Adobe ripping off UK again with latest CS3 family software?

[dfisher1]

Lets here the Adobe PR people try and wriggle out of this one. I hope Hexus continue to pursue them over why we have to pay so much more.

I suppose we'll here the same old excuses being wheeled out like "localisation"...*** use this excuse but then a lot of its "localised" products are full of Americanisms.

[Blademrk]

I use Paint Shop Pro v9 myself, and that's only because I found a copy going for £25 in WHSmiths. I was using v7 before that because it was free with a box of CD-ROMS from Dixons.

I'd be interested to know why the price difference, but I doubt we get a satisfactory answer.

[shiato storm]

as a mod over in another forum this does crop up occasionally. but you know what - people will still pay the asking price. If BMWs went up would people stop buying those? somehow I don't think so.
I agree though Adobe's pricing for things in the UK sucks. but look at many things in the market, being a photographer cameras are something Ive a gripe about...much cheaper in comparison over there. perhaps find a friend in the US and get them to buy a copy for you? then visit them and pay them back...it turns out half the price! Or, holiday and CS3 all for teh same price as CS3 in this country!!
Ok so this technically isn't legal [you'd probably have to pay import duty and all that rubbish] but these crazy prices only serve to drive up piracy and bootleg copies rather than stop them happening. Loads of thought into the product, virtually none into the price.

the shameful thing is Adobe PS is the industry standard imaging tool. and in order to make a head-way in this world you tend to need the latest software to keep you at the top. Unless someone (google?!!) comes along with a real killer (not picasa.) I can't see adobe dropping prices that much. sucks...lots.

[Palhil]

The new reasoning for higher UK prices, as recently used by Sony for the PS3, is that we have a greater cost of living in the UK than America.

As I understand it (I'm no expert), on average in the UK we get paid more. So the people required to sell and distribute a product in this country earn more than their US equivalents. Therefore this extra cost has to be passed on to the price of the product.

The Americans earn less so everything costs less. We earn more so everything costs more. Which mean our lifestyles work out about the same.

So we need to compare cost of living in America to cost of living in the UK to be able to work out if we are being ripped off or not. I have no idea how to do that so my point ends here.

[Sinizter]

Its software - made in US by an American company. They have dealers here who buy it cheap from them and sell it at a higher price as recommended by the company.

So they can **** off as I damn well am not going to pay the difference. Might even consider not paying at all.

[Gordy]

The new reasoning for higher UK prices, as recently used by Sony for the PS3, is that we have a greater cost of living in the UK than America.

As I understand it (I'm no expert), on average in the UK we get paid more. So the people required to sell and distribute a product in this country earn more than their US equivalents. Therefore this extra cost has to be passed on to the price of the product.

The Americans earn less so everything costs less. We earn more so everything costs more. Which mean our lifestyles work out about the same.

So we need to compare cost of living in America to cost of living in the UK to be able to work out if we are being ripped off or not. I have no idea how to do that so my point ends here.

I'm sorry but that is marketing bs, the only extra costs are the extra bit of shipping.

[Bob Crabtree]

I'm sorry but that is marketing bs, the only extra costs are the extra bit of shipping.

I agree.

The way that you cater for different standards of living is to selling different products.

What's happening is the UK, the EU and a whole lot of other areas in the world are subsidising cheap prices in the USA.

At least, that's what seems most likely in the absence of any evidence to the contrary.

One thing that I do believe, though, is that there needs to be sufficient margin available for:

* Makers to think up, create, market and properly support the products they sell

* Distributors to be able to market products and support their dealers

* Dealers to market products and properly support customers - before they buy and afterwards.

Ultra-slim margins can and do result in dodgy products that are poorly supported.

Trouble is, I'd like to see more signs than I do that higher margins result in better products and better support.

[djellison]

Want ripoff Britain - try the telescope industry!

A stunning 14" Meade scope - a $3699 telescope

Convert to £ and add VAT £2208.

Is it £2208?

No - it's more than DOUBLE that - £4499.

The 'Cost of living' excuse is pure bull****. There is not cost of living involved in shipping an item direct from the US into the UK. That's what Adobe should do. We should be paying a direct exchange rate, and then customs whack VAT on as it lands. Hell - we should have a downloadable version available - no cost of living involved in that either.

