Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!cogsci!lopes
From: lopes@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (alann lopes)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Microsoft Upgrade Policy
Message-ID: <294@cogsci.ucsd.EDU>
Date: 14 Feb 91 16:58:52 GMT
References: <1991Feb14.023744.14888@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Reply-To: lopes@cogsci (alann lopes)
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, San Diego
Lines: 45

In article <1991Feb14.023744.14888@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> dmk8r@plaid.cs.Virginia.EDU (Darrell M. Kienzle) writes:
>Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, anyone who qualifies as
>"a computing professional" qualifies for Excel 3.0 for $129.  I have a friend
>who received this offer from Microsoft simply because he was on the right
>mailing list.  Coincidentally, being a REGISTERED OWNER of Excel 2.1, I was
>offered the exact same upgrade price!
>
>I am also a very loyal owner of Microsoft Word 5.5, and was told that it
>would cost me $150 to upgrade to Word for Windows.  I now read on this
>newsgroup that any owner of any competing word processor qualifies for a
>special $129 price!
>
>Needless to say, I am not at all pleased with these developments.  Gone
>are the days of free minor upgrades - now Microsoft charges big bucks for
>what are often bug fixes.
>
>I understand that upgrading software can be expensive, but this is getting
>a little ridiculous.  They have managed to completely alienate a formerly
>very loyal customer, and that never makes good business sense.
>
>Is there anyone else out there that is feeling equally dumped upon ?
>
>Darrell Kienzle (a poor graduate student who can't afford an update a month)
>dmk8r@Virginia.EDU


Darrell, I absolutely agree with you. I have spent thousands of dollars on
Microsoft products in the last few years, and now they want a loyal customer
to pay as much for w4w and excel BUG FIX upgrades as the average Joe who
owns a spread sheet and/or a word processor. I called MS with this question,
and all they could say was, "I'm sorry but this is the decision of our
product marketing team, I can't do anything about it".  Well, I will do
something about it. I will stop buying MS products until they develop a
more equitable upgrade policy. I urge others with similar views to call
Microsoft and let them known how you feel.

                           Thanks -- alann


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