Bargain Center: discussion, gossip, etc.

[Raindog]

The problem is they offer a deal with a deadline the at the Night before the deadline ends they extend the deal with even better conditions. This makes a deal with this company very unreliable.

[Insanelysane]

Am I the only one who feels cheated by the plugin alliance deals?
I was not familiar with their akward deals policy when I realised I just missed an insane deal beginning of March and another deal 2 weeks later by just 30 Minutes. So I decided to buy to of their plugins to a so called "sales price" just to realise that they started another insane deal the next morning (just about 2 weeks after their last deal ended). I kindly asked their support if they could consider an extra voucher for me as I felt some "grace period" offer would be nice. Didn´t get any response though.So I decided (not with a very good feeling) to buy some plugins (the quality is outstanding I must admit) yesterday evening before the deadline is over. Just to realise that they decided to prolong the deadline and offer an additional discount.

I wouldn´t argue about the quality of their plugins (therefore I bought them) but the deal policy is not what I expect from a serious company. It´s a good reason not to buy anything from them in the near future as you feel cheated when you buy something at normal price or even discounted when they offer another discount just a few days later. Therefore my advice: When you want to buy something from plugin alliance wait for the latest moment or even longer.......

no I don't feel cheated at all. When I bought things from them it was what a was willing to pay at the time. When it got cheaper I did not start a thread about how horrible they are.

Dont knock this guy for voicing frustration, even if we've seen it here time and again. A lot of people DO feel cheated by these fluctuating values, its quite a normal thing with PA to frustrate customers on one hand but also on the other hand make their products ridiculously cheap within a year of their release which makes most happy but gives others the feeling they shouldnt support the company at release of a product because their purchase doesn't FEEL honoured.

I feel really good about purchases from companies that don't do a sale outside of intro pricing, I think thats the best model for feeling valued as a customer but Im not saying everyone else should agree its the way to go.

I will say though that I totally agree that what you're willing to pay for something and committing to it is the bottom line, sale or not just enjoy what you have and be careful and do your research before your next big buy.

[agharta]

It's a game really and the same with Waves and IK Multimedia.
As with most games you have to play a while to get a feel for it.
If you started betting on cards before you fully grasp the game you will lose more than if you waited.
It's the same here and most of us have likely made purchases that with hindsight weren't optimal.
Either in relation to the product's usefulness, its price and in some cases both.
We live and learn, become more patient hopefully and forgive ourselves for buying impulsively or without doing better research.
It's not the companies fault, we are the only ones that are responsible for our actions.
If we don't like the game we don't have to play.
Yes, it can be annoying at times and it's fine to vent.

[Raindog]

Maybe you are right but it’s just my opinion and I’m not a cardplayer. At least I don’t play for money usually. I just don’t like when the sale Conditions change when the sale is actually running. You could do this, but I think it would be fair to offer a grace period for someone who bought just a few hours ago.

[agharta]

I just don’t like when the sale Conditions change when the sale is actually running.

That is much less usual and doesn't sit right with me either.

[WatchTheGuitar]

Valhalla DSP has it exactly right IMO - one permanent price, no bundles and one reasonable fee for transfers. No version paid updates.

U-he a close second. Very occasional sales, 30% off max, no bundle sales apart from the NI one they now say they regret. Only charge a (reasonable) transfer if bought under 9 months ago otherwise free. Very occasional cheap upgrades that pack in features and may be free if you bought recently.

The wankery of the constant PA, IK, Waves etc deals and crummy licensing is at the other end of the spectrum.

[soundbylaura]

It's a game really and the same with Waves and IK Multimedia.
As with most games you have to play a while to get a feel for it.
If you started betting on cards before you fully grasp the game you will lose more than if you waited.
It's the same here and most of us have likely made purchases that with hindsight weren't optimal.
Either in relation to the product's usefulness, its price and in some cases both.
We live and learn, become more patient hopefully and forgive ourselves for buying impulsively or without doing better research.
It's not the companies fault, we are the only ones that are responsible for our actions.
If we don't like the game we don't have to play.
Yes, it can be annoying at times and it's fine to vent.

