X-Aviation re-activation problems

[YukonPete 586]

Not bashing X-Aviation but they don't know what customer service is. I have always supported the small flight simulation community and spend approximately $1000 a year on  X-Plane and P3D products. i always try and deal directly with the vendor but X-Aviation is like banging your Head against the wall. I hate piracy and try and support our community but i have to admit I feel really let down by X-Aviation. All the other companies I buy from are great and offer excellent customer service. IE x-plane.org, PMDG, TheFlightSimStore, Flight1 etc...

My problem is I have had  awful luck with my PC these last 6 months that had required new hardware and the re-installation of windows about 5 times. So After I reinstall windows my X-aviation files always need reactivation. I contact x-Aviation and explain and have to flight with the them over a few weeks  and about 10 emails every time before they will reset the activation. Basically treats you like a thief! There is absolutely no customer appreciation or service even after spending almost $300 at X-Aviation since last August.  Do they think treating customers like this will encourage them to return? I know I never will buy anything from them again.

very frustrated

Pete Richards

[kneighbour 32]

I understand your frustration. Some companies are better at customer support than others, I agree. While your experience is perhaps more extreme, I can assure you that you are not alone. A lot of us install Windows on a frequent basis, so your situation is not at all unusual.

 

The problem is a lot of the products on this site are not sold elsewhere, and they are some of the best products for X-Plane. I suggest a short break from the system to cool down. Also realise that the Internet is a poor place to communicate and that we talk over different cultures, languages and time zones. I try to give a huge amount of leeway to comments I see on the Internet, especially on forums such as this one.

 

Be cool and have a good day!

[propduster 1]

I feel your pain! I purchased Soundmaxx 7/3. Started the d/l, had an internet issue and only got 9% of the d/l. Tried to resume and no joy. I checked my account and discovered I had ZERO d/l remaining! I emailed support, explained the situation and a ticket # was generated. As of today (7/8) no response. I sent a followup a few hours ago. We'll see, but this is the worst support provided by any sim vendor I have experienced.

 

Don S

 

Edit: Just after posting, I received an email resetting my d/l. Off to try again and will post results

[YukonPete 586]

Cameron just help me just now without too much pain! Very surprised! not my past experience.  I hope it continues.

[benrussell 20]

 

 

 I have had  awful luck with my PC these last 6 months that had required new hardware and the re-installation of windows about 5 times.

 

This is an extremely exceptional case of bad luck in todays day and age. Please be patient.

 

 

Activation for 99% of customers is something that takes less than five seconds.

[Patriot3810 182]

they went off on me over my cloud program, sky max pro, took 3 days to reactivate, this past time, they were very nice and did it 30 min after i needed it done. rest assure when windows 10 comes out, this is gonna be a big problem, as a windows insider builds keep pushing out every few days to a month, each time i move to a new build, i have to contact pmdg, never had a problem with pmdg, fsdreamteam,pfpx, all my xplane planes and the list goes on and on.for the ones that stay on the rtm of windows 10 that do upgrade wont have to worry much, but for someone like me that will continue to have new builds pushed out to my desktop that i use for flight and train simming, i am really worried as i can't afford to buy the products a 3rd time like i did with pmdg when i bought the 777 for fsx and then again for p3d.there has to be a way that the keys for addons to be physically confirmed to the owners motherboard.just an os change triggers a hardware change.with windows 10 becoming the last windows version and becoming more or less a rolling release/service. we will just have to wait and see what happens.i can understand the developers frustrations though.i wouldn't want my hard earned work to be pirated either.not to bring up pmdg again, but i must say they seem to have the best method to protect there files.sorry if i went way off path here but i completely understand.

[YukonPete 586]

They need to offer a way to deactivate the install online.  Like PMDG have done with the 777 and P3D have done when you uninstall.

It also hurt me buying the 777 and 737 for both P3D and FSX but then again it was PMDG and i like to support awesomeness.

