bapu

vintagevibe
But there may be a million teenage kids that bought that in which case IK would be idiots not to focus on it.

I concede that your "may be" is stronger than my observation.

I see your point.  You immediate observation must be all there is to see.

"The customer is always right"
 
Consider that longstanding aphorism. What it really means is that you should always capitulate to your customer's demands in hopes that he'll be a repeat customer or say nice things about you. It does not mean that he's literally "always right", which would be preposterous. Often, the customer is dead wrong.
 
Now, if the customer is physically standing in your retail shop claiming your product sucks, that's one thing. But nowadays it's more like the customer is making those claims on a soapbox with a bullhorn and an audience of thousands. As a vendor, it's imperative that you manage your online reputation by refuting false and unfair claims. The trick is doing it diplomatically, not something your average software developer is skilled at.
 
OTOH, I've seen vendors legitimately called on the carpet for underhanded practices. When it was discovered that a Tone2 was modifying users' HOSTS file, the community was rightfully outraged. When Sony was caught installing rootkits, it quickly became public knowledge and they were forced to stop doing that. KVR maintains a list of vendors whose products cannot be resold, something they'd prefer not to be general knowledge. When Telefunken rebranded a cheap Chinese microphone and jacked the price by 1000%, they got called on it, with irrefutable photo evidence.
 
I don't consider a vendor making a brusk rebuttal to be in the same league.
 

bitflipper
"The customer is always right"
 
Consider that longstanding aphorism. What it really means is that you should always capitulate to your customer's demands in hopes that he'll be a repeat customer or say nice things about you. It does not mean that he's literally "always right", which would be preposterous. Often, the customer is dead wrong.
 
Now, if the customer is physically standing in your retail shop claiming your product sucks, that's one thing. But nowadays it's more like the customer is making those claims on a soapbox with a bullhorn and an audience of thousands. As a vendor, it's imperative that you manage your online reputation by refuting false and unfair claims. The trick is doing it diplomatically, not something your average software developer is skilled at.

Bit, I must disagree with your interpretation of that phrase.  Of course it's not meant to be taken literally -- customers are "wrong" all the time.  Of course it doesn't mean that you must always capitulate to customers' demands.  What it means to me (as a businessperson) is treating customers AS THOUGH they were always right.  It doesn't do any good to argue and try to prove customers wrong when they have a problem or complaint -- that only makes them angry and less likely to do business with you.  And that's just if the issue is discussed privately.  It's a much bigger deal when done in plain view of everyone in the world.  Potential customers are turned off as well.  At least, I would be.  Maybe I'm a relic from a different age when "smackdowns" weren't an appropriate way to conduct business, but I suspect I'm not alone.
 
A much better approach, in my view, is acknowledging complaints as legitimate and trying to satisfy the customer as best you can.  The "rock stars" I mentioned above all try to do it this way.  Yes, false and unfair claims should not go unanswered, but as you say, there's a diplomatic way to do it.   The IK Way seems to be different, and the really bizarre thing is that these guys are supposedly customer-service specialists, not your stereotypical socially-challenged software devs. 
 
BTW, I was just browsing over at KVR, and wouldn't you know it -- yet another fight between IK and a customer.  Will they ever learn? 
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 
 

 
 
 

Oh man, I just missed it too... The Special Edition Complete Bundle is back up to $1900.

 
Sorry Dave I have to agree with Eddie here. Openness seems to be the last thing IK is interested in. Though I've heard accusations of other companies with similar policies in their forums and reps from other companies acting the same way, I don't see that and have had really great customer experience with just about  all VST effects merchants. 
I have most recently been dealing with folks from across the globe, with names like we have in horror movies here like Igor and have really been surprised and delighted with excellent customer experience and great customer service every time. 
 I don't yet know of this new world of which you speak. I find it bizarre and unprecedented.  Maybe the Seinfield episode "Soup Nazi" has given rise to a new breed of VST peddlers...we now have plug-in Nazi’s?  I certainly don't hold a grudge against folks that buy into that. Not me.
 
I believe all open information, new product announcements, sales and facilitating folks with support issues should be allowed for vendors. Obvious hyperbole from a paid vendor should not be allowed IMO, and to me this is full of it.
 
Just an example, sorry Obi
 

ObiYes/no. These are sonic colors. Sometimes you want the color and other times you don't. Its entirely preference, BUT for over 40 years this particular one has been popular for a reason. Different strokes for different folks. You can't simply recreate these legendary compressors or EQs with simple saturation or EQs. We model the entire circuit, each resistor and so on. We are well known around the music industry for being the best at it too. Just ask any of our partners. Fender could have gone with anyone. Orange too. We do it so well there are many that DON'T want us saying what we modeled.

 
 As far as modeling the entire circuit, that is the same thing that every vendor has said since they started modeling hardware.
 So this means that Teletronix and all the other's like SSL....Have given a wink to IK as the best? Why not just post a link with evidence of this?
 
=sales spin.  
 IMO no less obnoxious than politics