I am writing to report a company that I think rips off their clients. I do not want anyone to fall victim to buying their software. The company is Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. And it involves their software BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional, BestAddress HTML Editor 2009 Professional or BestAddress HTML Editor free trial. My order details as proof are as follows:
Order Details
September 18
BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Competitive Upgrade (6681-4) Support E-Mail: [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE: The supplied registration details will only work with the latest version of the program. If your registration details are not accepted, please download and install the latest version of the software from http://www.mmaus.com/products/download/bestaddress.php.
To enter your User Name and Registration Code, start the BestAddress HTML Editor.in the window that appears, select the 'Register Now' button.
Enter your registration details and then click the 'Register' button.
Your license name is: Joe *
Your license code is: 4721-*-1833-*
I went to their website to download the software so I could use their html editor to do some html editing, I entered my name and serial/registration code and it said it was the wrong version and that I needed to upgrade to the newest version. I got to looking and they had already released a new version called BestAddress HTML Editor 2009 Professional. I then started looking around on their site for the version I purchased frustrated cause it was basically outdated 3.5 months from the time of purchase. I got to looking through my emails from Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. To see if I had missed something and found that I did receive an email from Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd.
In the middle of January just 3.5 months from my purchase date about my purchase of BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional stating that they have a new version which is BestAddress HTML Editor 2009 Professional releasing and that as long as you made the purchase from September 29 that you would be entitled by Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. To get a free upgrade to BestAddress HTML Editor 2009 Professional. So I am sitting there reading this and I figure, ok, this is one of those things to where I can email them and get my upgrade and surely since it fell outside their benchmark by 12 days that I would be grandfathered in on the new software.
Understand that this new version came out no more than 3.5 months from purchase and instead of upgrading all their 1 year or less clients, they chose to allow their most recent clients to be stuck with their old version BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional which could not even be found on their website 3.5 months later. They sent me an email informing me that I could just upgrade for the same cost as I purchased the last software BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional. I emailed their support department and I explained that this did not make sense, since I purchased BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional 3.5 months prior and a representative of Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. Told me that no companies offer upgrades to for their newly released software just because there was a new release within 1 year, not even Microsoft.
I explained to the representative that this was not actually true and that Microsoft allowed me to upgrade from XPx64 to Vista Business because it came out within 6 months of my retail purchase simply by going to their free upgrade link, de registering the serial and they sent me my new Vista Business free. This was not even actually the point, the real point was that my software purchase was outdated just 3.5 months after the purchase and they sent out free upgrades starting just 12 days from my purchase in the same month, September 3.5 months later and missed by 12 days. This is crazy So I told them that I was going to report them to the BBB, and many other sites and they basically did not care.
I feel like the 40 minutes it took me to write this report, may save a few end users/clients from making a mistake on this company. They do not, I mean do not have good customer service and if you buy their software, don't be surprised if the purchase falls within 12 days of the free upgrade notice and puts your software obsolete within 3.5 months. The representative with Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. Did say this software was not obsolete and that they will still honor their support for the remaining 7 months but I beg to differ, especially when you go to the site located at http://www.mmau.com / and cannot find a download link anywhere just after a few months of purchase and they send the below email saying you have to fill out a form for them to send you the software. Please read below on how they say that software purchased just 3 months from purchase date has to be a paid upgrade and that this is very fair?
From: Multimedia Australia [mailto: [email protected]]
Sent: Monday, February 09 4:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Enquiry - Your Order for BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Competitive Upgrade
Mr *,
A new version of the software was not released 12 days after you made your purchase as you claim. Version 2009 was released 3 months after you registered your license And this makes it all better that my software was outdated in 3 months, I was complaining that somehow I fell 12 days outside the free upgrade date and that this date was September 29, in the same month. Those customers who made a purchase 3 months prior received a free upgrade I hope so, you are ripping off the other half that made a purchase anywhere from 2 weeks prior to the September cutoff date. If you had obtained the software within the 3 months period prior to version 2009 being released, you would have received a free upgrade. You got the software outside the period, which is why you qualify for the paid upgrade.
This is made very clear on our website.
Version 2009 was not released until 2 January. You purchased the software on 17 September.
You do not need to know which version you purchased as you claim. You simply fill out the registration name re-sending form at http://www.mmau.com/software/customers/registration.php and the applicable download URL and registration details are re-sent to you.
We consider that making upgrades free for 3 months is very fair, particularly when many software publishers do not offer this.
Thank you,
Customer Service
Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd.
ABN 78 096 830 394
Gpo box 1626
brisbane qld 4001
australia
Http://www.mmau.com
I do not know what else to say about Multimedia Australia Pty. Ltd. And their software BestAddress HTML Editor 2008 Professional, BestAddress HTML Editor 2009 Professional or BestAddress HTML Editor free trial other than I hope they change their policies on product protection and customer service to more than 3 months and to also keep their outdated products listen on their site even after a newer version 3 months from a purchase date. This would be the most ethical thing to do.
Thank You
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