Halleynet Headspace

Posts Tagged ‘software’

First off I want to say- I love the Adobe Web packages I have used for many years (since it was Macromedia in fact). I currently run the CS4 Web Premium suite for my design tasks.  Generally speaking I don’t take every upgrade version, its simply too much money every year, so I take alternative releases. However I reckon there are probably enough reasons to go to CS5 rather than wait for 6, primarily the support of WordPress in DW CS5.

But it never fails to really, really, really, annoy me how ripped off we are here in the UK.

I know there are countless posts on this around the web especially among UK based designer/developers but we just get totally, totally ripped off on price.

The CS5 upgrade package is priced on the US Adobe website at $599.

It does not take a genius to work out that at current exchange rates this equates to £377.

Now add on 17.5%  ( I am assuming the US price includes no Sales tax) , so this works out at a retail price approx £443 at current  VAT (Nov2010).

SO why is it costing £559.30? Thats a full £116 more than in the US. I hear the pathetic excuses that they need to regionalise a release, regionalise what- the manual you don’t get? The help file – Ok so I can expect colour to be spelled properly not “color”, I fekkin gbet I can’t! All the help is web based (another thing that grates- what if you are not on the web – say on a laptop in a hotel or on a train and need the help info?). I have never found their support to be great- pretty well all web based, hard to get a real person and instant support. Things like Spry are supported by the “Spry Community” ie. lets get our users to support themselves!

Add to this the US currently has a 10% discount offer running right now- what do we get offered- “free shipping”. Well FFS, I can get free shipping ANY DAY OF THE WEEK from places like Amazon so why does a company like Adobe (a huge firm not a lot smaller than Microsoft and Apple) even charge us shipping, never mind feel the need to offer it free as a special offer.

Add further to this, that they could deliver the software over the web, but charge you £14 more for the privilege? Eh? what the fek is that about!? E delivery should be cheaper- it is in nearly every case I have ever encountered!

So are they gonna get my money? Not right now, cutting off my nose to spite my face- maybe in the face of the impending VAT rise , but I need to look into how I can get delivery to the US then ship it in myself, I am not desperate. I know their are delivery address websites that will handle this type of transaction but they are not that cheap for a transaction like this.

I will keep my eye on the main e retailers and maybe grab a mis priced bargain or something, I watch and wait. SORT THIS ADOBE!