Expiration of Designer Pro

[iamtheblues]

Not wishing to start a new thread about this, but perhaps a poll of all TG members would be a good idea:

Something along the lines of Kate's post, with 3 options:

1 Return to a yearly upgrade model.

2 Move to a true subscription model.

3 Retain the Status Quo.


Let me start off with my vote:

+1 for number 1.

[csehz]

Also +1 for number 1

Because that time I knew for what I paid, now I have extended the subscription for an additional year and having no idea, what I know is that the money gone from my bank account

[haakoo]

Sorry Bob but that doesn't do it for me
If Xara were more communicating about development and more engaging here at their forum.
And there would be more feature implementation during the 365 cycle,
I for one can live with the update service.
I just want the price validate development for the software products and not the extra's I now seem to be paying for,like free pics,templates,an online designer.
This time around I feel I'm paying for last years development and charging me more as before.

Hans

[iamtheblues]

I must confess to being annoyed by Kate's last post, just by this little snippet, which says it all really :-

"we no longer have the massive upturn in tickets and huge pressure on testing at the time of the annual release, when standards slipped as a consequence. Because we can spread testing and support more evenly thru the year, the net result is better testing and quicker support. If none of you have noticed that I confess I'm a bit disappointed!"

We are the customers, aren't customers king? If your staff are under such huge pressure, I assume that is because of workload and the timescale that was being worked under the system you have moved away from for your own convenience.

Do you honestly believe that this is a valid reason for the system you have decided to use in its place? Do you think that in any other business without this occasional dialogue with its customers that they would give a monkeys about the staff? What about the customers who don't visit TG, do you think they care what the staff have to do? Should we actually be grateful that you have chosen this business model for your own convenience and sod the customers?
Xara/Magix customers will eventually (perhaps sooner rather than later) move on to pastures new (Affinity Designer, perhaps?) and as the workload decreases as a result, you will have staff without stress (and probably without jobs as well).
I know that you probably think I am being a right pain-in-the-ass, but there are plenty like me who are at least mildly disconcerted with the way they have been treated. After a year of this current model very little (if any) substantial improvements have been made. Certainly not enough to warrant the current pricing. In plain English, it's daylight robbery.

Run a poll (along the lines suggested in my post # 103) and see how TG members feel about the state of affairs. Perhaps then the customers and the company can abide by a democratic decision. Let it run for a couple of months, say, so that those taking their holidays won't miss out on the opportunity to vote.
Bob.

[handrawn]

bob you missed out option four: don't give a damn you've already lost me

sometimes you just have to let things go their own way; and go yours...

[iamtheblues]

bob you missed out option four: don't give a damn you've already lost me

sometimes you just have to let things go their own way; and go yours...

[katemoir]

Bob, calm, calm. My point about support was in response to the comment from hseiken about the 'always updating' model sometimes taking a toll on support and testing, at the customer's expense. In our case I'm confident that testing and support has improved because of the more even release schedule, to the benefit of customers. I was hoping that was one benefit we could at least all agree on!

[Acorn]

Kate, it took handrawn's recent download to a new machine seems to establish that you are not forced back to the DVD (purchased) version.

My fresh understanding is that a customer who does not renew will therefore have access to all that year's bug fixes and updates through a download from your site.
Could you kindly affirm or clarify (perhaps yet again) this pivotal aspect?

Regards,
Acorn

[iamtheblues]

Hi Kate, I feel pretty calm at the moment, but being told that I should be more calm isn't going to help.
I can see that we are coming from two different perspectives. Of course testing and support are important,
(but I do see a lot of posts about tickets not being answered here on the forum, even during this past year, so that doesn't cut it, I'm afraid).
Nobody has answered the question of a 33% increase in renewal...for what?
Are we supposed to trust the company to deliver next year when they patently haven't done so over the past year.
We would need our bumps felt if we coughed up after the paltry "improvements" that were passed off as wonderful by the company.
I've said it before, I wouldn't by a pig in a poke, but that is exactly what you asked customers to do last year (and is the reason for all the disquiet now)
So why would we do it again, it's the definition of stupidity. Perhaps that is what we are thought of as being,a cash cow.
I think at this stage people need reassurances about what is in the pipeline and what will definitely be forthcoming before parting with our hard-earned.
Bob.