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FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

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Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#2

Post by lobito25 »

This is a blunt warning to anyone who ever purchased, or is thinking about purchasing, FileZilla Pro.

I bought FileZilla Pro under a perpetual license - a one-time payment, lifetime right to use the version I purchased. After reinstalling my operating system, I simply needed to reinstall the software I already paid for.

Here's what happened:

- Support admitted I still have the legal right to use the old version of FileZilla Pro that I originally purchased. - Then they told me they refuse to provide the installer for that version. - Their excuse: “For security reasons we do not provide older versions.”

The impact:

If a customer cannot download the installer, the "perpetual license" is dead. It doesn’t matter what rights they acknowledge on paper - they are blocking any practical way to use the software unless you pay again under their new subscription model.

There is no way to reinstall. There is no way to access the product you bought. Your "perpetual license" effectively becomes worthless the moment you reinstall your OS or lose the installer.

Full text on link.

Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#3

Post by whatevaa »

lobito25 wrote: post #2

This is a blunt warning to anyone who ever purchased, or is thinking about purchasing, FileZilla Pro. I bought FileZilla Pro under a perpetual license - a one-time payment, lifetime right to use the version I purchased. After reinstalling my operating system, I simply needed to reinstall the software I already paid for. Here's what happened: - Support admitted I still have the legal right to use the old version of Fi…

Lifetime licenses are basically a scam these days. Don't trust any of them.

Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#4

Post by didibus »

lobito25 wrote: post #2

This is a blunt warning to anyone who ever purchased, or is thinking about purchasing, FileZilla Pro. I bought FileZilla Pro under a perpetual license - a one-time payment, lifetime right to use the version I purchased. After reinstalling my operating system, I simply needed to reinstall the software I already paid for. Here's what happened: - Support admitted I still have the legal right to use the old version of Fi…

I admit it's a bit shitty, but I can also understand.

You could have saved the installer, put it on disk, you could find a copy of it elsewhere, etc.

I don't think it makes the idea of the license void, but it's for sure not the nicest customer move.

Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#7

Post by willis936 »

whatevaa wrote: post #3
lobito25 wrote: post #2

This is a blunt warning to anyone who ever purchased, or is thinking about purchasing, FileZilla Pro. I bought FileZilla Pro under a perpetual license - a one-time payment, lifetime right to use the version I purchased. After reinstalling my operating system, I simply needed to reinstall the software I already paid for. Here's what happened: - Support admitted I still have the legal right to use the old version of Fi…

Lifetime licenses are basically a scam these days. Don't trust any of them.

And instead trust that subscription prices will stay constant and that the company will always stay in business and support the product you purchase?

The root issue is trust, not a lifetime license. In fact, a lifetime license is a good predictor of trust because users prefer it to subscriptions and it indicates that the company at least pretends to be interested in the customer's wants.

Trust can always be abused, as in this case. Trust is gone everywhere. That doesn't mean it can't be rebuilt. It won't be rebuilt on a subscription model that no one asked for.

Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#9

Post by viraptor »

cosmotic wrote: post #5

Sounds like all software from the 70s through 00's. Did they ever claim they would hold a backup of the installer?

There's a difference between "we don't have it anymore" and "we won't provide it for security reasons". They're not the same.

Re: FileZilla Pro "Perpetual License" – A Warning to All Users

#10

Post by grugagag »

didibus wrote: post #4
lobito25 wrote: post #2

This is a blunt warning to anyone who ever purchased, or is thinking about purchasing, FileZilla Pro. I bought FileZilla Pro under a perpetual license - a one-time payment, lifetime right to use the version I purchased. After reinstalling my operating system, I simply needed to reinstall the software I already paid for. Here's what happened: - Support admitted I still have the legal right to use the old version of Fi…

I admit it's a bit shitty, but I can also understand. You could have saved the installer, put it on disk, you could find a copy of it elsewhere, etc. I don't think it makes the idea of the license void, but it's for sure not the nicest customer move.

Sounds like piracy may solve such problems (of course just for the binaries)
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