License Revoked!

[flowrider]

I bought Adobe Acrobat 11 sometime in 2012, I keep good records, but I have no idea who I bought the software from. It was a download. I registered it in my account with Adobe. Today, out of the blue, I opened a PDF document and I get the message "License Revoked".

I call Adobe and after being shuttled around to three agents and spending 58 minutes on the darn phone, I'm told that the serial number was bad from the beginning and I should contact the seller. I told them I don't know where the heck I bought it from. And, why didn't you tell me this six years ago so I could have taken some action? He offers to make me a deal and sell me the current edition for $449.00. I tell him, that's no deal, that's the full retail price! Anyway I got absolutely no where.

I have reinstalled Acrobat 9.0 and all the separate updates to bring it to 9.5.5. It seems to work OK for now. But I'm sure pissed at Adobe.

Can you imagine letting me use software for 6 years and then telling me that the license was bad in the first place

Lou

 

[chscag]

If Acrobat should quit on you because of the license, there are other apps that you can use instead. PDFPen and some others are actually easier to use. Of course that means spending more $$ but dealing with Adobe is like dealing with Intuit. You'll get nowhere.

 

[jtara]

How much did you pay for the it it 2012?

If it was too good to be true... it was too good to be true!

$449 makes no sense. I see it from multiple sellers for $179. Or it's available on subscription. Or it comes with practically any other Adobe product.

 

[MacGizmo]

$449 makes no sense. I see it from multiple sellers for $179. Or it's available on subscription. Or it comes with practically any other Adobe product.

$449 is the cost of the perpetual license version. $179 is the ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION price – which is what most resellers list as the price because it looks cheap – but there's always small print.

Acrobat DC (pro) comes with the full CreativeCloud subscription, or stand-alone, that's it.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

It seems really strange that they just now discovered that your license wasn't legitimate--are they just now getting around to investigating 6 year old software licenses?

 

[flowrider]

Just to close this out. I lied, I had only been using Acrobat Pro XI for 4 years, not 6 as I stated. I found my receipt. It was from TechNetMicro. I spent close 3 hours on the phone and online with Adobe to no avail. They know I am an innocent victim, but they could care less. The software cost me $150. I thought I was buying it as an update from Acrobat Pro V9.5.5. I have now learned that TechNetMicro is not legitimate.

I called them they answered the phone, then hung up when I started explaining the issue. I called a number of times after that, and they did not answer the phone. I eMailed on their site and as a regular eMail. They answered my onsite eMail, and can you believe they requested $200 to update me to the latest CC version. Obviously I declined.

I have bought and started using PDF Expert. I hope never to have to give Adobe another cent of my money. It's not that they revoked the license, it's that it took them 4 years to do it. Long after all my options to take action against this fraudulent seller had expired.

IMHO, there was no excuse for that. I shouldn't have been allowed to register the product in the first place.

 

[chrfr]

IMHO, there was no excuse for that. I shouldn't have been allowed to register the product in the first place.

What probably happened is that a corporate serial number got leaked. These serial numbers will expire after a while, or if the serial gets compromised, it gets revoked. To an end user, the serial number will look completely legitimate until something like this happens. Adobe is working hard to eliminate the (legitimate) use of these serials so eventually the problem will go away.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^If that's the case, then it's their error, not mine. I shouldn't be out $150. because they can't get their act together. They should somehow compensate those that were dumped by folks who were able to take advantage of Adobe's incompetence.

Lou

 

[TiggrToo]

^^^^If that's the case, then it's their error, not mine. I shouldn't be out $150. because they can't get their act together. They should somehow compensate those that were dumped by folks who were able to take advantage of Adobe's incompetence.

Lou

In the eyes of the law, you cannot profit from stolen items. Listen, you got to use it for several years before Adobe did something they had every right to do - they yanked your serial number. Why should they do anything for you? How much did you pay them? Not a red cent, that's how much.

You got burned, move on. I hate Adobe as much as the next person but in this situation they're 100% blameless. You have no contract with them, despite what you thought.

Your profited from their 'error' (as you put it, although I don't feel that's the case at all) so you did well for a while.

 

[MacGizmo]

Look, the situation sucks. But most professionals know that unless you buy software directly from the company that makes it, or an authorized seller (few and far between these days), or you pay less than what Adobe charges directly, you're probably buying pirated serial numbers.

