 problem, then you're screwed, because they'll never help you!
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      • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
        Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

        We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . .a complete wreck. So many issues we can even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
        I got an email yesterday that was sent out by the creator saying they have had only 3 people answering all of the customer support tickets for the past couple weeks, and that they are hiring new customer service people this week.

        What a joke. They expected 3 people would be sufficient to handle the tens of thousands of customers they received practically overnight? I'm with you on the support. Completely unsatisfactory.

        Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

        I second that. In theory we have a really good product here, with a decent amount of features and an incredible ease of use. The problem is their support. Non-existant. Average reply time I've experienced: 7 days.

        That's indecent! It also lacks integration with Paypal Pro, which is a must if you're running a real business and want to offer Paypal payments.

        Anyway, I'm not giving up on it just yet because it's so simple, it hurts to think that I might have to go back to the other supercomplicated plugins ( I use S2Member on other websites, and it's amazing for what it can do, but it's really hard to configure).

        I say, proceed with caution if you want to use InstaMember. If all goes smooth for you then you'll love it. If you encounter even 1 problem, then you're screwed, because they'll never help you!
        You can accept PayPal payments through PayPal standard. It's been working fine on my site. They just released a new update so we'll see if that helps clean the software up.
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        • Profile picture of the author sunnysmiles
          That's ridiculous, really!!
          The problem with Paypal Standard is the checkout experience for the customer. It's horrible and unprofessional. Plus, it forces the buyer to either have a Paypal account or to create one... not good!!
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          • Profile picture of the author chuckharris
            Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

            That's ridiculous, really!!
            The problem with Paypal Standard is the checkout experience for the customer. It's horrible and unprofessional. Plus, it forces the buyer to either have a Paypal account or to create one... not good!!
            Honestly, so many issues
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    • Profile picture of the author williamtan
      Ouched ... I was thinking of using back InstaMember for my next WSO but (a big BUT) looks like I'm going to abort that idea.

      It's pity such a full-featured membership plugin is now going to be shelved at a dark corner of my harddisk.

      Is there NO ONE that has successfully use InstaMember operationally?

      Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

      We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . .a complete wreck. So many issues we can even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
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      • Profile picture of the author kyraline
        It's pity such a full-featured membership plugin is now going to be shelved at a dark corner of my harddisk.

        Is there NO ONE that has successfully use InstaMember operationally?
        Well, I'm not one to give up easily. I believe that despite of the lack of support and somewhat unclear tutorials this is still a very good plugin to have. So I just keep pushing and trying until I figure out how it all fits together. My site is not quite operational yet, but I'm getting there. I ditched the Instatheme and installed my own theme and now I am uploading my product videos. This is my very first membership site, never built one, and my biggest confusion was how the buyer was going to register since I couldn't find any shortcode for the signup form, I thought I had to build a page for that. But when I tested the product download link Insta-member produced to put into my payment processor it took me straight to a signup process. From this very thread I learned I do have to build a members home page, so I did, and now it's just a question of building the product pages and adjusting minor details before I can launch.

        So you might want to keep at it a bit more before you shelve it at a dark corner of your harddisk, Williamtan In IM giving up is not an option.
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        • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
          Right there with you. That's what I had to do as well. My site is up and running, though it seems like it should have been MUCH easier to set up.

          Originally Posted by kyraline View Post

          Well, I'm not one to give up easily. I believe that despite of the lack of support and somewhat unclear tutorials this is still a very good plugin to have. So I just keep pushing and trying until I figure out how it all fits together.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kal B
        I have a 98% operational Insta-Member site, which I have just launched as a WSO.

        Everything is all good until a purchase comes through...

        1, The new customer cannot access their purchase automatically, I am having to register them manually. If that was not a big enough hassle, when I add a new member, the home page redirects the new member to an 'Unauthorize Access' page (YES 'UNAUTHORIZE' INSTEAD OF 'UNAUTHORIZED'). This seems to resolve itself automatically after a few hours. !!!???!!! I have no clue at all what is happening here, I do not use the IP block feature.

        Good job I deliver insane value in my WSO so I still get raving reviews. However if I can't get this resolved very shortly, then Insta-Member is going straight to the bin! It is damaging my reputation big time.

        2, In my support desk, I have received 2 support tickets so far. 1 of them I can see and the other one I only know about because the customer got in touch with me via email. Again this is a massive issue because I am there 24/7 to make sure every customer is 10000% satisfied and then I miss their support ticket... NOT GOOD.

        I might have to bypass the use of the help desk feature...

        3, I have integrated my Getresponse account in Insta-Member as a cruical element of my whole WSO strategy. Still none of my customers ends up on my WSO buyers list? Again... Really bad.. how should I follow them up?

