Is Software Tech a legitmate retailor of Photoshop CS6? (Nope, pirate site)

[kayphoto2]

I recently purchased Photoshop CS6 from an online store called Software Tech Store. I was surprised when I recieved a package in the mail containing an a small cardboard box (opened) with the photoshop disk, but no invoice, no manuel, no information, nothing but an obviously used disk.

When I contacted them about the serial number missing, and other concerns, I was told that they had emailed it. (They had not). So they quickly emailed a false serial number, which left me with a useless disk.

When I emailed about the issue, they tried to tell me it was a problem with my internet connection. Clearly not the case. They insisted that the serial was valid, when obviously it was not.

I tried calling numerous times, and their phone sytem just loops back to the original message after selecting the right prompt, then I reached someone via their online chat forum, who basically informed me that Adobe does not use the original packaging anymore, as an attempt for people to purchase cloud. I have copied and pasted the chat below, please see the lines in bold print. I am just wondering if there is any truth to this at all. They sent me a fake refund reciept, and still have not, infact refunded my account, nor do I believe they have any intention of doing so.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! '

You are now chatting with 'SoftwareTech'

SoftwareTech: Hello.  How may I assist you?

Kateri: I just purchased Adobe photoshop CS6, and the package was open, the disk appears to be used, and I was not provided with a valid serial number. I feel that I have been scammed.

SoftwareTech: it was sent to your email

SoftwareTech: the serial number

SoftwareTech: can i have your order number please

Kateri: The serial number is not valid.

Kateri: Order # 100008807

SoftwareTech: can i have your order number please

SoftwareTech: i will check that hold on please

Kateri: Unless I am provided with a valid working serial number, I need to refunded immediately.

SoftwareTech: you sent us an email

SoftwareTech: correct

SoftwareTech: for the refund

Kateri: yes

SoftwareTech: no problem we will refund you the amount you paid

SoftwareTech: no problem

Kateri: Immediately.

SoftwareTech: yes

SoftwareTech: you will have it in less than 15 min

SoftwareTech: we will send the receipt to your email

Kateri: Why on earth would I be sent a useless, opened disk?

Kateri: Is this company a complete scam?

SoftwareTech: it's not opened

SoftwareTech: Adobe cancelled the box

SoftwareTech: and now they are sending the serial number via email

SoftwareTech: and they ship the DVD

Kateri: It was opened.

SoftwareTech: either that way or cloud

SoftwareTech: it's not opened this is how they send it

SoftwareTech: i know it's not good way

SoftwareTech: but adobe is doing that

SoftwareTech: to force people to buy cloud

Kateri: I'm ready to file charges.

SoftwareTech: it's the new thing

SoftwareTech: i am doing the refund right now

SoftwareTech: hold on please

SoftwareTech: i just sent you the receipt to your email

SoftwareTech: and your order has been refunded

Kateri: It has not been refunded.

SoftwareTech: we refunded your credit card the amount you paid and we sent the receipt to your email

SoftwareTech: did you get it

SoftwareTech: ?

Kateri: No. I received what is problably a fake receipt, but my account has not been credited. I want to be refunded IMMEDIATELY.

SoftwareTech: it's not fake

SoftwareTech: ok

SoftwareTech: you are not scam

SoftwareTech: please

SoftwareTech: your credit card has been refunded

SoftwareTech: and we sent you the receipt

SoftwareTech: it's not fake

SoftwareTech: and we are not fake

Kateri: My account has not been refunded.

SoftwareTech: yes it will shows in 2 to 3 business days

SoftwareTech: believe me there is nothing to be worry

SoftwareTech: we are not scam

SoftwareTech: we used to sell full retail boxes

SoftwareTech: but Adobe cancelled that

SoftwareTech: and we are having problem because of the new way

SoftwareTech: we are sorry

[Kurt Lang]

It was removed from their list, but was listed in May of 2013.

Yes, that is true. But that's before Adobe realized what they were doing. They had a physical store, and seemed so seemed like a legitimate business to authorize.

