A regrettably ascerbic Topic title but accurate.

Facts:
As a bidder on integration jobs for primarily command & control systems for the government, the policy is to go with lowest available price.

We have spent hundreds of man hours programming MX-700s, MX-800s, and MX-950s, and establishing associated control systems.

We used URCs availability of downloadable software as part of the support logistics to use these products.

I am faced with the situation of scrapping URC remotes for situation awareness facilities because of the new policies. I will have to pay out many thousands of dollars to decommision the remotes and migrate to different remotes.

Why:
I bought products in good faith because of the update feature.

Why is my company and by extension our government customers being punished & we are incurring a financial loss because we bought items in good faith, regardless of whether the manufacturer controls IT's distribution channels????

So we are being punished for a lack of control by the company.

Correction:
I have contacted URC to become a formal installer/distributor and incur the associated costs, but all I have received is run around from the sales manager & support personnel.

Situation:
This is totally unsatisfactory, and I don't understand why a company with a good reputation would punish consumers for it's distribution issues. In every situation for all our dealings there is a grandfathering until a new policy goes into effect. I'm willing to pay for support and usage rights, even if the implied commitment in original purchase was updateability, but I can't even buy that privledge.

I would hate to think if there is a potential loss regarding a mission critical use of the products, related to this punishment policy. I see the praises sung by respectable installers like John Siacca in Sound & Vission with no cigarette package quality WARNING: Purchase of this product may be unusable or orphaned depending on place of purchase.

So why does URC hate America, incur losses to consumers, and sell unsupportable products through distributors it after the fact doesn't approve. The impacts are potentially catastrophic. I HATE to see good products and substantive time investments IMPLODE based on required low bidder acquisition, and there appears no reasonable recourse of even buying into distribution for supportability.

It would be cheaper for us to rebuy a new subtitute for each item through a dealer that URC I guess can now control who it sells it's stock to, but that is criminal to force a new buy and reinstall the customizations and manhour investment we have made.

It is an unsatisfactory result for a good company with good products to punish good customers and force significant losses.

Welcome to URC's wonderful new customer policy...

I always thought the "Complete Control" line meant that it gave a customer complete control of their system. Now I understand the "Complete Control" line means URC wants complete control of it's products, even after your purchase they feel they can deactivate your product at will.

And why is it you can't get the software?

Are you a legitimate business?

Did you purchase from a legitimate source?

I'm a nobody and had zero problems getting the new software. I don't buy direct from URC but from an authorized distributor.

I just don't understand your point or maybe even better, you don't understand your own point or the policy.

I don't get it as well...

What would make the remotes useless to a point that you would need to replace them..

Why are you using URC in "Situation Awareness" installations anyway, typically these places call for Crestron and AMX..

If you are an installer why can't you get the software? Like OEX I have access to the remotes through my distributor and a simple call to them has gotten me access to the download site no problem..

Sounds like a troll.....

Maybe some of the broken record crowd should read this: [Link: tinyurl.com]
If you do not understand what or why URC is doing maybe this will help.

Interesting article.. I think many feel they are being told to "fly a kite" if they bought from unauthorized sources and that's the big issue.

here's a paragraph about the similar scenario and how some companies like Pioneer handle it.

"The value of that consumer to a company like Pioneer (Electronics) is high," Loomis said. "What happens when that consumer goes out to buy a $3,000 TV? In reality, the manufacturer is still having to service and support the (gray-market) product even though they didn't factor that into the price. The value of the consumer is too high to say, 'Go fly a kite.'"

Why does URC hate America?

It must be because their authorized reseller channel funds Al Qaeda. yeah, that's it, they're terrorists.

Whether you like URC's policies or not your forum topic is BULLS--- and your argument has holes in it. Do you think our soldiers fighting overseas give a damn about URC? Do you think the 9/11 widows care that they can't get the software to update the MX850 their husband programmed a week before he was murdered?

I know this is absurd and just as absurd as your post - GET A LIFE!

I'm not an installer like many of these self interested profit motive replies. (Thank you gentlemen for eliminated more players for source selections).

Very few situations require Creston, AMX. I have tried 3 distributors and they have all given me bupkas or limited access to a special site that they maintain and regardless doesn't work.

I have tried working direct to URC and only get the run around.

I'm a consumer.

I read the tinyurl article. I don't care if URC can't control the grey market. I can't control my acquisition regulations and policies.

This could simply be solved in the method you described but it HAS NOT.

I'm not a troll, I'm not a Jack A$$ like the last post, I want to solve a problem or migrate to a new vendor for lifecycle supportability. For all the us vs them extremists I don't care and you are both a bunch of babies - installers only or installer haters. The holes are self motivated self interest in non-arguments. I don't want arguments, I want a solution. We do have installer arrangements with multiple other companies and I get nothing but "I'm on the road," contact your non-responsive distributor etc.

I just want a solution, and the extremist BS is not helping to find a solution. With behavior like this I may be ashamed to be a URC formal installer.

????? You make little to no sense. What is a URC formal installer and installer arrangements? Are you American?
Just trying to figure out your strange way with words....

Jed,

Thanks for putting it so obnoxiously.

I install URC equipment, but I'm not a dealer, a distributor, or a "authorized custom installer" I have tried to make arrangements with URC to get into that exclusive club & get the URC secret handshake.

Obviously my English may be a little to obtuse. American with relatives back to the Mayflower. Not a communist like many folks responding here, I guess. There are professional courses in English if you need some help understanding the language. Thanks so much for trying to help out.

Tim

OK, you are not an installer..



OK, your a consumer, thus lack of proper support from a distributor..



You're an installer? Why don't you tell us what you really are? If you are an installer there should be no issue at all about getting software. Even if you are an end user your current version of software will still allow you to program your URC remotes well into the future thus your claim of all of your URC remotes being garbage that needs to be replaced is just plain false.

Who do you buy from? Internet distributors (Ebay) or local distributors? I buy from a local distributor that supplies the CI industry and I can get all the info I need from them to get onto the URC website, and no I am not listed on URC's website as being an official custom installer. It is not an exclusive club, no blood was exchanged, just a simple phone call to my account rep.

I did not mean to be obnoxious but you did not make make a lick of sense. I would love to help but I could not figure out your problem. Now that you have stated what it is that you want: What state are you in? Just sign up do be a dealer and order some product. You will just need your biz paperwork obviously and you need to contact your rep NOT URC.

Are you are a bidder? Does your boss know that you were buying grey market goods with no manufacturers warranty?
I've worked with government agencies before and they always work with legit distributors.
If you do this for a living you should have no trouble at all getting the software.
If you do this after hours for beer money under the table, go slip some beer money to the clown you bought the remote from.
The company you purchased these remotes from should be happy to give you updates if you need them--- unless they are hacks that don't give a damn about return business.

P.S. URC doesn't hate America.