UK Retail buyers - no upgrades yet?

Discussion in 'Installation and Configuration of Parallels Desktop' started by RichardKAthena, Jul 3, 2007.

  1. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    Avanquest just told me that Parallels hasn't released a UK version of V3.0, and that's why I haven't had an upgrade link yet.

    Is that actually the case? I'm sure I've seen posts from people getting their upgrade keys.
     
  2. petermachin

    petermachin Bit poster

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    1
    UK Upgrade

    All Desktop 2.5 users should receive an in-app message [went live on Friday] providing details of the v3.0 upgrade which is now available from Avanquest UK

    The boxed versions of Desktop 3.0 Full and Upgrade will be available later in July

    Existing Desktop users should visit www.avanquest.co.uk/parallels/upgrade for further information
     
  3. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    What about users who have upgraded from Parallels 2.2/2.5 to the 3.0 trial download? In my case, having bought the upgrade, then found out it should have been free? Element5 did refund me, but I don't have a legal Parallels 3.0 install now, only a trial download.

    This IS progress, giving an in-app message. Shame it took a month.

    Avanquest haven't responded to my emailed copy of an invoice.
     
  4. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    The ones who did some research first did not have this problem. Perhaps Parallels should put a "Buy on" date on the product for folks who are not well versed in the otherwise common practice of making informed decisions.
     
  5. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    Perhaps Avanquest should respond to at least ONE of my license requests, which has been done entirely according to the correct pattern of operations.

    Shall I spell this out for you, as it seems your main purpose on this site is to patronise people who dare to criticise the way Parallels customer service acts:

    Avanquest
    Handle
    The
    UK
    Upgrades.

    I have two licences. In error I purchased an unnecessary upgrade. This is no longer an issue, I've been refunded.

    Avanquest have NOT responded to the MS Word document filled out and a scanned copy of the receipt for my software, AS THEY REQUEST, and gave me some BS response when called about it.

    Every time I read one of your posts, I think Parallels have no friend in you.
     
  6. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    Every time? That seems a bit over the top but certainly on par with the hysteria you've limited yourself to since arriving. Perhaps you could help us all understand why you're sharing your disappointment with Avanquest here and not on their BBS where they are more likely to see it? If there's no rational explanation then how about you produce a short work detailing for the growing audience what they can do to avoid the perils that confound you to this day? If you can't be a friend to Parallels at least help the users. Oh damn, that's right. You disagree that we're all in this together, that you're just looking out for yourself. I expect soon we'll learn that you are Mr. Praline and you think this shop owner has sold you a dead product.

    Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this software what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

    Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Parallels Desktop...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?

    Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'It's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

    Owner: No, no, 't's uh,...t's just rebootin'.

    Beautiful plumage!
     
  7. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    Your creativity in attempts to patronise is at least impressive; I have posted precisely what you suggest, in fact, including pointing people at the necessary websites.

    Would you care to provide a link to Avanquest UK's "BBS", then? My disappointment with Avanquest is in their capacity as Parallels' UK distributor.

    FWIW, your translation would go:

    "Never mind that my lad..."
    "*silence*"
    "I'll tell you what's wrong with it"
    "*silence*"

    ;)
     
  8. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    1,367
    The UK site seems not to have a "Members" section so you may find a sympathetic ear on this side of the pond. I presume you've exhausted your options on their UK support and Contact Us pages, and that you've private mailed some or all of the Parallels staff that frequent this BBS. They have been very helpful at expediting solutions for myriad problems. Your problem seems entirely to do with your supplier, though. It is a matter of good will at this point for Parallels to act on your behalf with the reseller and I've no doubt they will do so but as has been pointed out there is a long line of people waiting for support of all kinds and you may find you simply have to be patient.

    And please - what ever you do going forward, do not accept a position writing comedy for Monty Python.
     
  9. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    It's not comedy. I'm not laughing. Neither is anyone else experiencing issues with Parallels' (lack of) support. Yes, I've PMd people, and emailed/called Avanquest.

    No offence, but £%! being patient. These people that you seek to patronise here are Paying Customers. Without them, SWSoft/Parallels has no revenue stream. If I were the only person having problems, I'd see it is being an isolated issue, and it isn't.

    SWSoft/Parallels are not some hopeless charity case or a team of shareware hackers. They're writing enterprise-class solutions commercially with a real enterprise market (VM technology being increasingly important overall) and if they get it right, they could be the major players in the field. The Mac Desktop people are a thorn in their side, no doubt.
     
  10. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    1,367
    I'm not patronizing the people here. I'm having a conversation with you and you are a miserable conversationalist, I assure you. Or are you, after just 19 posts presenting yourself now as being of the common man and that these hapless waifs you stand before and defend bleed when you bleed? Believe me when I tell you, nothing you are contributing is new stuff. There is nothing patronizing about my saying that, or that the line for seeking a remedy is long. Now I agree completely with you that this is an unacceptable situation. Join me as we shout it "UNACCEPTABLE". Right, feeling better? Good, but it hasn't helped anyone, has it? And working to drive Parallels out of business is not going to help anyone, either.