        So all in all Insta-Member is the best thing since sliced bread UNTIL you put it in commercial use. When you do, it becomes a nightmare.

        I just opened 3 support tickets with them, separate tickets for each issue. I cannot even think about failing the 24 hours turnaround time. If they fail that, they will loose a customer and I have to go for another option. Probably for something more established than Insta-Member.


        Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

        Ouched ... I was thinking of using back InstaMember for my next WSO but (a big BUT) looks like I'm going to abort that idea.

        It's pity such a full-featured membership plugin is now going to be shelved at a dark corner of my harddisk.

        Is there NO ONE that has successfully use InstaMember operationally?
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        • Profile picture of the author Kal B
          Further to my post above, here is something what I figured out on my own. Too bad this is not stated in the user guide.

          When you testing your Insta-Member site and adding new members, the welcome email is set to

          %site_member_url% - Membership page or download URL.

          Now, this caused me all sort of issues... I am not a scripting guru, but based on my testing over the last few days, this URL (you have to set it up at the configuration) should never be accessed directly. Especially not for loging in.

          Here is why:

          When configuring your Membership page under the roll down menu you will see this:

          By default, members will be redirected to this page after logged in.

          So it does not make sense at all to tell new members to login at this page. It is protected and it is only good AFTER they logged in. If you try to access it before logging in, you will be kindly directed to a page saying 'Unauthorize Access'.

          However if you do yourself a favor and take this page out of the equation and do not attempt to access it, which I have done, you will be fine.

          Under the membership URLs tab you will be given a long string login URL which I have setup a page redirect for. I have also amended the welcome email to this page, as:

          mysite dot com/login

          This will eliminate hitting the 'Unauthorize Access' page problem.

          So that issue is sorted, I also managed to sort out the autoresponder integration issue. So the only problem I got left is the proper WSO Adaptive integration......

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        • Profile picture of the author williamtan
          Can't agree more!

          My main error/bug was clients who bought my WSO can't register even though the IPN was forwarded back correctly. I've checked, rechecked and confirmed all settings are okay but still got to revert back to manually add the members in.

          I've aborted them and is now using direct WarriorPlus delivery which is way way simpler. Till next time.

          Originally Posted by Kal B View Post


          So all in all Insta-Member is the best thing since sliced bread UNTIL you put it in commercial use. When you do, it becomes a nightmare.
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        • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
          Requested refund inside 30 days, within their 60-day refund policy.
          Instamember stalling and playing games.

          7/29 Update: Refund requested

          7/30 Update: Instamember not responding to Refund request

          7/30 Update: Instamember says refund okay but cannot issue it until they transfer the issue to another person to handle.

          7/31 Update: Instamember still STALLING the refund.

          8/1 Update: Instamember still STALLING the refund.

          8/2 Update: Instamember no longer responding.

          8/3 Update: Instamember no longer responding.


          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets
          Originally Posted by Kal B View Post

          (Instamember) Everything is all good until a purchase comes through...
          Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

          We have used Instamember for a small test of a launch . . . a complete wreck. So many issues we can not even count, and all are straight up bugs. ZERO support. My vote for the worst support in the industry. It will be the last product of theirs that we buy.
          Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

          The problem is their support. Non-existant.
          Originally Posted by mobisocialjobs View Post

          I haven't the time to wait and am moving on to WLM (WishListMember) until this (Instamember) is ready for primetime.
          Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

          I just ran into another issue with InstaMember. I just had a member pay their recurring monthly charge, yet their payment did not show up in their member profile on the backend of the plugin. Had I not seen the email (which went into my junk folder) I would have thought members weren't paying their monthly fee.
          Originally Posted by Kal B View Post

          So all in all Insta-Member is the best thing since sliced bread UNTIL you put it in commercial use. When you do, it becomes a nightmare.
          Originally Posted by Joan Altz View Post

          she (Suzanna) and her team have had high refund rates on some of their other software, plus complaints about their support.
          Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

          I say, proceed with caution if you want to use InstaMember. If all goes smooth for you then you'll love it. If you encounter even 1 problem, then you're screwed, because they'll never help you!
          Originally Posted by Juana411 View Post

          I bought the multi-user license on 6/24. I sent in a support ticket the same day and haven't heard a word from them. not a good sign......
          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          The lack of support for my ticket 5 days back got no response too. Sighed.
          Originally Posted by treasures4u View Post

          I emailed about instathemes not working and was sent back to download again. it said it installed correctly but i haven't gone past that.. good to see there are others with the same problems.
          Originally Posted by kyraline View Post

