If buyers are not disconnected from support, why they will buy support again in the first place?
If I running a support forum, they will read other topics posted by my active customers who are under support period and they will get the solution.
So, as a author how I will earn from this vague support policy where Envato the enforcer of support has no control over its authors?
So, instead of this, its better that I will provide free support to every buyer of mine. And, charge them for my own advanced support where I will provide installation, minor css customization services. Why should I force them to purchase Envato support packs?
Thatās assuming that their issue is in the forums, that tickets are public, and that they understand the explanation.
Envato do have control during the relevant period.
Free support:
Buyers may or may not get helped by authors. Authors may decide one day to stop helping or even remove the file completely and there is nothing that a buyer outside of the initial 6 months can do about it.
Paid support period or extension period:
Envato enforce that (within the guidelines) authors have to support their files and cannot remove them without either completing all existing support periods or continuing to support the file post itās removal form the marketplace.
As an author you earn from buyers choosing to pay for extended peace of mind and to guarantee their help and not risk getting left high and dry.
There is nothing stopping you not supporting your files at all or just offering free support and customization if you want. Just like that is your discretion, it would be the buyers discretion to pay for the guarantee of extended support.
What can envato do? now a days for answering single support ticket it takes several days, so I am sure the envato will get tonnes of tickets then this will become more headache for envato.
Hello Envato ( @charlie4282 ) , I bought products from you with the understanding that I was getting lifetime support.
If you now want to open a new monetization channel by making it mandatory to all creators to charge for support so you can profit a nice 30% thatās your choice but at least you should respect previous arrangements with your clients.
Please donāt try to excuse your change stating that lifetime time support is not sustainable or that you are doing this to āsecureā at least 6 months of support with purchase. We are not innocent children here, we already had what you are taking away from us and many developers want to continue providing support service without charging. These mandatory changes you are implementing are pure greed, not looking after clients.
Please tell me what do I have to do to get my lifetime support back or get a full refund for all the products I bought from you.
Thank you.
AC
@ULEDco You donāt need to do anything. As envato explained nothing has changed in regards to previous agreements.
If the author previously offered you lifetime support then you still have it. That is/was always between you and the author.
The only change is that previously an author could choose not to support their files/stop supporting their files/remove their files as and when they wanted. The new 6 months support offers buyers a guarantee and prevents this happening at least in the interim.
The only change is that previously an author could choose not to support their files/stop supporting their files/remove their files as and when they wanted
Dear sir, please stop lying. I now have an āItem Support- 4 months remainingā notification in all my products that I didnāt have before:
Please donāt elude my question and give me a clear answer, please tell me how do I extend that item support notice to lifetime support or how to get my money back. Thank you.
What you have is X months remaining of the NEW Envato guaranteed support.
What the author offered you previously is completely different and remains untouched and unchanged. If they wanted to give you lifetime support then you still have lifetime support.
The point is that the āLifetime supportā (or whatever the author mention previously) had nothing to do with envato. They had no control over it. Actually what you have now based on that screenshot is 4 months of envato guaranteed peace of mind for FREE.
If you do not believe me then please see below an official envato staff member answer:
@charlie4282 Arenāt you an official envato staff member? I see āmoderatorā by your name.
Either way, you still havenāt answered my question:
Please donāt elude my question and give me a clear answer, please tell me how do I extend that item support notice to lifetime support or how to get my money back. Thank you.
And since you invited @andrewfreeman to the conversation, I would like either one of you to please answer my question.
Thank you.
AC
The new change restricts the support given by the author. One example, people used to have lifetime support with the purchase of X theme by Themeco now they only get 6 months:
You canāt extend that notice because the new official support (which the 4 months refers to) is from envato and not lifetime because it is a different support and agreement from the lifetime one you are referencing.
The support you are referring to is between you and the author NOT envato so does not get the same notice.
Only envato guaranteed support (which only began on September the 1st and did not exist before) shows up next to the file name in your account.
You can pay and extend the envato support and then it will say longer OR you can continue with the ālifetimeā support offered by the author for FREE but this will not modify that notice in your account and does not come with envatos own official guarantee (as was the case when the file was purchased).
What envato are charging for is like an āextended guaranteeā with any other product in real life and their protection which is not the same thing when relying on the author support. There is zero obligation to buy it and in actual fact that they are giving purchases since Sept 1st is a bonus benefit to buyers BUT does not change what buyers got before in any way at all.
The reason your notification wonāt change is because it is not the same thing and a completely different support service from what you are concerned about.
When did I take their name? I am not talking in their name either. I am simply trying to help clarify your concerns and explain that you have nothing to worry about.
I was invited to be a moderator by envato.
I have invited Andrew to answer your questions although as per his response linked above nothing has changed in your circumstances.
@charlie4282 is just trying to help you, so chill a little bit, ok?
It was explained gazillion times already in this forum, but I understand, this new support policy is a little bit of a mess, especially for buyers. But the point is, there is no reason for you as a buyer to be mad or anything, because those new changes are actually in your favor.
There never was lifetime support on ThemeForest, NEVER. If you purchased an item and its author promised you the lifetime support, than it is between you and him, Envato has nothing to do with it, and you can pretty much ignore any info about length of your support. But thinking that you will really receive a lifetime support for a fixed price for ANY product (digital or physical) is totally delusional - but Envato is not to blame, the author who promised you that is. They never encouraged authors to promote something like that.
So, before 1st Sep, support was optional, Envato didnāt guaranteed you that you will receive any support for your item. But now, you have guaranteed 6 months of support (if the item is marked as supported), so if author refuses to help you (and you are not asking anything beyond support description), Envato should stand on your side and you will be much easier eligible for a refund.
Ad new user issue: this forum is a separated system from the marketplace, and if you just joined it today, you are considered as a new member here (I am not saying it is good, but it is how it is).
1st. Those changes are not in favor of the buyers. Those changes have been established so a new monetization system can be implemented for the authors (70%) and Envato (30%).
2nd. I am not delusional, some products I bought 4 years ago and I still get access to support, now the support has been limited to 4 months. Most of the products I purchased had lifetime support and updates. Now the support is limited to the next 4 months.
3rd Before 1st Sep support was always included. I never had a problem with an author refusing to help me, on the contrary they all have been very helpful and eager to help every single time.
4th Look at this picture, now tell me again how is it.
It is pointless to post in this thread, no one from Envato will respond here any more, and one day it will just be closed and thatās it. Support policy is active as they wanted it, and authors and buyers have no say in it anymore. This is the way Envato operates now.
