Confessions of a software buyer: "What happened after I said yes"

I admit it. I'm proud to have identified the question that ALL software buyers ask as they are trying to decide if they want to buy some software: "What's going to happen to me after I buy?"

Actually, this question is asked by ALL buyers for ALL products, but it's especially acute with software buyers, because the post-purchase experience can be so traumatic - and so far from the promised and hoped-for experience.

Janet, an ex-programmer who is no slouch when it comes to technology, is a trusted vendor and someone I respect. She has a DSL connection to the Internet. This is what happened to her in her recent quest to purchase Adobe Photoshop.

I decided to use the thirty-day trial version to help me make up my mind before spending $649. There was only one version of the program available for the trial, called CS3 Extended. After trying the "extended" features, you could then decide if you wanted the "plain" version or the "extended" version.

 

 

 

During the trial, every time I opened the program, a pop-up welcome screen appeared. It offered three choices:

 

• Enter Your Serial Number

   

   

• Buy Now

   

   

• Next

 

The first choice seemed to assume that I had already purchased the package, could enter my serial number, and be off and running with the program. The second choice took me to the Adobe website to make the purchase. The third choice let me continue using the program on a trial basis.

After spending some time with the program, I decided to buy it. I expected the Buy Now button to lead me to Adobe’s website for the purchase of the version I desired. I expected to receive a serial number, and enter it in the welcome screen. I expected this process to take only a few minutes.

I chose the "plain" version, rather than the "extended" version. The product was placed in a cart, the site took my payment, and then led me to a page that showed the serial number with two download buttons and "megabyte" info. One button was for the product itself, the other was for a bunch of optional plug-ins.

At this point I had the serial number, I had a version already downloaded on my system, and I had a webpage button to download the product - again.

Hmmm. The original, 500-megabyte download had taken an hour and a half on DSL. I wondered why it appeared that I had to download the program again. I decided to call support.

Customer service told me that I would need to uninstall the version on my system, and re-download and re-install the purchased version. The reason for this seemed to be that I was buying the plain CS3, not the Extended.

[Note: Adobe is basically "punishing" the buyers who have chosen the "plain" version. At least, that's how it feels to the buyer!]

The same program was used for both versions during the trial, but no differentiation in how to purchase was made clear during the buying process. (I am assuming that those persons buying the Extended could just take the serial number, enter it in and be all set.)

When I was transferred to technical support by customer service, the technician told me that if I downloaded without first uninstalling the trial version, I would have system problems. There was nothing indicating this fact during the website ordering process. The ordering page just led me to the download page, without any warning of possible problems if I had already downloaded the trial version and installed it on my system.

The result? What should have been a simple purchase, taking only a few minutes, ended up taking several hours. I spent an hour and a half with customer service and technical support (a very nice and competent lady in India). The uninstall took at least a half an hour. I had to leave the download unattended, in order to avoid being late for an appointment. I certainly never envisioned this when I went up to Buy Now to give them my Visa information - something I did two hours before I had to leave for my appointment.

The story ended happily. When I returned home, the program was downloaded and ready for me to enter the serial number.

I bought Photoshop because I think it is really good. The thirty-day trial was really valuable to me. But what happened to me "after I purchased" needs improvement. Perhaps Adobe could even save some international phone charges!

 

So there you have it, Janet's story. Obviously Janet is a very understanding person - most people, after spending more than two hours struggling to make a simple purchase, would not have been worried about the company's phone expenses.

As a consultant who specializes in helping companies "make it easier to buy," and, as someone who has consulted to tech companies for years, I cannot be so charitable.

All industries have what I call "baseline promises." Boats are supposed to float. Planes are supposed to fly. Food is not supposed to make you sick. In the software business, an industry baseline promise is that if you have downloaded the trial version, when you decide to make a purchase, you will be given the registration/unlocking code after you hand over your money. Then you can type in the code, and start using the program. Even the tiniest, one-bedroom software companies get this right, using a third-party e-commerce vendor or even their own shopping cart methods.

Adobe, a world leader in software, should not be breaking ranks with this baseline promise. And, if the company couldn't avoid breaking this promise (very hard for me to believe), at least they should inform their buyers what they will need to do.

When was the last time you watched someone try to buy your product?