http://www.opm-2.com/ is the home page of oxygensoftware.
Click on the "Order" button of Oxygen Phone Manager for Symbian OS phones
(in red). You are now on the order page that has a list of the different
versions available (
http://www.opm-2.com/order/?product=opms).
Note that neither on the table presented nor in the text is there anywhere
any mention as to the fact that the individual version does not provide for
import/export (Outlook and other formats) nor SMS saving.
Now click on the "Order now" link for the individual license type. You get
to
http://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-s...to%201%20phone)
Read through the text and pay attention to the fact that it claims to
"import and export the phonebook's data" and "the ability to store any data
in Phone memory, Flash card or on your hard disk".
Go back to the preceding page and now click on the "Order now" link for the
business license type. You get to
http://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-s...o%205%20phones)
If you compare the two pages, you will see that there are no differences
except for the price.
Nor is the difference mentioned in the description of the program itself
(the link on the home page that leads to the program description). There is
a single description for all versions (except for a note on the Forensic
Edition) and it says
(
http://www.opm-2.com/Symbian/Default...ge=phonebook): "Program supports
complete phonebook synchronization with MS Outlook including contact groups
and categories; imports and exports data from Windows Address Book; saves
data in various formats: MS Excel, MS Word, HTML, XML, CSV and other."
Any reasonable person would conclude from reading these pages that the only
difference between the individual license type ($50) and the business
license type ($120) is the fact that the business license type allows you to
write to five different phones, whereas the individual license type only
allows you to write to one phone.
No so.
Once you purchase the individual license type (because you use only one
phone, as most people do) and you want to import/export your information,
you get a message that "This feature is only available in Business license
of Oxygen Phone Manager II"!
You are now stuck with a program, for which you already paid twice the
average price for a shareware, and you can't import/export your
information - a feature so basic that many people would buy the program only
for it.
If you want to avail this basic feature, you now have to disburse an
additional $70 on top of the $50 you already paid!!!
On top of this, if you want to renew your license after one year, you now
have to pay for the license of five phones (even if you use only one), or
another $83 per year!!!
Not speaking about the fact that these kind of prices are outrageous by
themselves, the fact that oxygensoftware does not clearly warn you on their
web page about the fact that the individual license does not include
import/export, and only puts you in front of the fait accompli, is
dishonest, not to say illegal. As the company is based in Russia, however,
there's probably little to nothing you can do about it.
The only way a person would know about this difference would be to try these
features in the trial version, or read the forum on oxygensoftware web page,
but it is not reasonable to expect that everybody will do so.
IMO, Oxygensoftware has the legal (and moral!) obligation to clearly warn
people on their web page about this difference, and to clearly let people
know in what kind of outrageous price-scheme they engage themselves into.
That would not remove the absurd policy of asking people to register for
five phones and pay X times the price of the normal program just to have
export/import facility, but at least people would be warned about it.
"teme" <byxe> wrote in message news:12se1ieqdv5vi05@news.supernews.com...
> This company whose software does a fine job replacing Nokia PC Suite seems
> to have a rather questionable commercial policy.
>
> In the Symbian version (Oxygen Phone Manager for Symbian OS Smartphone
> 2.12), the possibility to import from Outlook and save text files has been
> removed in later updates, unless one upgrades to a much more expensive
> version. People who purchased the software with a one year license for
> upgrades have complained that the reason they bought the software in the
> first place is now void but were apparently unable to get a refund due to
> the license agreement.
>
> The ordering page does not state that these features are missing in the
> individual version. Quite on the contrary, it does state that the program
> import and export form the database. People buying this version may
> therefore feel cheated when they see that it is not the case.
>
> These functions are now only available in the business version, costing
> something $125 and valid for five phones. The individual version, costing
> something like $50 (which is already expensive as it is) does not allow
> import/export from/to Outlook nor does it allow saving text messages.
> People who want these essential features (free with Nokia Suite) have to
> pay more than double the price, even if they only use one cell phone and
> have no use of five phones.
>
> Even for people who chose to stay with the older version to keep these
> features (and thus missing out on a lot of bugs resolution and other new
> features of later versions) and whose license expired get nagged by a
> constant reminder that their license expired and therefore are not even
> allowed to live peacefully with the older version for which they paid and
> for which they are not interested to renew taking into account that the
> so-called upgrade is in fact a downgrade.
>
> From what I could read on this and other forums, the attitude of
> Oxigensoftware (a Russian company) in addressing complains is basically
> "F*ck you". They even boasted that the more people complain, the more
> publicity they receive.
>
> I am new to all this - can someone tell me I am on the wrong track?
>
> 
oxygensoftware a scam? (Oxygen Phone Manager for Symbian) 
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