So does this mean that we should whine to Germany for $45 updates?
The U.S. and Germany companies had better get their stories straight on this
one. The internet is too small a world to give preferential treatment to
one customer and not offer the deal to others. Didn't they think that he
would tell?! <duuh>
I agree with Owen that IMO this amounts to deceptive advertising and
packaging. When you release a software product on a single CD and require
that to get the most from a scanner you have to use the two products
together; I'd consider them a joined-at-the-hip solution. It's mighty
convenient that Lasersoft has denoted them as seperate products. That is
marketing and packaging, pure and simple. If they'd priced the upgrade at
$90, it would be easier to deal with . Then we'd be complaining about
excessive upgrade fees, especially for incremental functionality :-)
Oh, and policies can be changed; they're not laws of physics.
Now, is Polaroid going to come through with some sort of solution? I
thought I remembered an unofficial announcement that something was in the
works.
Skip
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>From: "Owen P. Evans" <opevans@istar.ca>
>Reply-To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
>To: "Filmscanners" <filmscanners@halftone.co.uk>
>Subject: filmscanners: Silverfast Ai and Silverfast HDR
>Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 14:29:40 -0400
>
>Hello everyone,
>I have a Polaroid SS4000 which I've had for 10 months. It came bundled with
>Silverfast Ai version 5 and Silverfast HDR version 5. With all of the press
>recently about how much better the product was I went to the website on
>Sunday and paid $45 for the download. What was not clear on the website was
>that you have to pay $45 for Ai and $45 for HDR. On Monday, I read the post
>in this group by Mr. Lloyd O'Daniel where he said that he received the HDR
>update for free. So I went back to the site and tried to download the HDR
>5.5 software by registering my original serial number. A password was sent
>to me but it didn't work. I e-mailed Lasersoft that day and asked why. The
>reply I received is as follows:
>
> > Dear Owen,
> >
> > the upgrade to 5.5 for HDR is a separate purchase. You registered the
>HDR
> > version, and got the username/ password to download an upgrade for 5.2,
> > which is free. If you'd like to upgrade HDR to 5.5 also, you'll have to
>go
> > back to the "purchase 5.5- upgrade online"- page and enter your HDR-
> > number there.
> >
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
> > Martin Leschke
> > Lasersoft Imaging Inc.
> > 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 201B
> > Longboat Key, FL 34228
> >
>
>So I wrote back the following:
>Mr. Leschke,
> This is not a fair representation of the products. In that Ai & HDR
>came
>together as a package when I bought the Polaroid scanner and are required
>for the hi bit scans that I make with the scanner. I need both of your
>products and I was lead to believe that by paying the $45 FEE, I'd be
>upgraded on both.
> Your website does not differentiate the payment being made for each
>software package. I refuse to be gouged for the extra $45 in that I need
>both to make the darn stuff function with the scanner that I own. I would
>like a refund for the $45 I spent on software that I can't use.
> This issue was discussed on the international mailing
>list; filmscanners@halftone.co.uk by a Mr. Lloyd O'Daniel. You gave him a
>free update for his HDR software and you hold out on me. I am offended and
>demand a refund.
>Owen
>
>Today I had not had a reply so I sent a second notice and I received a
>telephone call this afternoon from their customer service. They do not give
>HDR updates for free! They will refund my $45 and we are finished. The
>customer service rep, Annie, was very pleasant and firm with the policy.
>She
>felt that maybe Mr. O'Daniel may have been dealing with Germany because
>Lasersoft Imaging Inc. of the USA will not do this!
>
>There you have my experience. As for me; I'm sticking with Vuescan like I
>have all year and who updates the product on a weekly basis...FOR FREE!
>Sorry for the long post.
>Owen
>
>Owen P. Evans
>Osgoode, Ontario. Canada
>(near our nation's capital; Ottawa)
>opevans@istar.ca
>J.33-3
>
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