jude77

mudgel

jude77

cclarry
This is one of my (long list of) business practice complaints
and I've stated it MANY times.  You shouldn't be charged
to "re-download" something you've already purchased...EVER,
by ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.  That's "extortion"...not
customer service....

Excellent point. About a month ago I had a HD crash and lost everything.  Luckily, I had it all backed up.  When I went to reinstall my ST3 libraries that I had made backup copies of  ST3 wouldn't find them, even though I put them in the exact folder as the originals.  So I ponyed up the $10 got new downloads which I had to install.  ST3 found those in the same folder as the copies!!  Now I've got to do the same thing with Miroslav 1 & 2 and Sampletron. 

IKM sloagan: "Musicians Eventually"

You can tell ST3 where to look for the samples

I did!!  I pointed to the exact folder they were located in.  No go.  After I installed the new download in the exact same folder it found them.  Weird.

You might have to tell ST3 to "rebuild" it's database if all you did was copy files.  When you do an install, ST3 "knows" there is new stuff there

I understand and had a similar situation with Recover My Files (a great program for salvaging files from a failed drive BTW). I had moved it from one machine to another and it wouldn't let me activate it on the new machine. They reset the activation but told me if I need to move it again I'd have to purchase a new key. As far as your laptop being stolen it's a shame things like that happen. I'll bet it was some crackhead who needed drug money. I hope your drive was encrypted. I have 3 laptops in the household that are encrypted with bitlocker and my work laptop is locked down better than Fort Knox!

Just the short list

First, you must purchase the product, and they aren't cheap on intro...
Especially years ago...
Then, if you go beyond a certain point, you must pay again to "download"
Then, if you sell you must pay $19 to transfer (ilok is $25...more if you have to pay the Vendor also)
Then, if you purchase something, they give you "Jampoints" which are good towards
future purchases.  Seems nice...BUT

If you sell the product you purchased....even 10 years down the road, they take the 
Jampoints back...EVEN if you have spent them....which leaves you in "The US Treasury Deficit"
of Jampoints, AND you don't come back out until you have purchased enough products to get enough
Jampoints to ERASE the deficit.

IDK...but that's not good business if you ask me...

Yep, the Spanish Inquisition when you least expect it.

Terrible customer service move on Ik's part. Let me know if you need ST3 files.

kennywtelejazz
 

gmon72
I have more software (like many here) than any normal person should have and I can't think of one other company that charges to download the libraries after a set amount of time.

Off the top of my head
 
Air Music Technology gives you ( I think a month ) to download your products . Then there is  a fee to start an extended period of time / window for future downloads ( longer than  a month )
Loop Loft also has a thing where if you exceed a certain number of downloads ... you may have to pay a fee  to require products you had already purchased ...
 
Kenny

Kenny, are you sure? I have a Structure 2 installation instructions with download links and they still work. Same is true with Air AEP 3. With LoopLoft I once had exceeded the number of downloads, dropped 'em an e-mail and they reset links for me immediately.

I keep an archive of my installers on an external drive, just in case.  Probably should keep it locked up as well, as Bit's experience demonstrates ...

abacab
I keep an archive of my installers on an external drive, just in case.  Probably should keep it locked up as well, as Bit's experience demonstrates ...

I am shopping for a safe, to be bolted to the concrete floor of my garage studio. Good ones are expensive, though. The ones I could afford can be broken into in minutes, as attested by the dozens of YouTube videos showing you how to do it.


In the meantime, my strategy is to never keep my backup drive in the same room as the computer except when actually performing backups. When I went to the Philippines in March I left it with someone so it wouldn't be in the house. My laptop, also being an alternate backup destination, is kept separate from both my primary workstation and my backup drive unless I'm there in the room with them.

Soundwise

kennywtelejazz
 

gmon72
I have more software (like many here) than any normal person should have and I can't think of one other company that charges to download the libraries after a set amount of time.

Off the top of my head
 
Air Music Technology gives you ( I think a month ) to download your products . Then there is  a fee to start an extended period of time / window for future downloads ( longer than  a month )
Loop Loft also has a thing where if you exceed a certain number of downloads ... you may have to pay a fee  to require products you had already purchased ...
 
Kenny

Kenny, are you sure? I have a Structure 2 installation instructions with download links and they still work. Same is true with Air AEP 3. With LoopLoft I once had exceeded the number of downloads, dropped 'em an e-mail and they reset links for me immediately.

Yes Dear ...
 
One thing I really like about you is you don't pull any of your punches
 
Hello Alisa  , at this point I'm not sure of anything ...
It looks like you bought yours one at a time . That may play into it.
I bought mine as a whole package ..Air Complete Upgrade after buying the $1 dollar synth ...
FWIW, I have no desire to sit here and spread misinformation ...
If I'm wrong I'm wrong ..I'm a big boy ...I can deal with the consequences .
The thing is I'm only going by what my receipts from my online purchases stated.
All the Air products I bought on sale were done VIA Audio Deluxe during what seemed to be a time sensitive pricing offer.
The offer went on for a few months , disappeared for a while and just came back ...
 
I would love to be able to re-download these products if the need ever arose since I had only placed them on one computer ..my PC which ate one license out of the two I was given  .
 
I had high hopes of taking my other license and placing the whole Air package on my Mac .
My current Mac's OS is non-supported . It is an older Mac and I plan on getting another Mac in the future even if it is used since I like working in OSX . 
 
 
Last night when I saw your post I decided to find out if I could re-download anything from my whole Air purchase.
I went back and found all my info ...everything ...links to downloads, order number, e mail I used and then I brought up the Air link where you place your order number with your e mail so you can download your products ..
MY whole purchase came up MIA after repeated attempts
As I have said I do not want to have to use my second license on my PC , I want to use it on a Mac .
SO Yeah you better believe that in this case I hope I may be wrong and these products can be downloaded again with out a time constraint. 
 
The only thing I didn't do was to go back to the order page on Air's website  and reorder the product with my Audio Deluxe order number from my purchase..
Will that clear the shopping cart to zero for The Air complete purchase price for one to be able to re download ?.
For all I know , that may be the missing key to re downloading the whole product . The thing is I don't know that  since I'm not willing to try that at this point 
When I bought the product , I did save this whole monster of a download in a few safe places ...my only regret was I didn't download the Mac installers at the same time...
 
alright folks , that's my story and I'm sticking to it
 
Kenny
PS Loop loft is the least of my problems I'm not the least bit worried about re getting my stuff if need be ...
 
 

DISCLAIMER:  This might be the whiskey talking ...
 
IMX, every music software vendor has pros and cons WRT the way they do business.  On balance, *I* believe that IKM has given me a very good ROI.
 
Yeah, the download thing sux.  But so does the PACE virus some other vendors insist I have on my DAW.
 
We each have to decide which models represent a good value and which don't.  Simplez; if you don't like the model, don't buy the software.
 
I triple backup everything I download.  Not because of potential cost, but because my 1890s internet connections makes it a pain to download stuff.  Paying a fee to re-download content is secondary to the time it takes me to do so.
 
When I purchased the IKM TS Max package, I paid extra for the media.  Waiting for downloads at 4Mbps sux.
 
There are PROs and there are CONs.  You have to decide for yourself whether or not it's worth it an on a purchase by purchase basis.
 
Disk space is CHEAP.  bf, I know you have suffered the pain of the unexpected.  The culprit is the thief, not IKM.