Unfortunately I didn't see any of these threads before I purchased the product yesterday - I must be the latest victim in this complete scam.
I feel totally cheated, as, for me "Free functionality updates for life" means SE updates included. I certainly didn't realise that I'd have to pay a yearly fee of 299.95 Euros to keep the software running after paying a huge sum upfront. If I don't pay, then the software stops working - that's blackmail!
It's totally dishonest and outrageous.

Later after that we left a reply here, saying we were not going to implement that:



So the Live! Plan subscription will be there. It is mentioned on our site, it says the software won't gather data without it and moreover there is a clear link on the homepage (the "learn more" widget), "software prices". All the prices are shown there, and the Live! Plan prices are shown there as well.

Having just bought your PowerSuite and checking the forums for advice on how to best use the software I'm pretty dismayed to find this thread.

It's clear that you need to improve your pricing descriptions as a lot of people (myself included) are presuming, correctly I may add, that they are buying a license to use your software for as long as they like.

However good your software is and whether or not it is worth the price of the Live Plan is irrelevant as you are misleading and annoying a lot of customers.

Can you tell me exactly where on this page that you state (as quoted above) that 'the software won't gather data without it'. I bought this softtware fully believing that I could use it for as long as I like, no matter how accurate it is. Nowhere that I can find on your site do you state that your software ceases to work after 6 months.

I bought seo suite yesterday knowing there will be a free lifetime update. So its like I paid the software for 6 months only then after that its like buying the software again and again? Please correct me if I'm wrong
[lis]. I'm planning to file full refund this week because of this live plan.

MAN! Im soooo glad i found this thread before i bought this bullshit. Whew! Saved me $600

Time to go spread the word!

While there's no doubt that the software is excellent and is probably worth the initial fee plus the cost of the 'Live Plan' - I'm still left feeling cheated.

• As has been pointed out already, the cost of the updates has not been clearly communicated - small print, email notification AFTER purchase and no mention on the sales page is far from transparent.
  
• Stating that the software 'will not gather relevant data' is not the same as the truthful 'will stop working altogether'
  
• The most galling of all (for me at least) is that free users get the updated (working!) version whilst those of us who paid get deactivated

This final point can be verified by removing the license info in the 'help' option - you'll see that as if by magic, the software starts working again (OK so you can't save)

If the 'Live Plan' money is used for keeping up with the SE's algo changes, then surely priority should be given to your customers.

Also, why is it more expensive for Developer License holders - the amount of work to update the algos is the same regardless of license level.

It is this lack of transparency, misleading information and illogical pricing that leaves me with a very bad feeling.

I'm not going to be a customer any more, nor will I recommend this software to any of my colleagues - in fact quite the opposite, I'll be telling everyone I know in the industry (alot of people!) about this and using you as a case study in a 'It's not what you do it's the way that you do it' presentation.

You have certainly turned this raving fan into a disgruntled ex-customer.

I read and understand that there will be a subscription fee. I've used similar products and expect it.

I've spent more than what you are charging for similar services.

So it's not the cost of your product that is preventing me from purchasing.

Here's my story. I use IBP and it's time to renew. I thought I would explore other software packages to see what was out there. I came across your software, downloaded the free version and tried it. I liked it so I investigated the pricing. I found the initial pricing no problem. I saw the asterick and frankly it initially looked like an add-on not a necessity. But after closer inspection I figured out that it was necessary.

Still not a problem. Now to find the pricing. I get to the page where I have to enter a key code to find the pricing? Really? I have to purchase before I can find out what it will cost me? I found the individual product pages without a problem

At this point I'm getting wary, but figure I'll contact sales and ask the question - although I'm thinking to myself "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it...".

The only contact link I can find is to open a support ticket? No place to easily ask a pre-sales question?

After further looking I find this forum and this thread in particular. Buried in this thread I find the pricing info I was seeking. And you know what? It's not bad. Had I found that before I found this thread, I would have purchased it.

