Inflation is everywhere nowadays, and it seems there's just no escaping it. From the gas in your car to the groceries in your kitchen, the price of everything that we need on a daily basis keeps rising.

The trend has now come to Ring video doorbells.

The increased cost for getting Ring services seems to have gone up purely due to a voluntary decision by the company, and customers are not happy.

Ring Raises the Price of Ring Protect Basic

ring app interface on phone screen
Image Credit: Ring

Ring has announced the price of its Protect Basic plan is going up by $0.99 to $3.99 a month (or $39.99 a year) in the US, plus applicable taxes. This is a change from the previous cost of $3 a month or $30 a year.

The price change will kick in on July 1, 2022, when subscriptions are due for renewal. If you don't want to pay the new price, then you must log in to ring.com and cancel your subscription before July 1.

Why Has Ring Raised Prices?

ring table of features
Image Credit: Ring

According to the Ring Blog, the company has raised the price due to its "continued investment in innovation and commitment to bringing you new capabilities".

These new capabilities include more video storage (up to 180 days, up from 60 days), larger bulk videos downloads (up to 50 videos at a time, up from 20) and a slew of other features that the company is working on and will soon release.

The announcement has been sprung on Ring customers at short notice, and many are not happy. In addition, because the Protect Basic plan only covers one device, customers with two or more devices are looking at significantly higher costs.

A customer complained on the /r/Ring subreddit that the price hike is a cynical ploy by Ring to force them to upgrade their subscription to more expensive packages like Ring Protect Plus, while others have threatened to switch to other smart doorbell options.

By Charging More, Ring Risks Losing Subscribers

Ring customers have complained that they didn't ask for these new features, and they don't need or want them. Thus, as far as those vocalizing their displeasure are concerned, there is no justification for the higher cost.

Since standard Ring functions such as two-way communication and the live camera view do not require a subscription to work, there's a possibility that many Ring customers will simply cancel their existing subscriptions and continue to rely on the free standard features.