Adobe Hassles

In the midst of all this some field in an Adobe form asked me something like "how do you feel about Adobe systems?". My answer was, "Their products are great, but their policies are often stinky". Little did I know when I typed that, that I would be entering into the stink.

September 4 - I went to the University of Arizona bookstore, and paid $83.00 for an "academic licensed" copy of Lightroom 5. They tried to give me Lightroom 4 on a DVD, but I told them I wanted Lightroom 5. They had this available as a "Student and Teacher Edition, software download card". There were some questions about whether Lightroom 5 was a "only from the cloud" product, but the fact that the card was selling for $83 seemed to answer that. I showed my campus ID (I am on staff at the University and therefore qualify) and went my way.

September 5 - I try to install this on my computer. The card has a number you reveal by using a coin to scrape some crud off the card (like a lottery?). Then you go to:

• Adobe Validation URL

• Adobe Redemption URL

So, it is on to Adobe support. I try their chat system, and the person seems as confused as I am, but ultimately tells me that they need more information from me. I am told that they are opening a "support case", and I should go find the case number and then scan in my purchase receipt and attach it to the case. I ask if I can photograph the receipt and send the JPEG, they tell me it is OK.

I try to do this immediately, but apparently the chat person is taking their sweet time and there is no case number at the supposed "right place". An email comes along after a while with the case number and a link (why didn't they just tell me to wait for an email and follow the directions?). For that matter, why didn't their redemption URL tell me that I needed to submit a copy of the receipt and guide me along the path to getting this done.

All told I have spent an hour and a half so far with nothing resolved.

During the confusion when I was looking for the case number link that the chat support person had not yet entered, I tried using their phone system. It has a (theoretically) nice feature where you give your phone number and it calls you back so you don't have to wait on the phone. Well, it called me back after about 10 minutes, then put me on hold "while finding someone with skills appropriate to solving my problem". After waiting for several minutes I gave up.

September 6 Well, the rest of a day and a night have passed and no response from Adobe. Another person I work with tells me that Adobe asked him to send a copy of his University ID, so I am thinking I will preemptively send that myself in anticipation of them asking for it anyway and there being further delay. I have not heard a thing yet from Adobe after this case being opened and my sending the information they asked for.

• Adobe Support Portal URL

I log in to the Adobe site (I have a login there as I own copies of photoshop CS3 and CS5 which I have registered). I use the drop down menu on my name, go to "My Adobe" and there is a link to open support cases. I click on the case number and am back at the form which should allow me to attach more stuff. I attach the jpeg images of the front and back of my University ID card.

Their support number: 800-833-6687

My case number: 0211435223

Since it has been almost 24 hours, I get impatient and call the support number. After a short wait I am talking to a very nice and helpful man in India. This often irritates me (companies like Adobe outsourcing phone support overseas), but I have to say this fellow was nice, helpful, understandable, and above all he solved my problem. I don't have any problem with India or the people in India, but cheapskate companies with cheapskate policies don't impress me.

After about 20 minutes on the phone, he has things straightened out and we verify together that I have a Lightroom 5 serial number on my Adobe page. He says that I can go to the generic "downloads" page on the Adobe site to get the product, but that I should be sure to have my serial number when I do so.

• Adobe download URL

The only thing I see on the downloads page are product trials. I download the Lightroom 5 trial, assuming this is the idea and that I make it permanent by registering with my serial number. This is a 810 Mb download. In fact the screen that is up while I am downloading tells me that I can convert the trial copy to a permanent copy at any time using the serial number. Too bad I didn't know about this yesterday -- I could have been using the trial copy instead of being upset with Adobe stonewalling me about a serial number.

The nice man in India told me that I can download it again if I need to (such as if a hard drive dies, or I have to reinstall windows). I guess this is true of Photoshop CS5 also -- I should download and burn both Lightroom and CS5 onto DVD media, then I won't need to download and can just reinstall them as needed using my serial numbers.

This phone call solved the problems, we spent perhaps 20 minutes on the phone, and then about 1 hour after I started the call I had Lightroom 5 running on my computer as a fully licensed copy.

Is all this worth it ?

Is this their business plan? I cannot imagine it is to their benefit to make their customers hate them by putting them through all of this. I think they have lost sight of their real goal (to make money). How can they afford to pay for the people to man the chat lines and process the support case, it can't be cost effective for them. It certainly is shooting themselves in the foot if they think making their products available at a discount benefits them while at the same time irritating the very people they are trying to make their advocates in the educational world.

My impression of Adobe is that the company is bipolar. There are sharp talented people producing great products. The other side is mean nasty executives and bean counters. I wonder how it is to be one of the sharp talented people working for the mean nasty people?