Update protection (bait or real thing?)
Автор: X5 CroatiaAs a long-time user who honestly and correctly pays licenses for your application, I consider this service as you have not done enough.
First;You did not explain to people whether we pay a fee annually or get a new version for free or we have to pay (youtube video does not explain it)
Second;What does all this license include per year?As your constant user I think you are slowly developing your application and you are not innovative enough about the CMS system for our clients, databases have security issues, Cef sharp bugs, instability in work ... And there's still plenty to list ...do I include the modules you sell because I think it is not fair to us that we have been with you for eight years now.
Third;If I personally pay for your update protection, do I still have to buy modules and application license every year ... Because if I have to pay it all you lose another client.Me.
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Hello Croatia
If you buy the the X5 product as a new user, you will buy license for the product and one year upgrade guarantee is included.
You then have not to but the X5 product again - instead you buy an upgrade license. This upgrade license will do that when a new version comes you are "allowed" to upgrade to this version ( withinn one year) . Objects still have to be bought once, but will also be included in future versions. Once an object is bought is can be used "forever" - as long as it is compatible.
This is how I understand the upgrade-protection. It is instead of buying a new version when they shift the number.
Now the number is just a version number.
If the above is not correct, I will also run screaming away from the X5-product.
But I liked the old way better.
You bought a version. Then this was upgraded as long as the version no. was the same. At the end no new functions and also most of the bugs was fixed.
Then came a new version. You could see if there was something that should make you want to upgrade.
With the uograde protection you don't know what you pay for.
Maybe there will be NO new features at all. And even if there comes a new version with some new features after 11 month.
Filled with bugs.
Then you have a version that will maybe not function, and you have to buy a update-protection to have it to function, because it takes some time for INCOMEDIA to fix the issues.
This way you have to buy the product / the update protection ) once a year, to have a functioning product.
The protection is not of new features - it is mostly about bugs, and you have to hope the period does not runt out just after a new bug-rich release.
So - every year users has to pay INCOMEDIA.
I fear that unless they give a better discount to loyal users, then there will be fewer by time. Let's see.
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Hi X5 Croatia,
I am sorry we haven't been clear enough and I will surely report this, so we can improve this aspect.
As to your questions,
1) The Update Protection lasts 12 Months. If you decide to always have an active Update Protection, then you can decide if you want to purchase a single extension every 12 months, or if you prefer to purchase more than one extension, so to activate it for more than one year. Still, you can decide, if you do not want to extend, not to: in this case, you can keep working with your program normally. As we did with version 15 and 16, more new versions will be released, and if your UP is active you will receive them for free.
2) Update Protection is used to keep WebSite X5 up-to-date: thanks to it we can release more full versions during the year, regardless of when the program was purchased the first time. Our commitment is therefore to keep improving and introducing new features. Please keep in mind that, having several thousand customers in various countries of the world, each one with different needs, it would be very difficult to be able to satisfy all the individual requests by adding the suggested features. Surely, the suggestions you send us are reported and taken into consideration, but it is unfortunately always necessary to make a choice. Furthermore, it is our goal to keep WebSite X5 an easy-to-use tool and this, too, necessarily involves important decisions.
3) If you extend Update Protection, you will receive all the new versions released within the 12 months for free.
Please let me know if I can be of further help. Kind regards.
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I need to know what is your plan for inovating CMS system for our clients (because yours CMS is verry bad for my 64 cutomer that i have...) There is plenty of new software on the market so please step up, otherwise you will lose a clients like me (I'm yours client from the start)
Cms need a better sistem for our customers, better picture importing and taging, better text editor...
Responsive module are olso lack of lots offunkcion... Please go with the flow and listen us... Who is your clients and free debugers for years...
Hi X5 Croatia,
I see your point, but unfortunately I have no information about this, I am sorry.
Please let me know if I can do anything else for you. Kind regards.
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I like the old way also better, so a +1 there, but more and more software developpers are using this method.
Think about office from microsoft, they also offer 1 year or 3 years licence, after that you need to buy again and the product will stop working slowly!! This is not the case with x5, it will keep on working but with no updates.
