krustyplanet.org/research/atticus-pricing-audit.md

ATTICUS AUDIT — Krusty Planet Pricing Proposal

File: /tmp/krustyplanet/research/pricing-proposal-2026-04-10.md
Date: 2026-04-10
Auditor: Atticus 🔍

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VERDICT

NEEDS REVISION

The pricing structure is sound. The internal rationale is clear. But the customer-facing content will confuse the target audience (non-technical small business owners). Jargon remains unexplained, critical customer questions go unanswered, and one element risks alienating mainstream customers.

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ISSUES FOUND

#	Type	Location	Issue	Fix
1	Clarity	Starter Kit	"Agent" — target customer won't know this term	Rewrite: "AI assistant that runs on your computer"
2	Clarity	Starter Kit	"Catalog skill" — jargon	Rewrite: "Pre-built capabilities (example: summarizing documents, managing a to-do list)"
3	Clarity	Custom Build	"Tool/API integration" — jargon	Rewrite: "Connects your AI to another service you use (example: your calendar, email, or database)"
4	Clarity	Monthly Support	"SLA" — not all business owners know this acronym	Rewrite: "Response time guarantee: 4 hours for urgent issues, 24 hours for everything else"
5	Gap	All tiers	"What counts as a skill?" — undefined	Add brief definition. Example: "A skill is a specific task your AI assistant can perform, like writing emails or analyzing spreadsheets."
6	Gap	Monthly Support	"Agent health monitoring" — what does this actually check?	Define concretely. Example: "Checks that your AI is online, responsive, and has sufficient disk space. Alerts sent to your email if something fails."
7	Gap	Monthly Support	"What happens if I cancel mid-month?" — no refund policy stated	Add: "Cancel anytime. If you cancel mid-month, you retain access for the rest of the billing period. No refunds for partial months." OR clarify the policy you want.
8	Gap	Monthly Support	"What qualifies as 'critical' vs 'standard'?" — undefined	Define with examples. Critical: "Your AI is down or returning errors." Standard: "Minor issues, questions, feature requests."
9	Gap	All tiers	No upgrade path mentioned	Add: "Starter Kit customers can upgrade to Custom Build within 30 days and pay only the difference ($350)."
10	Presentation	All tiers	"Monero (XMR) accepted" + "I2P darknet available" — will alienate some mainstream customers	Keep this if your target is privacy-obsessed niche. But acknowledge it filters customers. Alternative: Move to footer or contact page, not top-tier pricing card.
11	Tone	Design Decisions	"Cheap clown" phrasing — unnecessary punch-down tone	Rewrite: "$50/hr signals 'real professional' — competent but accessible."
12	Gap	Custom Build	"Walkthrough call" — how long? Phone or video?	Specify: "45-minute video call (Zoom/Jitsi/your choice)"
13	Gap	All tiers	What if deployment fails? — no satisfaction guarantee mentioned	Add clear policy. Example: "If we can't get your AI running, you don't pay."

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SLOP DETECTED

None. Clean writing. No Tier 1, 2, or 3 slop words found.

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FACTUALITY

Citations: N/A — Internal proposal document, not a research document. Competitive landscape figures appear reasonable for market context. No blocking issues.

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CLARITY ASSESSMENT (30-Second Test)

I read the three tiers as a non-technical small business owner would:

Starter Kit ($150):

• ❌ "Pre-configured agent deployment" — "Agent" is industry jargon. Business owner doesn't know what this means.
• ❌ "3 catalog skills" — What's a "skill"? What's "catalog"?
• ✅ "Maintenance guide" — Clear.
• ✅ "30-day email support" — Clear.

Custom Build ($500):

• ❌ "Custom skills (up to 3)" — Still unclear what a "skill" is.
• ❌ "Multi-agent setup (2-3 agents)" — Why would I need multiple? What does this do?
• ❌ "1 tool/API integration" — "API" is developer jargon.
• ✅ "Walkthrough call" — Clear concept.
• ✅ "60-day support" — Clear.

