HU - little change for the Free items

24

Comments

  • 3WC3WC Posts: 1,086
    edited December 1969

    The weekly newsletter freebie seems to be unaffected, came through as usual today.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    wwes said:
    The weekly newsletter freebie seems to be unaffected, came through as usual today.

    The newsletter I got today showed this product http://www.daz3d.com/new-releases/jump-your-way as only free with purchase and for PC members. If this is the weekly freebie, then it looks like the change was implemented.

    And I noticed a lot of the beginner stuff freebies have a price now.

    http://www.daz3d.com/free-3d-models-and-content?limit=60

    Not sure how I feel about this. Part of the reason I got into DAZ is that there were a bunch of freebies for beginners to whet their appetite. For a bit of time, I only got the weekly freebies until I was confident enough to buy from the DAZ store. While this change doesn't affect me or the rest of us directly, I'm not sure I'd recommend DAZ now as enthusiastically as I did before to a newbie. The freebies were a selling point and I'm not really sure how much DAZ will be profiting from those now that they have a cost, so I'm on the fence if this is a wise move. Penny pinching over goodwill to entry-level customers might not be good in the long run. :coolhmm:

  • 3WC3WC Posts: 1,086
    edited February 2013

    Yep, weekly freebie no longer free. I unsubscribed from the newsletter, that was the only reason I was getting it.

    Post edited by 3WC on
  • KatteyKattey Posts: 2,899
    edited December 1969

    BorgyB said:

    And I noticed a lot of the beginner stuff freebies have a price now.

    http://www.daz3d.com/free-3d-models-and-content?limit=60


    Nothing from this link has a price tag for me.

    It seems to be yet another "benefit" for PC members.

  • KeryaKerya Posts: 10,943
    edited December 1969

    Given my budget lately, the weekly freebies and sharecg have been just about my only sources of 3D Models.

    I will miss them.

    The only item I have bought recently was 3DUniverse's Toon Cow, and I couldn't even use it until recently when it got updated!

    Like they say, All Things (good or bad) must come to an end!

    There is the Renderosity free stuff area too.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited February 2013

    Kattey said:
    BorgyB said:

    And I noticed a lot of the beginner stuff freebies have a price now.

    http://www.daz3d.com/free-3d-models-and-content?limit=60


    Nothing from this link has a price tag for me.

    It seems to be yet another "benefit" for PC members.

    Huh. Thanks for that, though I don't see the logic why DAZ went this route. Although it makes sense for PC members to get extra benefits, the stuff in the freebies section are hardly top of the line and are entry level tutorials, tools, and stuff. Now, if DAZ put some more enticing initial freebies for PC membership, that might work (like maybe a few PA exclusives) to entice new subscribers.

    As it stands, I can't see how reserving these old things for PC members will be winning any new memberships. I mean Content Paradise, RDNA, etc. have had those same freebies for years and I don't think they're going to be pulled out anytime soon. While it's true, there are other places for those just looking for freebies, I think this move wouldn't win DAZ any goodwill points for present or future customers (in fact, may influence them to the competition instead).

    This goes the same for the weekly freebie. I probably won't be enticed to buy something just to get it (unless it's reallllly good). I've always viewed them as nice things to have and nice of DAZ as a company to put them out for everyone, which then becomes available for sale later on for the new ones or those who weren't able to get them at first. But making it something like a BOGO doesn't really work for me personally.

    It might work if the extra freebie remains a freebie for the duration of its availability, meaning it's not just free for the first week but instead as a permanent "buy something from DAZ, and get this, too" selection.

    All in all, I don't really see the marketing or profit strategy these new changes fulfill. *shrugs* :coolhmm:

    Post edited by Servant on
  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,501
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    Given my budget lately, the weekly freebies and sharecg have been just about my only sources of 3D Models.

    I will miss them.

    The only item I have bought recently was 3DUniverse's Toon Cow, and I couldn't even use it until recently when it got updated!

