Jesse G
So I purchased Sonar Platinum initially on 11/25/2015  and then I updated to Sonar Platinum Life Time updates on 6/27/2016  I hadn't had Platinum for an entire year when I updated for the asking prices,    Was there suppose to be a refund of some type?
 
I've heard of refunds being given back to those who purchased before the year was expired on their initial purchase.

Don't know about any refunds, but if you had already renewed before the lifetime offer appeared (i.e. into your second year of rolling updates), then the lifetime offer cost $99.
 

Jesse G
So I purchased Sonar Platinum initially on 11/25/2015  and then I updated to Sonar Platinum Life Time updates on 6/27/2016  I hadn't had Platinum for an entire year when I updated for the asking prices,    Was there suppose to be a refund of some type?
 
I've heard of refunds being given back to those who purchased before the year was expired on their initial purchase.

 
Prorated pricing was only offered to users who had two consecutive annual memberships, the second one being renewed this year. So you wouldn't have qualified for that. Your price would have been 199, the same as it is now.

Anderton
This is the last time I'll explain why the timing makes sense to me (which may be different from why it makes sense to Cakewalk), because there's no point wasting my time writing anything if people don't read it anyway.
 

• The holiday season is less than one month away.
• It would be really, really stupid to have one or even two months of people with different deals than the previous few months or the next few months: Different SKUs in stores, jumping on at different points in the Rolling Updates, etc. It's complicated enough that the new Lifetime Updates offer is different. [Please note: is different] Sandwiching yet another offer in between would be idiotic from a practicality and fulfillment standpoint, let alone a PR standpoint because...
• The people who signed up in September would whine about those who signed up before or after them getting better deals, demand refunds, come to the forum and complain, blah blah blah. You know that would happen. Look how many are people are complaining because Cakewalk introduced a NEW offer that RAISED the price for many, if not most, updaters (they DID NOT EXTEND THE OLD OFFER) because they have a soft spot in their heart for their customers.

 
Kenny got it right.

Thanks for taking the time, but I did read your initial comment about how people didn't have the money right now etc. That would go for any campaign that expires, so still don't get your reasoning.
 
First, holiday season - what is that?
If to pick one holiday it would be christmas + new year, but you mention less than a month away.
So consider this is for any culture visiting forum - it could be more clear.
 
In europe it could be easter+whitsun(and it sweden it could be midsommer as well). In fall nothing at all before christmas that we talk about as holidays(unless mixed up with vacation leave of course).
 
And its distance from holiday season would be there when deciding aug 31st as well - this is what I meant was not thought through. I mean it's a change of policy more than just a campaign with a discount.
 
By shooting in the dark I meant - you don't know how it will turn out, so you need to be able to back off from it all - so you keep pushing the expire date.
 
Cakewalk have shown so much guts in the past years, starting new with X-series reworking gui completely(Steinberg still haven't), now a Mac version etc. Clear and decisive actions.
 
Any campaign will have moaners just missing it - you can't have these folks running your business. It comes out as you just use this as an excuse for not having a plan - which is what I mean by not so professional.
 
And having such a short expire date on Platinum free lifetime updates - how does Mac users fit into this?
They should rush buying life time license now - and get Mac version when it eventually arrive?
Or Mac users should never be able to get free life time updates?
So very mixed signals...and does not make sense. Between the lines you can read this will go on forever.
 
I repeat, Sonar is a stunning daw with a potential to floor everything else when on both mac and pc.
All the best from me.

This has been discussed to death in several threads
This is the last time I'll explain why...
PLEASE lets just move along!
Lock the thread.
Those few who feel Cake has fallen into the hands of the evil empire can just "vote with their feet",
the rest of us can get on with making music.
Geesh!
T

Ifm,
 
Here in the US it is not uncommon to start seeing Christmas sales and adds going on a week before Halloween...
This type of marketing has been going on here for the past few years ...
 
to anybody who cares ,
 
School just started in my area a few days ago ...
There are a lot of people / family's with children ( both young and adult )  that are feeling the sting of having to have prepared them to go back to school ...
Now in some cases it may be as simple as buying some new duds , a backpack , some small odds and ends like notebooks , pencils ...ect ect ....
 
In other situations there are people that may have laid out a lot of money for things like a new computer for school ,  tuition, housing ...or any other number of items the parent may have had to spend money on to equip their loved one with ....
 
Now I bring this up because this may be part of the normal day to day responsibility's for some people here that are SONAR users ...
 
Theoretically we could flip the coin two ways...
 
Heads, a few folks may have been a little PO'ed that the August 31 st deal may have put them in a pressure cooker ....
( for the record I am not discounting peoples feelings about  feeling angry that they would have prefer to have waited ...that is all valid ...for those that went there )  
Or Tails ...the new modified deal may give some folks a chance to have caught up after laying out some serious coin to keep their kids educated ....
 
Now why would all this be important in the first place ?
 
Lets use the tides of the ocean for example ...there is a high tide and there is a low tide ..( simplistic overview)
 
Keeping this strictly to the upcoming Holiday season .....
 
