Misleading Information in True Image Online Store
Anyone that is thinking of buying (or has recently purchased) Acronis True Image 2010 may notice there are two new options (selected by default if arriving at the store via a link in an email 'advert' sent by Acronis), when proceeding with the purchase in the Acronis Online Store (run by Cleverbridge).
These are *Upgrade Protection* costing £14.95 (UKP) and *Unlimited Customer Support* costing £7.95 (UKP).
Note: There is a real likelihood you will not need to purchase these options and you may not need to select them (or may like to deselect them if already selected). The wording on the popup help for these items is very misleading (at best).
If you have purchased them and after reading this post decide you did not really need to, you may like to request a refund from Acronis. They *may* honour this request if it is within 30 days. Longer than this, they may not. Though as you may consider yourself to have been misled into purchasing these options it may still be worth pursuing a refund using other options (via their exces office for instance).
Please read on.
If you deselect *Upgrade Protection* you will still be entitled to ALL FREE updates and bug fixes that are ever released for Acronis True Image 2010.
All the *Upgrade Protection* buys you, for £14.95, is a copy of any future version of True Image (for example True Image 2011) that *may* be released at a later date. So long as this is within the 12 months of you purchasing True Image 2010 AND *Upgrade Protection* (otherwise it is wasted money).
Before paying, decide if you want to take the gamble that Acronis will release a new version within 12 months of your purchase date, and if they do, that you will want and need it.
If you deselect *Additional Help* you will still be entitled to FREE access to support for True Image, for a period of 1 month from your purchase date (via Live Chat, email or telephone).
All the *Additional Help* buys you, for £7.95, is an additional 11 months support (via Live Chat, email or telephone). If you feel you will not need this additional 11 months support then deselect this item. Remember, this forum is here and you can get help here for free.
This *Additional Help* is a new charge by Acronis. Previously all support options were FREE to all registered owners of an Acronis product.
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ACRONIS TEAM:
Maybe you could make it so these two options are not selected by default (when purchasing via the link in the email advert). Having these options selected by default, along with the misleading information in the popup help, could lead customers into purchasing items that they have no need for.
Also, maybe you could change the *Additional Help* Upgrade Protection popup so it is not so misleading.
FROM:
Acronis True Image Home - Upgrade Protection £14.95
----------------------
Acronis True Image Home Upgrade Protection provides you, at no
additional charge, unlimited upgrades for a period of 12 months from
your purchase date to both major and minor new releases of Acronis True
Image Home. Don't miss out on our continued innovations!
TO:
Acronis True Image Home - Upgrade Protection £14.95
----------------------
Purchasing Acronis True Image Home *Upgrade Protection* provides
you with unlimited upgrades, for a period of 12 months from your
purchase date, to all future, major releases (new versions) of Acronis
True Image Home. Don't miss out on our continued innovations!
Note: Updates (new builds with bug fixes/improvements) to Acronis True
Image 2010 are *free* for all registered customers (customers who
purchase Acronis True Image 2010 from our official Cleverbridge
Online Store).
Likewise, maybe you could change the *Additional Help* Customer Support popup.
FROM:
Acronis Advantage Home Unlimited Customer Support £7.95
----------------------
Acronis Advantage Home provides you, at no additional charge, access to
our world-class customer support teams for a period of 12 months from
your purchase date, whether you choose to contact us via Live Chat,
email or telephone. If you think you'll need help, this will likely save
you money!
TO:
Acronis Advantage Home Unlimited Customer Support £7.95
----------------------
Purchasing Acronis Advantage Home *Customer Support* provides you
access to our world-class customer support teams for a period of 12 months
from your purchase date, whether you choose to contact us via Live Chat,
email or telephone. If you think you'll need help, this will likely save
you money!
Note: All registered customers (customers who purchase Acronis True Image
2010 from our official Cleverbridge Online Store) will have inclusive free
access to our world-class customer support teams for a period of 1 month
from your purchase date, whether you choose to contact us via Live Chat,
email or telephone.
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Thank you for reading and I hope it has been of some help.
What that "Extra" usually means and many software companies list it as an option (and I've made use of it with Raxco software), is that if you were say buying Acronis True Image 2010 say 75% through it's life cycle and you purchased the upgrade protection, you'd be able to upgrade to True Image 2011. Providing TI2011 was released within a year (or whatever the term stated is) you'd be able to use your protection fee for a "free" upgrade to the new version.
Thanks Vorlon.
It is more the 'wording' that I find to be a bit misleading, rather than the actual offer (which could be a good deal for some people). Especially the line that advised purchasing upgrade protection would give you access to "minor" releases. Minor releases could be interpreted as bug fixes and small updates to the new 2010 version, which of course would be free.
It appears the management in Acronis are now reviewing this offer and it may be removed or the wording of the popup help changed.
Anyone that is thinking of buying (or has recently purchased) Acronis True Image 2010 may notice there are two new options (selected by default if arriving at the store via a link in an email 'advert' sent by Acronis), when proceeding with the purchase in the Acronis Online Store (run by Cleverbridge).
These are *Upgrade Protection* costing £14.95 (UKP) and *Unlimited Customer Support* costing £7.95 (UKP).
I have been speaking to the execs team at Acronis.
They have advised that:
"we will be incorporating some of your language where we will continue to offer the upgrade protection and Acronis Advantage options to customers."
So it appears they will be changing the wording of these options so they are not so misleading.
However they also write:
"In many scenarios we have found that the best outcome comes from where we do not offer these options at all, but where we do, we certainly want to make sure that the offering language is not confusing / misleading".
So it is also possible they may be withdrawing one or both of these options is 'some' circumstances?
I have just noticed that when I logged into the store, using the link I was sent in the original email offer, just 'Upgrade Protection' is checked by default (previously *Unlimited Customer Support* was 'also' checked by default).
The wording has not changed (yet) and is still as misleading as before.
Acronis have now made changes to the on-line store.
They have decided that the best variants would be not to offer any options to new customers at all and for the Acronis True Image upgrade to offer the Upgrade Protection checked and Priority Support unchecked be default. This has now been implemented on all of their websites.
They have also implemented my suggestions for descriptions to these options (on the popup help) to all their English-speaking websites and are in process of localising to other languages.
I am really pleased that Acronis have decided to implement these changes and it shows they are more than willing to listen to, and act, on suggestions made by their customers.
Thank you very much Acronis :)