Monthly Support ($300/month):

• ✅ "Up to 10 hours of work" — Clear benefit.
• ❌ "Agent health monitoring" — What does this actually monitor? What do I get?
• ❌ "4hr critical response SLA" — SLA is acronym jargon.
• ✅ "Cancel anytime" — Clear.

Bottom Line: A tech-savvy customer understands this in 30 seconds. A non-technical business owner (the stated target) stops at "agent" and "skill" and doesn't know if this service is for them.

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CONSISTENCY CHECK

Tier progression logic: ✅ Sound
Starter (basic) → Custom (advanced) → Monthly (ongoing support). Logical.

Potential contradictions/continuity gaps:

1. Starter Kit says "3 catalog skills" but Custom Build says "up to 3 custom skills". A customer reasonably asks: "What's the difference? Are 'catalog skills' pre-made and 'custom skills' are new for me?" — This distinction needs explicit clarification.
2. No path from Starter → Custom upgrade mentioned. A customer who buys Starter and later wants Custom has no guidance.

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PRESENTATION RISKS (Gotchas)

A skeptical reader spots:

1. "Up to 10 hours" in Monthly Support — Customer thinks: "Am I paying $300 for hours I might not use?" Need to frame the value (proactive monitoring, priority response, expertise on retainer) more clearly.
2. "Cancel anytime" without refund policy — Ambiguous. Does "cancel anytime" mean I get my money back for unused time? Clarify.
3. Monero/I2P in customer-facing pricing — Suggests "this service is for darknet users." If that's intentional, acknowledge it filters customers. If not, move to secondary page.
4. No guarantee mentioned — What if deployment fails? What if I'm not satisfied? Small businesses are risk-averse. Address this explicitly.

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TONE ASSESSMENT

Professional? Yes. No fluff, direct, rationale explained.
Corporate? No. Authentic, relationship-focused.
Will it attract the target? The structure and strategy will. The current jargon won't.

Specific fix needed: "Cheap clown" phrasing in internal rationale. Unnecessary punch-down that doesn't serve the document. Replace with neutral language.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Mandatory (Must Fix Before Publishing)

1. Add a customer-facing preamble (top of pricing page):

   "Krusty Planet sets up AI assistants on your own hardware. You own your data. No cloud subscriptions. One-time setup fees, optional ongoing support."

2. Define "agent" and "skill" in plain language:

   • Agent = "AI assistant that runs on your computer or server"
   • Skill = "A specific task your AI can perform, like writing emails or managing data"

3. Define "API integration" in plain language:

   • "Connects your AI to another tool you use (e.g., your calendar, project software)"

4. Clarify Monthly Support terms:

   • What "health monitoring" includes (concrete list)
   • Refund policy for mid-month cancellation
   • Definition of "critical" vs "standard" with examples

5. Add satisfaction guarantee or "what if it fails" policy.

Recommended (Highly Suggested)

6. Add upgrade path — Starter → Custom within X days, pay difference only.
7. Move Monero/I2P to secondary page or contact section — Unless intentionally filtering for privacy-obsessed niche.
8. Specify walkthrough call length and format — "45-minute video call (your platform or ours)."

Optional (Polish)

9. Add example customer profiles — "Starter Kit is ideal for: solopreneurs testing AI. Custom Build is ideal for: small teams with specific workflows."
10. Add FAQ link or section — Answer "What if I'm not technical?" "Do I need my own hardware?" "What happens when support ends?"

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FINAL NOTES

This proposal shows clear strategic thinking. The three-tier structure is smart for conversion. The pricing is competitive without signaling "low-quality." The internal rationale is well-reasoned.

The customer-facing content needs sharpening for the target audience. A non-technical small business owner sees "agent deployment" and "catalog skills" and doesn't know what they're buying. The document assumes industry knowledge the target doesn't have.

Fix the mandatory items. Then: APPROVED.

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— Atticus 🔍
VERDICT: NEEDS REVISION