As Terri noted, big alarm bells should have gone off when you saw their upgrade price compared to Adobe, or other genuine resellers such as macmall.com and macconnection.com. Those prices would have been within a few dollars of each other, rather than more than half off at The Software Tech Store.

You can put "adobe software cheap" in Google and come up with tons of illegal sites selling software for far under normal value. Such as this one:

Low Prices on Adobe and Autodesk Software | Buy Online with EgtonSoftware.com

That's a pretty good trick selling Adobe CC Master Collection 2015 for $299 when it was never available in a box, or referred to as a Master Collection. That should tell anyone with even just decent knowledge of Adobe's software that you are buying a cracked version.

[Terri_Stevens]

sorry to hear your story Tom, but you are not being fair blaming Adobe. I could use a keygen and give you a serial number then tell you a link at Adobe to download the software from. All I would have done is provide you with a pirated key to unlock legitimate software, but that doesn't make it a non pirated version. The reality is you didn't want to pay the market price for the software and got scammed. I don't know what you paid but you must have deep down known this offer was to good to be true. Looking on the bright side, for a long time Adobe allowed designers like you to use pirated copies. PS CS 5.5 is eight years old now and you have had a good run for your money, but now need to legitimise your business with genuine software.

[tomh12497586]

The issue is not with Indesign CS 5.5, that is authentic Adobe software. The issue is with the upgrade I purchased from CS 5.5 to CS 6. I also own approved copies of Illustrator CS6 and Photoshop CS 6. And no, the price was not too good to be true.

[Kurt Lang]

Yes, we understood you're talking about the CS6 upgrade purchase. What did you consider a price as "not too good to be true" for an InDesign CS6 upgrade?

[ebenezercaesar]

In his first April 24, 2018 post Mr. Lang confirmed that Adobe did approve of the Software Tech
Store “before Adobe realized what they [the Software Tech Store]
were doing.”  Adobe must have come to this realization at some time
after June, 2013 when I bought my CS6 program from the Software Tech
Store. This store was approved by Adobe at the time of my purchase.

As indicated by some remarks in posts above, the attitude of Adobe would
be that those of us who bought CS6 from the Software Tech Store must
have known we were buying pirated software because it was so
unbelievably cheap, and we have gotten what we deserve in having the
software taken away.  I bought my CS6 software from the Software Tech
Store for $400 when Adobe had the Software Tech Store listed as an
approved seller. This was a 30% discount off of the Adobe price for
CS6, which I considered a very good deal but not so incredibly cheap
that it must be a scam, and again, the Software Tech Store was
approved by Adobe at the time of my purchase.  I would not have
knowingly bought a pirated version of CS6, not only because I am not
dishonest, but because I am computer-challenged, and I knew I would
not get technical support from Adobe unless I purchased an approved
program.

As Gene explained to me in a post above, Adobe has no legal obligation
to honor sales by a seller of Adobe software after they find out that
the seller is counterfeit. However, I still believe that Adobe should
take responsibility for the information which appears on its website
and honor the sales of software from a company that Adobe had
approved at the time of purchase.

I am thankful to Adobe for giving me the opportunity to state my case.

Sincerely,

Joe Porreca

P.S.  I don’t use pseudonyms on internet posts. In one version of
this thread I am identified on my posts as “Ebenezer Caesar,”
which is the name of my fantasy golf team at Yahoo. I did not use
“Ebenezer Caesar” for my posts on this forum. How did this name
from a Yahoo program replace my real name for my posts in this Adobe
forum?

[Kurt Lang]

Sorry, but it's "buyer beware". They likely started out as a completely legitimate business selling software titles for the normal retail price, and somewhere along the line, changed over to a scam operation. And that was probably completely planned. Get an "approved" status, then start selling illegal copies for as long as you can while still listed as an Adobe approved vendor.

Look at my link above to egtonsoftware. It's still there and selling what are clearly illegal copies of normally pricey software at scam prices. How are they still in business? Because they're not in the U.S. Adobe can report them, but unless the officials of the country they're located in do anything about it (and many don't), they stay open. Usually by greasing the palm of local officials. This particular company is in Cyprus, according to a whois search.