    Like they say, All Things (good or bad) must come to an end!

    There is the Renderosity free stuff area too.

    ...they also offer a monthly freebie as well.

  • edited December 1969

    wwes said:
    Yep, weekly freebie no longer free. I unsubscribed from the newsletter, that was the only reason I was getting it.

    Yeah, same here. Since the genesis push and the dwindling amount of v4/m4 stuff the only reason I still got the news letter was for the freebies. I am sure there will be a lot of unsubscribes - hope the servers can handle it.

  • booleanNmaresbooleanNmares Posts: 5
    edited December 1969

    Weekly freebies are what has drawn me to Studio in the first place. Weekly freebies are what keeps me looking at the newsletter with interest.

    When I see something that I like, I buy it, but I can't afford a PC membership and I won't buy one for the freebies.

    I think turning an old tradition like the weekly freebie into a BOGO offer will do DAZ more harm than good. I bet very few customers will buy something they didn't intend to buy only to get the freebie, while many others will lose their interest and sympathy for the company due to this.

    I'm very disappointed at this decision. This isn't giving PC members something more, it's giving everyone else something less.

  • robkelkrobkelk Posts: 3,259
    edited December 1969

    Kerya said:
    Given my budget lately, the weekly freebies and sharecg have been just about my only sources of 3D Models.

    I will miss them.

    The only item I have bought recently was 3DUniverse's Toon Cow, and I couldn't even use it until recently when it got updated!

    Like they say, All Things (good or bad) must come to an end!

    There is the Renderosity free stuff area too.

    And the RuntimeDNA weekly newsletter freebie and "Zero Price Items," as well.

    This is exactly why I keep compiling free-resources lists over in General Freepozitory. Not everybody has disposable income, especially in the middle of a recession - some folks count on the freebies to get any new content at all.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited February 2013

    Weekly freebies are what has drawn me to Studio in the first place. Weekly freebies are what keeps me looking at the newsletter with interest.

    When I see something that I like, I buy it, but I can't afford a PC membership and I won't buy one for the freebies.

    I think turning an old tradition like the weekly freebie into a BOGO offer will do DAZ more harm than good. I bet very few customers will buy something they didn't intend to buy only to get the freebie, while many others will lose their interest and sympathy for the company due to this.

    I'm very disappointed at this decision. This isn't giving PC members something more, it's giving everyone else something less.

    Yes. PC club members already get a freebie separate from the weekly one, so I'm not clear as to why and how this would help entice new subscribers.


    robkelk said:
    Kerya said:
    Given my budget lately, the weekly freebies and sharecg have been just about my only sources of 3D Models. I will miss them. The only item I have bought recently was 3DUniverse's Toon Cow, and I couldn't even use it until recently when it got updated! Like they say, All Things (good or bad) must come to an end!

    There is the Renderosity free stuff area too.


    And the RuntimeDNA weekly newsletter freebie and "Zero Price Items," as well.

    This is exactly why I keep compiling free-resources lists over in General Freepozitory. Not everybody has disposable income, especially in the middle of a recession - some folks count on the freebies to get any new content at all.

    True that and your efforts are much appreciated.

    Meanwhile, this goes back to the question of what purpose does going with this decision serve? It won't make them any additional profit, and even if there was initially, in the long run it just desensitizes customers. It certainly won't entice new customers to buy from DAZ. It also doesn't make sense to pull out the previously free stuff when the other companies do not. There's really no "angle" I'm seeing from a marketing perspective. :coolhmm:

    Post edited by Servant on
  • MechRMechR Posts: 4
    edited February 2013

    Aw, I figured this happened when I saw the "free with purchase" horse-jump. I will miss the straight-up freebies :down:

    Post edited by MechR on
  • manekiNekomanekiNeko Posts: 1,395
    edited December 1969

    Given my budget lately, the weekly freebies and sharecg have been just about my only sources of 3D Models.
    .....

    This. Me too.

