Dear SolidWorks:

I am an industrial design consultant, and I make my living with SolidWorks.

In the two years since I purchased SolidWorks, I have never once needed any support whatsoever from my VAR. Not a single phone call. Not a single email.

In fact, the only contact I've had with my VAR at all has been to deal with the debacle that ensued when I moved across the country: my location changed, and I needed to transfer my license to a "local" VAR. The process was further complicated by the fact that a previous business associate had negotiated the purchase on my behalf, meaning that his name was on the license rather than my own. Dealing with the VAR has been slow, painful, and to this day the issue has not bee resolved.

Here's the kicker: I want to purchase Photoview 360, but I can't. I'm not sure from whom I should purchase it: the old VAR to whom I'm still begrudgingly beholden, or the new VAR to whom I'm attempting to transfer the license.

The VAR model is literally stopping me from giving my money to Dassault.

Every other professional software industry has dropped the VAR model completely. I purchase all of my software online, and I always purchase directly from the manufacturer (Adobe, Luxology, Quickbooks, MS Office, etc). I do not need technical support beyond user forums and the built-in product documentation, and if I did I would not expect it to be bundled with the price of the software. These days buying software takes literally ten minutes: choose a product, punch in billing information, download, and go.

Why the CAD world--an industry that prides itself on up-to-date technology--continues to inconvenience its customers with this arcane business model is beyond me. I do not need a "local" reseller. The whole concept is a vestige of an era that has long-since passed.

I have money, and would like to give to Dassault in exchange for Photoview 360. Why will you not take it?

Best,

Adam

Adam O'Hern

Industrial Designer

cadjunkie.com