@orson said:
That would mean if I had waited a few days I would have paid about EUR 1.090,- for the full VI package. Now I had to pay EUR 815,- for Horizon Chamber Strings + EUR 495,- for the upgrade/extension + handling fee (let's say EUR 30,-). Equals EUR 1340,-. That is EUR 250,- more than what new customers have to pay for the whole package. That means if I had waited a few days I would have paid 250,- LESS, correct?
That's not what I would call an upgrade. I think it would be fair that the upgrade for old customers would not cost more over all compared to new customers.
Maybe my calculations are wrong...
Regards
Christian explained this to me in a post elsewhere and yes, people who've just bought Horizon products are perhaps the only ones who… well, you don’t actually lose out, you're just not winners on the same scale as some others.
But remember, although you do end up paying €250 more than someone buying just the new VI products (std + ext.), you keep all your Horizon samples and licence as WELL as the new stuff. Basically you pay a bit more but you get a lot more. If you go for the extended content, you’ll’ve paid €250 for your Horizon
CS set. If you paid €815 I’m guessing you think the samples are worth €250!! Plus you can use your Horizon samples right now, no waiting until January.
Yes, the biggest winners are going to be people who buy the Horizon series now, at sale prices (where's my wallet? [:D]). I know this will seem but small consolation but you're certainly not being ripped off. Unfortunately it IS impossible to please all of the people all of the time. Especially with something this good.
I'm also one of the so-called "losers" by this whole pricing scheme. I bought the
FE about 2 1/2 years go, then upgraded to the
Pro Ed/i]. I apparently have to pay more for the whole [i]Symph. Cube than someone buying it for the first time. I don't feel ripped off at all, rather the contrary: I've had 2½ years' use of these wonderful samples and it's perfectly reasonable to pay for that. I don't think we're being asked to pay an excessive amount, either.
An overall comment to end with: some people seem to be seriously unhappy. I think in a lot of cases this is due to confusion (we human beings often get angry when we're confused, isn't Vienna the home of modern psychiatry? [:)]). The one criticism (constructive, I hope) I'd make is that the communication has not always been terribly clear. The sooner the Calculator is up and running the better - its non-availability has compounded the confusion, of course.
VSL have been victims of their own success; when they designed the VIP programme they couldn't've known that 2-3 years later they'd be selling such a vast range of products for various budgets to such a large customer base. Back then they must've assumed they'd be essentially a premium manufacturer, a bit like Ferrari. I don’t think you get any discount if you upgrade to a new car (though you can sell it, you're not going to get anywhere near what you paid, are you?) It’s not fair to blame them for needing to restructure their pricing policy. And, to their credit, they have clearly made huge efforts to stay as close to the spirit of the VIP programme as possible. Just go and make a few comparisons and see how many other companies, in any businesses, are offering anything like this. Come on, credit where it's due. Yes, some people will do better out of this than others (as always in life) but nobody is being ripped off.
Oh and how many other companies this successful can you think of where you can still moan to the boss and know he's listening?
Nick
