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Warning: Lost 3 weeks to 'free' demo software that locked my project files behind a $2,400 paywall
I run a small GC outfit out of Boise and back in April I grabbed a free trial of a project management app that looked legit. Me and my PM put the ENTIRE Franklin Ave remodel into it: subs, change orders, daily photos, the works. Day 14 hits and suddenly the files go read-only. I call support and they say the free tier caps at 10 active tasks and my data needs a Pro seat to export. Pro seat is $2,400 a year. I asked if I could just pull my own photos and schedules out and they said export is a paid feature. We lost almost a week re-entering everything into a spreadsheet, then another week rebuilding it in a tool a buddy recommended that lets you export to CSV anytime. The kicker is the trial terms were buried in a menu you only see on mobile. Three weeks and probably $1,800 in my PM's time, gone. If you're testing new construction software, upload ONE fake project first and try to export it before you trust it with real jobs. Has anyone else gotten burned by export locks, and how do you screen for this now?
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alex_johnson19d ago
The trial terms thing is real but the export lock is usually in the signup flow, not just mobile. I tested a scheduling app last year and the CSV export was grayed out from day one on the free plan, it said so right on the settings page in tiny gray text. So you could have caught it in five minutes if you knew where to look, which nobody does on day one. The fake project tip is solid though, that part I agree with. Do it on a desktop browser too, since terms screens often show different stuff on mobile.
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