[General Topics] jrbruno:
As a disclaimer, I'm a light participant, I like to root and play around with custom roms and have been lurking around for a few years learning from XDA. That said, though I don't wish to join any wars, I do feel it necessary to call this as I see it. This was just my experience, and seeing what I view as hypocrisy, deception and retaliation, felt I should post it. Ymmv

Short version, echoe banned me, deleted all my posts, and labeled me a "Major C**t", for simply asking a question and calling out their hypocrisy and deceitful behavior. I've paid for their apps before, but I'll stick with XDA exclusively now. Echoe seems to keep evolving and making new reasons to charge for content, always under the premise of theft by some XDA developer. Yet after this incident, it's clear to me Echoe simply wants to be paid for their work, which is fine on the surface, and I previously did just that to access current AEL kernel development. But in practice they seem to just flame XDA and develop new revenue schemes on that premise. Then deceive, edit posts, and ban users (paid users mind you) for simply asking what's up with your access policy and why the policy mysteriously got edited?

Background, I previously had used the AEL kernel on my Sprint Note 4 (N910P). For various reasons Echoe had chosen to leave XDA, but you could access content from their forum. Then you needed a pro app if you wanted to access content sooner than it was posted to their forum. So, I purchased the pro app and was a member in their forum.

Fast forward a few months, I'm now done with my Note 7 debacle and back to my Note 4. Check playstore for echo creations pro update and no go, so is gone. Go to the echoe forum (echoerom.com) to see what's up.

I see this post http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...w-to-access-the-private-non-stop-development/

Indicating "Premium" content for a fee, with access to private forums being granted free to members registered at least 9-12 months.

As i have no access to this new "premium" content, I posted a thread stating I've not visited the site in awhile, but according to that post, I should have access, unless I read it wrong.

I recevied one reply, linked to the post I referenced, except the post was now edited to remove any reference to free access to this "premium" content for prior members. See edited post here http://www.echoerom.com/thread/1742...on-stop-development/?postID=245814#post245814

As I was certain that post was edited, and with my original thread being locked after just that one reply to edited post, I naturally inquired through a new thread. Including links to the cached version and questioning the now locked thread.

Which resulted in all my threads/posts being deleted, being banned, and of course the deragoty label.

So yeah, beware of www.echoerom.com and their constant evolving revenue schemes, and especially of their closely held non-public forum.

It's funny when people think they can just do whatever they want and assume others are too stupid to their blatant attempts to deceive. The funnier thing is, had I received some kind of response indicating I for whatever reason still needed to pay the "premium" fee, I likely would have. The whole deceitful response was unnecessary.