Cakewalks new modified deal makes perfect sense ....extending it to December 31 st  .
Why ?
The Months of September , October right up until a few weeks before Thanksgiving are sort of like a low tide ...
People can catch up a little , replenish some finances , put a little money aside for the up coming activity's and responsibility's they may have with their loved ones during the Holiday Season ....
 
Once Thanksgiving hit's everything changes ...
 
For many folks , myself included , the new extended lifetime membership deal may be the only true period of Grace where one can catch up and still meet their normal day to day ....
 
all the best ,
 
Kenny

kitekrazy1

Pragi
Hello Kenny ,
don´t get me wrong,
I think that it´s good that Cake has extended the lifetime updates for 
sonar friends in a situation like you,
but  it was stated several times in multiple threads that the lifetime updates will disappear
in the end of august  . 

I don't remember seeing that from the Cakewalk people, only speculation and straying off topic. I started such thread which somehow interpreted it as a rant.

"Act now! Lifetime Updates are available for purchase only until August 31st, 2016."
 
which was changed on or around the 31st to :
 
Act now! Lifetime Updates are available for purchase only until December 31st, 2016
 
which still conflicts with :
 
"Today, August 31st, the current SONAR Platinum (with Lifetime Updates) sale ends, so Lifetime Updates will no longer be available at this special price."
 
...since we're now dealing with a sale/special price and not a now-or-never deal.
 

Remind me what are people arguing about? Is it that CW extended the availability of the life time deal or what? If you bought in early on you got a good deal. If you are waiting or don't have the cash at hand right now you can save up and get it in a month or two. I don't see the controversy.
 
As far as I see it all this does is allow more people to have the life time deal.   

John,
 
Some people just want to be right. In spite of the facts.

+1 Bapu
I just don't understand why some are upset this deal could be extended for those less fortunate.

Jonness

kennywtelejazz
what are you here for ?

Thanks for telling me your life's story. I found it interesting. In answer to your question why I'm here? I'm here to post responses in an online forum that are relevant to the OP's original question. In doing so, I would like to keep as much brown off the tip of my nose as possible. Otherwise, you and I might be mistaken for twins.
 
OP: "But guess what, I click the "Buy Now" link and it now shows the deadline as December 31st, 2016 !!
I mean, what was the real point of having the August 31st, 2016 deadline ? I went for it due to repeated reminders that it would be the final date for availing the option and now its extended by 4 more months ? Why was it not extended much earlier, say a couple of weeks or a month back ? I had to advance any plans to expend the amount because of the deadline. If I knew, I could have waited for 4 more months !

How does this make any sense ?"
 
 
 

I am not sure what price you ended up paying - when you opted in on the deal that expired at the end of August - to the best of my awareness, some set of folks got the offer for as little as $99, some got it for $149, and I think some got it for $199 - I don't recall if there was any pricing level at more than $199.
 
The deal they are running from September 01 through December 31 seems to be fixed at $199, no matter the circumstances or time frame of how any users looking at that deal got Sonar.
 
If someone from the set of folks eligible for the 1st deal would have paid $199 then, and for the newer deal would still be at $199, then yes - there is no difference.
 
For the set of folks who were able to get the offer for less than $199, awesome.
 
I have been disabled since 2008, and am on a fixed income.  I see deals from all sorts of computer and music gear companies that will post say in the middle of a given month, or even more towards the end of that given month, and it KILLS me to see a really good deal come through, when I have already committed my once-a-month funds to other things - and I can't get the deal.
 
 I picked up the original lifetime updates offer deal - and am VERY happy I did, but if I were not able to have saved up for a couple months to do it, I would have been REALLY bummed to see it end before scraping enough disability income together to get it.
 
To see Cakewalk take folks like me, and other reasons why folks couldn't take advantage of the original offer, and have the decency to offer what is STILL a great deal at $199, through the end of the year - is REALLY cool, and I am very very happy for anyone for which having some extra time - even though the price is a bit more for some folks than it would have been for the first offer, to where that extra time allows them to pick up the lifetime updates deal.  
 
I have used Cakewalk products since the days of DOS, prior to Windows 3.1 existing, and I have never seen them rip anyone off or act in any sort of unscrupulous manner, period.  They put forth one phenomenal offer here that has expired, then put forth another offer that STILL is really good, for folks to get lifetime core product updates.  That's it in summation, and entirety.  And, if anyone chooses not to get the offer, that's fine too.
 
There have been issues with the technical support process for several months now, that have been explained several times.  In the 20+ YEARS I have used their products - they have NEVER screwed anyone over, and I am inclined to continue to believe in their commitment to the products, and to the users.
 
Aren't there enough OTHER things in the world where our wearing tin foil hats makes sense?  Has Cakewalk's 20+ years of NOT requiring some crappy iLOK dongle and trusting us users enough with not selling or distributing their software, garnered that little faith on OUR part?  They take us at OUR word (and have for more than two DECADES), when we all accept that we won't transfer or sell the software - can't we show THEM some faith?
 
Bob Bone