[Patriot3810 182]

the pmdg planes you will run into a deactivate limit reached.since feb i have had to reactivate my pmdg 777 about 15 times,last week windows 10 rolled out 3 builds in 4 days, thats 4 activations and having to contact pmdg.but if i do come across that they wont activate again, i would understand,i just said there needs to be some kind of work around for windows insiders is all.

[jcomm 5,939]

My experience differs, and I am sorry you went through that experience, but I never had a single problem with their activations, and I have done it many many many times, as I believe all simmers in the World already know for sure by this time :  jcomm = the installer / uninstaller

[benrussell 20]

They need to offer a way to deactivate the install online.  Like PMDG have done with the 777 and P3D have done when you uninstall.

It also hurt me buying the 777 and 737 for both P3D and FSX but then again it was PMDG and i like to support awesomeness.

 

Allowing for "de-activation" requires a closer coupling to "always on internet" and being able to phone home and check that the license used isn't supposed to be deactivated.

 

I chose to design the system to allow users to have up-to six-months (by default) between needing to re-activate their product.

 

This also means you only need active internet on your sim machine every six months.

 

For some people this is very important.

 

 

 

Design of a DRM system is a compromise between budget and client requirements, I still feel we have it right.

 

The exceptions here are purely that. Exceptions.

 

Be it multiple repeated failed hardware or participation in a high-frequency beta program. These are NOT normal day to day operations for an average customer.

 

 

 

(Please be aware that I am currently on moderator review and any replies are likely to be lagged by several hours.)

[Poppet 710]

I never had any problems with X-aviation, in fact quiet the opposite, always found them fantastic to deal with. I had to mail Cameron and his team on several occasions due to reactivation and activation problems that I was having due to my own fault. Very professional team of very people to deal with.

[benrussell 20]

they went off on me over my cloud program, sky max pro, took 3 days to reactivate, this past time, they were very nice and did it 30 min after i needed it done. rest assure when windows 10 comes out, this is gonna be a big problem, as a windows insider builds keep pushing out every few days to a month, each time i move to a new build, i have to contact pmdg, never had a problem with pmdg, fsdreamteam,pfpx, all my xplane planes and the list goes on and on.for the ones that stay on the rtm of windows 10 that do upgrade wont have to worry much, but for someone like me that will continue to have new builds pushed out to my desktop that i use for flight and train simming, i am really worried as i can't afford to buy the products a 3rd time like i did with pmdg when i bought the 777 for fsx and then again for p3d.there has to be a way that the keys for addons to be physically confirmed to the owners motherboard.just an os change triggers a hardware change.with windows 10 becoming the last windows version and becoming more or less a rolling release/service. we will just have to wait and see what happens.i can understand the developers frustrations though.i wouldn't want my hard earned work to be pirated either.not to bring up pmdg again, but i must say they seem to have the best method to protect there files.sorry if i went way off path here but i completely understand.

 

Please file a support ticket with X-A.

 

We can modify your license records so that you will need to renew at something more suitable to you.

 

Our system provides you with three hardware keys by default.

 

If we were to change your licenses to require activation every two weeks that would give you three hardware ID's to use over a six week window.

 

If we change your records so that you need to activate weekly, you have three hardware IDs to use in less than a month.

 

 

 

Our latest update now saves your activation password (encrypted, per machine key) so any renewals are easier than ever.

I'm working to enable "auto re-activation" which will allow for basically painless product use, so long as you have permanent Internet available.

(will be opt-in. "Internet required" annoys me. I live in rural Australia and have very very poor internet.)

[Cameron XA 272]

Mr. Richards,

 

You say you're here not to bash, but you're opening line is just that. I feel I need to at least partially defend some things here...

 

 

 

I contact x-Aviation and explain and have to flight with the them over a few weeks  and about 10 emails every time before they will reset the activation. Basically treats you like a thief!

