Digi/Avid Rethinking "Special Offer" Withdrawal?

[The Dubnicks]

Just wanted to point out something odd I noticed that on the DigiStore Music Production Toolkit page. Now I don't mean to give anyone faulse hope or anything, but the options for purchase of the MPT have just changed. They went from being:

shippable box - $495

To:

shippable box - out of stock

This is particularly odd because there is at least one post on this board from someone who has already purchased and recieved the MPT from the Digistore. Could this mean that Digi is (smartly) rethinking the withdrawal of the "Special Offer" due to the overwhelming negative response? Maybe or maybe not, but it can't hurt to write Customer Service and encourage them to reinstate it's original plans for the "Special Offer", whatever they were. It is in Avid/Digi's long term financial interest, I just hope they can see it.

[TVPostSound]

Maybe their full shipment didnt arrive on time???
Maybe they found a manufacturing error, and stopped shipping??
I doubt they are backing down.

[TVPostSound]

Maybe their full shipment didnt arrive on time???
Maybe they found a manufacturing error, and stopped shipping??
I doubt they are backing down.

[The Dubnicks]

Yeah - could be either of those situations, or that the item was posted early by accident and they decided to fullfill the orders taken and then take it down till MPT is available at retail. Maybe it's just wishfull thinking on my part, but it could also be that they are rethinking it, not just due to negative feedback, but maybe they finally realized that if they don't offer an alternative or Special Offer to Upgrade Plus customers, they are going to be inadvertantly responsible for a flood of valid Smack LE and DINR LE licenses on ebay for less than half of retail, which, along with the bundlings themselves, are going to devalue Smack LE and DINR LE to the point where they'll have to give them away with all LE and M-Powered software, a la BF76 long before they had originally anticapated. No matter how you cut it, withdrawing the Special Offer is a short-sighted and bad business decision - it will cut significantly into expected revenue from future individual sales/rental of those plugs. Even if they just offered alternatives to those plugs for Upgrade Plus customers, it would satisfy those customers and thier plugs off ebay at a price they can't compete with.

[Mt.Everest]

Yeah, thats what I didn't understand about Digi's thinking. Im going to be buying the Toolkit, but I also just bought the 7.0 update. So the first thing Im going to do is try to sell the repeat plugs at a rockbottom price.

On a side note, I don't understand why Digi won't simply let those who already chose Smack and/or DINR with their 7.0 upgrade to pick other plug-ins in the same price range. Of course, the extra tracks is worth the $$ for me, but its silly to me that they KNOW they are going to have tons of users just getting the same plugs AGAIN, yet they are still going forward with this. Boggling....¿¿??

MT

[Slim Shady]

I hear ya. I was going to buy the Toolkit and then sell my extra Smack! on ebay, but Smack! LE which is supposedly a $400 plug-in only goes for about $40 in the used market. I guess if you also sell the DINR LE (retail $500), which goes for about $70-$90 that brings the toolkit price down about $100 to the $400 range, but seeing what that supposed "Professional plug-ins for creating and producing music, worth more than $2,000" is actually worth doesn't boost one's confidence in the rest of the bundle.

At least TL Space holds its value a little better, going for $350 on the market vs. the $500 retail, that's probably the only reason to buy the MPTK, and if you sell the other plugs that makes it just about reasonably priced. So much hassle to get a good value though, can't say I'm really that interested anymore, I'm going to hold off until I see if I actually end up needing any of those features. I've been getting along for years without them, and I don't see any reason to reward Digi with my hard-earned money at this point.

[max cooper]

I hear ya. I was going to buy the Toolkit and then sell my extra Smack! on ebay, but Smack! LE which is supposedly a $400 plug-in only goes for about $40 in the used market.

That's about how much smack goes for on my street.

[STAR NINE]

i'm tired of having my hand forced, just, so some entity can SLAP it with a STICK!

BUMP!

[AudioOIART]

On a side note, I don't understand why Digi won't simply let those who already chose Smack and/or DINR with their 7.0 upgrade to pick other plug-ins in the same price range. Of course, the extra tracks is worth the $$ for me, but its silly to me that they KNOW they are going to have tons of users just getting the same plugs AGAIN, yet they are still going forward with this. Boggling....¿¿??

MT

I wrote a very tame and respectful email to Digidesign Customer Service WEEKS ago about this very thing. I didn't attack them, act rudely, express my frustration, or step out of line in anyway... All I did was politely inquire if it would be possible to exchange my plugin selection from the PT7 Upgrade Plus a few months ago, If I were to purchase the Music Production Toolkit. Now I always get a response from digidesign, but even though I did my best in politely asking them a policy question (I.E. Will I be able to switch my choice?) They FLAT out ignored me. No reply, No anything...

I stated in my email that I have been a long time End-User, and have always supported them. All that was weeks ago and no word at all from them. Digidesign is really confusing alot of Customers....

I am not sure If they are only concerned about getting New Business, and forgetting loyalty to long time customers to make way for kids with M-Powered Garbage... or if they are truly trying to appease everyone and looking disorganized in the process.

Do Something Digi,

Scott in Canada