Just a huge thanks!

[Jim Monson]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I simply had to stop my work and give all of you there at Affinity a huge thanks! I have used your products for years, but this ability now to switch back and forth to use various tools in each of the three programs is beyond anything  I dreamt of in the past. I am working on a book project with tons of complex graphic, I have made - yes, brought over from Freehand and Illustrator but in Designer since it came out. To switch back and forth in Affinity's programs saves tons of time and frustration. All I can say is "Bravo!" for thinking of us who work day and night in publishing. Your work is appreciated far beyond these few words. 

[R C-R]

In addition, I think a huge thanks is in order for the extraordinary level of support the staff have provided since day one of the first release of the first Affinity app.

For me, it is the gold standard by which I judge the support for any product of any type. Nobody else comes close.

[MikeW]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For me, it [the extraordinary level of support] is the gold standard by which I judge the support for any product of any type. Nobody else comes close.

Serif has always been my gold standard for both support and interaction with their customers.

I first became involved with Serif with PPX5 (about 2010), but many people I met online go back to Serif's beginning. While the product looked like it would meet my needs, the deciding factor when I purchased my first license was after spending a couple days on their forum reading posts.

[R C-R]

As a Mac user I had never heard of Serif until some Mac-oriented website mentioned the release of Designer for Mac, I think sometime in 2014. I downloaded the trial version & it only tool me a couple of hours to decide to buy it, even though that first (?) 1.4 version had far fewer features than it does now.

But what really turned me into a dedicated user & Affinity product advocate was the support offered through this website, not just from the staff (which was amazingly good by itself) but also from users like yourself who freely share their extensive knowledge of various aspects of graphics design with the rest of us.

[MikeW]

48 minutes ago, R C-R said:

...not just from the staff (which was amazingly good by itself) but also from users...

Yes. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Both Serif and users engender such symbiotic interactions. I've been on past forums where one half of the equation does most, or all, the interaction. It doesn't work well for either party.

[jmwellborn]

The very first thing that sold me was the very first Affinity Photo tutorial I found after gnashing my teeth over the Adobe rental racket.  “Thank you for watching,” after a highly professional, extremely detailed demonstration of just one possibility using the software.  What an extraordinary difference from the Tough Bananas approach from Adobe.  I was sold, bought Photo, and muddled through on my own for a long time.   It was not until I signed on to the Forums that I came to appreciate just how much more than “thank you for watching”  Serif represents.   Old fashioned courtesy, unfailing patience with those of us who ask questions that may have been asked umpteen times before, and constant watchfulness to keep the forums from descending into grudge matches, combined with the brilliance of the entire Affinity Team are without price — and in my estimation without peer.   Now I use Publisher, Designer, and Photo — all wonderfully together with Studio Link — and can’t wait to fire up my Mac each day.  As for the forum members, their generosity in showing us “how to ...” and sharing their Resources has been amazing.   I never knew I could have so many unknown friends!

[Jim Monson]

2 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

Now I use Publisher, Designer, and Photo — all wonderfully together with Studio Link — and can’t wait to fire up my Mac each day.

Amen to all of the above! I share your grief with Adobe's total lack of reaching out to help us and meanwhile charging an arm and a leg, in stark contrast to Serif's pricing and constant care. BTW, Adobe must be hurting since they have dropped their prices and are now asking their remaining users for suggestions. Too little and too late. (They thought they had us bamboozled.) Now I'm hoping that Serif will ambush Animate (aka Flash). Can't wait.

[MickRose]

I wouldn't read too much into the current Adobe price promotion. They have done that before and it's only for new users. Once you've signed up you can expect to pay the full cost to open your files after 12 months. Buyer beware!

[Jim Monson]

12 hours ago, MickRose said:

They have done that before and it's only for new users.

But I have been a user since the beginning of Adobe and through its CS and now CC, and when I mentioned that I was considering not continuing, the price suddenly dropped in half with what they called "a special offer." I wasn't threatening, but just the hint was enough to get it cut in half. You may be right, Mick, but this was my experience.

[R C-R]

50 minutes ago, Jim Monson said:

... when I mentioned that I was considering not continuing, the price suddenly dropped in half with what they called "a special offer."

That sounds exactly like what can happen if you tell a cable company you are considering dropping their TV & Internet service & looking for a different provider. Do that & you might get transferred to what they call (I kid you not) "a retention specialist" who will make you one or more special offers, often pitched as available only to their "loyal customers" but really not much if any different from what they offer new customers.

[thomaso]

26 minutes ago, R C-R said:

TV & Internet service & looking for a different provider. Do that & you might get transferred to what they call (I kid you not) "a retention specialist" who will make you one or more special offers, often pitched as available only to their "loyal customers"

Here they are not ashamed to advertise special prices but to tell "loyal customers": "Our special offer is only for new customers". And their offers always are 0,– € * with tiny text: " * for the first month "

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, thomaso said:

Here they are not ashamed to advertise special prices but to tell "loyal customers": "Our special offer is only for new customers". And their offers always are 0,– € * with tiny text: " * for the first month "

My "retention specialist" explained that my special offer price was good for a year, after which the price would revert to the normal price ... but that after a waiting period I could probably get a new special offer. The implication was I would once again have to say I was considering switching providers.

Pretty silly, huh?

[Cecil]

Considering if your intentions are to purchase car X and you pay sticker price, one would not blame the auto dealer.  Adobe base, as of now, allows them to offer product that many professionals have hard baked into their business model. Photoshop CC/Apple customers continue to pay top dollar.

Affinity fits my hobby model and I thank them.