          I ditched the Instatheme and installed my own theme
          Originally Posted by kyraline View Post

          unhappy with the lousy documentation/tutorials. How do people register as a member? There's a signup form somewhere but nothing in the documentation shows how people get there. I want to make a bunch of video's available within the members area and I want to spread them out over different pages, but I don't see how people can navigate through members content. How exactly should I set up the members home page?
          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          I'm kindda disappointed that I've no reply to my tickets, both to Insta-Member (because of the faulty bonus themes and the difficulty in setting up the member's home page; due to no documentation) and also a ticket to MemberRocket on a IPN bug (the IPN is indeed forwarded by WarriorPlus side but not sure why MR is not allowing paid member to register).

          The lack of support is something I don't really appreciate. ... ... With no support and tickets hanging there for more than a week or 2, I'll have to abort using both of 'em.
          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          Update : My InstaMember ticket has been replied ... after more than 10 days.
          Originally Posted by sunnysmiles View Post

          It also lacks integration with Paypal Pro, which is a must if you're running a real business and want to offer Paypal payments.
          Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

          Hi Mike,
          My main issues with InstaMember have been the lack of support and lack of detailed instructions. I had a problem setting up the site that completely froze my website for a few days before someone in their support got back to me. I understand that it was a huge product launch, but they should have had some sort of customer support in place ready to go before hand.

          I'm giving MemberMouse a try right now since they have a 14 day free trial. I haven't been able to get real deep into it, but I'm liking the system so far.
          Originally Posted by williamtan View Post

          Ouched ... I was thinking of using back InstaMember for my next WSO but (a big BUT) looks like I'm going to abort that idea. It's pity such a full-featured membership plugin is now going to be shelved at a dark corner of my harddisk.

          Is there NO ONE that has successfully used InstaMember operationally?
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          • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
            1. Insta-member.... looked really good, but turns out it has major problems and serious bugs (see above post)

            2. DAP.... Awesome system. But Unfortunately for those of us with many sites, squeeze pages, & funnels, DAP seems too involved & time consuming to setup on each website.

            3. S2Member + OptimizePress.... A few have suggested this... will have to check it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author chuckharris
    Just got a response to like 5 tickets today, as was anticipated. "Please give us the access details for your website and we will take a look. So another week of waiting starts.
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      Same here. I figured out the multiple issues I was having before they even got back to me.

      Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

      Just got a response to like 5 tickets today, as was anticipated. "Please give us the access details for your website and we will take a look. So another week of waiting starts.
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      • Profile picture of the author chuckharris
        Originally Posted by xismfofx22 View Post

        Same here. I figured out the multiple issues I was having before they even got back to me.
        They were able to answer one of my questions. One outstanding has to do with the theme and header already displayed issues upon registration, another is that third party smtp isn't working with auto register, not sending the members info to them. And a real nice one is that the broadcast email feature took the site down and locked up the database solid. Would not reconnect for about two minutes. I looked at my server logs and it took me to 99% cpu resources before locking.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kal B
          Originally Posted by chuckharris View Post

          another is that third party smtp isn't working with auto register, not sending the members info to them.
          I reckon this is why I got all sorts of product delivery problems. Is there a way around it?
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          • Profile picture of the author chuckharris
            Originally Posted by Kal B View Post

            I reckon this is why I got all sorts of product delivery problems. Is there a way around it?
            I switched to using the PHP mail function and it seems to be working with the auto created account. I went that route because the redirected registration page has all sorts of header errors.
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  • Profile picture of the author The Oilman
    I have this product and honestly I find it pretty neat.. but too bad their support isn't so hot..

    I don't know how they can have the price so low and ROI on this because it has to be a support nightmare.

    But, that aside, I do think it is a pretty neat plugin...

    But I have one massive question:

    Several years ago I got into one-click upsells. The cart I currently use (Cartfreak) has them. But I wanted to experiment with Insta-Member because it claims to have this.

    To me, a one-click upsell is where the person enters their CC and personal info on the order page for product #1, and then after they hit order, they are never prompted to enter CC info again. After ordering, they are presented with another offer (the upsell). If they want to buy, then they click the order button on this page. It then just charges them for the 2nd product. NO more CC info collection is needed.

    I hope I explained that clearly.

    But I CANT get it to work on this software.

    If there is anyone out there that can help me out it would be greatly appreciated...
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    • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
      Originally Posted by The Oilman View Post


      But I CANT get it to work on this software.

      If there is anyone out there that can help me out it would be greatly appreciated...
      I know what you're talking about. I use it with Nanacast.

