The Waves Update Plan scam

[Blaster]

With Mac OS updates... WUP may be a requirement and if your plugins won't work as my Apple friend recently experienced, paying a hefty WUP fee or rebuying the same plugins on sale was the only option. In the PC world we can ignore WUP for the most part.

So it is actually Apple that is a scam?

[MogwaiBoy]

WUP is a scam -1

WUP is a trap +1

[Scotty]

I don't think any of it is scam but I get the upset . Next time you fire up your rig and your plugins don't work because of an OS update and you have to fork over $250 bucks to get them up and running or live without them or buy them again... you might be a bit upset if you are between paychecks or have some other priorities. PC users are not confronted with this with any frequency and we probably can't relate to it. Some of us have lots of spare cash and others ... not so much. That's all.

With Mac OS updates... WUP may be a requirement and if your plugins won't work as my Apple friend recently experienced, paying a hefty WUP fee or rebuying the same plugins on sale was the only option. In the PC world we can ignore WUP for the most part.

So it is actually Apple that is a scam?

[simon.a.billington]

Just looked in my account they want $254.80 for an update plan to use plugins I paid quite a lot for.. note to self: should have read the small print before buying in to the Waves malarky

So Iv'e got all these below wasting away in my Waves account..

The upgrade to 9.3 was actually free for quite some time. That would have helped you to keep everything up to date, right up to V9.9.x. It's possible if you were on 9.9 you most likely wouldn't need to update... and they were giving it away!!

Operating Systems are quickly becoming 64-bit only. That upgrade there buys you 64-bit compatibility and Soundgrid functionality. Other companies charge for features like this. Plus there is a whole heap of performance optimisations. and bug crushing updates you would have been missing out on.

Depending on you computer, you should get much better performance from your plugins after an update like this. There is also a good chance you've had new plugins added to any bundles too. Which could be worth the price of admission alone. Any further updates will be free for quite a few years. Plus you get the WUP back in the way of a voucher so you can optionally invest in something else.

I agree it sucks to turn around and find out you need to spend another $250 for your plugins to continue to work, but that's not like other devs releasing a new version of their plugin to make it compatible with the next gen OS, only to make you pay for it.

On the bright side, at least you didn't pay $250 to upgrade your plugins to 9.3 or later.

I haven't updated to V10 yet, because thankfully, I don't need to right now. I'm planning to wait till. there is more in the update, making worthwhile the investment.

[Pingafuego]

Just looked in my account they want $254.80 for an update plan to use plugins I paid quite a lot for.. note to self: should have read the small print before buying in to the Waves malarky

So Iv'e got all these below wasting away in my Waves account..

Hey Rob, did you check the “
I hereby confirm that I run all products on one machine at a time.” box before selecting the plugins to WUP?

[jens]

With Mac OS updates... WUP may be a requirement and if your plugins won't work as my Apple friend recently experienced, paying a hefty WUP fee or rebuying the same plugins on sale was the only option. In the PC world we can ignore WUP for the most part.

So it is actually Apple that is a scam?

Yes, personally I would say so and I think they sort of have been for a looong time.

They certainly DO get away with a lot more shit than most other companies because of their cultish following and they really make sure to make the most out of that.

[LeVzi]

I wished peeps would stop announcing "scams" when all that is happening is that they're unfamiliar with companies' business plans. TBH, i feel scammed by thread titles like that.

If it's not a blatant scam then what is it ? Good business practice ? Hardly.

Define "good business practice". Or, better, define it not, because it's hardly an objective thing to judge.

Well in this case, allow all V9 plugins to be updated , then those out of WUP need it renewed to go to V10, but some cost more than others yet they are all the same Version number. I dont see how that's ethical, business wise it will make more money, but ethical? Nope.

As this comes up again and again. How can a business be "ethical"? Is it ethical to lead a company, having to care for lots of employees, and be overly ethical towards the customer, lose money, and having to boot employees because you don't make enough money to keep your business running healthily?

What is unethical about Waves? Why do you think you HAVE to update your plugins, or even charge money for something you don't want to support? Isn't it extremely ehical that you don't have to do all these things, but can decide for yourself whether you want to keep updating, or even using your plugins at all?

