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Extremely Disappointed, Existing Customers must Purchase Affinity V2


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Must we thought? I seem to have avoided it so far. It's almost as though I have the choice whether or not to buy it (Still not convinced on the matter as the trials I'm playing with could use quite a bit of polish). 

I find it odd to compare this to subscriptions. You can still use the software as long as your device & OS supports it (and you can choose whether or not to upgrade those too btw) which you can't do once you cancel a subscription. Regarding Logic and other Apple software, they can give free updates for so long because people pay them thousands of dollars for a computer to run it on, that's a unique business model not possible to most software companies. And I'm sure Logic will eventually get a paid upgrade for V11 at some point too (though hopefully not too soon!). How long do you expect a relatively small company like Serif to survive if they don't ask for some money every few years?

I do wish they'd offer a cheaper upgrade deal for existing customers, other than just the launch price that is available to everyone. (Also hoping that pump out updates more regularly this time, bugs persisted a way too long in V1, and V2 already needs some fixes).

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It is undeniable that the price is super for the scope of the software on offer. I myself have been using 1.0 for a good 5 years and have been able to come to terms with the small shortcomings so well that Adobe subscriptions have expired without much regret. 

I bought the new version not 5 minutes after it was released - without even looking at the options included, because what is more decisive for me is that I also get future updates. I was happy to pay the money.

Nevertheless, I can also understand the opinion of the thread creator. There remains a strange feeling of not being respected as an existing customer.

And it's not even about the money. An exclusive brush set for existing customers or some other form of bonus, simply as a thank you, would have been nice.

The comparison with buying a new car is also very misleading. Cars wear out in all parts, which software does not. A new customer gets software with hundreds of new functions. An update buyer only gets the new functions for the same price, because the previous functions are not "worn out". 

A small gesture of some kind would have been a sign of respect for existing customers.

 

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35 minutes ago, Adobe Certified Expert said:

The comparison with buying a new car is also very misleading. Cars wear out in all parts, which software does not. A new customer gets software with hundreds of new functions. An update buyer only gets the new functions for the same price, because the previous functions are not "worn out".

 

The only comparison I've seen with "buying a car" was when I was talking about the Mazda discount for new vs. existing customers, where they both got the same discount, just with different names. I mean, feel free to misinterpret that however you want, but I just want to be clear, I wasn't comparing the purchase of this software with the purchase of a car. Because indeed, software doesn't wear out (beyond older versions losing support in newer OSes or hardware configurations). But it's disingenuous to claim that a comparison was being made where one wasn't.

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41 minutes ago, Adobe Certified Expert said:

Nevertheless, I can also understand the opinion of the thread creator. There remains a strange feeling of not being respected as an existing customer.

And it's not even about the money. An exclusive brush set for existing customers or some other form of bonus, simply as a thank you, would have been nice.

I understand the sentiment but there is a reason Affinity didn't offer a separate upgrade discount and you may have missed their explanation: 

In addition, Affinity doesn't -- and simply cannot -- cater to everyone's wishes but overall I find the staff very respectful and considerate. Their continued presence on these forums shows to me that they're serious about making the best apps possible and, in the process, develop a healthy and cordial relationship with us. That's how I experience their appreciation of me and all other users. 

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I only purchased Affinity few months ago - due to the ongoing included upgrades. Before that I had a sketchy copy for a bit for evaluation but wanted to be legit. I don't use it much, I'm just a small business, suffering massive downturn thanks to lockdowns over the past couple of years, but wanted to buy and support a good company supporting it's products. Now after using it a handful of times it's a dead-end product. I know 40% off is nice, but I just bought it for the ongoing upgrades AND ANYONE OFF THE STREET GETS 40% OFF NOW ANYWAY - I'M NOT A VALUED CUSTOMER! This falls way below my expectation of on-going upgrades. PowerDirector did a similar thing too, hate them now. Let upstairs know it motivates me to keep using sketchy copies when paid-up users get shafted. I regret supporting serif now.

Edited by Mister Mike
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I will gladly support Affinity and pay for their products, because I believe their software is worthwhile and it has saved me a lot of time and frustration. I don't expect to get infinite updates. Affinity doesn't rely on a constant cash influx like Adobe does, so if we use this software and want it to get better, we need to show our support by paying for it. Just like we get paid for design work created using this software.

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2 hours ago, Tia Lapis said:

40% off. What more do you want? A personal belly rub? x_X

You didn't catch my point. The belly rub is for everybody, existing customers are ignored. Exactly what Adobe does, despising its customers. That made big Adobe, perhaps it works also for Affinity but I don't like it. The good consideration for Affinity made me using that suite, although I also pay also the Adobe fee. Probably I will pay for the 2.0 update, it's a small price and I have many projects done with it.

But for new projects I will use Adobe again, the dream finished.

