Thanks. :)
Oh, it got better... They mis-quoted me Ultra instead of Ultimate Suite. Quoted support ticket:
*****
Dear Mark,
Thank you for writing back.
I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you.
In regards to your concern, I would like to inform you that if you try to upgrade the software from PowerDirector 11/12 Ultimate Suite then the price will be $ 194.99 and the actual cost of the software as a full version is $ 249.99 including the taxes.
*****
To which I responded:
*****
That is outrageous, considering there is only a $75 difference in price between the 12 and 13 versions of PowerDirector Ultimate Suite. You just made things worse, not better.
Tellya what... I'm done buying from you until and unless -maybe- 14 is better than 13. Everything I'm seeing from experienced PD users in the forums says this upgrade is horrible anyway, and 12 is the place to stay. I'm surely not getting bent over for the upgrade, especially if it's a bad upgrade.
You people have burned through your entire supply of customer goodwill up-front, though, with your horrible business practises.
Yes, I'm holding onto v12. No refund will be necessary. But you'll be lucky if I ever deal with your company again unless you change your practises to be more transparent about upgrade timing and pricing. You made a -horrible- first impression.
*****
That's it. They're done until -maybe- 14, if ever. Companies burn me, they generall don't get a second chance. Everything I read last night in the PD13 forum says that it's not worth upgrading to anyway, new features notwithstanding. Might be fine after a few months to kick the tyres, but I was not inspired by someone saying the beta test program seems to have been completely abandoned. Sounds like Serif all over again: Horrible upgrade bait-and-switch if you purchased on the cusp of an upgrade, horrible internal product testing, and abysmal customer service. Heck, CyberLink's people couldn't even quote the correct product upgrade without being corrected twice and forced to look at what I -actually- purchased, despite the fact I said it outright -and- gave them my order number.
No, they're done. I'll hang onto 12, and they're done. I'll move to a reliable vendor, unless the unthinkable happens and they get their act together in the next year.