Again I don't want to defend the way this works, the old way is better where we as customer you can decide before buying if yu buy get and also know what you get in return.
Maybe these post can change the way Incomedia works, but I think it will be a normal procedure for more and more software (unfortunatly)
just bought some other software (not a web design package) there you could choose for the software with 1 year updates or buy (it costs twice as much) life time updates.
For x5 you could also decide to keep using the software without update's and wait what comes out, the downside is that if you buy then you won't get the discount they offer know if you stay updated (50% I believe).
So it makes choosing only more difficult......pfffff What a world....
I have to say I agree entirely with John S and the rest of the users in this post. I have been using x5 pro for the past year and was not happy to hear of the introduction of "update protection". As John points out you are paying for something that may or may not be updated. I have found X5 to be buggy and incomedia slow to respond to any fixes. I see that some bugs are never fully resolved either. As for new objects being added well, approx 4 in the past year is really poor AND we have to purchase them.
The fact that Incomedia take so long to respond to a query and rely on users to sort their problems for them does not reflect well for the company. Who in this day and age cuts off communication for a full month leaving customers having to rely on other customers for support?
I have found X5 a bit of a learning curve and would have given up long before now if it hadn't been for all the great help from other users. No video tutorials from incomedia dispite repeted requests from customers only added to the frustration.
I have to say I like X5 and have said before it COULD be a great product if Incomedia would listen to it's customers and fix outstanding issues.
The fact that Incomedia have introduced the update protection was the final straw as far as I am concerned and pushed me to find an alternitive program for my needs. I will of course continue to play with X5 but I will be mainly focused on my new software for my websites going forward.
This is not ment as a rant but an honest feedback on why I choose to move to another program.
Update protection is the equivalent of software maintenance which is normal for the industry, however the majority of organisations provide fixes for problems in previous releases of software and roadmaps for new features / improved functionality coming in the next or future releases.
These three points along with not listening to their customers is where inconmedia is disappointing its loyal or valued customers. Problems, if fixed, are only resolved in new releases, the company must have a plan of what they are working on thus to not advise their customers is poor customer service or poor operations planning if they do not know.
Finally, the number of requests for membership support, cms, improved design control offerred by other packages in the marketplace continuely go unaddressed. All in all this makes the update service a complete scam, as all that is guaranteed is another set of of poorly tested and broken functionality in new releases that may not have addressed prevous problems or provided functionality that customers are requesting.
My decision as to pay the update protection or shift to another solution will be probably to shift to another solution.
Hello William,
do you have a comparable alternative, which is also available in German? If the Website X5 developers would make an effort, it could become one of the best programs. So I'm curious what will become of Website X5 yet.
Hi Siegbert,
yes I have an alternative for X5 that I have purchased instead of going the update protection route. Incidentally it cost less than the update protection. I tried it for 30 days free but it only took me 6 days using it to make my mind up and purchase it (also all the widgets are free as well and they have a LOT)
Unfortunately I cannot give the name here since I feel it would be unfair to Incomedia to tout a rival program and I am in no way affiliated to the new software. A quick google search will point you in the right direction though, there are not that many programs of this type available as a standalone program that you purchase once and can use it indefinitely ( I really dislike the idea of sign up web only programs)
I would not have changed programs if incomedia had shown more loyalty towards their customer base. Dave G hit the nail on the head with his post. X5 is not a cheap program so when I part with my hard earned cash I expect it to at least perform as advertised.
I have been here before I.e. Serif webplus and I get the feeling that if Incomedia don't start taking things seriously then they might end up going the same way.
I hope Incomedia read these posts and take onboard the customers feelings. It may be only a few willing to post their thoughts but it is the silent majority that they need to worry about. I will keep using X5 (since it was expensive and I do like it).
Hi Siegbert,
Yes it's available in German and Dutch also.
Hi William,
Could you let me know what the software is you found?
Thanks.
