Backblaze is a Diarrhea Cupcake

Back in 2014, my studio computer suffered a complete hard drive failure that left it unable to even be powered on. This was during the creation of my first EP of original music, Earwig Rising, (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and several days worth of work on the title track was lost forever. My main source of backups were external hard drives, and I had neglected to maintain regular copies of all my work like an idiot. I learned my lesson and signed up for a cloud service immediately after my computer was repaired and I’ve been using Backblaze ever since to keep my computers and external devices safe and sound.

From the title of this piece, you already know that this is not an endorsement. While I never had any major issues with Backblaze as a safety net, they have certainly not treated their customers well over the years. From 2014 through 2019, I paid a measly $50 annually for the service. Then while the world was shuttered because of a pandemic that was killing our neighbours and tanking the global economy, Backblaze raised their price to $60. A year later it was $70. Then they jumped to $99 in 2022 and have stayed there ever since without improving a single aspect of their service.

With the release of their latest version, 10.0, everything has gone to hell. Until this past February, I was able to upload new files on both my internal and external hard drives within minutes, and I would regularly keep three of my main externals updated weekly even if I had nothing new to add just to keep them on the cloud. This new version forces me to back up each device from scratch every single time, a process that can take eight hours.

I contacted tech support and was only able to speak to a bullshit AI bot that recommended that I never turn off my computer whilst keeping all three external drives connected at all times. They also told me to disable my computer’s sleep mode so that it could keep everything running smoothly. As this is a recipe for trouble, and because it came from a dumbass AI, I never went through with that nonsense.

Each time I create or update a new text document, music project, photography series, or add a new digital movie from Rifftrax to my collection, I now have to wait hours to back up one file as Backblaze sifts through every single item on a given unit and uploads it as though it has never been seen before. Of course, when I was finally able to reach a real human being in between my hospitalizations (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), he suggested that the best course of action to prevent these issues was to upgrade to a more expensive subscription plan. Ah yes, the great problem solver: money! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

Now instead of regularly uploading my devices to the cloud each Friday evening as I’ve done for years, I have to spread this task over several days or hand over more cash for an easier and more streamlined experience. When one round is finished, it’s nearly time to start the process over. This is no way to treat or retain a customer base, and Backblaze should be ashamed of their goddamn greed and this mistreatment of their users.