Hi,
I'm frustrated and quite pissed off. You might want to grab a coffee, cuz you havent listened prior to this so I feel a need to spell things out so as to ensure we become aligned.
I downloaded a creative cloud trial because my client (friend of a friend thing, ugh) wanted me to help them export their films audio and was "Using" a newer version of Adobe (I own an older Creative Suite From my time in film school). Ultimately, the client was having issues getting the files needed to us and wanted us/"me" to do their films audio export for them. I don't do that, I work with a locked pictures sound files, and that is actually typed on the "client required", "deliverables portion" of the contracts they agree too.
I'm a sound designer, 1st AD and an instructor at a Film School. I use Pro Tool or Logic to import AAF / BWF Files. Or both if; its from Premiere and I want to work with it in Logic. Thats a whole other thing. My AD work I use MMS and when producing/budgeting productions MMB, lots of software. Lots of licenses, lots of expense but "they" are my tools.
Anyway... I digress. Back to the issue at hand.
I downloaded the newer version as requested, figured I'd see where they were having the problem. Maybe it was a valid complaint or maybe not. Sometimes, my clients skillset and knowledge can be limited, so I help them if they need it or ask me too. If I can!
Premiere was actually pretty easy and I found it to be a really nice setup. The issues sounded like or it was reasonable to assume user error was the culprit. I pulled in an old vacay video and conveyed my test results. The client was still struggling. Next, they mentioned something about Lightroom, importing, blah, blah, blah. My ADHD kicked in and I was tuning out. At stopped them and said "let me talk to your editor" as it was aparent they were not being truthful or had no idea what they were talking about. Turned out, they wanted to save money and had cut ties with their editor. The picture was not locked, the colour correction incomplete and the timecodes rendered incorrectly. Funny how its a small industry and tracking down the editor wasn's hard. We charge a setup fee for this very reason. Well, nothing was matching the continuity reports but they had when the editor handed over the files.
At this point, we made the client aware as to our concerns and reiterated that we needed the file to be locked.
It was at this point that I cancled my adobe trial (on day 5), because I knew after day 7 I'd be charged monthly. The client owed the editor still and I was not going to go through this exercise again. It wasnt the hardest thing but cancelling was a bit of a pain in the butt too. I went through the cancellation process Adobe offered a lesser plan, I declined.
So today (my first day off in a couple months), I get a PayPal notification and find out I'm getting billed for a plan I declined and said "I can't justify the expense". I own an older suite as mentioned and its on a 2011 iMac that gets used more for billing then anything but if I need to edit a photo in PS I'll do it there...
If I really wanted to have a newer suite or subscription (Still can't stand the cash grab companies use now to maximize money in) there are other ways. I'm and instructor at a Film School. If I really wanted it I qualify for a Educational Version or discount. Fact is; I dont have time or spare money for something thats going to just sit there. I have a million audio plugins I purchased which take up wasted HD space. But, at least those I might use some day... hmmmm.
So back to it... PayPal sends me a notice that ADOBE was paid money. Again I go to my Adobe account (once again something I rarely do), and sure enough Adobe is billing me. Now they want to charge me a $64US cancellation fee for cancelling something I cancelled and wont use.
Damn, I want to charge Adobe $250.00US for the hour and a bit I've been on here, trying to get answers as to what the %^& is Adobe's problem. Now I'm writing a novel because evidently, saying its not for me doesnt hit ears which can hear very well. So, I'll waste your time for a bit explaining how I got here... How Adobe, you and I got here actually.
I work with people who use your products, teach people how to use your products, they work in the field, do great work. I don't do visual, I do pro audio and already pay a lot for the tools I use. I'm a professional and pay my own money for what I use. I don't ask for student or teacher versions because I need my tools to do my job. Like a carpenter, I bring my tools to work. I dont use any Adobe tools.
Adobe's business practice (I've read a lot of similar things from others on here... At least you're transparent to a degree) is taking my money knowing full well that I cancled my subscription and that bothers me. A lot. Enough so, that I should start having conversations with my colleagues about this and maybe start rethinking how we approach our selections we chose when putting programs together. Adobe isn't the only game in town. I guess ADOBE is industry standard in some things but not others. Some of my colleagues get paid to teach your products, I don't! That's not an assessmentof your capability. I started on an Atari 520ST with C-Lab Creator, then Notator, then ATARI died and it was Apple or PC. I picked the reliable one. Anyway, I remember when the ADOBE repm used to pop into the recording studio in Toronto to shoot the shiz. It was going to be a big deal, but so was Digi-Design and digital and HD TV... And here we are today.
The best part about my ADOBE experience was still in talking to a rep who was passionate about the possibilities of your company. Now I have to type, no human, no compassion, no understanding, no, well, reality or perception of reps who know your needs and do needs analysis regularily to assess what specific user need or wish for. That rep (Ted; looked like a young Einstein) is long retired and not an option, this is it. So... how does this work for me. It doesn't. It works for you. Well not you. Stake holders and money guys who forgot that without "us" creative types and thinkers there is no ADOBE. But there was a Ted who got us interested.
I'm hoping through this wonderfully impersonal, sterile forum that this blemish gets fixed immediately. I hope that my fellow creatives experience this as well. I also want to say "Hi guys!" to those same folks because here we are all these years later and there are way more of us out there. Wherever there may be.
I dont want to have to call customer support, waste more of my time, more of my money or spend another minute discussing it. I'm not threatening, I'm not being rude but I am making it clear that this is unacceptable and I deserve to be heard, respected and treated fairly. In return, I'll comntinue to do the same even though you're not Ted. But you are a someone who can help. Or maybe you're an evil overlord waiting for your moment to assimilate us into eating soylent green!!! Eep!!! (I can make your sound fx my oh so invisible overlord!!! Nah, somewhere in there you're just like us, working a job you hopefully enjoy. Helping people or trying to help them is great for that.
Plus, I want to be able to support my colleagues, students, Adobe, whoever makes their industries the creative icons they are or will be. So, please do something about this and send me an email saying its done. Lawyers suck the life out of everything, media loves to promote negative stories and that really doesnt benefit anyone. Does it? I may use your products one day, or you can continue playing these games with me and see where that goes. I'm just an individual dollar sign to you right now. You need to see the person. The one my cliemnts and friends see. To my clients and students, I am an experienced professional who gets asked to speak internationally (about what I'm really good at), a business, an employer, a reliable company, a technilogical source, a fixer and a value at the rates we charge. Me on my own... personally, I'm tired of companies who tend to hide behind computers until things go wrong and we have to do this. Then, I might, if I complain enough, or write a well worded article for one of several publications get a human to listen and read from an illprepared script.
Us creatives will spend every penny we have on things which make us better at what we do. So, keep that in mind.
I guess now, I've come pretty close to equaling the wasted time Adobe had no consideration for with me. I could keep going but I also have an article to finish (Final Draft or ScreenWriter are my preferred tools). You have my email, and my time from here on is billable. Like you, my time has a value and I have a right as a consumer and as a corporate citizen. You've forced me to use my skills and tools and free time, they all have a cost.
In closing, I do hope you found this somewhat interesting, informative, humorous and know that I shouldn't have to do this for you to just do the right thing. Please. I really want to like Adobe (my colleagues do), you're just making it really hard to do that right now. Friends of Ted should understand their clients and suppliers and persons involved in industries teaching the next generation of creatives.
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