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The Real Faces Behind Internet Brands
6 Comments | Posted by Veritas in Commentary, Internet Brands, Jelsoft, vBulletin
I was tutoring this weekend and I helped an 11th grade high school student with US History. He pointed out to me that history is useless, but I retorted that if we never learn from history, history has a tendency to repeat itself. That gave me reason to pause as I thought how that very logic applies to our scenario. Internet Brands did this once to us, what’s not to say they will do it again?
Let’s face the truth. I got my credit card bill last week, and it’s simply highway robbery. I cringed at the fact I had to pay just to do an upgrade. Sure $130.00 doesn’t seem much, but when you combine the fact that our license was suppose to be worth $160.00 (or $180.00 for others), we’re still paying more than $235.00 for a brand new license! What Internet Brands is making us pay is simply highway robbery. I don’t know how else to put it.
I don’t see ANY reason at all to justify existing license holders paying more. Essentially we’re being told to just pony up money for a brand new license. Forget what Internet Brands has told you; it’s merely a ploy, a cover. It’s purely marketing. Rip off all the marketing, and you’ll see is that we’re paying for a brand new license.
As existing Legacy vBulletin license holders, we’re treated as second rate citizens. We’re not important to them. Our wallets are more important to them. What’s not to say this is to happen again when vBulletin 5 arrives on the horizon?
We’re stuck holding a useless, absolutely pointless license vBulletin 3 license. After our license expires per-se, no more updates. No more security patches. Once vBulletin 4 goes into full swing, vBulletin 3 citizens are treated as the scorn of the earth. Internet Brands manipulated us using fear tactics so that we’d buy licenses.
I really sympathize with those who bought vBulletin licenses really late in the game before vBulletin 4 was announced. Anyone who bought a license merely hours or days before vBulletin 4 got announced feel the real wrath. They bought a license only to have it invalidated and ripped from their hands minutes later.
Yet when they protest that they’ve been scammed, they’re told to upgrade to the latest vBulletin 4 License by paying even more? Any more protests, and you have threads closed. Has anyone checked out Pre-Sales recently? There are several threads in which customers point out that they don’t treat customers well.
Has anyone at Internet Brands done the math? We’re paying MORE for upgrading to a vBulletin 4 license than brand new vBulletin 4 license holders. Where’s the justice? Where’s the respect? More importantly, where’s the loyalty to your existing customer base that made vBulletin so successful? If they’re treating customers like this, as a shareholder, stakeholder or investors I’d wonder how Internet Brands may very well treat me in the future.
Let’s face it. vBulletin 3 license holders have been screwed over. If history has anything to say, it’s that it’s going to happen again.
6 Comments for The Real Faces Behind Internet Brands
Dave | December 2, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Veritas | December 3, 2009 at 3:15 pm
It’s not so much that there’s slim pickings for new content and stories, but rather, we’re trying to avoid sound like a group of whining, immature, never able to please or satisfy customers. It’s a very fine line we’re trying to walk.
mr-gtb | December 5, 2009 at 1:28 am
I’ve just been reading some of the comments made about the new vBulletin 4 Beta 5 version, that Ray Morgan said was planned to be an RC release at first.
In short, very disappointing! Same bugs being reported not fixed. With many people saying they’re unhappy about it all. Some even refusing to install Beta 5 because of it.
I think if they had of made this an RC release, many would have been up in arms about the amount of bugs still present in an RC version close to Gold.
Chris | December 6, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I think it would be interesting if you guys could do an article centered around what the effects of this fiasco have been on vBulletin, but equally, also on Invision and some of the other software solutions. It seems like Invision has gained a lot of customers and momentum, based on the fact that a number of current and also former vBulletin customers, have either started to experiment or have moved to IP software.
In business, momentum is a funny thing and it would certainly seem on the surface at least, as if vBulletin for the first time in years, now have momentum going against them, instead of in their favour.
I think the reality of things is, that the true effect and fallout (if any) of these changes that Internet Brands have made, will be better and more easily measured in a year or two from now when the dust settles.
-Chris
hotwheels | December 8, 2009 at 9:23 am
Vbulletin.com and internet brands have gone to the dogs. Just because people aren’t talking anymore isn’t because there is nothing new to talk about, it is do to people like you “dave”, who think this garbage they are selling is awesome. I really wish you the best with the software, but i hope you realize you were takin to the bank.
Jim | January 1, 2010 at 10:03 am
The new story is that IB is blocking current owned licence holders from downloading the product again and or updates unless they agree to the new vb4 licence. Why would anyone who owns a vb3 licence under exclusive UK jurisdiction want to sign away their rights to that licence? They said they are not forcing anyone to do anything, THEY ARE. IB has already been reported to the Department of Trading Standards in the UK, they have refused to state who their legal counsel is in the UK, they say they have none, so how do customers with issues surrounding the legality of their actions regarding the vb3 licence resolve disputes, do you think this is legal (Seriously) the vb3 licence is under the exclusive jurisdiction of UK law. They are running scared; they want everyone to convert their licence to a vb4 licence. You must not agree to these terms, you are legally entitled to download security patches if your licence is active without changing over to the vb4 T&C’s.
Must be getting slim pickings for new content and stories.
Just wait a few more weeks though, another story will break after promises aren’t meant for vB4 to be gold