As far as the original question goes... What is your opinion on pre checked cross sells and forced trials on the join page.
Site owners that use those methods are complete scammers! and con artists period! This thread totaly lost it's way, Lee you are getting confused with cross sells and up sells. In marketing 101 an example of a cross sell would be buying a TV and the store offering to sell you a stand or DVD player. A up sell is going to Mcdonalds buying a big mac combo and the cashier asking if you want to super size it.
When a person joins a web site and thinks he is buying a 1 month membership for $29.95 but instead ends up with a membership to 3 sites for $69.95 without realizing it, is a scam! Even worse, by the time he gets his Visa statement and looks at it, he's allready into his second month and been re-billed.
When someone has to carefully go through the fine print on a join form and UN-Check 3 to 6 small boxes, so he won't get billed for things he does not want, then again, it's deceptive, or as most people would call it a scam or rip-off!
Yes there are lots of places that try and up-sell you or cross sell you, it can be annoying, but it's legal and a way of life these days when you buy something. Pre-checked cross sells are totaly different.
I have never seen Go daddy offer pre checked, they give you all kinds of up sells. Expedia and travelocity do this as well, after you book a flight, they try and get you to add a hotel or add car rental or add a tour etc. It can be a bit of a pain to have to scroll down past it. However they are never pre-checked. Can you imagine the public out cry if they did?
I think any adult sites that do this are simply looking to make a quick buck. They will never stay in business very long nor do they expect to, because they are rip-off artists, word spreads as do customer complaints, and finally the CC companies and billing companies are looking into them, so there days are numbered. So if your thinking of using them, and you have a legitimate site, with real content, and you want to make a living in the adult online business, my advice would be to not go near them!