      You likely need to use Authorize.net to achieve true 1-click upsells in InstaMember. I haven't messed with it yet because an SSL certificate is needed.
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  • This is a very good plugin for a membership site. The tutorials will make any newbie run for the hills, for the simple fact that they don't go into details about how to setup the payment buttons. I personally thought it was a pain in the butt to get the IPNs working correctly.

    Other than that, very easy to setup, and for that I like it!
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  • Profile picture of the author The Oilman
    Jesus~

    I do have it set up with authorize.net and a secure SSL page. But I can't get it to do a true 1-click upsell. It always tries to ask for CC again.
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  • Profile picture of the author manny2513
    I use S2 Member as it has all the features anybody may need from a Membership site and it gets updated frequently.

    Yes, is not the most easy system to set up but it has detailed tutorials and explanations and ohh yeah I forgot to mention is 100% FREE so you can't beat that.

    It took me less than 1 hour to be up an running with it including full JVzoo integration.
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    • Profile picture of the author chich
      Same experience here with their support. Have been going back and forth with support for 2 weeks trying to get the user registration process working for our site. So much time wasted when support sends non helpful responses (e.g. 'have you checked your spam folder' when automated emails are not being sent out or 'we will have to escalate this to our technical team to investigate further however any fix will be in this next version' -!?! ).

      Had high hopes for this, but with all the glitches and lack of support, its just not going to cut it for us. You get what you pay for I guess.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kal B
        I know what you mean... I have opened 5 tickets and their answer worth as much as a chocolate tea pot. It felt like they just ticking their box; yes this ticket is answered what's next.

        Anyways, I have looked into S2M and while it looks good, it is a bit too techie for me. And then god sent Membersonic in my way (not affiliated to it) and I managed to turn the 3-4 weeks of struggle into a fully operational membership site. It took me abour an hour or so but I can tell you it was one of the happiest moments in the last few weeks when a new member registered without all the instamember hassle and manual registration.

        So in one sentence guys do yourself a favour and look into Membersonic, you will not regret it. I didn't!

        Originally Posted by chich View Post

        Same experience here with their support. Have been going back and forth with support for 2 weeks trying to get the user registration process working for our site. So much time wasted when support sends non helpful responses (e.g. 'have you checked your spam folder' when automated emails are not being sent out or 'we will have to escalate this to our technical team to investigate further however any fix will be in this next version' -!?! ).

        Had high hopes for this, but with all the glitches and lack of support, its just not going to cut it for us. You get what you pay for I guess.
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        • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
          Hey everyone, my PROS & CONS comparison of Instamember to DAP (in post #5 here) was based on me playing with the InstaMember demo in their jv area. Since that time, I have purchased InstaMember.

          Due to terrible support and many software bugs, I have to say that I do not recommend purchasing InstaMember.

          8/1 Update: Instamember told me they will be giving a refund, but they have delayed and delayed... so far no refund, just games. Very disappointed in Suzanna.
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    • Profile picture of the author gcozzens
      How did you get the JVZoo Integration to work?
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  • Profile picture of the author gcozzens
    ISSUES with InstaMember. Has anyone seen/fixed these issues? I use InstaMamber and OptimizePress - my entire membership site is built with the exception of pay buttons and the sales page. Now I'm trying to add some free members and use the link generator for free access and none of it works. No matter what I do, I can't seem to add a free member. If I'm logged on as the Admin in a different tab it all works great. If not, then the link generator when used throws Optimizepress header change errors and the user I generated manually only goes to the profile update page and can never seem to actually login even though I've pointed it to my membership dashboard. It's really frustrating to get so close to the goal line and feel like I need to hoist it for another option.

    Anyone have any suggestions?
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    • Profile picture of the author Kal B
      Membersonic!

      Originally Posted by gcozzens View Post

      Anyone have any suggestions?
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      • Profile picture of the author gcozzens
        I will look into it - Thanks Kal
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      I just started with Member Mouse. Sure you have to pay a monthly fee, but it's a solid platform and extremely easy to set up.
      Originally Posted by gcozzens View Post

      Anyone have any suggestions?
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  • Profile picture of the author canada94
    ...and there was me thinking this was maybe a great buy for a membership site, I purchased it to make a mem site in the fall, so hopefully by the time I do use it, all will be well.
    Thanks for all the great reviews and threads.


    Kevin
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  • Profile picture of the author roblawrence
    Has anyone tried MemberMouse?
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    • Profile picture of the author AJMontoya
      I am using Member Mouse now. Its a great software and it was extremely easy to set up. I had my site up and running from scratch within a few hours.

