I have several every day goals (and - shudder - do-zero goals) with no days of mercy. My understanding is that if I derail two days in a row, the charge for the second derailment won’t actually go through. Is that right? If so, is it perceived as a bug to fix? From my user point of view it is a bug, because I start to feel like I get a free day of mercy.
Yesterday I derailed on my various-forbidden-distractions-after-bedtime goal. I sorta feel like, ooh, I’m allowed to goof off after bedtime tonight because the derailment isn’t for real.
Beautiful potential bug report! (Have I mentioned lately that our bug bounty is stickers? DM me to claim them!)
I think the original idea was to suppress any new derailment charge if the goal already derailed within the last 24 hours. If it’s been exactly 24 hours though – and if you’ve explicitly set your post-derail respite (previously known as “days of mercy”) to zero – then you’re right, that charge shouldn’t be suppressed!
I actually believe it wouldn’t be but now I’m not sure myself. You say “your understanding” – is that something we’ve said or something you’ve observed with your own Beeminder goals?
To clarify, you can only have one charge pending at a time, so for just over 24 hours after you’ve been charged (or longer if we delay a charge), you can’t be charged again. So right now there is a $90 charge pending, and until that goes through, you can’t be charged again.
Now I have looked at my financial records a little. It confirms that at least once I was not charged for a derailment the day following another derailment (katriel/bedtime, around May 1 give or take a day).
Ah, thanks for confirming! If @shanaqui said it then I don’t doubt it. And I agree that it’s being overzealous in suppressing charges. At the very least we could change that “just over 24 hours” to “strictly within 24 hours”. Now @bee will probably tell me how much easier said than done that is, but this is really good to have started the conversation. Thank you again!
Any update on this? The uncertainty of “maybe Beeminder has fixed this and I’ll get charged if I derail” is less motivating than “I know this is fixed and I’ll get charged if I derail”
As far as I’m aware, nothing has changed at this time – that is to say, if a charge is currently pending, then you will not be charged again, and charges are not processed until after your next deadline. Therefore you can’t be charged two days in a row.