Expiration of Designer Pro

[strettonbull]

bear in mind that you don't have to renew until you see enough updates to make it worthwhile for you personally, although I agree that it is at an extortionate price.

Just corrected that for you.

[csehz]

I'm really sorry to see that many of you are still not convinced by the Update Service model, and we continue to listen to and weigh up all the feedback both + and -.

The basic issue with your model is, that it does not motivate the users to extend the subscription.

Before through years there was at least a good feeling that in July comes the new Designer Pro, reading before of that the introduction of Gary Priester so everyone understood what to try, then it was discussed further in XaraXone.

What stayed from that by now from those three -> 0 + 0 + 0 = 0...

The program notified me some days before of the expiring, had luck that at all once closed Xara Designer Pro and perceived (it is standard being open in my computer, as mentioned loving it). Later now reading on TG that had a double luck, because that was discount price and I upgraded. Why there was not notificiation, newsletter or something? Ach okay another 0, because the Xara Outsider also finished. You let everything down

[haakoo]

So far as the pricing goes, the cost of all Designer Pro upgrades was increased last September, 2016, after discussions with Magix. Before that the price had indeed been the same for many years, and therein lies the problem - since the cost of producing continuous updates to features and content, in multiple languages and more frequently than before, has not remained the same. So the price for renewing your Update Service after expiry is the same as upgrades to 365 since last September, although there is a discount for upgrades before expiry. You can see details for pre-expiry here http://www.xara.com/expiring/designer-pro/ and post-expiry here http://www.xara.com/expired/designer-pro/. Update Service renewals for Photo & Graphic Designer and Web Designer Premium currently remain the same cost as upgrades at the launch of 365 last year.

I don't have an issue with the perpetual license persé.
You should have been honest, upfront ,with the "new" renewal pricing.
It's a simple business rule;
Any provider wether for my phone or internet or gas or electra will do this, why didn't you??
They wil explain why this is and what I will get for it.
And they also inform you if there are any changes in the conditions,
like you changed the update model from 30 days after the introduction of a new version to a two week upgrade period at discount pricing before renewal date.
Others would make me aware of this by adressing me personnally or on any platform they own and not with a popup which only stated " don't forget to renew"
That's how real businesses operate and communicate.
The problem with Xara is,it cannot communicate,
Besides plastic fantastic marketing techniques.

We did communicate,but got no answers, in the dear Xara or the many other threads.

You simply didn't communi"kate"

Hans

[Egg Bramhill]

Kate:

.... and therein lies the problem - since the cost of producing continuous updates to features and content, in multiple languages and more frequently than before, has not remained the same.

That doesn't cut it with me. The alternative to continuous updates is to do nothing and watch your product be overtaken by rivals, leading to dwindling sales, loss of profits and eventual oblivion.

Multiple languages? If I write a book and convert it to multiple languages, I do so to expand my sales base. The larger the sales base, the greater the profit. I don't then sell the English version at a higher price because of the cost of creating multiple language versions. This should be covered by the profits of the increased sales, not passed on to the purchaser

[mwenz]

And I would want to add...the heck with content. Concentrate of fixing issues, fleshing out existing features and add more features with the updates.

Oh. And learn to communicate. Communication is painful to do and do consistently. Xara cannot exist in a vacuum. Not in this day and age.

[csehz]

Oh. And learn to communicate. Communication is painful to do and do consistently. Xara cannot exist in a vacuum. Not in this day and age.

Exactly.

Let me just list of sites where being registered or ordered something in the past and informing me regularly on Gmail - CG Cookie, Blender Market, TurboSquid, CG Trader, Filter Forge, GraphicStock, Poliigon. Or the best tutorial guys in Blender - BlenderGuru, CreativeShrimp, Jay Anam, immediately coming to the mailbox when something new is uploaded.

And where is Xara? Silence..

