Re: OT: Re: Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
- From: "mrcakey" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:36:48 -0000
"Travis Newbury" <TravisNewbury@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:80b538d3-a4b9-4730-aaf2-7ef3f304c275@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Feb 28, 6:47 am, "mrcakey" <nos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Where the EU *should* be getting antsy with American software companies
is
the likes of Adobe. The scum charge £1600 for Design Premium here in the
yUK; $1800 in the US, i.e. almost half the price. Even if you download
it.
They offer the most ridiculously specious excuses for the difference, but
the truth is they're simply abusing what is a de facto monopoly - if
you're
a design professional there are simply no viable alternatives to Flash
and
Photoshop.
No argument there about adobe products being the way to go when design
is concerned. Sure there are other products out there that try to do
the same thing, and Flash SWF format is open source so you don't
really need Flash to create SWFs, but none of the others are the
quality of Adobe. Two thumbs up for producing/maintaining a great
line of products. And I LOVE the way all the adobe products are now
integrated. But....
So it is actually less expensive for you to fly to the US and buy the
software at a retail store and fly back home. I am interested in what
they tell you the reason for the price difference is, even with the
download. Can you share?
It was VERY tempted to do just that - romantic weekend in New York with my
girlfriend and cheap laptop and software. We were both too busy though,
plus I don't like flying plus it's just cleaner for the accountant to write
it down as an expense when I have a UK receipt for it.
Here then is Adobe's standard email response, or the part of it that relates
to downloads anyway:
It's understandable why customers would expect to be able to purchase
the same product at the same price when ordering and downloading
directly from the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com. Today, however, we
still sell the majority of our products through traditional retail
channels, and we optimize our pricing for that way of doing business. We
depend on our retail partners in local markets to help us reach as many
customers as possible, and we have a policy of not undercutting them on
price. In addition, the Creative Suite 3 applications are large and
require significant time to download. For many customers, online
downloads will not serve as a reasonable purchase option for some time.
However, as bandwidth increases and customer expectations change, we'll
need to investigate ways to optimize our pricing for this approach.
Furthermore, some higher regional costs will remain regardless of the
method of purchase. For example, customers will still read about our
products through local press to whom we reach out; they will meet local
Adobe sales people who conduct seminars, participate in user groups, and
visit large customers; and they will rely on support resources that
Adobe makes available in these markets. All of these efforts impact the
business costs of securing the sale, whether that sale is delivered
online or in a box. However, we always take customer feedback seriously,
and we'll be considering customer input as we explore ways to adjust our
pricing in the future. Any such changes would take considerable
investigation and analysis, so we do not plan to modify our pricing
approach for the Creative Suite 3 products.
Adobe does not directly sell North American versions of its creative
products to European or
other customers. For example, the Adobe website in North America
(www.adobe.com) only
accepts credit cards with North American billing addresses. We limit
online purchase this
way to support local resellers in Europe and other regions who do not
have access to the same
pricing.
However, nothing prevents European customers from purchasing North
American
products from other distribution channels. Should you decide to do this,
please keep the
following in mind:
.. You must pay the correct import duties and local taxes to maintain
legal software.
.. You should be careful about buying from a reputable source to ensure
that you receive appropriate
software.
.. You will not be eligible for support for the product. Your serial
number maps to the region in
which you purchased the software and determines your support
eligibility. European customers
who purchase North American versions may not use those serial numbers to
receive support in
Europe, nor are they eligible for support in the United States.
Under certain circumstances, you may be able to convert a North American
serial number to
a European serial number to receive local support:
.. If you can provide proof, such as an invoice, that you legitimately
purchased the product from a
European source.
.. If you can demonstrate that you purchased the product while living in
North America and are
now moving back to Europe (this requires a proof of purchase and a proof
of residency, such as
a Visa or a photocopy of a North American driver's license).
If you meet either criteria, you can then be issued a new European
serial number that will
enable you to get support locally in Europe.
We hope this answers all of your questions.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Yours Sincerely,
Joel Williams
Adobe Customer Service
+mrcakey
.
- References:
- Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
- From: cwdjrxyz
- Re: Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
- From: Travis Newbury
- OT: Re: Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
- From: mrcakey
- Re: OT: Re: Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
- From: Travis Newbury
- Microsoft just fined US$ 1.35 billion by European antitrust regulator
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