    Anyway, since I only possess a netbook with poor specs right now, I managed to get DAZ 4.5 running, which I'm thankful for, but as soon as the scenes get complex it lags, gets funny - and if I try to render with HQ, it crashes. Hence I'm just fooling around, discovering the prog, all with freebies I find here, @shareCG, Rendo etc., waiting to sit on a decent system. Of course I won't invest $$$ now since I can't get a decent result due to my system..

    Also, things are a bit.. yeah.. at the moment, and I can't give a new complicated 3D prog my full attention - I'm not a 3D pro, just have a tad of basic knowledge. DAZ is comparatively simple if you just want to place content, modify it a bit simply, and get a nice render..

    Without freebies - including 4.5 & the few free things I got recently (total noob here) from DAZ themselves, I'd have nothing at all, or just a prog with no content. And instead of discovering it while salivating on the 40+ items on my wishlist I hope to slowly buy "soon", I think I would have girded my loins and started the task of discovering Blender instead (the docks make me mad), maybe Makehuman too.. Or just gone on playing the Sims and forgotten about 3D. :lol:

    So, as many people said here - I fully agree with the fact that starting with offered freebies doesn't necessary create parasite customers, but rather future consumers who will pay good $. Because even if many creators offer their paid or free stuff where else - daz3d.com still has a huge choice of good quality items, some quite basic and necessary, easy to find on the site, and very appetizingly displayed to look at! *yearn* :wow:

  • McGyverMcGyver Posts: 6,992
    edited February 2013

    REMOVED MY POST- IT WAS POINTLESS ANYWAY

    Post edited by McGyver on
  • McGrandpaMcGrandpa Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    I like your analogy of their being like an old friend with a drinking problem. DAZ have been sliding down a slippery slope with their customer base since the "acquisition". I reckon the bottom of the slope will be when they can't sell anything to anyone anymore.
    Like you said, they are a business, and this whole shebang really exists just to make them money.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    McGrandpa said:
    I reckon the bottom of the slope will be when they can't sell anything to anyone anymore.
    Like you said, they are a business, and this whole shebang really exists just to make them money.

    The funny thing is, are these actions and decisions actually making them any money? Perhaps, though likely not. Being a marketing and finance consultant before, I can't see an angle where making the freebie a BOGO entices new customers to buy anything just to get it. It just becomes a "nice addition" if someone who is going to buy something anyway will take advantage of, but if the same customers aren't looking for something else anyway, they'll just ignore the freebie. The only way I can see this working with any success is if these "freebies" were very good ones that are hard to ignore, but that may take more resources than it'd be worth on the cost side of things.

    If I were DAZ, I'd just have those old stuff from the vault and the old weekly archives given away once a week. I mean they certainly aren't going to earn them anything just languishing there. It doesn't entice the older crowd who probably have them already, but those would certainly grab the attention of the new customers just getting into the hobby or going pro (hey, free resources is always a good thing, outdated or not). No, it doesn't earn hard cash, but it does build up the intangible asset called goodwill, which pays dividends in the long run :coolsmile:

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 95,997
    edited December 1969

    Comment on the change was becoming slighting comment on the people behind it - effectively, personal attacks and those aren't allowed under the TOS. We realise this is something people will want to talk about, but the talk needs to be addressed to issues and not personalities.

  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    While I certainly like receiving the weekly freebies ... as far as the membership goes ... that's to get those really neat $1.99 deals like the hair that came out this week. It was exactly along a style I was needing ... spooky how they manage to come up with items on my search list.