Hi Nigel,
Please see my post above. I do not want to break any rules by advertising other programs on this forum BUT a quick search will turn up what you are looking for.
cheers,
william
Hello William, can the program also be responsive automatically?
Hello William J, please can you contact me on my facebook account.
Regards,Henk
Hi guys,
thank you all for having reported your opinions about the Update Protection: they will surely be important to better analyze this system and improve it.
All of you guys have different needs and wishes about the software: the choice of extending the service depends of course on your personal priorities. If you decide to trust us and to keep working with an updated software, of course you can extend Update Protection. If, on the other hand, you do not feel comfortable extending it now, and you prefer to wait until a version which perfectly suits your needs is released, you can decide not to extend the service. You can in fact also extend it later, and meanwhile you can still use the software normally.
Thank you again. If you still have questions, please feel free to create new separate posts, so we can look into each request individually.
Have a nice day!
Hi Siegbert, yes you can create responsive sites.
William, please contact me of my homepage.
Hi Siegbert, can't find a contact for you?
Now we cannot see what we get anymore, when we have the update to pay up front regarding X5.
When looking for alternatives then be sure to search for something where you are sure that
what you see is what you get.
Hi William, look at my homepage in the profil.
The right.
Siegber I see no way to contact you. When I click on your profile all I get is info without a contact page??
It is possible to specify URL's in the forum - like this : http://www.mangundmedien.de/kontakt.html
Hi guys,
I appreciate the fact that you want to help and advice each other. Still, please consider that being Help Center a portal about WebSite X5 it is not possible to discuss other products. If you have further questions related to WebSite X5 I will be happy to help you further.
Thanks! Kind regards.
Ok.
I agree.
Автор
I pay Update protection... No update, nothing changed, no bugs fix... Nothing... For me i think this is a scam. I'm disapointed and lost the money...
продайте только обновления. зачем мне лицензия. если я хочу поменять колеса на своем автомобиле мне что нужно новый автомобиль покупать ? если бы я знал что так будет никогда бы не купил вашу программу.
Hi Elisha...etc., again lets be clear, the initial purchase is a perpetual license i.e. it does not expire and I believe there is a responibility to ensure that software release is operational for 5-years after release which would include patches to resolve problems in that release. This is what Microsoft and other software vendors provide, while it does not provide a right to a new release of the software e.g. 17.0.
Update Protection is Software Maintenance, although very expensive at 50% of a new license with the major of software vendors more like 22.5%. As long as maintained, the user will continue to receive enhancements, new functionality and releases. However, this is neither an exception or excuse for not resolving broken / non working functionality in an earlier release.
As I see it, incomedia are:
1) Not providing the service that everyone expected when the purchased the software.
2) Disrespecting their customers with an exorbitant software & maintenance fee called Update Protection.
3) Failing to publish any type of roadmap so that customers that purchase update protection have some visibility what is coming in scheduled releases as to new enhancements / fuctionality.
4) Delivering a poor customer experience by releasing buggy software, functionality that is poor or does just not work and being slow to resolve these issues.
Thus, regardless of cms, user subscriptions or any of the 100's of other ideas / requests that go unfulfiled each year. The crux of the matter is those four points above and Incomedia not being customer focused or providing the customer experience expected when you purchase a commercial software package.
Originally I thought X5 to be a great package and fairly intuitive and easy to use. Then when I had to make coding changes to change default behaviours / introduce simple functionality, experienced a number of bugs over three major releases (14, 15 & 16), after 6 months still have poor or functionality not working and now required to pay 50% of a new license for update protection. My decision ia that I will be moving to another solution for less cost, better overall functionality and no update protection i.e. you have lost at least one if not more customers due to the issues above.
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I find that I can still create basic working sites with the current X5 Pro 16 version, however, I certainly did NOT buy into the “Update Protection” plan.
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I will just wait... To see the next update. Courios...
And instant digital downloads of course!
Something that you learn as an Incomedia customer is waiting
Waiting for nothing like cms in programm or any Polish operator in payments or many many other things. As a seller I am still doing things our customers want, Incomedia only ask customers for making idea posts and that's all...