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09/12/2003 Entry: "When anti-piracy becomes anti-customer"

I can understand why software makers are concerned about piracy. If people don't pay for a product, how can the company pay the programmers who sweated to create it?

I can also understand why some people pirate software. Often, a company prices their program at a "what the market will bear" price. When that happens, it's no shock that some people will take the risk of making an illegal copy in order to use the program once or twice.

Some companies understand this better than others. Apple understood that there are people who need better video-editing software than iMovie, but who aren't about to pay $999 for Final Cut Pro. They came out with an intermediate product, Final Cut Express, that has all the features of Final Cut Pro needed by the advanced amateur, but lacking a few features that the pro market needs. By pricing Final Cut Express within the reach of the average camcorder owner, they've reduced the risk of piracy.

Macromedia, on the other hand, has decided to take the "customers are all thieves" method of piracy reduction. The result is bad customer service.

Starting with Macromedia Studio MX 2004, Macromedia has started using "product activation" software. The evils of this software have been discussed to death on the 'net; use Google to search for examples if you want.

The technology has been around for a while. UNIX systems used to do this with commercial software all the time; it was called "node locking." By any other name, it ties the software to particular hardware. Change the hardware, and you either need to go through hassles to get it "reactivated," or you have to buy a new license.

Macromedia just released an update to FreeHand MX. The update is free, and fixes a whole bunch of known bugs, many quite annoying. It also adds product activation. In order to download it, you have to enter a valid serial number, because it's a whole new copy of the product -- not just a patch. Macromedia also has to issue you a new serial number that's compatible with their product activation.

It seems that Macromedia forgot that FreeHand MX is included in their Studio MX product. When I tried to download the update, I got an error: they don't consider my Studio MX serial number valid.

As a result, I'm upset, and starting to wish I'd bought Illustrator instead.

By treating me as a criminal, requiring me to jump through hoops to use their software, up to and including having the software padlock itself to my computer and "phone home" to verify itself, Macromedia has shown that the customer doesn't come first in their book. Reducing piracy is apparently more important than customer retention.

What do I do if they can't fix their little serial-number issue? Wait for a pirate to break the product-activation on the new update and then download a pirated version? It's hard to say if that would be legal. After all, I do possess a license to use the software. I paid for it. It's Macromedia that's obstructing me from obtaining that which I have the licensed right to use.

Meanwhile, what about the Studio MX 2004 upgrade? I bought Studio MX just a week or so ago. I am entitled to a free upgrade to MX 2004. One must leap through hoops to find this out; Macromedia's main page for MX 2004 only lists paid upgrades. (They must hope that I'd be dumb enough to pony up another $250 or so already.) The thing is, although their site acknowledges that I am allowed to download a free update... it won't actually let me do so.

See, in order to get the upgrade, I have to fill out a request form. The form isn't in HTML. It isn't even a downloadable PDF. It's a Flash movie, and it doesn't exist.

There's Flash "upgrade forms" for other products, but MX 2004 isn't there. The top of the page invites me to bookmark the page and check back later.

Yet, I've received two e-mails from Macromedia telling me that MX 2004 is available and I can upgrade now! They've sent these based on the information I sent when I registered the software online. That information ought to tell them that I just bought it. Sending me a note to taunt me isn't good customer service at all. "It's out, and you can't have it -- unless you pay!"

It's not like they have to allocate product. It's an online upgrade, not a CD-ROM that they're sending me. There's no manufacturing lead time.

It's just poor project planning. Poor resource allocation. A very poor attitude toward customer service.

Does Macromedia expect that I will run right out and pay for the next upgrade, after this experience?

Or is it more likely that I'll check out competing products?

It may be tempting for companies to shaft existing customers in favor of "expanding the user base." Keep in mind that those existing customers are the ones that put you where you are today, and their continued business is a big part of your future income. If they desert you, they'll probably tell others to do the same. A happy, enthusiastic customer base can be the best advertising you'll ever get. Don't alienate them.

Posted by Dave @ 12/10/2003 09:59 PM ET

I am having the same type of problem. I unfortunately activated my new copy of Studio MX 2004 on a Windows PC, but now I want to move to the software that I paid for to a Mac but can't because Macromedia is stupid in not allowing cross platform activation (Why do I the legit customer need activation like Win XP uses anyway? I not going to pirate their software.)

Posted by Mason @ 09/14/2003 05:58 PM ET

Similar product activation sentiments here:

http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2003/9/10/101242/779

Posted by Rob @ 09/12/2003 08:11 PM ET

Macromedia sent this reply to a customer-service inquiry about the serial number issue:

"Thank you for contacting Macromedia Customer Service.

"We really apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have already reported this issue that the Studio MX serial number is not accepted, and the necessary steps are already being done. You would be able to download the FreeHand MX 11.0.1 updater using your Studio MX serial number some time mid-next week.

"We appreciate your patience on this."

Fairly pathetic, if you ask me.

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