I tried posting this last night but can’t find it now. I don’t know what happened there. However, my site is not connecting to my social media accounts. I have been using WordPress and Jetpack for three years now. On Thursday, I logged into my site and saw there was a need for multiple plugin updates and to WordPress itself (version 6.1). I did as I always do and updated everything. Not long after that, I received a notification saying I would get more of an audience if I connected my site to my social media accounts. I had done that years ago, but when I tried to reconnect them on WP’s Marketing and Tools page, it says my site is not currently connected. When I try to connect either my Facebook or Twitter account up, a “500 error” appears at the top of the screen. I contacted Hostgator that night, and they checked the plugins and reset the server. My site still does not connect.

I should note my site itself is still up and looks fine. It just is not connecting to Jetpack from the looks of things. Jetpack’s own debugging tool said there was an issue with the XML-RPC. I checked the site’s xmlrpc.php section and got a blank page. Is there something going on on Jetpack/WP’s end that I need to fix or do I need to contact Hostgator again? I only have a personal blog for movie and book reviews, but I would like to connect my site to my social media accounts again.

Thank you in advance.

Never do the mistake of purchasing the theme especially if you already have a live website and you already have traffic.

If you are using woocommerce don’t use this theme it has 0 features and it will take you forever to create a website even with templates they give you the theme misses so many simple features for your store and you will need tons of plugins that will slow your website even more, nothing special about it (it’s just exactly as storefront so you might as well get store front).

forget about all that I mentioned above, The most thing the disappointed me is that when you purchase the theme it means you get a (Pro support) the pro support is not even close to pro they first answer you about something totally random from your issue and the reply time is minimum 24hours I feel sorry for people running a business and need urgent support once they face an issue its just RIP for those people

I am just saying this as I had experience with other premium themes “Pro themes” and this by far had the worst support ever specially when you have an e-commerce website with many customer and traffic

just be aware.

It is actually really close to earning a 5.0 but there are so many aspects of functionality and cosmetic appearances that seem to fall short with the details. And the little details make a huge difference to visitors of a website.

Some examples include the following (many have been presented in the support section at some point by others):

? excessive loading times of fonts (astra woff, etc.),

? astra icon fonts that get blocked by browsers that have third-party fonts blocked,

? no fall-backs for the burger menu functionality – if a user/visitor to the website has javascript disabled. The latter is an issue for me because if a user blocks external fonts and javascript, then the burger menu, itself, disappears completely. There’s no fallback to basic CSS/html. A good example of how to use CSS/html for a burger menu is at puri.sm, the laptop/phone maker. That company is using a minimalist WordPress theme titled Purism (I think it’s just a coincidence that the theme has the same name as the computer company). If one blocks javascript and third-party icon fonts, its burger menu functions just like any javascript-based burger menu. Actually, I don’t even think the Purism theme uses javascript or font icons for its burger menu anyway.

I can go on with all sorts of minor functionality problems and cosmetic issues with responsive headers, footer widgets, etc., but I won’t.

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As for the Pro Plugin, the terms of purchase, in my interpretation from its website (see attached screenshot), states that one can use the Pro plugin on unlimited websites and for one-year receive updates to the plugin and receive pro support. Thereafter, the purchaser may continue to use the plugin (presumably on unlimited sites) but just without receiving further updates to the plugin or receiving pro support.

I bought it with no intention of paying for future updates or support. However, earlier this year (1.5 years after purchasing it and after receiving dozens of emails and dashboard ‘notifications’ to pay $59 to ‘renew’), the Pro plugin’s features were disabled on the two websites it was installed on. Moreover, the Astra Pro Plugin actually disabled the entire ‘customizer’ functionality in WordPress! So, if one wants to modify the website with respect to anything (not even related to the Pro features), one has to deactivate the Pro Plugin.

I’ve communicated with the support multiple times and each person states that I need to renew the license (that is pay another $59) to use the Pro plugin for another year. However, that contradicts the explicit terms on its website (Q&A about purchasing it). It explicitly states in the FAQ section (again, see screenshot) that use of the Pro features is indefinite and may be used on unlimited websites. The only features that one doesn’t receive beyond the initial term (one year) is plugin updates and pro support. In no way should the Pro Plugin’s features be disabled or, worse, disable the entire ‘customizer’ section of WordPress in an effort to get more money from a purchaser.

I asked for a refund a couple of times and have been ignored.

The most recent response was that the Pro Plugin can only be used on unlimited websites during the term of purchase (so for the first year). Support still will not address why the Plugin’s features have been disabled and why the code disables ‘customizer’ in WordPress.

Anyway, if there were a zero (0), that’s what I’d rate Astra/Brainstorm, but I guess one (1) is the lowest rating I can give. This rating is largely due to the unethical, at best, and fraudulent-like, at worst, sales & marketing tactics…and the questionable, intrusive code in the Astra Pro’s plugin that disables core functionalities of WordPress.

Bottom line, be very careful trusting this organization and the code of Astra Pro plugin.

[For clarification, this is the first negative review I’ve given to any WordPress plugin developer or company – and it’s primarily due to ethics and shady business practices, in my personal experience.]

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UDATED: June 14, 2021

I appreciate the thorough response. A Brainstorm representative finally explained the problem, which you also noted:* 

* If the base theme is updated but the Pro Plugin is not updated (i.e., purchase another annual license), then the Pro Plugin will not work (in my case and probably many others) conveniently due to "compatibility issues." 

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So, I and others may either (A) revert back to an older version of the Astra base theme (opens up potential vulnerabilities) in order return compatibility to the purchased Pro Plugin, or (B) keep the most recent updated version of the base Astra theme and forgo the use of the purchased Pro Plugin since it would be incompatible with an updated version of the base Astra theme.

End result: Customers are essentially compelled to update the Pro Plugin (i.e. purchase another annual license) otherwise they will most likely experience "compatibility issues."  

Of course, if one is handy with code, one could make the necessary changes to the code. 

I will elect to use another theme by a different provider -- either entirely open-source or from an author with honest and transparent policies regarding "compatibility issues."

I bought it a few days back but haven’t received any support despite 10+ requests to their dedicated 24-hour response team.

I have now requested a refund via support / emails / Skype e.t.c. and everything has been ignored for 3 days … is this a scam?

I have seen this issue raised before on WP and their founder Sujay says refunds are dealt with immediately (or to email him) – but I’ve tried that too. Anyone have any advice?

Thanks and apologies for the negativity!