Hi, I bought Sage Instants accounts from ebay with a serial number and activation key.
So I've loaded it all on and it tells me I have 30 days to register, so I go on to Sage and try and register the serial number and type in the details and press submit and it brings me back to the same page to put the details in again.
So it must have already been registered, is there anything I can do about this? I don't understand why you would sell this software if it is not usable after 30 days (unless I am missing something). I have a feeling I've just shed out money for a 30 trial of this.
I would phone Sage first just to check and then lodge a complaint with Ebay.
Depending on the wording of the ad the seller may be able to avoid responsibility but if there are any lies in there such as indicating that the software was sealed and the code had not been used. Reread the ad closely. If they are saying that they are selling a Sage disk rather than Sage software they have their get out of jail free card (but you may still be able to get your money back from Ebay so try anyway).
I think that you probably have the legit software but some software from back in disk days all of the disks were the same so mass instalations would use one set of disks and the code from each pack... And then sell the sealed packs which were actually useless!
Not sure whether thats the way that Sage software worked but if so you may have been sold a pup Rachel. Sorry.
Good luck with getting a refund.
kindest regards,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
"So I've loaded it all on and it tells me I have 30 days to register, so I go on to Sage and try and register the serial number and type in the details and press submit and it brings me back to the same page to put the details in again."
I'm a little confused by this: What do you mean when you say you "go on to Sage and try to register" ?
I've just set up a new copy of Sage for someone today (Sage Instant 2014) and the process was something like:
Run Sage
Enter the initial serial number and activation key provided with it
Get told you have 30 days use before it needs to be registered
Click 'register now' and fill in the company details
At that point the software becomes registered and you get assigned a new activation key - it's automatically popped into the software, and a record of it sent by email for future reference.
So when you say you "go on to Sage" it makes me think you're doing something different, such as trying to register via the website, since you are already in Sage Instant at the point you are told about the 30 days.
(Of course, I'm talking about the 2014 version; you may be talking about the newer version, for which Sage may have adopted a different registration procedure - I don't know.)
If I'm misunderstanding, and what I've described above is what you've done, then I'm inclined to say "Yes" - it sounds like you may have been sold a copy that's already registered and being used by someone else, in which case, as Shaun says, take a good look at what the seller has said in their advert and possibly take it up with eBay if necessary.
Salient points: Which version of Sage Instant? How much did you pay*, and how did you pay?
* The version I installed for the client today cost them £113.99 - the same client has the same version installed on another staff member's computer**, bought from the same supplier (PC World), which cost them £69.99 last September. I imagine that's Sage making vendors increase the price of the older version in order to encourage people to consider the newer DaaPR versions.
** They actually have four (as of today) separate installations of 2014 in total: A two user licence for Sage Instant Plus, and the two individual licences for Sage Instant. They use it for invoicing, passing the baton between them, with one copy containing the live data. I've told them they should consider using something else for invoicing, really, but Sage does the job, and they're used to it.
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
Thanks Shaun, your right. I was just trying to save a few quid - which always ends in disaster ha. It's a charity though so feel a bit bad making a complaint, I'll have to leave this one. I don't think they knew what they were selling either.
Hi Vince, it was Sage 2011 instant and had already been registered and was second hand copy. I knew it was second hand but didn't know it couldn't be used again by someone else. Never mind.
There is only a option on the disc that tell's you to ring sage to register, it was in the box that gave me the link of where to regsiter.
Thanks both for your input on this, hugely appreciated as always.
"I knew it was second hand but didn't know it couldn't be used again by someone else."
As a general rule, with commercial software (that is software you have to pay for, rather than used for commercial purposes), what you are buying is only a licence to use the software - and that licence is usually non-transferrable. So second hand software is pretty much dubious by definition, though it obviously varies from one company to the next just how much they worry about it, all the way from "not at all" right up to Sage's level.
With Sage, as well, you have to remember that a large part of their business comes from selling support contracts and upgrades (pre the current 'subscription' basis, anyway). A user who has SageCover can upgrade to a newer version of the software for less than buying it outright - and with SageCover Extra, the upgrade is part of the package.
I expect that when they were less able to check/control installations of the software, some companies would upgrade - getting the latest version of the software at a slight discount (because they've paid through the nose for a support contract) - then try to recoup some of the cost by selling the software second hand.
While I don't like Sage (the company), I can fully understand why they limit how the software can be used.
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Vince M Hudd - Soft Rock Software
(I only came here looking for fellow apiarists...)
