sorry...another WAVES post

[Ducky]

The 'Graceful Exit' comes in the form of maintaining WUP as is for studios who require the service.
In addition, they would offer their updates at a fixed fee. They would also rework WUP to a standard fee that would start the the day you re-up, not from the time you registered your product. Waves has not provided anything during these itterative releases to warrant the outrageous 'WUP down time' costs.
As a matter of fact, Waves cheapened my IR-1 investment by giving the IR-L to virtually everyone.
Hense, I don't get anything for my WUP except a light version of Tune... what a joke!

[Touchwood Studios]

My WUP expired June 04 I had a platinum bundle. I found out about WUP 3 months after it expired. Waves wanted at that time $500 per year. I was about to get a Diamond bundle upgrade for only $800.00 from a dealer. When I registered I got Wup until Aug 05.
Now I can't upgrade any more to a better bundle and my WUP is up to $700.00 for 15 months - not worth it IMO.
I can buy some other plug-ins instead up WUP I think it's a rip off myself. I don't need IR-L and I have the full version and I use and like Autotune a lot better. (Waves Tune doesn't work well for me).

[Howardk]

It feels like extortion to me. I went on, via email, with a Waves support person on the whole WUP thing. Their big point is how many plugins you are getting with Waves and all the value their products bring to the table. Unfortunetly they don't understand that most people don't use all the plugins. I own Platinum and Masters. . . at this point the only Waves Plugins I use on a regular basis is C4, RenCompression, L2, Linear Multiband and the Multi-tap delay. . . that is a lot of money for 5 plugins. I am working on weaning myself off Waves slowly-but-surely and hope to Waveless by the time my WUP is up and I happen to need another upgrade to move forward with the ever changing PT and OS versions that affect plugin code and authorizations.

[EGS]

I will never buy another Waves Product nor will I recomend Waves products to any clients ever again until WUP is gone!

Agree.

[Ken P]

wow... i see we ALL share the same frustrations. i knew it couldn't be just me. i'd love to hear someone speak a positive view on waves and this whole WUP thing, but i can't imagine there is anyone who can honestly say they love waves and the great service they provide.

this is it, no more waves for my system or anyone i know, EVER. i just lost an entire day of billable hours xferring my new rockin' system drive back to the old system drive, just so i can use my old disk authorization. what crap just to use sw i already own. now i am stuck with a 40 gig system drive just to use waves. slowly but surely i will replace the plugs i use, and mark my words, there will be a day soon where i will be free from the evil clutches of the waves empire! wow i am excited just dreaming about it.

!!!WAVES BUYERS BEWARE!!! DONT LET HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF!!! TOTAL DAW FREEDOM BEGINS WITH YOU BY SAYING NO TO WAVES !!!

and yes, i certainly approve this message

[sunsinger]

Here's a story...
Once there was a phone company that ruled the land... They were arrogant and snotty, because they were the only game in town...then one day de-regulation, a knight in shining armour came and slew this monolithic beast, and it broke into a million pieces, and was almost never heard from again... The dragon was AT&T...

And now... they are humble... and are as nice as they can be to their customers... because they know that Sprint, MCI Cingular, Alltell, Verizon, and a thousand other business are waiting to gobble their slice of the pie...

The Moral: Keep sticking it to your customers, and be sure to display all that arrogance because your soooooooo big,,, and one day you will be humble too. Just like AT&T is now...

Sunsinger

[Jay Levin]

You're talking about AT&T, the company that was just merged with SBC for $16 billion? "Almost never heard from again?" And by the way, Verizon and half the other companies you named were also part of AT&T, and "the dragon" wasn't slayed because its customers were unhappy, it was slayed because antitrust law says you can only take a monopoly so far.

In a similar situation, it would be hard to come up with a company that has operated with more arrogance than Microsoft. If they've been humbled, or are about to be, it's hard to detect. Unlike both of those companies, Waves does not have a monopoly by any stretch of the imagination.

It's also hard to come up with something more ridiculous than the idea of Waves executives, sitting at their computers, reading the DUC and taking notes furiously ... saying to one another, "Man, those Pro Tools users sure have a lot to teach us about how to run a business!"

[Ray Fabi]

Hmmm! I'm about to also jump in PT 7, and yes like some of you have been faced with this "WUP" business. Can't believe it. I own a Platinum Bundle, on my main system, and other Waves on my other systems; WUP, for what, to be allowed to use my plugins that I've already paid (dearly)...

Waves either has to come to sense that if their loyal customers won't support them anymore, they will NOT be doing so well soon. Either they think of another more reasonable solution, or, I'm out... Love the product, but hate how they are treating me and other customers. I have to say that companies like McDSP (for example) who also have great products, treat their customers with a million times more respect.

Well someone has to come up with a product that will replace the L2 or L3.

From my Platinum bundle, it's the only real plugin I use... McDSP, Sony, and Massenberg have great EQ's, McDSP has great comps, I'm sure many others have too! Reverbs, even DIgi's new Verb is not bad. There are alternatives. On the long run, Waves WILL lose if they don't readjust. There are a bunch of other companies who will gladly take my money for their plugins...

Waves, think again,

Ray Fabi

[jeremyroberts]

Here's a story...
Once there was a producer/engineer who bought a set of expensive tools. Since the tools were unique, and everyone wanted to use them, the manufacturers of the tools felt they needed to charge a fee for continued support. 4 years later, when other owners realized this was too rich for them, only those who truly valued the tools would continue to pay for them. The producer/engineer saw extreme value in the tools, and was able to work better and faster - and his peers and competitors were not able to make the same quality product without the tools - eventually the engineer had a significant competitive advantage.

The manufacturer decided to continue charging the service fee, even though some of their sales levels dropped slightly. They had a loyal base of users and once the angry mob moved on, everyone lived happily ever after.

The Moral: The marketplace will always determine the selling price of a product or service, not public opinion.

[jeremyroberts]

. On the long run, Waves WILL lose if they don't readjust. There are a bunch of other companies who will gladly take my money for their plugins...

Waves, think again,

Ray Fabi

Waves anti-WUP rants have been routine for about 3 years now. Do you suppose that if there were this great mass exodus of customers, they'd have felt it by this point and adjusted their business practices?

Public forums are a great place to make noise, but there's only one place your voice will actually be heard by the company -- and obviously people are still buying, otherwise the business practices would have to change. The company is challenging all users to find a better product for a comparable cost.

Final thought: while everyone's been ranting for the past 3 years, I upgraded to L3, then to L3 multi, and received Tune LT and IR-L as part of the deal. I think I got fair value.