I'm one of their best customers but I've had it with jumping through hoops JUST TO F&*^ING PURCHASE SOMETHING!
So I go to Custom Shop and to buy Stealth Limiter.  First I have to figure out how to use gear credits and jam points together.  I get that figured out and make my purchase.  Custom Shop shows the item is purchased so I click on Restore My Gear.  Nothing happens and the plugin is not installed.  After trying for awhile I fill out a support ticket.  Next day I get a response that says to download it from My Products page.  It's not there ...
 
... So here I am spending time troubleshooting a purchase!!!  This is a BS way of doing business and I can't deal with it anymore.  There are plenty of competing products that I could have been using to get work done.  Instead I'M TROUBLESHOOTING A PURCHASE!  That should never happen.  I've never known a retailer that has spent so much time and money developing a sales system (Custom Shop) THAT MAKES IS HARDER TO BUY!  All other companies try to make it easier to buy.  I'm very busy so IK is just not worth the time anymore.
 
OK, rant over.

That is not the typical experience, usually you purchase in Custom Shop by clicking the Buy button and don't even have to do Restore My Gear and it is ready to use.  Sorry to hear that it didn't go that way - Support would typically send you to your User Area --> My Products in order to make sure you have the latest version of the software just in case and as a basic first troubleshooting step, I'll let them know that they should elaborate more when they suggest this sort of thing so the user is more aware of why hey'd ask you to do something like this that may seem circuitous at first.
 
Thanks for relaying your experience.

It's too convoluted. I need a calculator just to figure out what the actual price will be. Then the system is too complex and you can never buy less than too may gear credits for any given product. It's a horrible customer experience.

vintagevibe
It's too convoluted. I need a calculator just to figure out what the actual price will be. Then the system is too complex and you can never buy less than too may gear credits for any given product. It's a horrible customer experience.

I appreciate your feelings on that, please do note that for those who don't feel Gear Credits are the right choice, we offer the option to buy with other payment methods like credit card and PayPal.  The gear you were looking to purchase is available without the need for Gear Credits.  You can use JamPoints on those purchases too, if you are not so inclined to use them toward the purchase of Gear Credits.
 
Edit - I'll definitely pass along your feelings, let me know if you'd like me to specify your ticket number (and please PM that to me if so).  They'll appreciate the information too and will try to make sure what happened with your gear not showing up doesn't happen going forward and take into consideration your criticism of the purchasing process when on chooses to use Gear Credits and JamPoints.  Thanks.

I sympathise with the OP. I have most IK products but stay away from the Custom Shops because of the convoluted processes. Just my 2p's worth. 

Sorry to hear that, guys. Guess, I'm a happy camper here. IK isn't 100% trouble free, but it's not a complete mess either. Once installed and authorized product's performance is rock-solid. And with all IK's group buy's and free credits some minor bugs and trouble-shooting may be safely neglected. 

It is indeed a "convoluted" process...as you have to figure out 
"which way is the least expensive" to purchase, and that is 
ALWAYS to use your "Jampoints" to buy "too many" gear credits,
which gets you the "lowest price", but then, because you didn't
buy it "outright", through the store, but instead used gear credits,
you NOW can't sell it later down the road to recoup ANY of the
investment...

Pretty ridiculous process and system...

Add to that the convoluted "apologies" and "so sorry"'s and etc...
and it's a formula for Kool Aid...

SampleTank, a product that took 10 years to "upgrade"...and they
BRAGGED ABOUT IT...."10 Years in the Making"...only to be somewhat
"dismal" for that much development time...they spent maybe a year...
the LAST year before it was released, due to the massive "outcry" from SampleTank
2 users...because they were too busy developing "i-Craps" and chasing "New
Dollars", and, because of that, put existing customers LAST...

While the products are good, the company business tactics and principles are
quite pathetic IMO...YMMV

(YES...I ALWAYS have to get my two cents worth in these conversations)

I have somewhat different views on IK. I stopped using their desktop products (SampleTank, Miroslav, etc. and have had issues with them on and off thru the years causing Sonar crashes, finding sample directories, etc. However, although Larry would disagree, I find their "i'crap" to be an invaluable tool, and now use my iPad in live performance quite a bit. While I have stopped using Amplitude for iPad, it has been a nice product, but I have replaced it with Cubasis, a more full-featured IOS Daw product (like it better than Auria Pro, in fact). And their IOS SampleTank is more than serviceable, as are their other products, iGrand, iElectric, etc. They are near or at the cutting edge in mobile technology--a must these days (maybe not for everyone). I would never bring a laptop or other computer to a gig, but using IK's software (and other company's, such as Korg) and their hardware (iKlip, etc.) for on-stage setup, it's really made me a convert to this type of tool in music. And while I don't do a lot of recording on it (that is still something I prefer to do in Sonar or any computer-based DAW, it's easy enough to port over my tracks and then have complete control over them in live performance. I just wanted to put my one dissenting view in here, not to discount any other views, but to underscore that mobile music production/performance has come a very long way and is on the cusp of being completely viable as a composing/performance/stage rig tool.
 

Do you have to jump through hoops?....Yes.
However, you will get some great products for very little money once you get the process down.
 

thepianist53
I have somewhat different views on IK. I stopped using their desktop products (SampleTank, Miroslav, etc. and have had issues with them on and off thru the years causing Sonar crashes, finding sample directories, etc. However, although Larry would disagree, I find their "i'crap" to be an invaluable tool, and now use my iPad in live performance quite a bit. While I have stopped using Amplitude for iPad, it has been a nice product, but I have replaced it with Cubasis, a more full-featured IOS Daw product (like it better than Auria Pro, in fact). And their IOS SampleTank is more than serviceable, as are their other products, iGrand, iElectric, etc. They are near or at the cutting edge in mobile technology--a must these days (maybe not for everyone). I would never bring a laptop or other computer to a gig, but using IK's software (and other company's, such as Korg) and their hardware (iKlip, etc.) for on-stage setup, it's really made me a convert to this type of tool in music. And while I don't do a lot of recording on it (that is still something I prefer to do in Sonar or any computer-based DAW, it's easy enough to port over my tracks and then have complete control over them in live performance. I just wanted to put my one dissenting view in here, not to discount any other views, but to underscore that mobile music production/performance has come a very long way and is on the cusp of being completely viable as a composing/performance/stage rig tool.
 

I don't disagree Pianist...I just take issue with putting the products that existing
customers have invested THOUSANDS of dollars in on hold, while you "pursue" 
the iCrap dollar.  THAT is, and always has been my biggest issue with them.

Existing customers are "put to the rear" for the sake of MONEY.
I know they are in business to make money, but it should NEVER be
at the expense of the "existing and heavily invested" current customer,
which is EXACTLY what they do AND did.

I know their i - apps are quite useful, and have no problem with iCraps...
it's just "how they went about it" that I take issue with, as well as their
convoluted "processes" and structuring of "purchases"...and, because of
that, the inability to sell what you have invested in (I have the same issue
with Cakewalk - whose products you can't "Sell" if you "get out of the business")

An example of HOW IK does business is the current release of Total Studio MAX.
Existing owners of Total Studio 3 get NO BREAK whatsoever
in the VASTLY EXHORBITANT price of MAX, other then the one provided
for owning "one" of the "Qualifying" products...that's just "CRAPPY
Business" PERIOD...

But, each is entitled to their opinion...that's just MINE...