Now I'm filled with questions and concerns that probably won't be answered. "Why aren't the plans mentioned more prominently?" "Why is the fact that there is subscription that *is necessary* to use the software not more obvious?" It shouldn't be an asterick or a foot note on the page. Then the kicker is "How can they know there is such an issue being talked about and not want to fix it?" What if I have a problem with the software, will I get the same lack of concern?

Guys, my business is e-commerce and trust is key to getting people to click the Buy Now button. The process I described above only served to lose my trust.

Simply displaying all costs out in the open, without having to search several pages deep to find it would go a long way.

I type all of this because I was disappointed that I couldn't buy it. I really don't know if you do things the way you do because you think you're pricing would scare away sales or what - but I can tell you that today it was hiding the pricing that cost you this sale.

I'm actually a little confused now. I've read through this thread and another older one around the same topic, and figured I was good to go with getting the info before purchasing. But a look at the site now has me a bit confused.

Since reading the threads, I know that there's a subscription and that several folks have experienced the software not working at all after the initial 6-month period. My business partner and I decided that knowing this upfront, we could afford to purchase the Enterprise level for about a year and then evaluate and see what kind of results it really brings in. My confusion is from whether or not the software still stops completely once it's time to pay again. I know what folks have said on the forums, but I remember there being a discussion in which the admin said they'd be working on making the software so that it continues to function but just doesn't have the SE updates (back from May of 09, I believe). Then another post from the admin said they're no longer going to do that.

But when I read the notes on the order page and the pricing page for the Live! subscription, it seems (from what they're saying) that the software does continue to work (after all, what would be the point in free bug updates for life if it stops working with no payment) but there aren't any algo updates. I took 2 screen shots with the date and time so I could remember what it says if any questions come up after I purchase.

So my question for the admin is, does the software keep working once the license is up but just without SE updates, or does it stop working altogether? And if it stops working with no payment, what's the point in stating that we get free bug fixes and updates for life? If the software stops working for those who don't pay, then it should say that the free updates are only available to those who renew their licenses. It seems like the discussion about this has gone back and forth for quite a while, and to be honest your website isn't clear. It doesn't clearly state that the software will stop working period. It just says that algo updates aren't possible. But if that's the only hiccup to not paying, then the software should still work, it's results would just be off. If it stops altogether, your site copy is still very misleading and you may want to work on fixing that.

To the rest of you, who has tried the free versions of powersuite and what did you think of them? Did you actually see any results? Was it enough to make you purchase? Why or why not? I'm looking into purchasing the enterprise license, but I'd rather hear reviews from real users and not the company itself or its affiliates (who all get paid). I guess what I'm trying to decide is if it's even worth it to download and install the free versions, or if the $599 twice a year will be worth it.

I have to say, I have been using this software now for about 8 months or so and I love it. I tried IBP, Web CEO and even contemplated signing up to SEOMOZ. None of these products do everything perfectly and SEO Powersuite provides just about the most functionality and flexibility of all of them.

Sure the live plan thing is a bit of a surprise but even so, the costs aren't so exhuberant and it's still worth the money.

You just have to look at their client list to understand the value and potential in this software. I myself have taken clients to page one listings for short tail key phrases and now earn £500 per month, per client for achieving these listings. SEO Powersuite has been a major factor in helping me achieve these results.

You should look at this from a return on investment (ROI) point of view. Are you going to be able to use it to generate more income than you've paid out. If you can't make your money back very easily then you should probably hang your SEO hat up.

If I buy decent web design software such as Adobe it'll cost me around £5-700. If I buy microsoft office it'll cost me just under £300 and it's not really money making software.

If you want an all in one, regionally supported, tell you how, tool then there is nothing better in my view.

I can't believe this reputable software company has done this to its customers. People including me were paying $600 for the software because they do not want to pay for ugly subscription. Now we found out that we have to pay for both is unacceptable. I'm sure there will be people agree to pay but not as many the number of new customers you will gain.

Can you at least make subscription cheaper for the Enterprise version? We paid higher for full package and now have to pay higher for subscription seems unfair.