Chief Architect, Inc.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: This is a problem Chief Architect admitted knowing was in X6 This is a problem I had when it was downloaded to a Mac Running the (mountain lion) operating system it didn't work then and it doesn't work nowI would be happy to transfer it back to my old system and start this whole process over if it gets you to stand behind your product!From my stand point you make a flawed product then you try to get your customers to pay you $per problem for support I will not rest until this problem is fixed!!!!!
Sincerely,
*** ***

Good afternoon,In response to [redacted]’s complaint to the Revdex.com, we would like to point out the following.Software is typically designed to run on specific computer operating systems. It is not possible to design it for use on an operating system that does not exist yet, and nor...

is there any way to ensure that when it is someday run on an operating system that is developed in the future, no problems will occur.  [redacted] is using Chief Architect X6, a three year old version of our software that was designed to run on the Macintosh operating systems Mavericks (OS X 10.9) or Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8).  Since the creation of that version of Chief Architect, we have released three new program versions.  There have also been three additional Macintosh operating system releases.  [redacted] installed Chief Architect on an iMac running the Mavericks (10.9) operating systems in February, 2014 and never reported any problems to us.  On April of 2016 he installed the software on another computer, a MacBook Pro that was initially running the Mavericks (10.9) operating system.  This was a supported installation and he reported no problems in running the software to us.  Some time prior to March 23, 2017, the MacBook Pro’s operating system was updated to Sierra (10.12).  It was at this point that [redacted] contacted us about problems with the software running in this unsupported fashion. Because Chief Architect X6 was created three years before the release of OS X Sierra (10.12), it has never been supported on this operating system.  Even though the version of the software he is using is no longer current, and even though he is trying to run it on an unsupported operating system, we offered to do some troubleshooting for him.  He, however, refused to provide any of the information that we requested so we could not do so.Had the problem that [redacted] recently encountered been an actual issue with Chief Architect X6 on a supported operating system, we would have had reports from thousands of users; we have, however received literally none.  And indeed, [redacted] did not report encountering it running the software for nearly three years on a supported system.We are disputing Mr. [redacted]'s claim

Review: I contacted Chief Architect regarding my purchase of a software and the backup DVD after I found out that the advertisement on Chief Architect contained false information. I pointed out to the support team; they admitted it was a mistake on their part and immediately made changes on the website. I requested for a full refund of the product as it did not have the function that I was originally looking for. As per my conversation (through emails) with a sale representative of the company, she agreed to issue me a refund on the product, return shipping and handling fees. It was also stated in our conversation that my refund will not fall onto the "30-day money-back guarantee" due to the fact that the fault was on the company. The sale representative directed me to contact another person in the company to deal with the refund. However, it took that person 4 times before he finally refunded the cost of the software and the DVD, but he never refunded me the return shipping cost. As it was agreed that I would also receive the cost of return shipping and handling, I provided him with the related conservation and supporting documents but up to this point I still have not received any refund and an explanation from him. I am very dissatisfied with this purchase, the after-service and the working attitude of the staff who are involved in this incident. I kept all the conversation record for this event for future references.Desired Settlement: Please refund the cost of the return shipping as promised.

Please provide me with an apology with the poor after-care service as I did not feel like a valued customer at all.

Business

Response:

ood afternoon,

Per our conversation today regarding complaint # [redacted], I wanted to add that if the customer provides me with proof of his costs for shipping the product back, I will issue a check for that amount.

He claims that the amount is $21.94 however; he did not provide any proof.

Consumer

Response:

I have picked my action step - reject to accept the business response - and I have replied my reasons.

Review: This is about the implied warranty of merchantability, which means that the product will function as advertised. In California that warranty has no time limit. Many years ago I purchased version 6 of Chief Architect software for around $1000. I am not in the business of designing houses, but I used it to do some drawings for a business partner, and then put the DVD, manual, and security lock device in the original box. This week I installed the software in my oldest computer to work on a small remodel I am doing. When the software opened a box appeared saying that the security lock was not installed (it was). Customer service sent new drivers for the lock, but they didn't help. Customer service then told me to contact the security people ([redacted]). I installed the latest drivers that they instructed me to install, but I still get the same message.

I bought a very expensive product years ago. There have been many updates, but I don't care because I am not involved in the house design field. This product will fill my present needs - if it would work as advertised, but it doesn't.Desired Settlement: It makes sense that they (Chief Architect) have nothing to gain by diagnosing my situation, but I paid for a product that will not work at all. I deserve to have a product that works. I am not asking for the newest version with all of the improvements. I just deserve a replacement that works with at least the capabilities that my version is supposed to have.

They must invest a lot of money in producing the code for their products. Then they have to sell xxx boxes in order to make a profit. The actual cost of the DVD, and packaging is very small in comparison to the development costs. Accordingly, the cost to them to take care of a customer is very small. (A customer buys their product and it is lost in a fire: are they going to charge him the full amount for a replacement?) . I bought a pair of Nordica ski boots.. A few years later I went skiing and as I went down the hill, something felt strange. I stopped and looked down. The plastic had cracked, big pieces were missing, and my socks were clearly visible. There had been no warning that the boots would come apart in a few years - they were no longer usable. Nordica gave me a new pair made with a different plastic.

I bought some very expensive software, thinking that I would be able to use it occasionally I my lifetime. I can't use it for anything. I deserve a replacement that works.

Business

Response:

Good morning,

While we make every effort to work with assisting customers installing older versions of our software, changes in technology make it impossible to always be able to make old software work. Chief Architect Version 6 was created in 1999 and was supported on Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems only. Mr. [redacted] was attempting to run the software on a computer using Windows XP operating system.