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Software company refusing to refund
mrjono
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hello,
I'm a self-employed graphic designer and I've recently encountered a problem with a software company based in Japan.
I purchased a program they offer that converts an InDesign (industry standard page layout software) file into a Word file. I installed their trial but it was very limited and would only convert a couple pages of the file. It worked ok though so I paid for the subscription for the software so I could convert a 400 page file I'd designed for a client.
Only when I had full access did the huge limitations of the software become apparent. It basically failed to convert the rest of the file faithfully, leaving my client unwilling to pay for the result.
I immediately contacted the vendor who suggested options for me to try (knowing none would work, see below) for a better conversion but none worked.
They then revealed that the poor conversion was due to Word not being compatible with a fundamental function of the design software.
I asked for a refund and since then they have been very illusive. They only reply if I email them multiple times and when they do they suggest that I should have been aware of the limitation if I had read the user guide and that it's Word's limitation, not theirs.
The thing is, I did read the user guide, thoroughly. And I read the FAQ page before I paid the £135 fee. Nowhere in either does it mention this huge limitation, only minor ones. Nowhere, not a single mention of the fundamental flaw. They've referred me back to the document after I told them this, as if it's going to appear in there. It's not.
Also missing is a return policy on their site. I should have heard alarm bells but I just didn't check.
Now I'm stuck. I've been very civil in the tone of my emails so far, even pleading for a refund as an act of good will to a self-employed person. Each time they just say I should have read the user guide.
I know I'm not without blame here. I did install the trial, evaluated it and made a decision to buy it. But in the limited test the error didn't reveal itself. I know the limitation is with Word, they can't make their software do something Word cannot. But I feel that they should be transparent about this on their site. It should be the very first question in the FAQ. It should be mentioned in the user guide. I feel the way the company fails to mention it is deceitful, like they're trying to trick people, take the money and run.
They should also have a clear returns policy. I might not have read it, but if I had, and it said 'no returns under any circumstances' I would have been pretty suspicious and probably sought and alternative.
I was wondering if there's anything I can fall back on in terms of consumer rights? Like I said, they're based in Japan, so that's can't make things easier!
If not, it's just a cost I'll have to absorb. It will be difficult though, the fee alone is twice the monthly rent for my tiny office!
It's also a shame for them, the client I'm dealing with was very interested in purchasing the software for use with their own less extensive files. They're being supportive of me so far, thankfully, but the vendors attitude has already lost them a significant customer.
The vendor is recosoft and the product subscription I purchased was for ID2Office.
Any help or suggestions would be great, thanks.
I'm a self-employed graphic designer and I've recently encountered a problem with a software company based in Japan.
I purchased a program they offer that converts an InDesign (industry standard page layout software) file into a Word file. I installed their trial but it was very limited and would only convert a couple pages of the file. It worked ok though so I paid for the subscription for the software so I could convert a 400 page file I'd designed for a client.
Only when I had full access did the huge limitations of the software become apparent. It basically failed to convert the rest of the file faithfully, leaving my client unwilling to pay for the result.
I immediately contacted the vendor who suggested options for me to try (knowing none would work, see below) for a better conversion but none worked.
They then revealed that the poor conversion was due to Word not being compatible with a fundamental function of the design software.
I asked for a refund and since then they have been very illusive. They only reply if I email them multiple times and when they do they suggest that I should have been aware of the limitation if I had read the user guide and that it's Word's limitation, not theirs.
The thing is, I did read the user guide, thoroughly. And I read the FAQ page before I paid the £135 fee. Nowhere in either does it mention this huge limitation, only minor ones. Nowhere, not a single mention of the fundamental flaw. They've referred me back to the document after I told them this, as if it's going to appear in there. It's not.
Also missing is a return policy on their site. I should have heard alarm bells but I just didn't check.
Now I'm stuck. I've been very civil in the tone of my emails so far, even pleading for a refund as an act of good will to a self-employed person. Each time they just say I should have read the user guide.
I know I'm not without blame here. I did install the trial, evaluated it and made a decision to buy it. But in the limited test the error didn't reveal itself. I know the limitation is with Word, they can't make their software do something Word cannot. But I feel that they should be transparent about this on their site. It should be the very first question in the FAQ. It should be mentioned in the user guide. I feel the way the company fails to mention it is deceitful, like they're trying to trick people, take the money and run.
They should also have a clear returns policy. I might not have read it, but if I had, and it said 'no returns under any circumstances' I would have been pretty suspicious and probably sought and alternative.
I was wondering if there's anything I can fall back on in terms of consumer rights? Like I said, they're based in Japan, so that's can't make things easier!
If not, it's just a cost I'll have to absorb. It will be difficult though, the fee alone is twice the monthly rent for my tiny office!
It's also a shame for them, the client I'm dealing with was very interested in purchasing the software for use with their own less extensive files. They're being supportive of me so far, thankfully, but the vendors attitude has already lost them a significant customer.
The vendor is recosoft and the product subscription I purchased was for ID2Office.
Any help or suggestions would be great, thanks.
0
Comments
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How did you pay? If it was by card (I see they take card on their site), contact your card provider and see if there's anything they can do.0
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I did pay by card. I hadn't thought of that, I will give my bank a call tomorrow and see if there's anything they can do0
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There are others posters on these boards who are more familiar with Credit and Debit card protections - hopefully one of them will be able to advise.0
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S75 is not going to work simply because it's a B2B transaction, S75 is for consumers only.0
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Spoke to my bank - they've asked me to write to them with a detailed outline of the problem along with all the financial details. Fingers crossed!0
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Not sure what grounds you have for a refund or a chargeback. The software isn't the issue, word is.0
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Not sure what grounds you have for a refund or a chargeback. The software isn't the issue, word is.
Maybe the technical issue is with Word, but the advertising issue is with OPs purchased software.
If it says 'Converts InDesign to Word' but doesn't do that, whichever side the technical issue is, the product has been mis-sold.0
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