In your case, the reason Adobe finally tagged you is that TechNet Micro probably sold the same serial number to several people and one or more of them activated the license recently around the same time you tried, thus flagging the serial number as pirated.

It's not Adobe's fault you bought it from an unauthorized source, and they're under no obligation to "fix" the situation. As TiggrToo said above, you got years of use out of it, you shouldn't have ill feeling toward Adobe... those should be reserved for TechNet Micro.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^I certainly am pissed at TecNetMicro, and I let them know it. I also posted on Reseller Ratings. But, Adobe could have handled things differently. I was in the middle of a project when this happened. It needed to be finished. I am an authorized owner of Acrobat Pro 9.0 and have it on CD. I installed it, than installed the 23 individual updates to bring it up to V9.5.5. AFAIK, there is no Universal updater that incorporates all 23 updates. The old version worked, but it's kludgy and in four years I was rusty. But, I was able to finish my project, with much time lost and much frustration.

Now, Adobe could have offered my a grace period, rather than just turning off the tap. They could have offered me ½ price on the new full version, they could have offered me a valid SN for V11 for a nominal fee. They cudda done a lota things. But they didn't. They showed no compassion at all, just shut me off. And, NO, I had no idea I was buying pirated software, I don't support that kind of thing.

I know I'm not the only one. Since this has happened, I have received 2 surveys from Adobe asking me how I felt about the revocation. How the heck do they think I felt?

Anyway, I have since moved on. I surveyed the field of PDF editors, and chose PDF Expert. So far I'm getting used to using it. Quite different than Acrobat. An update was just issued that added a few more features. Time will tell if it works for me, but so far it looks promising.

Lou

 

[Mac Hammer Fan]

I also use PDF Expert. It's cheap and I am happy with it. Acrobat has a bug when reducing the file size since El Capitan. Good luck flowrider.

 

[Tech198]

If Adobe told you this, then more likely it was a pirated version..... Sometimes keys get revoked because os other issues, but mostly because of piracy.

The fact it didn't happen for 4 years is noting short then, can you image Adobe flagging it instantly?

They would have to have maually checking to verify... and among the amount any software company that licenses/activation would do, no wonder it took soo long.

Beised, what other reason could there be ? They just wanted to $@$ you off?

 

[SigEp265]

Did you use a credit card? I wonder if you can do a charge back. I would also post about TecNetMicro on reddit or something so people know to stay away.

 

[TiggrToo]

Did you use a credit card? I wonder if you can do a charge back. I would also post about TecNetMicro on reddit or something so people know to stay away.

4 years later...? Not sure even in the more consumer freindly EU that they'd let you do that!

A cursory check on "The Google" elicited that a consumer had upto around 550 days maximum for any form of chargeback, and even then given that the OP used the software for 4 years and a price point apparently much lower than what would normally be expected, would be hard pushed the get much of a sypmathetic ear from the likes of Visa or Mastercard.

 

[MacGizmo]

^^^^I certainly am pissed at TecNetMicro, and I let them know it. I also posted on Reseller Ratings. But, Adobe could have handled things differently...

Now, Adobe could have offered my a grace period, rather than just turning off the tap. They could have offered me ½ price on the new full version, they could have offered me a valid SN for V11 for a nominal fee. They cudda done a lota things. But they didn't. They showed no compassion at all, just shut me off...

This is YOUR fault, not Adobe's. You didn't want to pay Adobe for the software. You went looking for cheaper copies. You paid $150 for a $450 piece of software—something that even the most inexperienced of computer users would know "something isn't quite right here."

They're a business. It's not their job to show you compassion. You've gotten the short end of the stick here, but let's not forget that Adobe is also a victim in all this... it's their software that has been stolen.

By your silly reasoning, if I buy a bike from a mom & pop bike store, and later the police inform me that it was a stolen bike and the store was run by corrupt people; I have every right to be upset with the original owner of the bike for not catching the thief quickly enough.

 

[Plett]

Just to close this out. I lied, I had only been using Acrobat Pro XI for 4 years, not 6 as I stated. I found my receipt. It was from TechNetMicro. I spent close 3 hours on the phone and online with Adobe to no avail. They know I am an innocent victim, but they could care less. The software cost me $150. I thought I was buying it as an update from Acrobat Pro V9.5.5. I have now learned that TechNetMicro is not legitimate.