I have no time to monitor xara.com, or everyday coming to TG whether my subscription is expired. Come to my mailbox when anything is new with Xara. That surely remembered the July is the month, when the new features used to come. But where they are?

There is some "365 model" which maybe is important for someone, for you as company, but what I felt after the extending of the 365 subscription that okay 99 pounds gone from my account and what I got? Who knows, maybe someone once will communicate on TG..

[haakoo]

Yes, communication is the key

If you showed us a roadmap of the future of xara or shared new developments.
And the new pricing is for developing a new xara code version
We may have been ok with that.
Now you just upped the price with nothing to show for.
We are just a few here at TG in comparison to the so called other customers.
Whom we never see or hear from,I hope you do?
These customers will buy once and only use your product until a new shiny product comes along.
Most of them will never be engaged with your product in fora or otherwise and you will never get real feedback.
People like us give more support and tips/tricks than you’ll ever be capable of.We do shout at you, because we care about the product.
Otherwise we simply would have left.
I hope this is finally getting through at Xara ltd.

Marketing alone doesn’t and will not cut it in this day and age because there are already so many around
Companies that reach out on a personal level will be the future.
Are you ever going to react with a more open state of mind?
Or are you going to be that no-face,thirteen-in-a-dozen kind of company.

It’s up to you now.

Hans

[tonylondon]

...the heck with content. Concentrate of fixing issues, fleshing out existing features and add more features with the updates.

Absolutely!

[iamtheblues]

Yes, communication is the key

If you showed us a roadmap of the future of xara or shared new developments.
And the new pricing is for developing a new xara code version
We may have been ok with that.
Now you just upped the price with nothing to show for.
We are just a few here at TG in comparison to the so called other customers.
Whom we never see or hear from,I hope you do?
These customers will buy once and only use your product until a new shiny product comes along.
Most of them will never be engaged with your product in fora or otherwise and you will never get real feedback.
People like us give more support and tips/tricks than you’ll ever be capable of.We do shout at you, because we care about the product.
Otherwise we simply would have left.
I hope this is finally getting through at Xara ltd.

Marketing alone doesn’t and will not cut it in this day and age because there are already so many around
Companies that reach out on a personal level will be the future.
Are you ever going to react with a more open state of mind?
Or are you going to be that no-face,thirteen-in-a-dozen kind of company.

It’s up to you now.

Hans

Eloquently put, Hans.
I can only hope that Xara/Magix can understand our anger and frustration at the way they have treated loyal, long-standing customers
and that all our complaints and suggestions have been meant as encouragement for the company to improve the products in a way that will
benefit both the company and consumer and are not just ravings from an angry rabble.
They do need to look at their pricing structure and to look back to the humble beginnings and try to refocus on the vector product.
There is a definite desire here at TG to see a restructure of what is offered. Making it possible to purchase a vector only product that will rival Affinity Designer would be a great start.
Listen up, Guys!
Bob.

[katemoir]

csehz - I think it's the first time I've been told we're not sending enough emails, that's a red rag to a bull :-) Nb we do still send the Outsider every month, you can find back issues here http://www.xara.com/outsider/, and it does include info on the latest updates. There is also Facebook, Twitter and G+ of course for more real-time notice of updates. But I hear what you say about communicating update news, and I can try and address that to some extent with specifically update-related emails and more consistent posts on TG (I can see we've announced some releases and not others).

@ haakoo - TalkGraphics generally and Dear Xara specifically remain a key source of information for us, and we value the quality of that feedback. It's a privilege for any company when customers care enough to take the time to express an opinion, silence is what you have to worry about! But yes we do have to balance what is said here against other sources of information from other people who are also 'engaged' eg the people who took the trouble to fill out the recent surveys, and everyone who sends in a ticket (far more than you imagine I suspect), not to mention what our sales figures are telling us and our own view of industry direction. Unfortunately we can't deliver what everyone wants.

@iamtheblues - you know if you are really not interested in the web things at all, then it's worth considering changing to Photo & Graphic Designer.