Hello,
a few days ago I received a very kind email from Alvin, which suggested the possibility of overcoming my condition as a “grandfathered” customer and consider paying for the subscription anyway.
The arguments put forward and my interest for the excellent CLZ Books system to continue to be provided seamlessly, certainly make me inclined to the acceptance of the request.
But… Can I make a suggestion?
Since this is not an obligation, but a free choice, would it not be more incentive to propose the change to the annual subscription with a small discount to apply to old customers who had already purchased the app?
As you will understand, it is not a matter of saving a few euros, but it would be a further demonstration of your already excellent approach with customers.
Cordiality
Hi Ismaele,
Thanks for considering the subscription.
I am not sure about a discount, as grandfathered users already have the best deal possible, compared to users who started after June 2019.
So I wondering if an extra discount for grandfathered users would be fair to those subscribers, who have already paid the yearly fee 5 times by now.
To be honest, after the disappointing results of that last email, we had already decided to not do such an email to grandfathered users ever again.
Will think about this,
Ismaele, don’t be such a tightwad these guys do a lot of work keeping these software platforms running for us.
However, it’d be nice to see loyalty discounts for long time users. Or bundle discounts like Collector + App or multiplatform customers. Alwin?
These bundle discounts have been available for many years 
… these guys do a lot of work keeping these software platforms running for us.
… which is why, many years ago, I started paying for MuC. I’ve been around so long that, when Alwin began the subscription model, I was grandfathered in and could have just kept using the software forever (or, it seems, till I got a recent email?).
Instead, I volunteered to start paying - not because I’m such a good guy (plenty of testimony that that’s not true) but because I wanted to insure that these guys keep making the product better for long-term users, and not just new buyers - which is what a one-time license does: it just gives the vendor the wrong incentives.
Any discounts offered would be pennies on the dollar (or euro, or pound, etc.) and might make us feel good but would not make any real economic difference. I’ve always felt I’ve gotten my money’s worth and more from Alwin and associates.
That is still the case.
Thanks
Ismaele and TinPanFan raised a topic which has been troubling me for ages. Here are my thoughts, which are, as is usual for me, perhaps rather over complicated. Hopefully you will be able to glean something useful from them.
I have 7 “grandfathered” products: 3 on Android (Basic subscription), two on Windows with a Perpetual Licence and two on Windows in the Update Plan. So, for free, most of my software is up to date, and all of it can use the Sync, Core and Cloud online features. A new user, having to use the current subscription plan, would have to pay about $120 a year for this level of service.
I am also aware that all the Windows products have improved almost beyond recognition since I bought them, so I now have a whole lots of features which were never envisaged at the time.
On the other hand, although I love having these products, I seldom use them. I buy only a couple of CDs a year, and five or six books. Almost everything else I do is online. For example I get my Games from GoG, so although they supply PDF files of manuals, all the fields about Extras or Value and Condition are irrelevant. Similarly, although the new scanner software if brilliant, little I obtain has barcodes, so it is of no use to me. Having got everything up-to-date, I can find what I want by looking on my shelves, and not having to refer to the software.
At the moment I use Movie Collector to make a note of films I have seen on TV or on Streaming - but of course nothing about collecting, so the Edition Tabs and the Loan features are of no use. I have barely looked at my Book Collector software in the last couple of years. At the moment I am disposing of some books and rearranging the rest on the shelves, so I will use the software to help me audit and reorganise, but that process will only take a week, after which I probably won’t look at the software for several months or more.
So although I am “entitled” to continue using the software for free, I feel that I am getting a great deal more benefit from it than I origially paid for, and that I like to make some kind of “donation” now and again.
Occasionally I get emails from Alwin to upgrade products on the Upgrade plan, but never for products on the Perpetual Licence plan, even though he is getting no income from them. I also got the email alluded to above, suggesting that I might like to change from Basic to Premium plan for the Android products.
I take a more holistic attitude. I sometimes upgrade one of the two products on the Upgrade plan. I don’t need the upgrades, since they don’t generally have new features that I want, so I take the a view that I am making a Donation (mainly for Movie Collector) and that Alwin is giving me a free upgrade for the product, which is nice to have.
The other thought that occurs to me is that, for the Grandfathered products only, they could be treated as “free products” (which they are) and a “donate” button could be added for those who feel they are getting added value, but don’t want to pay the whole amount of the annual subscription. [You would need to be able to hide the Donate button in the options menu, for people who do not wish to donate]
I was grandfathered in CLZ Books app. When Alwin sent his email about this, at first I ignored it. But eventually I decided to pay for the app. His team keeps improving their products on the front end and the back end. I felt that subscription fee was very reasonable considering how many years I had it for free. So Thank you to Alwin and your team for all the great work you have been and are doing on the CLZ Books app. I would be lost without this app.
Hi Alwin,
after watching CLZ Book version 9.0 and being that today is my birthday (…), I decided that you deserve to subscribe, regardless of mine “grandfathered” state!
Cordiality
Haha, nice!
Thanks for subscribing and … happy birthday!