We just posted our the first Vista-compatible version of our software last week.
What that means is that earlier versions won't run on Vista. Folks who bought new software or updates in the last couple of years won't need to pay for this version; it's free. Folks who bought earlier than that will pay either 1/3 or 1/2 price (compared to the price of a new license) to update to it.
They also have the choice (for now) of not using Vista and, thus, not having to worry about updating our software.
We still expected to hear cries of anguish about this and we weren't disappointed.
We got our first one yesterday. It was quite civil. They had spent thousands on a new computer which had Vista, spent hundreds on the latest version of Office, called all their other AT providers and updated those, then they called us to see how to install 1999 software on Vista. They actually accepted the bad news with good grace and a minimum of grumbling as they bought the update.
I know it won't always go that well. We have more than a few entitlement-minded customers who think that spending thousands of dollars with other vendors is going to entitle them to special treatment from us. I know this because it's happened (see "The Year-Old-Software Returner" for a very extreme example). They also think that spending money once ten years ago entitles them to free stuff now because they are "very old customers." I wish I were kidding, but that one happens all the time.
I'm bracing myself. The next few years are going to be fun.
What that means is that earlier versions won't run on Vista. Folks who bought new software or updates in the last couple of years won't need to pay for this version; it's free. Folks who bought earlier than that will pay either 1/3 or 1/2 price (compared to the price of a new license) to update to it.
They also have the choice (for now) of not using Vista and, thus, not having to worry about updating our software.
We still expected to hear cries of anguish about this and we weren't disappointed.
We got our first one yesterday. It was quite civil. They had spent thousands on a new computer which had Vista, spent hundreds on the latest version of Office, called all their other AT providers and updated those, then they called us to see how to install 1999 software on Vista. They actually accepted the bad news with good grace and a minimum of grumbling as they bought the update.
I know it won't always go that well. We have more than a few entitlement-minded customers who think that spending thousands of dollars with other vendors is going to entitle them to special treatment from us. I know this because it's happened (see "The Year-Old-Software Returner" for a very extreme example). They also think that spending money once ten years ago entitles them to free stuff now because they are "very old customers." I wish I were kidding, but that one happens all the time.
I'm bracing myself. The next few years are going to be fun.
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