All that regardless of wrong "scam" accusations. It is no scam. Dude. YOU can decide whether you want to update your plugins, or even continue using them. It is no scam also that Ferrari charges a fortune for any of their car, and poor me can't, or doesn't want to afford it.

Christ this isnt about updating and paying for updating, when will that sink in, its about the discrepancy in the costs TO upgrade, I want to update to V10 for all my waves plugins and I am happy to pay, as that keeps the company going. But I am only stating that the fact the same version number plugin that was bought 3 years ago costs more than the same one 1 year ago to renew the WUP.

Why is that so hard to understand ? I've never been against paying to update if I feel it's justified. But the difference for the same damn plugin same revision, just one was bought 3 years ago over 1 year ago isn't right. And that is what im getting at.

[LeVzi]

With Mac OS updates... WUP may be a requirement and if your plugins won't work as my Apple friend recently experienced, paying a hefty WUP fee or rebuying the same plugins on sale was the only option. In the PC world we can ignore WUP for the most part.

So it is actually Apple that is a scam?

Yes, personally I would say so and I think they sort of have been for a looong time.

They certainly DO get away with a lot more shit than most other companies because of their cultish following and they really make sure to make the most out of that.

This, I 100% agree with this, having never used or owned a mac, my wife does, and the BS I see going on from Apple is unreal.

Their underhand methods to force people to upgrade phones , tablets etc, is disgusting, and the laptops are going the same way. Each updated version of iOS either destroys battery life, slows the device down, forces people to want to upgrade. Can't crack it open n throw in a few more gig of RAM.

[jens]

I've never been against paying to update if I feel it's justified. But the difference for the same damn plugin same revision, just one was bought 3 years ago over 1 year ago isn't right. And that is what im getting at.

Well if you had regularly updated these plugins, you would have enjoyed the service of unpaid updates for three years (vs. one for the other plugin). So that's what they charge for - and I can't see what's wrong with that. At the very least I think this can hardly be called "a scam".

[mgw38]

WUP represents a service contract which is standard practice in the IT and software industry. I never understood why people are upset about it. But it somewhat penalizes people who only have a few plugins (or, depending on your viewpoint, incentivizes people to upgrade and/or add plugins). Couple of things to consider:

- Make sure that you have done this:

Hey Rob, did you check the “I hereby confirm that I run all products on one machine at a time.” box before selecting the plugins to WUP?

It should bring the price down to 225 (and it is easy to miss, been there - done that).

- Explore upgrade options. It is quite often cheaper to upgrade than to WUP. Especially now is a good time since Gold and Horizon are deeply discounted.

- Check 3rd party retailers. They are usually able to give you a better price. For WUP as well as for upgrades. Usually about 10% below Waves prices.

[imrae]

I refer back to my point that users shouldn't have to put in extra work to get good value.

[mgw38]

I refer back to my point that users shouldn't have to put in extra work to get good value.

Every purchasing decision requires some work in order to get the best value.

[LeVzi]

I've never been against paying to update if I feel it's justified. But the difference for the same damn plugin same revision, just one was bought 3 years ago over 1 year ago isn't right. And that is what im getting at.

Well if you had regularly updated these plugins, you would have enjoyed the service of unpaid updates for three years (vs. one for the other plugin). So that's what they charge for - and I can't see what's wrong with that. At the very least I think this can hardly be called "a scam".

But why ? Even with the WUP outdated, the plugins were up to date for V9. They just don't go to V10 , so I didn't pay for updates but still got them, So 1 vs 3 years doesnt matter. Yet I have to pay triple for a WUP renewal.

Makes no sense, but im tired of trying to make this point, I think it's a pile of crap to charge more for a Version update depending on how long the WUP is out of date. If it was V8 to V10 id accept it, but it wasn't.

Nothing I can do to change it though, and wont stop me using Waves stuff.

[imrae]

I refer back to my point that users shouldn't have to put in extra work to get good value.

Every purchasing decision requires some work in order to get the best value.

Good suppliers help you make those choices instead of dangling bad ones in front of you.

[Klinke1]

I wished peeps would stop announcing "scams" when all that is happening is that they're unfamiliar with companies' business plans. TBH, i feel scammed by thread titles like that.

The point imho is...it is impossible for waves to communicate..when and why you should update.
Nearly none knows what the crap is all about.. fact.
Don't try to tell me otherwise..