My first Rant - frustrated with Wasatch customer service...

[FatCat]

I have long been singing the praises of Wasatch on this forum, FWIW I still think it is a great piece of software. However, after reading many negative stories, not about the product, but about having to deal with them as a company, and after dismissing it as trivial - I now find myself in the same boat.

Sitting here with a brand new Mutoh 1624 and don't have any software to make it print - even after I shelled out $599.00 to upgrade to what "I thought" would make it work. As I find out today, not so. It appears my copy of Wasatch for Mutoh printers was a special ValueJet edition sold with those printers and has since been discontinued. What burns me the most is that I SPECIFICALLY mentioned in my email that we're purchasing a 1624 and need our copy of Wasatch updated to run this printer. The original response was "no problem" $599.00 and the deal is done. Well, the software is indeed upgraded from 6.6 to 7.1 but it doesn't run my new Mutoh 1624 - because that and the other new Mutoh printers aren't included.

So my only option is I spend another $500.00 which will upgrade me to the full Mutoh edition. Paying $1100.00 to upgrade software that I already own and works fine with my current printers when the full retail price is $1495.00 just seems a bit steep to me. Plus I can't return the software upgrade I just purchased, and I guess I'm just really torqued that nobody mentioned any of this when I placed my order. Let's be honest, $1100.00 vs. $599.00 is a big deal to a small shop like mine, and if I would have known this up front maybe I would have just started looking around for other RIP options.

So yeah, I'm not happy and I honestly feel like I've been kicked in the gut by a company I once had nothing but praise for.

Going to go home and have a few cocktails and stew about it a bit...end of rant.

 

[the graphics co]

you should be allowed to return the upgrade, if not i would contact a lawyer just for clarity on how to craft your response. you paid for a product based on a misleading sales pitch, it isn't what you paid for and for that you should have no trouble returning it.

 

[player]

How did you pay?

Perhaps you have a dispute mechanism if it was credit card or PayPal...

 

[Gino]

At this point, just go home, enjoy a few cocktails and sleep on it. We can discuss this in the morning and at least you'll be a little drowsy and perhaps we can all figure out a way to help ya.

That's where I'm going and I didn't even have a bad day. It's just my little way of saying..... ahhhhhh another day closer to retirement :ROFLMAO:​

 

[HulkSmash]

Zero problems with Caldera. Literally the most stellar customer service i've dealt with.

 

[nate]

Zero problems with Caldera. Literally the most stellar customer service i've dealt with.

+1

 

[CanuckSigns]

Yeah if you specifically told them what you were trying to achieve, it's 100% on them to sell you the correct product, no excuses!

i would be escalating this with them, you are 100% in the right on this one

keep us updated, send them a link to this thread!

 

[Mr. Sign Pro]

Zero problems with Caldera. Literally the most stellar customer service i've dealt with.

+1

 

[player]

I will stay away from Caldera after reading this thread.

 

[FatCat]

Well, after poking around last night at other options it seems the path of least resistance is just to pony up the extra $500.00 and upgrade to the "full" Mutoh edition. We already use the cutting option for contour cuts and with that in mind most other RIPS are going to be at least $1500-$3000 to include that function along with their RIP software. Again, I don't have any issues with the software itself, it works great.

Certainly can't make money with the new printer sitting here idle... I guess I'm mostly ticked off at the poor communication of being told one thing at first, finding out different later, and not being able to make an informed decision with all the data from the start.

Life's too short, right? Onward I march...

 

[Gino]

Spoken like a true trooper !!

 

[jpena9137]

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but can I bounce this off of you all to see if I am being unreasonable. Within the last three months I purchased the caldera upgrade as a trade in. So I sent in my Onyx key and paid the upgrade fee for the license. Now, just a short time later they come out with a new version and want the upgrade fee again. If I had waited two months I wouldn't be double paying for the new release. I have purchased other software before where the developers offer special deals for recent purchasers as they transition between releases as to not have customers experience buyers remorse they bought the software a month too soon. They are giving me a hard time about that while only offering only a small discount. I feel like it is really poor customer service. I don't know if I can recommend their service to the same level as others have claimed. Is it unreasonable to be upset about the fact that they are asking me to basically double pay because I bought 2 months too early?