    Now about that lack of patience problem of yours. Are you, by being a very squeaky wheel, trying to crowd ahead of everyone else so that you are not so inconvenienced? What is your goal here? Bluster yourself to the head of the line? You've admitted you don't believe in the "we're all in this together" view. As I recall you didn't even buy your own copy of Parallels and if that's so you don't even have skin in the game.

    That is well known and oft repeated. It is not isolated. It is commonly discussed here. Saying it again doesn't make it better, doesn't help. In fact nothing much you've contributed has been particularly helpful. Perhaps a commiseration forum would appropriate where folks can lament in alike company. I expect though that you would be quite lonely there as the bulk of users here are seeking help, getting help, and in turn helping others. There is a grass roots movement here that is not a group of victims but a group solution. There is becoming a sense of community here that is succeeding in spite of the shortcomings of our hosts. And finally, your problem is not the norm. Not even close.

    For the longest time Parallels was the only game in town. Now that's changed. If they do not also change they will be known as the company that used to provide emulation software for Macs until VMWare whipped their butts. It will be the weight of competition and the withering of the customer base seeking a better product that will do them in. Econ 101. And guess what; you and I, and everyone else here including Parallels and SWSoft know that. And if anyone else reading this didn't know it they know it now. That drumb has been beat.

    That it has not already happened should tell you that your problems, while completely unacceptable, are not all that pervasive in the scope of the entire user base. Parallels has had some good successes beyond being first to market. They are becoming better right here under our noses and while it seems at times that there are a lot of retreats, the progress is overall forward. The staff who visit these forums are polite and helpful despite the fact they have to put up with a lot of crap better aimed at the management.

    Meanwhile, some of us are trying to help Parallels improve by making positive contributions and criticizing them from a position of loyal opposition. They have been beat silly over the idiocy of the marketing, beta, pre-sales, support problems and they are utterly aware of the situation. That is not a blind loyalty, I assure you. We all have something to gain by seeing Parallels turn these problems around and provide a good product with a good reputation and a world class support system. And the clock is indeed winding down.

    Now as for that part about Mac Desktop users being a thorn to SWSoft. Surely you and your lawyer can provide evidence that supports your assertion that SWSoft has a contemptuous view of Parallels' customer base. Personally I think you just made that up from whole cloth. If so that would make it a what? Think legal, here, no peeking.
     
  11. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    You have quite some imagination.

    I bought my own copy of Parallels. I bought two; along with two iMacs. Where you get the idea I didn't is beyond me. I'm not interested in getting attention before anyone else - as I've said before, some sort of response from Parallels saying "sorry, we're really busy" would have been useful. I've had nothing like that from them, or indeed, from Avanquest.

    I have plenty of patience, it's a lack of respect for firms which can't manage basic customer care. As for waffling on about lawyers, give it a break. I'm not North American, and if I want to speculate about marketing an enterprise-class product to consumers being a bit of a pain with regard to support issues, I'll damn well do so without seeking legal recourse.

    If I'm a miserable conversationalist, stop trying to have a conversation with me, and go tell someone else that they should overlook their issues with Parallels or their distributor because "we're all in this together". As I recall, you use VMWare anyway.
     
  12. dkp

    dkp Forum Maven

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    1,367
    Fawlty memory - my apologies. Parallels has issued public blanket apologies here for these problems. I hope they're not spending a lot of valuable time sending out individual apologies to every person who has a grievance.

    And yet you demand respect. See the pattern yet?

    Nobody has suggested you overlook anything. It has been suggested that repeating endlessly old material has little chance of moving the issue forward.

    And yes, I use VMWare. Now that is worth taking note of and writing about. Not VMWare, specifically, but why I as a long time Parallels customer and supporter am not using Parallels. And I'll tell you that it is because there is a significant security hole in Parallels running Windows that I will not allow on my system. Parallels allows Windows applications to execute code in the host space. The short story is, a well crafted Windows virus can install and execute programs in OS X that can do really bad things including installing new virtual machines and running them (legions of spambots?), copying your entire virtual machines to a remote site where they will be executable (cybertheft of an entire running computer over the wire). In fact there is almost nothing a clever virus writer cannot accomplish once they've taken over a Windows OS running in Parallels. Earlier versions of Parallels enabled global sharing by default and that too created huge opportunities for the hacker community. Global sharing is still possible but it is not enabled by default any longer. They listen.

    I come from a data center environment where VM's typically run in sandboxes. No possibility of one vm spilling out onto another or of a vm groping the host. Parallels and Fusion both have chosen to target the end user market segment. In the case of Parallels this has resulted in some pretty weak security. That would make for good reading in your magazine. I have also been assured this will be addressed in a future release which is why I remain upbeat about Parallels. If they had told me to sod off, the security isn't seen as a problem I'd have been gone long ago.
     
  13. Eru Ithildur

    Eru Ithildur Forum Maven

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    *laughs*

    It seems like you are just missing dkp's humorous points...

    *ducks and moves on*
     
  14. RichardKAthena

    RichardKAthena Member

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    Amusingly, 1 month after I requested upgrade details, I decided to request again and got a response in moments. For both licences.

    Now that's the service I expect...

    ...ed a month ago.
     

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