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A Company that CONTINUOUSLY shoots itself in the Face!


cclarry

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Many years ago, I bought the original IK Total Studio when it came out.
Then, when they introduced Total Studio 2, they didn't offer ANY
upgrade path for the original TS owners, and upon inquiry,
their answer was basically "Too bad, so sad".  They haven't
offered an upgrade path at all from the Original Total Studio
to ANY of the Total Studio Products EVER!

Up until the CURRENT Max your I/O promotion, you could 
do what's called a Maxgrade to Total Studio MAX, which means that
if you own any MAX product (Amplitube, SampleTank, T-Racks MAX) 
you could do this "Maxgrade" to the Total Studio MAX product.
When THIS current promotion started, they CHANGED the "Maxgrade"
qualification to "Any PAID version of a Max Product", which basically 
means that, if you spent $300 on a piece of hardware, and got a MAX
product during the promotion, THOSE MAX PRODUCTS that you received
for purchasing their product, are EXCLUDED from the "Maxgrade" option
to Total Studio!!!  So, unless you actually PURCHASE a "Max" product
you have been BARRED from "Maxgrading", DESPITE the FACT that you 
NOW own a Max Product, and NOW have to pay a HIGHER PRICE for it!!!

Now, mind you, they ALREADY have the IDIOTIC policy of charging you
THE SAME PRICE for Total Studio Max if you already own EVERYTHING,
as a person who owns ONLY ONE PRODUCT!!!  They can't seem to figure out
a "Graduated" Upgrade path, based on what you already own, like Waves,
and other companies, do!!!  Basically they say to their LONG TERM CUSTOMERS,
sorry you spent all that money with us, but we REALLY don't give damn!!!

This is ANOTHER TICK on my "IK-DIOTIC" Business Practices list!!!

The Business practices of this company, and their Marketing Dept, are the 
most IDIOTIC of ANY company ever!  I've never seen a more IDIOTIC way
to do business!!!  They CONTINUOUSLY, and UNAPOLOGETICLY, alienate
their PAYING Customers!!!  I don't understand WHY any company would want
to ALIENATE customers from buying MORE PRODUCTS, but they do...REPEATEDLY!!!

End of Rant!!!

Edited by cclarry
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Well, one cannot deny that IK is on a roll and their business model is working for them. I just don't see why they refuse to provide demo versions for their newest instruments, like MODO Drum, Hammond or ST4. Maybe it's an indication that these instruments are not as good as many people would expect, IDK.

Although I'd like to get some more stuff from them (and then more and More, and MORE) for peanuts, claiming my rights for upgrade paths, I also try to keep in mind that the company behind the product is a team of passionate and talented people who dedicate their time and effort to make great software. And these people need money to keep on doing what they do. After all, they give us JPs and GCs to save on future buys. It can be considered as a good will gesture towards loyal customers.

One thing I would recommend, though, is to steer away from buying GCs, because you might find out that the money you invested are no good for getting a product you want.

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53 minutes ago, Soundwise said:

Well, one cannot deny that IK is on a roll and their business model is working for them. I just don't see why they refuse to provide demo versions for their newest instruments, like MODO Drum, Hammond or ST4. Maybe it's an indication that these instruments are not as good as

They do provide a demo version of the Hammond B-3X here:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/hammondb3x/index.php?p=demo

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Sorry Larry for your bad experience with IK. When they released Total Studio Max 2, I contacted them and they offered me a reasonable upgrade path based on what I owned. I bought Total Studio Max 1 and the upgrade to 2 at the same time. 
 

I think they gave me bonus Jampoints to use to buy these.

I will not buy anything else from them until the upgrade to Total Studio Max 3, it’s the safest path for me.

Edited by Yan Filiatrault
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9 minutes ago, Yan Filiatrault said:

Sorry Larry for your bad experience with IK. When they released Total Studio Max 2, I contacted them and they offered me a reasonable upgrade path based on what I owned. I bought Total Studio Max 1 and the upgrade to 2 at the same time. 
 

I think they gave me bonus Jampoints to use to buy these.

I will not buy anything else from them until the upgrade to Total Studio Max 3, it’s the safest path for me.

I'm sure that if I went through all that to get an upgrade, that they would most likely accommodate me,
as I've been a customer for a LOOOOONG time...but I shouldn't have to, nor should anyone else, and that's
my point.  I should be able to go to the store, and buy what I want at the appropriate price based on
what I OWN, without having to "jump through hoops" to do so...that's just NOT good business.  The fact that
they offer you an "incentive" to buy one of their hardware products, and then "nullify" that incentive by saying
"oh, by the way, you can't use that incentive that we used to get to buy the hardware to upgrade" also is just NOT
good business.  That SHOULD be the REASON that they give you the incentive - so that you WILL buy more...not
to BAN you from doing so!

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1 minute ago, Anxiousmofo said:

And here I thought this was going to be a Toontrack thread.

Or, I wish it was.  Toontrack treats existing customers like crap.

I think that's a common problem with companies that get "too big for their britches" so to speak,
and it usually ends up hurting them in the long run...as the customers tire of that type of attitude
relatively quickly.  The BEST customers that they have are their CURRENT customers, but they 
always seem to "skirt" them in favor of "new" customers...doesn't quite make sense.

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I think the problem to put a policy in place is at least you have to have the minmum stability and visibility on products life and dev witch i think ik own guyz don t have necessarely .

 

They chose the safest and easiest way to handle it to keep it simple for both side at the expense of sometime faireness ...but at least it s not PA like choatic ....

Now what Larry pointed out is something we see more and more with every brands forcing to re buy stuff again and again and being so agressive in price for new comers that it doesn t make sens to event bother for old costumers witch is imho THE issue ... clients like to feel considered and taken care of ....even  after purchase ...  marketing guyz are too often focused on sales technic but not enougth in clients portofolio management .

 

Edited by Zo
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