Serif Photoplus free offer details....
"KGB (KGB)" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:41:03 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:
wohwagen wrote:
Serif are currently giving away 5 of their older programmes for
absolutely
nothing (you pay 89p for the CD & P&P) They make a half-hearted
attempt
to sell you the latest version when you telephone them for the free
software - but that's it.
The down side - and I have this verified here - is that Serif readily
sell name and address details of applicants to junk mail outfits. If you
do order the (mostly worthwhile!) software, make it clear to them that
you don't want your postal mailbox spammed.
--
Adrian C
Hi
The other downside in my experience is that whilst the software is
very good and the retail products reasonably priced, the company
itself is very, very, hard sell.
The free offer (whilst genuine) is basically a ploy to get you on the
end of a phone by giving away out of date software so they can try and
sell you their latest offering. Phone the contact number and, far
from being half-hearted, they will go to any lengths to persuade you
to upgrade to the latest product - or perhaps I was just unlucky.
The last couple of times I have phoned Serif for the activation code
for a free download, the latest product started around £100 (special
price as an existing customer, Sir). When I said I was only
interested in the free product, the price dropped, eventually
bottoming out at around £25 (I have just had a word with my supervisor
and he is prepared to offer a very special price just for you...).
When I still refused, they got quite abusive and came very close to
accusing me of ripping them off by only ever using their free programs
(not actually true - I have bought Serif software on more than one
occasion in the past). When I stuck to my guns, insisting that all I
wanted was the activation code for the free download, they eventually
gave me it, after threatening to bombard me with sales calls for not
upgrading (I never actually received any further sales calls from
them, so obviously they were bluffing). I came very close to reporting
them to Trading Standards.
Having said that, I have been using Serif products from the mid 1990's
and find them extremely good - especially the free ones!!!! Dealing
with the company on the phone however is another matter - just grit
your teeth and keep reminding yourself that the software is free. To
be quite fair, I haven't had my postal mailbox spammed with the
exception of a "special offer" letter from Serif a couple of times a
year.
By the way, if you visit http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/ you will
find most of their earlier software as free downloads. Just remember,
when you do phone for the activation code, stick to your guns and
don't let them bully you.
Regards
KGB
Serif stuff, esp the early stuff, is quite simply, ****E.
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