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Saturday, July 4, 2009

curriculum review - update

Cynthia ---- you had left some good comments and I wanted to explain further.

I should state that you can get licenses for all your existing computers - and so you can have the copy on all your computers. They are selling it as a family license and not a license per computer. My issue is that the company itself has stated it is not in a good place financially and is on the edge of whether or not to close their doors. The problem with their new digital is that it requires their doors to be open for it to be usable and supported. In 4 yrs when we all have newer versions of computers and have newer operating systems - the existing digital format most likely won't be compatible and won't work. If they stay in business they will issue upgrades but chances are they will charge us for that. So I feel I have a product that I have paid for that I can utilize for one year. And it is an expensive curriculum for that.
That is why I want a printed version. It is mine and I can always see it and read it. It is not dependent upon a company staying in business. It is not dependent upon software working. I can still read it when the computer crashes - and they do that!! Further, I simply find their interface to the digital product to be cumbersome and inefficient. They are so worried about someone stealing their product that they are penalizing all of us with their security traps. My husband who is in computers for a living has looked at the product and flat out said it is a 'stupid way to set things up' and customers don't like having to do those steps.
message you get:
Further complaints I have are that things are not explained well to the customer and what is explained keeps changing to the point where I never seem to feel I have a grasp on what end is up - such as the Loom. It used to always be on their website during the year of the re-design. Now that we are downloading the digital they made it part of the digital packaged but never told the consumer that. When you go on their website and click on the button it just comes up with an error message. I finally had to ask them about that and they said it was now on the loom tab on the digital version. Interestingly, when you click on that tab, here is the

The Loom

Since this is a year-plan in production, all your Loom documents are available online on the Tapestry of Grace website.

The Loom is a crucial resource that acts as a framework for your Tapestry year-plan. Click on the section headings (below to the left) to see the documents available for that section.

It flat out says that the Loom is on their website but then says it is available below and to click there. But the first message would lead you astray and it is the one in bigger, bolder print. So many of us never got to the fine print but went to the website as that is also consistent with what we did last year.

Again, if their intent is to confuse and misdirect the customer --- thereby frustrating the customer to no end - they have been successful. No one likes to feel stupid but trying to figure out where they have 'hidden' things now is frustrating and makes one feel like an idiot. Plus it is time consuming because then I have to call, I get told where it is and it seems like I should have figured it out as it was in front of my face but with all the confusing information - is it any wonder I am confused. And it is a change from what they did last year with the Loom for Redesign. Basically using their product makes me feel stupid because it is like a maze to see what did they did with the information this time and am I smart enough to read past their inaccurate messages to figure it out. I just don't feel I need to be THAT challenged by my curriculums.

2 comments:

Cynthia said...

Thanks for clarifying the more than one computer. I was obviously mistaken on that, but I believe that's what I was told from their office. Anyway... I agree with you 100%. If I have the printed version at least it's mine whether or not they remain in business and I don't HAVE to have any upgrades to use it....

Debbie said...

That is my main beef -- that I just want to have something in hand. If it is going to be digital then give me the program on CD so that it is mine to have. If I buy Microsoft Word or any other computer program, I get the program. It is mine. This is only mine as long as they give me clearance and rights to view it and that requires them to be in business. So it really isn't mine. I feel more like I am renting the curriculum then owning it. And it is a fairly expensive curriculum to rent for a year.