It's ripping us off, because we're prepared to bend over and pick up the soap for corporate America. It's pathetic.

DOug

[mark_m]

As I posted over on the DVDoctor Forum, I think that we, as consumers, should act to make Adobe realise what an awful piece of PR this is.

I am suggesting that people sign up for and attend the Adobe Live event in London on June 5 - 6
I don't have enough posts on this forum to post the signup URL but if you google for Adobe Live 2007 you'll find it.

Bob Crabtree adds - here's the URL. Oh and here's the thread on the DVdoctor forums that Mark is referring to. I particularly like this comment from that thread,

The 'official' Adobe response is 'The added costs of localising software packages + currency fluctuations, exchange and transportation costs mean that Adobe Software costs considerably more in outside the US. If you purchase US copies you may be unable to upgrade them in the UK or receive support on them.'

It is obvious that Adobe fly the software out of the US in first class, offering it complementry drinks and a stop over for 2 weeks in the Maldives.

So sign up, turn up, and take every opportunity to ask Abobe why their pricing is so much higher in the EU than in the USA.

Don't be afraid to ask the demonstrators. If Jason Levine or Ang Taylor have enough people standing up in the Q&Q and embarassing them by asking this question you can be sure they'll pass that along.

Ask the sales people. Ask the distributors. Challenge their pat answers. If enough of us do this they will realise that this is the burning issue at the moment: not the quality of the software, not what it can do for us, but our resentmet of being ripped off.

Ultimately those of us who are purchasers of their products are paying their wages.

Meanwhile point out to your software supplier that it's cheaper for you to fly to New York, have a weekend on the town, and buy the Creative Suite CS3 there (and dump lots of carbon into the atmosphere while you're at it) than it is to buy Adobe products from them.

For the price difference in the Master Collection CS3 you could have a week in Las Vegas.

Get your local software supplier to realise that Adobe's price differential is costing them sales and ask them to pressure Adobe to reduce this price differential.

Meanwhile you can follow my lead and write to your MP and your MEP raising this issue and asking them if they think it's right that we're having to pay over the odds for our tools, thereby reducing our competitive advantage. Ask your MP and MEP to ask Adobe to justify this price differential.

Remember: we, as consumers, have the power to make things change.

Rant over: action starts.

Mark

[Sinizter]

I was actually planning on purchasing a proper copy of Adobe Photoshop earlier for my laptop - but after this I wont be.

[Bob Crabtree]

I just noticed that someone has posted up on that DVdoctor thread a suggested address for sending emails of complaint:
adobeuksales@adobe.com

Still think that the idea of turning up to that Adobe event and making your voice heard is a good one.

[redlight]

Slightly off topic but I am angry with Adobe. I registered my software with them last month using an email address that I only use for business like comms. Since then I have been bombarded with spam from the states and it is the only time I have used this email address this year. I can only think they have sold my address on. Has this happened to anyone else?

[Bob Crabtree]

Mate of mine has a great stategy for dealing with companies that do this - he has an email domain and any emails addressed to that domain get received.

So, in this instance, he would have given his email address as something like, adobesoftwareregistration@domainname.com

As a result, he can see immediately which firms are selling on his email address and take whatever action he thinks appropriate - and he ALWAYS selects ALL privacy options so knows that, in fact, a particular company has broken it's own stated privacy policy.

That said, I don't know what Adobe's policy is, nor what options you did or didn't select.

[redlight]

Thats a great idea. I make a point of making sure I do not tick or in some cases do tick the options I do want offers/correspondence from anybody including the company I am dealing with.

[Bob Crabtree]

Over in that DVdoctor thread, Mark M has made this rather interesting posting:

This issue does seem to be gathering pace. See this website here:
http://www.amanwithapencil.com/adobe.html

Please sign the petition here:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/...-software.html

and you can register your complaint with the EU Directorate General for Competition
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition...umer_form.html

It'll just take two ticks to sign the petition and register your complaint. If we all do this then we may yet get Adobe to realise the seriousness of this issue and eventually get some justice for we, the consumer.