More than 30 Macs, from 1984 Mac 512K Plus to 2020 iMac 27" i9

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53 minutes ago, Gianni Becattini said:

You didn't catch my point. The belly rub is for everybody, existing customers are ignored. Exactly what Adobe does, despising its customers. That made big Adobe, perhaps it works also for Affinity but I don't like it. The good consideration for Affinity made me using that suite, although I also pay also the Adobe fee. Probably I will pay for the 2.0 update, it's a small price and I have many projects done with it.

But for new projects I will use Adobe again, the dream finished.

That is simply nonsense. As you say and know everyone has a discount therefore (current) customers patently aren’t be ignored they’re being treated as equals which isn’t the same thing. What you want is double special treatment. As for going back to Adobe, if it suits your requirements better then do it however don’t pretend they treat customers better and it’s a strange one that you’re complaining about cost and then talking about going back to them!

This moaning about something that’s not going to change and isn’t unreasonable, they’ve explained their reasoning, is getting too much, just typical internet. So I’m giving up for on here for a while as I don’t tolerate all this non-constructive whining well.

 

Marc

ArtByMarc.me

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17 hours ago, Artsketch said:

There are many influencers and fanboys hyping this Affinity V2.0 release.

I assume this refers to anyone who dares to praise a piece of software that they like, as opposed to trying to find anything they can to complain about!

Acer XC-895 : Core i5-10400 Hexa-core 2.90 GHz :  32GB RAM : Intel UHD Graphics 630 : Windows 10 Home
Affinity Publisher 2 : Affinity Photo 2 : Affinity Designer 2 : (latest release versions) on desktop and iPad

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18 hours ago, Dhillf2w said:

I would suspect many customers will stick with V1 simply because they will not be manipulated to purchase the products again, not because they don't want them, but because they are angry with Affinity.

And many will pay happily because it works for them.

Best regards!

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1 minute ago, PaulEC said:

I assume this refers to anyone who dares to praise a piece of software that they like, as opposed to trying to find anything they can to complain about!

Not to people who really like this release. Maybe the rumor isn't true that some YouTubers received the Affinity Suite 2.0 for free for an appropriate review?

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1 hour ago, Gianni Becattini said:

You didn't catch my point. The belly rub is for everybody, existing customers are ignored. Exactly what Adobe does, despising its customers. That made big Adobe, perhaps it works also for Affinity but I don't like it. The good consideration for Affinity made me using that suite, although I also pay also the Adobe fee. Probably I will pay for the 2.0 update, it's a small price and I have many projects done with it.

But for new projects I will use Adobe again, the dream finished.

Take a look here: 

 

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45 minutes ago, Gianni Becattini said:

You didn't catch my point. The belly rub is for everybody, existing customers are ignored. Exactly what Adobe does, despising its customers. That made big Adobe, perhaps it works also for Affinity but I don't like it. The good consideration for Affinity made me using that suite, although I also pay also the Adobe fee. Probably I will pay for the 2.0 update, it's a small price and I have many projects done with it.

But for new projects I will use Adobe again, the dream finished.

Hyperbole. To say that Affinity despises it’s customers is beyond ridiculous and clearly untrue. 

Further to that you’re taking offence at some imagined insult and then contradicting yourself by saying V2 is a small price that you will probably pay. Since V2 only came out yesterday you can simply finish any Affinity projects you have outstanding in V1.

If you’re so offended by the 40% across platform discount price for V2 you really don’t have to buy it.  No one is twisting your arm.  You can instead use Adobe if that’s what you want to do, since if  I understand you correctly you are already paying a subscription to them even though it must be a much higher financial hit to you than what Affinity is asking at 119 euro.

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I paid for Adobe license several years. I purchased all desktop Mac apps from Affinity plus Designer for Windows. I already have the V2 Universal License.
And I still haven't paid Affinity what everyone pays Adobe for one year only. I'm enjoying and relying on professional results from Affinity apps since 2016.

Currently you pay more to Netflix or Spotify then the 40% off business they are offering. Is it fair? I don't know, it's a business. But for me, as a professional designer, I'll gladly support the only guys on the planet shaking things up within design software market (cheers!). The option is the same old monotony and monopoly. Innovation demands competition.

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I am flabbergasted by some of the very negative comments. It almost seems like trolls because their arguments are so inane and out of touch.

My first order was on June 3, 2019, with Affinity Designer, then quickly Affinity Photo on June 7, and Affinity Publisher on June 12. It cost me a total of €137.99. Since then, there have been many updates, each more exciting than the last. Whenever I have encountered a problem, I have always got an answer either from the technical support or from the forum. This is not always the case with other software.

As soon as I acquired the software, I noticed a prodigious acceleration in my workflow. I had done a test. A job that was undrinkable in Scribus (a good afternoon’s work) took 1 hour 15 minutes in QuarkXPress and 55 minutes in Indesign. In Affinity Publisher, which I didn’t master like the other three, it only took me a little over half an hour.

Now, the full upgrade is only €119.99. It’s really bad form to complain, especially since this update is obviously only for old users. New customers may have been informed, but by the time they decide, the price will be back to its normal €199.99.

