v4 Upgrade Question

[CCSNET]

I know that V4 doesn't have release date and thats a seperate thing, my question is once it has been released, will people with standing support contracts "get it" as an upgrade, or is it going to cost everyone, or what ???

my support is coming to an end and to be honest, now that the issues i had at installation are all sorted i havn't had need of the support.

but if the upgrade to v4 was included as point releases are then i would see the sense in renewing

[MaxxFusion]

Its my understanding that the support entitles you to any new upgrades.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[craigbrass]

It is something I have brought up before but Jamie wouldn't give a definitive answer. I want to know if the situation for V4 will be :-

1. Having active support / updates maintinance will enable us to get v4.

2. We must have active support / updates as well as pay a one off fee to upgrade to v4.

I STRONGLY disagree if it is going to be the second one. This goes against the kind of "standard" for selling web based software that other companies have put in place.

[CCSNET]

I agree craig.

i don't mind paying the support if i know i'm going to get something for it, i don't tend to use the support as were currently not really using the system. but if in the long term it gives me v4 rather then shelling out another $200 or somesuch, then its worth it.

[craigbrass]

I have pestered them to split support and updates for a while but fail, they haven't. I and many others don't use support so get annoyed at paying for others to benefit from it.

[Joost Sanders]

Split up the $49 per 6 months? Hmm, to be really honest, I think that $49 is even way to low for only upgrades... Not that I'm very keen on spending more money than I have to, but come on guys, it's not that Kayako is asking extraordinary fees here.

In my opinion, it all depends on what kind of application v4 will become. If it is an entire new application, with new major features, that is not upgradable (which could be a decision) from v3, then it would make sense to offer it as a new product (and thus new costs, maybe discounts for existing v3 customers).

But, I don't think you will get an answer on your initial question, as release dates are not discussed, so they will not be able to tell you if the release will be in your next support period (6 months).

[VineHosting.com]

for many of us - we have been waiting and paying for some time - keeping our upgrade ability active just for this reason...

if we were forced to purchase the upgrade after waiting and waiting ...
i would ditch and find something new.

out of principle alone.

[craigbrass]

I'm with VineHosting on this. I don't mind the updates fee increasing slightly, but NO separate price to go up to V4. This is against the kind of standard other web based software companies have created.

[Jamie Edwards]

Hi there,

We have no information to announce at this moment in time. We will let you know when we do.

[John Haugeland]

As Craig has been told repeatedly in the past, this is not a decision that Kayako has made yet. It's not that we're refusing to answer; it's that we're still considering it.

We are aware that people have opinions on the matter. However, much like if you ask what price people want a brand new car at, they'll tell you three thousand dollars, we do have to keep in mind that the price people want isn't always the correct market price, either to make production costs or margins.

Please be patient. We will have a clear answer for this long before the v4 release.

I'd mostly prefer that this thread end here; if it continues in this fashion, people will begin to expect free upgrades to v7 and two years of support for one dollar. Many things Kayako does on the basis of customer advice. Setting prices is not one of them, and open discussion like this about pricing schemes can lead to resentment which otherwise would not have occurred. There are no companies which set their prices this way, and for good reason.

Please let this one go, guys; the two people that make this decision don't even read the forums.

[craigbrass]

John, Jamie: I am NOT telling you not to increase prices or anything or telling you how to set your prices. I am all for increasing the maintenance fee if it furthers development (as long as you announce it a few weeks before like I have suggested in the past). All I am saying is don't create a separate fee to upgrade to V4 AS WELL as a maintenance fee.

[John Haugeland]

Please let this one go, guys; the two people that make this decision don't even read the forums.