IMHO, there was no excuse for that. I shouldn't have been allowed to register the product in the first place.

That sucks regardless of cost or time. Being the victim of fraud always sucks! While I would be a little pissed at Adobe, as you have sagely pointed out the fraudster was TechNetMicro, and likely your recourse is nill. Good lesson I guess, but still. UGH I am getting more pissed just typing I hate this kinda crap!!! I think we all have similar stories to some extent and it just boils the blood when you hear another. %$$%^

 

[organicCPU]

Opening a lawsuit against TechNet Micro is obviously your only chance for a refund. Claiming the price you paid for a stolen product plus the costs for a recent comparable full license would make sense. That should compensate your damage and pull the focus on a company that clearly managed to act criminal undiscovered for at least 4 years so that other buyers would get protected from those hustlers.

Unfortunately you lost the privilege to upgrade to the latest Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 as Adobe Acrobat Pro XI is the last release that could have been upgraded to a recent desktop license.

Buying software only from trusted sources and even then carefully reading what kind of license you buy is the only thing that will protect you from tragedies like this. However, I think it's a shame that there is absolutely no goodwill from a large company like Adobe to reprise a loyal customer that unknowingly made a mistake.

 

[flowrider]

This is YOUR fault, not Adobe's. You didn't want to pay Adobe for the software. You went looking for cheaper copies. You paid $150 for a $450 piece of software—something that even the most inexperienced of computer users would know "something isn't quite right here."

Not going to argue with you, but get your darn facts straight! This excerpt from an article written in 2012 lists the pricing, at that time for Acrobat Pro XI. Yes, I tried to save $50 bux, certainly not an uncommon practice. Again, I THOUGHT that TechNetMicro was a legitimate reseller. And I certainly agree I should have done more homework. So Yes, SHAME ON ME!!!!!

Adobe no longer offers an update path to prior owners of their software, Their retail model has changed and they now favor a subscription model, which I dislike.

BTW, Adobe India does offer an update path at this time. Wish they still did here.

Lou

 

[organicCPU]

Adobe no longer offers an update option to prior owners of their software

You can upgrade from Adobe Acrobat Pro XI to a TLP license of Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017. This is less known and not pushed by Adobe, but they are still offering upgrades to a one-time payment license model for Acrobat Pro.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Thanks for the link, I didn't know that program existed. But, it appears it's not for the individual, but for organizations using multiple copies of the software.

Lou

 

[organicCPU]

But, it appears it's not for the individual, but for organizations using multiple copies of the software.

Actually it is addressing enterprise customers, but you don't need to be an enterprise to get a TLP license and the minimum number of licenses is one.
One month ago I did an upgrade. It was even possible with my Adobe Acrobat Pro XI license that was included in a Creative Suite 6 Web & Design Premium. As I had two CS6 and wanted two upgrade to two separate Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 licenses that was a little more complicated. Usually you get one serial number for as many TLP licenses that you buy, starting from one as pointed out. To get two separate license keys for being able to sell my CS6 suites separately, if I wanted to, I had to use two Adobe IDs, that I already had. To get all this managed, my trusted software dealer for years helped me, so that I didn't have to deal with Adobe directly.
The only precondition that you really need for upgrading to a TLP license is, that the product you'd like to upgrade is registered at your Adobe ID. That's it.

 

[crjackson2134]

FWIW, PDF Expert is a solid product. I have it on multiple platforms and it works well. I do have to hunt-n-peck at times for the feature I want, because I also have Acrobat Pro, and get confused between the two.

With my latest clean OS install, I decided to eliminate Acrobat from the equation. I wish I could eliminate PhotoShop as well, but I can’t find a replacement that satisfies me.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Yep, I had the same issue with PS, I still have CS6. A couple three months ago, B&H was offering PS Elements at a decent price. I picked up a copy. It took some getting used to, but so far it does everything I need. Bridge CC seems to be a free download, at least if you register at Adobe. It works just fine with Elements.

Lou

 

[crjackson2134]

Yeah, CS6 here too for now. I take a look at elements.