Is it really $599/yr?

[paul007]

The support plans are only meant to meet accounting criteria, to protect shareholders investments and listing on Nasdaq.

You didn't really think they were meant for the benefit of customers, now did you?

[ArKay99]

No, I didn't, but THAT is what we're being sold.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

If the support is non existent doesn't that mean a class action lawsuit? If that is what they seem to be selling and if customers are purchasing these plans yet get no real support under the plan then that should theoretically be actionable. I'm no lawyer.

[RamblerSound]

I will just post my thought and hope. I think a lot of people have brought up great questions that are real and don't seem to be getting any answers.

I hope that the distinction between Pro support and regular support is not by the "HD" label. Software is software.

I can see the post studio I work at needing Pro support as insurance against down time and we would gladly pay $600 per year per unit for that benefit. We can pay that bill by running one room for 6 hours and we are all good.

I purchased an HD Native rig for my home. It's a machine I use to record singer songwriter work and also the occasional revise if something goes wrong after I leave the studio. It's basically a non billing machine. I need support but not like the studio I work for. I personally would pay $200 per year to keep the rig current but getting up to $600 for a machine that doesn't bill will hurt. Not to mention my wife will question my judgement even more.

I hope we start to see a more defined and clear path for all of us and I hope somehow Pro support is a choice not determined by "HD" or "Non HD".

Good luck to you all,

Scott

[mlange]

Originally Posted by CrimsonBetrayal

Nice to see my post informing Australian users of their legal right was removed... Bravo AVID...

Please tell us!

[pdubber]

Originally Posted by jonathan jetter

me too, but in the US here. upgraded an HD license in october and a vanilla license in november.

no indication of any support plan in my account. though i was told that my ASCs i received with each upgrade were "non-expiring" ASCs

Hmm... The ASC I received with my upgrade specifically stated it was for 90 days (which have now past).

But I also received an email stating "Thank you for purchasing the Pro Tools upgrade and support plan. Upon activation, you are entitled to upgrades and support through March 31, 2016." So I did BUY the support plan, just can't see any evidence that I actually GOT any additional support.

[spoons]

Originally Posted by pdubber

I "took advantage" of the offer last November to upgrade from PT10 w/ CPTK to PT11HD which included 15 months of this support plan with "expert help 24x7". What they now seem to call "ExpertPlus Support".



I apologise if I'm being a dope here, but I have a question: Does this support actually EXIST, now? After I bought the upgrade, I received an email from Avid saying "Your upgrade and support plan will be reflected in your Avid account in the coming months and you will receive an email notification when it is updated, along with instructions for contacting our Customer Care team."



I have yet to receive such an email. When I login to my account online, there is no indication there that I have any support plan. If I did encounter a situation in which I needed support quickly, I wouldn't have a clue where to turn (other than the duc of course). It's now nearly 4 months into my amazing "15 months of support" offer, and as far as I can tell it doesn't exist.



I'm based in Ireland. Maybe it has been rolled out in the US, but not here yet?? Or am I missing something obvious?



Thanks.

Same here. I raised this in another thread weeks ago and was told by a MOD that the HD subs / support plans have not been announced yet and so nothing will be reflected in our accounts until it is.
But I'll ask again, where is our support plan that apparently started in December 2014?

[jonathan jetter]

Originally Posted by pdubber

Hmm... The ASC I received with my upgrade specifically stated it was for 90 days (which have now past).

But I also received an email stating "Thank you for purchasing the Pro Tools upgrade and support plan. Upon activation, you are entitled to upgrades and support through March 31, 2016." So I did BUY the support plan, just can't see any evidence that I actually GOT any additional support.

yes- that's what my ASC said too.

but i emailed Avid, and was told by their customer support that it was a non-expiring ASC.

[noiseboyuk]

The ASC is a mess for sure. I had one for 90 days, eventually another one appeared after some grumbling from me. I'm now on my third code as the first two broke the support website and just returned an error, and the phone support wouldn't accept the code either. I've yet to try this one online.

Doesn't really inspire confidence in support when the support system doesn't work, does it?

I've pursued various issues with them. Maybe the fault is all my end and not theirs, but so far haven't had a single resolution. Often the steps that need to be taken are impractical (remove all third party plugs from a project), or worse clean reinstall PT from scratch, which is the last thing you want to do if you're mid project. So you just employ ever more workarounds.

[jeffro]

Originally Posted by paul007

The support plans are only meant to meet accounting criteria, to protect shareholders investments and listing on Nasdaq.

You didn't really think they were meant for the benefit of customers, now did you?

Upgrade and Support Plans are not about meeting accounting criteria, they are really about funding product development (the Upgrade part). Notice that they are the same price as previous upgrades? The Upgrade and Support Plan takes away the issue we've had in the past where we release a new version and customers that recently upgraded (but were beyond any grace period) would be upset about not getting the new version. Upgrading Pro Tools now assures you of getting whatever upgrades or new features become available for 12 months from your date of purchase/activation. As a part of this we also took note that customers have expressed frustration with trying to contact us, so we have included contact via phone and web in these plans for the same 12 months (the Support part). In the past, we bundled an Avid Support Code that provided a limited amount of contact/time (e.g. 1 phone case within 3 months) and including support in the plan ensures that you can reach us for the entire year of your plan. So there is a support component, but it's really more about providing new features. Hope this helps clarify a bit.