      Originally Posted by roblawrence View Post

      Has anyone tried MemberMouse?
      I just ran into another issue with InstaMember. I just had a member pay their recurring monthly charge, yet their payment did not show up in their member profile on the backend of the plugin. Had I not seen the email (which went into my junk folder) I would have thought members weren't paying their monthly fee.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joan Altz
    I actually passed on buying InstaMember when I researched the seller and found out she and her team have had high refund rates on some of their other software, plus complaints about their support. Told me all I needed to know.

    I agree with Kal that Andrew Hunter's MemberSonic is a much more solid product and easy to set up. It lacks a couple of features I want for one site I have and I'm looking into MemberMouse for that, but if you want something easy to set up and that works out of the box, MemberSonic will suit you and I have it working on a couple of different sites with zero problem and no plugin or theme compatibility issues.
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  • Profile picture of the author sunnysmiles
    I'll be interested to see what Optimize Press 2.0 has in store with their built-in Membership Management system. I mean, we're already using Optimize Press to build our websites! ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author ProEFI
    Hi Trish,

    Hit me up at support@pluginresults.com and I can provide you with a discount link for MemberSonic if you interested.

    Cheers,
    Andrew
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    • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
      Originally Posted by ProEFI View Post

      Hit me up at support@pluginresults.com and I can provide you with a discount link for MemberSonic if you interested.
      Andrew, Does Membersonic do the following?

      1. AuthorizeNet integration
      2. 1-click upsell
      3. Easy creation of Upsells & Downsells? How many?
      4. Management of upsell/down sell tree
      5. Coupons
      6. How does the customer order screen look?
      7. Can ordwr screen have product add-ons?
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  • Profile picture of the author TrafficMystic
    i'm been using it for a membership site since launch... some parts do need tweaking and the documentation isnt exactly clear but it works once setup..
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  • Profile picture of the author Bish
    Are there still issues with Instamember?
    Just putting the final touches to a set up (haven’t tested) and noticed this thread.

    Update:
    I've answered my own question by utilizing test purchases.
    JVzoo integration: Problem

    Payment Error

    We're sorry, but there's a problem in validating your payment. Please contact our support to resolve this issue.

    All settings have been checked and checked again. The only way customers will get access is if I add them manually. Has anyone else experienced this and maybe solved it?
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Grable
      Hmm.... This thread just petered out late last year.... and today I am being bombarded with ads for instatheme. Did they ever fix the issues with InstaTheme? How about support issues? Any better than in the past? Were refund requests honored?

      Thanks!
      chris
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      • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
        Originally Posted by Chris Grable View Post

        Hmm.... This thread just petered out late last year.... and today I am being bombarded with ads for instatheme. Did they ever fix the issues with InstaTheme? How about support issues? Any better than in the past? Were refund requests honored?

        Thanks!
        chris
        I ended up getting a refund because I filed a paypal dispute and their support didn't respond in time. I guess unresponsive support can be a good thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author siteline
    Has anyone been able to figure out how the licensing system works? It talks about your server key and license key but it doesn't say where to install them or what file to place the code into within your product. Usually you add a file to your product in the case of a theme or plugin or install a line of code in an existing file but there is no details on this at all that I could find.

    Also you're right, I thought the same thing about Suzanna but the instructions for this plugin are poor and the support is even worse. I've been waiting about 10 days now for a response and still nothing.
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    • Profile picture of the author tweed0099
      [DELETED]
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  • Profile picture of the author Greg guitar
    Thanks goodness for the review section; I thought Instatheme looked pretty good, but thanks Warriors for saving me from doing business with someone who can't be bothered to support their product; sadly, an all to common story when it comes to IM software products.
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  • Profile picture of the author LaunchGal
    Have the updates fixed issues with Instamember? I already own it, but would prefer to save myself time if its not ....
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  • Profile picture of the author PatrickTaylor1
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    • Profile picture of the author Its Trish
      Hi Patrick,

      In this other thread you stated (excerpt below) that InstaMember does not integrate with JVZoo. If this feature doesn't work right out of the box, how did the vendor resolve this for you?

      Originally Posted by PatrickTaylor1 View Post


      For the record, I AM disappointed.

      The ONE thing I purchased this for, it cannot accomplish.

      Does NOT INTEGRATE WITH JVZOO TO ISSUE LOGIN CREDENTIALS AUTOMATICALLY ONCE THE PAYMENT IS RECEIVED.

      This is a huge problem.

      Dozens of support e-mails over a period of 3 weeks and no resolution in sight.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Bridgen
    Also if you go to fiverr you can get it installed on your server for $5 from people who have purchased the rights to unlimited purchases Robert
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  • Profile picture of the author TenaciousGrease
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