The company has to live anyway. It is not a philanthropic work. A multitude of free updates in 3 years is exceptional. Those who think the software is too expensive for them (it’s only €120), or should be free, should be more constructive: they should switch to free software instead. Then don’t complain that they’re only getting what they pay for … which isn’t much. With the Affinity suite, the evolution of its products shows that we are in good hands.

6 cœurs, 12 processus - Windows 11 pro - 4K - DirectX 12 - Suite universelle Affinity (Affinity  Publisher, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo).

Mais je vous le demande, peut-on imaginer une police sans sérifs ?

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18 hours ago, Dhillf2w said:

I am extremely disappointed to see that Affinity requires existing customers to purchase the V2 upgrade to the products they have already purchased.

I have been a customer of Serif's since PagePlus 3 (and maybe from PagePlus 2 - I can't seem to find the floppies for that). I still have PagePlus 3 (and TypePlus and TablePlus, remember those?!) installed in a virtual machine for an occasional nostalgic trip. Should I have expected a free upgrade since then all the way to the last version of PagePlus X? I don't think so. 

I was wary about adding to this thread as I think it's becoming repetitive and the arguments have been made. Some people are not happy. Serif can't please everybody. In the years that I had the V1 apps I saw free updates. Not updates for every feature that I wanted, but certainly I saw some very useful ones.

I bought the V2 versions the day (the hour? the few minutes?) they were released using the special offer. Nobody forced me to do it. I haven't been pressured. I haven't been tricked. I don't feel swindled. I knew what I was doing.

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Although it usually isn't recommended to spend money on a promise (future improvements), it does eventually allow Serif to up it's development pace. So if you can spare the money, it is also in your interest. But, if you wait for additional features to make it in, that's also a valid reason. One way or the other, it all gets tallied together for the V2 development planning.

Can understand the sentiment on not getting a better offer for existing customers. But hey, it's way more accessible than Adobe. Especially for those buying in after 1.10 on the hopes of getting further V1 updates.

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8 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

Although it usually isn't recommended to spend money on a promise

But it's what you always do: expect Software Updates like security patches, performance improvements, new features and bug corrections. Also, you pay for support for a situation that might appear, to a certain degree (yes, even using free and open source Software).

Best regards! 

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1 hour ago, Mithferion said:

But it's what you always do: expect Software Updates like security patches, performance improvements, new features and bug corrections. Also, you pay for support for a situation that might appear, to a certain degree (yes, even using free and open source Software).

Best regards! 

What I mean is: if you think the software is bare-bones and unusable for you (lacking certain features), you should not buy it and complain when the features don't end up in the software a few years down the line. You can purchase it if you have/ tolerate workarounds or can use other software to complement shortcomings.

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10 minutes ago, Intuos5 said:

What I mean is: if you think the software is bare-bones and unusable for you (lacking certain features), you should not buy it and complain when the features don't end up in the software a few years down the line. You can purchase it if you have/ tolerate workarounds or can use other software to complement shortcomings.

True, true. You use what you need to use.

Best regards!

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1 hour ago, Poor Composition said:

Having purchased the product at the end of August, it seems a little much to turn around and buy it again shortly afterward. I wouldn't have purchased it if I knew it was going EOL in a couple months.

Why don't you contact Affinity Support/Sales and explain the situation. 

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1 hour ago, Intuos5 said:

What I mean is: if you think the software is bare-bones and unusable for you (lacking certain features), you should not buy it and complain when the features don't end up in the software a few years down the line. You can purchase it if you have/ tolerate workarounds or can use other software to complement shortcomings.

This is the root of most of the persistent complaints over the years (myself included) on the forum and throughout the user base as far as I can tell. We were often comparing a v1 product to a v100 product, but it is also true that marketing does mislead by comparing itself to the other one's graphic's factory. It entirely depends on what one's day-to-day requires whether some missing functionality will/won't be a deal breaker for them. If too much is missing it's time lost and thus money. That's huge. If someone just wants to tinker with something new as an enthusiast, $99 is not a bad deal to support a potential competitor. However, as professionals we can't compare our needs to the needs of other professional's and expect it to be 1-to-1. Some people in that camp get bent out of shape when they are hearing from others it is not "to their standard" as if it knocks their workflow, forgetting that everyone's requirements and specialty varies. As far as general comparisons, what is fair is the marketing is directly competing against a much more refined suite. It's very fair to knock the marketing. I'm perfectly fine with Affinity being an ambitious project, but it should be in the forefront what their goals in their marketing as well so that this confusion can be put to bed. As I see it, the staff individually are having to address concerns that could be easily be fixed by clearer marketing.

As far as pricing and feeling appreciated, I (as in me) feel appreciated as an current customer. I can understand someone else might not, but also, I've noticed that these are generally speaking people with in some cases, an already heaping list of complaints and negativity about the v1 development cycle. They weren't going to be easily bought back in either way. Are there people who were thrilled with v1's offerings who were happy to move to v2 who were upset it wasn't an extra $5, $10, $20 off the discount? It doesn't seem to be as much a thing.

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