[Ploki]

The wankery of the constant PA, IK, Waves etc deals and crummy licensing is at the other end of the spectrum.

Yeah. it's... I don't want to support such devs with my money. Hopefully i'll sell all my PA plugs.

[ZINO]

Valhalla DSP has it exactly right IMO - one permanent price, no bundles and one reasonable fee for transfers. No version paid updates.

U-he a close second. Very occasional sales, 30% off max, no bundle sales apart from the NI one they now say they regret. Only charge a (reasonable) transfer if bought under 9 months ago otherwise free. Very occasional cheap upgrades that pack in features and may be free if you bought recently.

The wankery of the constant PA, IK, Waves etc deals and crummy licensing is at the other end of the spectrum.

The thing that I don’t like about the PA is that their upgrade prices are rarely discounted and often end up being more expensive than the full product price when on sale. A nice middle finger to loyal customers. I have a few old stuff that I would like to update but I won't.

Even so, it is a little unfair to include Waves and PA on the same sentence with IK. At least they don't Marketing cripple their actual products like IK does with useless GB of installations for a portion of a plugin that you own and unable to hide components and presets. IK = AWFULL, toxic company.

[Tomgu]

The wankery of the constant PA, IK, Waves etc deals and crummy licensing is at the other end of the spectrum.

Yeah. it's... I don't want to support such devs with my money. Hopefully i'll sell all my PA plugs.

If you sell them, they will get money from the license transfer fees

[escalona]

Am I the only one who feels cheated by the plugin alliance deals?
I was not familiar with their akward deals policy when I realised I just missed an insane deal beginning of March and another deal 2 weeks later by just 30 Minutes. So I decided to buy to of their plugins to a so called "sales price" just to realise that they started another insane deal the next morning (just about 2 weeks after their last deal ended). I kindly asked their support if they could consider an extra voucher for me as I felt some "grace period" offer would be nice. Didn´t get any response though.So I decided (not with a very good feeling) to buy some plugins (the quality is outstanding I must admit) yesterday evening before the deadline is over. Just to realise that they decided to prolong the deadline and offer an additional discount.

I wouldn´t argue about the quality of their plugins (therefore I bought them) but the deal policy is not what I expect from a serious company. It´s a good reason not to buy anything from them in the near future as you feel cheated when you buy something at normal price or even discounted when they offer another discount just a few days later. Therefore my advice: When you want to buy something from plugin alliance wait for the latest moment or even longer.......

With PA, if you pay more than $29 you're overpaying. And even if you buy whatever at $29, one day it will cost $14 with the voucher. That's all there is to know about PA.

[Ploki]

If you sell them, they will get money from the license transfer fees

frustrating

I wouldn´t argue about the quality of their plugins (therefore I bought them) but the deal policy is not what I expect from a serious company. It´s a good reason not to buy anything from them in the near future as you feel cheated when you buy something at normal price or even discounted when they offer another discount just a few days later. Therefore my advice: When you want to buy something from plugin alliance wait for the latest moment or even longer.......

i'd argue about quality of some of them, easily, and i'd probably win.

[Nobdi]

With PA, if you pay more than $29 you're overpaying. And even if you buy whatever at $29, one day it will cost $14 with the voucher. That's all there is to know about PA.

For Waves that would be, if you pay more than ~$27.50 (at a retailer) for any of their single plugins you're overpaying. ... and even then you better want to wait for a bundle that is on sale that includes the single plugin you want and then ideally upgrade to it.

[monomox]

Yesterday I was telling my kids the story of my first trip to China. I went there with 4 of my friends. In the Forbidden City some random guy wanted to sell us a 200-yuan book about the place's history. I was somewhat used to haggling by then and got the book's price down to 50 yuan, and felt pretty good about myself. Then the same guy turned around and tried to sell the same book to my friend, who didn't want anything to do with the book or the peddler. My friend shook his head without even looking at the guy until the price was 20 yuan, which changed his mind and he bought it. Man, I was fuming for hours. Now I think it's a funny story. Money comes and goes, don't let it ruin your day.

[Aiynzahev]

I'm looking to get a bunch of Softube stuff, particularly the Modular stuff. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good place to get a deal?