SolidWorks "Expired Subscriptions" will be switching to a “full backdating” format 1/1/16

Wow!.. I'm flabbergasted if this is indeed true. I have not heard of this but have not communicated to my VAR in quite awhile. I'm fortunate enough to have my subscription renewed every year by my employer but I have seen post with people indicating they are using 2010 and others. I suspect they have always had the impression that if they wanted to upgrade they would pay the reinstallation fee (for their subscription) and then upgrade when they felt it was necessary or could afford it.

Rick, whether what you heard from you VAR is correct or not you did a fantastic job explaining it.

Seems like it is : From Jan 2016 #SolidWorks subscription renewals will be back dated…

Dassault's leadership of SolidWorks is infesting it with the arrogance of the bad old days of PTC and ProE.

The old SolidWorks is dead and has been for some time.

Sad to see....  

If true, that is confirmation that Dassault's long term goal is to drive people over to the "Conceptual" packages.

Man, this isn't good news at all, especially for smaller companies. Kind of a kick in the balls, actually.

New SOLIDWORKS Subscription Late Policy | TPM TPM

The page has been pulled, but here's what it said:

What is the new Subscription late policy?
Since its inception, SOLIDWORKS has offered users the ability to renew expired licenses for an established and nominal fee. For example, $500 in NA, or a similar fee across other price lists, regardless of how long the licenses have been off subscription. Additionally, license repurchase was required for expired EPDM licenses. Beginning January 1, 2016 the current Subscription late fee and repurchase requirement will be replaced with full Subscription backdating. As a result, users with an expired Subscription will be subject to all missed Subscription charges (up to the cost of a new license) plus the current year charge to renew the expired license and obtain the current release with full support. This policy applies to all SOLIDWORKS product offerings and includes licenses that were never on Subscription.

When will the change on into effect?
The new late policy will be effective beginning January 1, 2016 when all orders must be compliant with the new policy. The existing late policy for renewing licenses will remain intact through the end of business December 31, 2015.

Why change the Subscription late policy?
The new Subscription late policy rewards our best customers and affects only a small  percentage of our user base. It is more fair and respectful to approximately 95% of the SOLIDWORKS users, those customers who renew on time and annually. These customers consistently make the investment necessary to gain access to the most current intellectual property the SOLIDWORKS product suite provides and the world class support our Channel Partners offer. While the current late policy that allows users to renew expired licenses for a nominal fee regardless of the expired duration is the most lenient in the industry, it actually encourages and supports users to reduce their overall investment while allowing the same benefits and competitive advantages as Subscription customers who remain current year-to-year.

Summary
This change is a policy shift. We will remain the most customer focused team in the industry and we will listen to our customers.

I disagree, Kelvin. Resellers are the ones who suffer the most when a customer decides to hold off on renewing and, I suspect, enough of them complained that SolidWorks decided to make a change in order to appease them (and their bottom line).

I need to eat some crow on this one. I was mistaken about resellers suffering most...mea culpa.

Anna Wood:

 

Dassault's leadership of SolidWorks is infesting it with the arrogance of the bad old days of PTC and ProE.

 

The old SolidWorks is dead and has been for some time.

 

Sad to see....  

PTC's policy today is paying one year back and one year forward.

That seems a lot more reasonable.

And no additional "welcome back" fees.

I'm hoping there is not a new precedence being set by DS and they will succumb to user pressure.

Jeff,

The TPM article states the new Subscription late policy affects only a small percentage of our user base. If that's true, that small number shouldn't have a big effect on VARs. The same logic should apply. If the non-subscribers aren't using the VARs services, then no time is being expended by the VARs.

As you said "this isn't good news at all, especially for smaller companies. Kind of a kick in the balls, actually." They are the ones who suffer the most, not the resellers.

Steen Winther:

 

It's a shame that button isn't there, especially for items like this.

Those numbers are coming from SolidWorks, so there may be some PR spin in there. Small companies are going to suffer the most though, and that's too bad. It'll be interesting to see what happens to that "small percentage" of customers; will they step up or...?

Jeff Mirisola:

 

I disagree, Kelvin. Resellers are the ones who suffer the most when a customer decides to hold off on renewing and, I suspect, enough of them complained that SolidWorks decided to make a change in order to appease them (and their bottom line).

I doubt that is the case, Jeff. Why would they complain about a model that works fine, after 20 years?

Something had to cause the change, Alin. The whole "fair and respectful" line doesn't make sense to me. How is not renewing every year unfair or disrespectful?

The interesting side of this is that if you did have to buy a new license, you now own two licenses.

Even though it's an older version, you can keep it at the lapsed version and let anyone you wish use it anytime.

However, some will look toward other packages as the incentive for renewing is pretty much out the window.