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but can I bounce this off of you all to see if I am being unreasonable. Within the last three months I purchased the caldera upgrade as a trade in. So I sent in my Onyx key and paid the upgrade fee for the license. Now, just a short time later they come out with a new version and want the upgrade fee again. If I had waited two months I wouldn't be double paying for the new release. I have purchased other software before where the developers offer special deals for recent purchasers as they transition between releases as to not have customers experience buyers remorse they bought the software a month too soon. They are giving me a hard time about that while only offering only a small discount. I feel like it is really poor customer service. I don't know if I can recommend their service to the same level as others have claimed. Is it unreasonable to be upset about the fact that they are asking me to basically double pay because I bought 2 months too early?

I would be upset. Whoever sold it to you probably knew there was a new version if it was only 2 months out. I would be getting on the sales guy. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do except complain and use another company next time.

 

[Gino]

I'd be b!tchin' up a storm and would become a loud screech in their ears, constantly. However, something I've learned a long time ago, when negotiating terms or purchases is to ask.... are there any end fees for closing early ?? Any there up front fees for changing our minds ?? Is this "fill in the blank deal" gonna be discontinued and if so, what are my possibilities ?? Will any future additions cost me extra ?? There are some others, but I don't remember them all right now, but when doing something like this, I always make a list and go down my questions and upgrades is always in there when it refers to equipment, software and vehicles.


I had one recently [well about a year ago] where I did have it in writing and the dirt bag still screwed me. Martin Sign Supply in Maryland did this to us. I still have the written proposal where they made a commitment to us on an extra conveyor belt when ours needed to be replaced. I asked for it right away, so I had it and they said, no need, just call us and we'll replace it whenever...... A few years went by, called them and they said, they never made that promise. Verbal promises don't carry any weight in their world, so I e-mailed them their quote sheet which stated such. They still refused and said I altered the quote. So, make sure you get an iron-clad commitment on any such transactions.

 

[pjfmeister]

Had this same problem with Wasatch a couple years ago with the purchase of a 1324...
We switched RIPs and never looked back...had at least 3 more printer upgrades since and no issues with current RIP/Upgrades

 

[FatCat]

Had this same problem with Wasatch a couple years ago with the purchase of a 1324...
We switched RIPs and never looked back...had at least 3 more printer upgrades since and no issues with current RIP/Upgrades

If you don't mind me asking, which RIP did you switch to and why?

 

[pjfmeister]

I switched to Flexi Photo Print DX (print n cut version)
Reason: I have upgraded printers and added printers through the years they have been great with vendor based support and not nickle and diming me
I am sure other RIPs are better. I thought at the time Wassatch color profiles were better than the Flexi but I have found this RIP to just work well for my workflow

 

[HulkSmash]

I switched to Flexi Photo Print DX (print n cut version)
Reason: I have upgraded printers and added printers through the years they have been great with vendor based support and not nickle and diming me
I am sure other RIPs are better. I thought at the time Wassatch color profiles were better than the Flexi but I have found this RIP to just work well for my workflow

Flexi is the most garbage RIP on the market.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Flexi is the most garbage RIP on the market.

Tried Shiraz very unimpressed. In my opinion Flexi is not for the company that needs a RIP. Flexi is for the company that needs a program to do everything. And for the price and the amount of stuff it can do. I would say flexi far surpasses anybody else as far as a design and rip all in one go.

 

[FatCat]

I grew up in the offset print field and cut my teeth in the trenches as a designer/prepress technician. So I've used lots of RIPS in my time. I will say the thing that Wasatch has going for it is it's simplicity and the results we achieve are usually spectacular as far as color and print quality. I use Illustrator for all my design, so I really just want a RIP to control the printers and cutters, and nothing more. Usually when you try to fit too much into 1 program it becomes bloated and performance suffers. I realize there are a lot of happy Flexi users out there, but it's just not for me.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I grew up in the offset print field and cut my teeth in the trenches as a designer/prepress technician. So I've used lots of RIPS in my time. I will say the thing that Wasatch has going for it is it's simplicity and the results we achieve are usually spectacular as far as color and print quality. I use Illustrator for all my design, so I really just want a RIP to control the printers and cutters, and nothing more. Usually when you try to fit too much into 1 program it becomes bloated and performance suffers. I realize there are a lot of happy Flexi users out there, but it's just not for me.

This was precisely my point from a post ago. It is great for a beginner to advanced shop. But if you already design in other programs, why waste time with flexi, when you can get an individual rip program to suit your needs.