 

This is a flat out ridiculous statement. Here's your history timeline:

 

Ticket #1

 

August 17, 2014: You request a download reset for a product

 

August 19, 2014: Your download is reset without question per your request. Case closed.

 

Number of e-mails you had to send to get what you need: 1 e-mail

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ticket #2

 

December 7, 2014: You request a license reset for the CRJ.

 

December 9, 2014: Your license is reset without any question per your request. Case closed.

 

Number of e-mails you had to send to get what you need: 1 e-mail

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ticket #3

 

January 14, 2015: You write a very vague request saying: "can you please reactivate my Skymax pro Order #..."

 

January 15, 2015: X-Aviation gives a reply stating we're not exactly sure what you're asking for. A new download? A license reset? What? It is mentioned that you had just activated the day you sent in your ticket for some kind of re-activation on our end, so we try to clarify with you what you need.

 

January 15, 2015: You reply back again to clarify what you would like is re-activation. At this point you seem irritated and go into a diatribe about how it's not your fault and that you're being treated like a thief.

 

January 16, 2015: You reply back once more without message from us just yet. You again go into talking about how installing Windows is not a crime and you are not a thief. Why, I have no idea, but NO ONE has accused you of anything at this point.

 

January 18, 2015: X-Aviation gives a reply stating very simply that we had just reset your license not long ago, so our suggestion to you if possible is to get your computer situated how you like and THEN use up one of your activations. You are also told we have again reset your license.

 

January 18, 2015: You feel compelled to write back another reply even after your issue is resolved stating your dismay again with: "I spent $130 at X-Aviation just in the last 3 months but obviously you don't value customers so I doubt I will ever purchase from you in the future! Once bitten twice shy. I have never had any problems with any other vender ever! No wonder piracy is such a problem! Why pay and get hassled in return????"

 

January 18, 2015: X-Aviation gives a reply explaining in great detail how the activation system works. It is actually quite forgiving all things considered, especially compared to any other X-Plane type activation systems out there. The ticket is then closed.

 

Number of e-mails you had to send to get what you need: 3 e-mails. One because you were too vague, and two more because you felt it necessary to write e-mail after e-mail.

 

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Ticket #4

 

July 5, 2015: You ask for a reset of three products' licenses. You elaborate what a hard time you were given last time to achieve this (which I don't find to be true at all).

 

July 8, 2015: You file another ticket explaining you would really appreciated a reply. You state: "All the other vender's are more

then happy to help out the customer and not treat them like thieves. If you are unwilling to reset my activations please
refund all my purchased products as you clearly do not value loyalty and returning customers. Then i will never bother
you again! Just like I will never buy from you again!" It seems to me at this point you maybe don't realize you sent in your initial support request during a US Holiday Weekend called Independence Day.

 

July 8, 2015: X-Aviation gives a reply stating your licenses have been restated. No hassle given at all.

 

July 9, 2015: You reply back saying simply "Thank You"

 

July 9, 2015: You reply back again now saying you a new problem has arisen. The system is not allowing you to activate.

 

July 9, 2015: X-Aviation looks into it and finds that your latest string of e-mails starting on July 5th, 2015 requesting a license reset are essentially unwarranted. The system would have let you re-activate without issue. You asked us to reset your license slots again, thus resulting in the blacklisting of your current machine. The moral of this story? Try actually activating before requesting a license reset.

 

Number of e-mails you had to send to get what you need: 1 e-mail. Two if you want to factor in impatience.

 

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Bottom line, Pete: You're lying. Don't go making threads publicly with false statements. You come in here saying you're "not bashing X-Aviation", but then your false claims are doing just that. In not ANY of the circumstances above did you:

 

 

 

have to flight with the them over a few weeks

 

nor did you have to send:

 

 

 

about 10 emails every time before they will reset the activation. Basically treats you like a thief

 

Your claims are 100% FALSE.

[tonywob 4,769]

Please take further discussion of this to PM. Topic Locked