Hi Charles,
That would be ok to charge if it was an ordinary license key and it was
lost, but all too often license keys today are tied to a specific
computer and specific hardware. as a result it doesn't matter how well
you keep your product keys safe any time you have to change a major
piece of hardware, get a new computer, whatever you need to obtain new
product keys. Not only is that a major pain in the rear end, but
charging for that key replacement is unfair. often times a customer may
need a new license key through no fault of his/her own. Here is a
personal example of this.
Back in February 2007 I went out and purchased the full retail version
of Windows Vista Home Premium, upgraded my system, registered it the
whole deal. In all I had about $225 wrapped up in the software, and had
expected it to last a while. Well, in June of 2007, about 5 months after
I purchased Vista, I moved and my computer didn't survive the move. When
I hooked it up, tried to boot it, to my surprise the motherboard had
died. I had to go out and replace the motherboard, processor and memory
which was cheaper than buying a new computer. Well, when I booted the
machine Vista began screaming bloody murder that I was pirating the
software, and of course Vista's keys are totally hardware specific. I
called Microsoft in hopes of getting a new key or registering my current
key with the new motherboard. I explained to them exactly what happened,
and you want to know what their responce was?
They told me that a new license key would cost me $215 to license my
legal copy of Vista. That according to the end user license agreement
for Vista it is only good for one license, one computer, and since I
upgraded the motherboard it counted as a totally new license. In other
words my computer died through no fault of my own and I needed to pay
$215 to replace the software I already purchased legally 4 or 5 months
earlier.
Honestly the way Microsoft treats their customers it is no wonder there
are cracked copies of Windows XP, vista, and Windows 7 floating around
on the internet. After getting screwed like that I absolutely hate,
despise, and loath Microsoft. If Linux had all of the audio games etc
and stuff I use on Windows I'd tell Microsoft were to go, and it sure
ain't heaven.
Charles Rivard wrote:
> On charging for a replacement key, I can see the developer's point of
vies. They have to take their time that could be spent on further
development and programming of games to send gamers a replacement key,
so why should we not pay for it? If you buy something from a store, and
then you lose the key that allows it to operate, you're gonna have to
buy another one. Why shouldn't games be the same way? When you buy
games, it is generally stated that you should store a copy of your
unlocking information in a safe place, away from the computer for future
reference. If you don't, and then you need the key again, guess whose
fault it is not? The developer's. So, pay for a new key. Plus,
although it may not be a good way to prevent piracy, at least they do
get something for the key, so the pirate doesn't get the game for
absolutely nothing.
>
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