Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Tuck, you might want to take a look at ACDsee Pro 9 as an alternative to Lightroom, it's a very good editing software that I prefer over LR...it's also on sale now for $29.95

http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-pro-9

tuck Loc: Haverhill Massachusetts

I agree the term "waste of money" is not accurate as a lot of people have this thing figured out and I do not.If I get this thing to let me use it ,I agree it is a bargain.With no support readily available it became a waste of money for me.It worked fine and all of a sudden nothing,getting help is my frustration. To the majority of you ,thanks.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Adobe think they are gods gift to photography, but they're not, as you have found out. I do have PSE but don't use it anymore and I do not like LR.
The PP I use 99% of the time is Zoner Photo Studio which is now upto vs 18, their support is excellent and the send out useful tips on a regular basis.
ZPS has an unlimited photo storage called Zonerame which is free.
Here's the link:

http://www.zoner.com/free-photo-editor-download

It's free for 30 days so give it a try that should enough time to learn about it and how it works, if you like it you get the earlier version (17) which is just a good I think free.

tuck Loc: Haverhill Massachusetts

Thanks John I will check it out.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

So when you called them and you talked to the tech and explained your situation, what was his response?
If you weren't satisfied with the response did you tell him you'd like to escalate the ticket?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Did you write this post in 2013, at the height of anti-cloud sentiment? It does seem that once Adobe fixed their pricing problem, setting the price to $10, the multitude has quieted down and embraced the subscription model. At $30/mo I was as vocal as anyone. But at $10/mo I have zero to complain about. The new users were mainly those that pirated the program and now found a reasonable entry point. As with anything new, there will be people needing help. They need to fine-tune their support policies for sure, but it isn't always their fault when something goes wrong, and with such a large community of users, it's not easy to cover all the bases. Better support means higher prices, btw. I like paying $10/mo.

From a company-owner's point of view, moving from a cyclical cash flow model (updates every 18 months on 25 products), to a more predictable, constant cash flow has got to be much easier. At least they are responding to market pressures and influences - even if you aren't happy, there are millions that are. Oh, yeah, and that competition that had a golden opportunity back in 2012-2013 - to develop and release better software - well, it never happened. Neither did the naysayer's predictions that once you "got hooked" on the subscription they would raise the price. Dropping the price from $30 to 10, and throwing in Lightroom, can hardly be regarded as a price increase. My math tells me it looks like better than a 67% price drop, and still holding.

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

I am sorry that you are having such trouble. I agree that although a great product, customer service there can seem like a guided tour through Dante's 7th circle of Hell.

as for the dispute ver whether or not you have a trial or paid subscription, why not show them your paid monthly receipts? If they are collecting the money, they have to have a record of it as well. Sarbanes Oxley requires publicly traded companies to keep meticulous records of revenue transactions...Find out who their auditors are and send them a note.

Bill_de Loc: US

"The new users were mainly those that pirated the program ..."

Where do you dig up this information?

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RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

Sorry bud- but this is a plain stupid train of thought....Do the math... at $10 dollars a month for what would have cost you around $800 to buy BOTH outright... at the end of 80 month's ( $800 /$10=80) you don't have the outdated now worthless version of two 7 year old programs... that you would have typically missed several major releases during that period of time, and probably a new computer... DUH. You do have the latest and greatest up-to-date version(s) everytime you automatically incrementally update your program.... Now to make you happy- go ahead and pay right up front the $600 or $800 you would have expected to pay... and don't do a single update for 6 years ROFL. You show me where I can make payments on a car- and constantly get new ones delivered every month or so...

Oh yeah, its only a little like payments of a car- only you never legally own software- just the license to use it. If it was worth anything after 6 years (or whatever), they would expect it back just like a leased car. But it isn't- so they don't - keep it. ( I have disks somewhere, and even floppies of PSD software you are welcome to- won;t run on any current OS- but they cost me hundreds- I'll sell em to you cheap)

BTW- not sure what number anybody is calling, but I have been on the phone twice with Adobe over an issue they worked very hard to locate and then a fix, and finally did. (The fix was included in an update everybody got.) I have zero issues with Adobe- I make a good living using their products. Had no problem at all connecting with a person and even a call back or two as promised- then a followup to make sure all was good. Before I knew it was their issue, I called Apple who spent a lot of time determining it wasn't a hardware issue at all- and even after they found out it wasn't an Apple problem, they worked on the software issue till they narrowed it down. BOTH EXCELLENT SERVICE.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

I have heard horror stories about Adobe's service but I have only had to contact them once and the response time and quality was fantastic.

As to the haters of LR I have found it is founded on ignorance and nothing more. They do not invest
A little quality time to learn how to use even its basic functions such as importing. They then blame the product instead of their lack of knowledge. is there room for legitimate complaints? Sure but when they are based on ignorance and fristration instead of knowledge they come across as foolish, at least to me.

I was against the subscription model until they got the pricing down, which they did fairly quickly and that tells me they read the market correctly. I spend far less on PS and LR now than when updating every other version. I still am not totally sold on the subscription model but every major software manufacturer is going to it so avoiding it is like trying to piss into a hurricane and not getting wet! There are alternatives but they lack sorely in comparison. If you need basic editing then there are dozens of alternatives but they all lack compared to the Adobe products and no amount of ignorance based bleatings will change that.

Bill_de Loc: US

First, I don't use Lightroom. Second, my original version of Photoshop was around $300 and every three or four years I spent $179. I wonder, do you also update your cameras every time a new model comes out?

I read about the updates and have yet to see anything I need beyond what I have in CS5. What features have you found that you can't live without? When asked, most people recite the latest blurb from the Adobe website, probably because they can't remember what new feature they use.

I'll bet Adobe could make a small fortune selling T-shirts that say "I have the latest and greatest"

To those of you who truly understand and use the programs, congratulations. You are truly getting a bargain. To those who just talk about it ... well, you know who you are.

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Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

All computer and software customer service is a joke. You need to scan the internet and figure out these problems yourself. Call Microsoft, HP, or anyone else with a tough problem and you will get no real help. This is because customer service reps, and even the next level specialists really don't understand their product and ultimately will waste your time and not give you any answers that solve the problem. They have a script of common problems they follow and that's all the answers you will get. The tough problems are rarely covered by the script, and their customer service people generally have no real problem solving skills.
I also have PS CS6 and tried the cc versions and found nothing worth upgrading for. I had Lightroom as well, and found it of no use to me as everything could be done in PS. I deleted Lightroom from my computer.

AlColter Loc: Michigan

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I used 800-833-6687 just last week twice and got my issue resolved.

fantom Loc: Colorado

nonsense

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The new version of PS CC is so much better than CS6 - I had CS6 on my machine and accidentally opened it up to do something. I closed it and immediately removed it. Compared to PSCC2015.5, it's a dog. For the record, I teach PS and LR, and have worked with a fair number of students using these apps - none, except for one who was trying to run it on a 5 yr old machine had any unresolvable issues. The best use of $10/mo for photographic purposes I can think of.

Other than the OP - I can't think of ever hearing of someone who has tried it not liking the subscription software from Adobe. The naysayers are those who generally have no experience with the product. But then, I am sure they are challenged by change and progress in other areas as well.