  • McGrandpaMcGrandpa Posts: 464
    edited December 1969

    There ARE a bunch of things DAZ Store has I'd like to get. But I really need a source of income to get it all. I'll join the PC again WHEN I can buy. The Weekly Freebies were great, I'm a little sad to see that go. But it isn't them that keep me hanging around here at DAZ. It's everybody else that's here too. All you guys and the DAZ workers too. Its people! :-)

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited February 2013

    McGrandpa said:
    There ARE a bunch of things DAZ Store has I'd like to get. But I really need a source of income to get it all. I'll join the PC again WHEN I can buy. The Weekly Freebies were great, I'm a little sad to see that go. But it isn't them that keep me hanging around here at DAZ. It's everybody else that's here too. All you guys and the DAZ workers too. Its people! :-)

    The weekly freebies were "a nice gesture" from the perspective of the oldies but more importantly the newbies. It helped foster trust and appreciation. I was certainly one of them at one point who was wary about getting anything from DAZ due to me coming in around the time DS 3 exiting and DS4 was brand spanking new, while the different issues popped up during the changeover. Had it not been for the weekly freebies, I would never have been inclined to go to the shop and stick around and take a peek at the old forums. That led to me making a judgment call that the good outweighed the issues, and I finally made purchases at the DAZ store. I've since been hardened by the reality that not everything is milk and cookies, but I'm still patronizing their stuff because I like the PAs and the people here.

    But anyway, that's just me. I wish we knew whether the change in the freebie policies were actually bringing more new blood in or not. It might enlighten us as to how the strategy is supposed to work for future reference. :P

    Post edited by Servant on
  • booleanNmaresbooleanNmares Posts: 5
    edited December 1969

    I've just submitted a "General Feedback" ticket to the Help Desk saying that I didn't like the removal of Weekly Freebies. They said they would be forwarding my feedback to the marketing department.

    I've contacted the Help Desk in the past over minor annoyances, and they proved to be kind and efficient.

    Maybe everyone who's thinking that the change in the Freebie policy isn't a nice thing should let DAZ know via the help desk (since it has been said that the forums go unnoticed). It's under Help -> Contact Us -> Submit a Help Request. Just to let the marketing department know what a segment of the customer base thinks.

    Of course, in the end, their products are their intellectual property, and they hold all the rights to do whatever they want with them - that's undeniable. But we may make their marketing department a favor just by telling them how some people feel about the suppression of "true" Freebies.

  • DisparateDreamerDisparateDreamer Posts: 2,486
    edited December 1969

    I definitely let them know i don't like the end of freebies.

    I don't like the end of the commercial forum.

    I don't like the change to the PC club items and their "arbitrary" price change that now makes PC members gamble to choose it or loose it.

    I don't like the devaluation of the PC membership time and time again.

    I don't like the change of the store, Daz's refusal to deal with listing sale end dates, or fix long broken issues with Daz Studio. I don't like scrolling through pages of itemized history. I don't like not trusting the payment system because it just *MIGHT* decided to start randomly changing me for another membership after it was cancelled. I don't like how some people arbitrarily get deals on membership that others don't.

    And, on a slightly less pertinent note, I don't like the newest PC hair... it's so plastic-y it doesn't really look like hair. It's a rather disturbing trend. Maybe with a better hair shader, better transparency or textures or something it might be usable, but it didn't seem worth the PC price much less value price to me. Maybe it was a style experiment- more toony than real. Guess I could see that.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    I've just submitted a "General Feedback" ticket to the Help Desk saying that I didn't like the removal of Weekly Freebies. They said they would be forwarding my feedback to the marketing department.

    I've contacted the Help Desk in the past over minor annoyances, and they proved to be kind and efficient.

    Maybe everyone who's thinking that the change in the Freebie policy isn't a nice thing should let DAZ know via the help desk (since it has been said that the forums go unnoticed). It's under Help -> Contact Us -> Submit a Help Request. Just to let the marketing department know what a segment of the customer base thinks.

    Of course, in the end, their products are their intellectual property, and they hold all the rights to do whatever they want with them - that's undeniable. But we may make their marketing department a favor just by telling them how some people feel about the suppression of "true" Freebies.

    Oh, definitely. Send feedback to the marketing department and let them know what we think should be the most effective way of bringing it to their attention.

    But keep this thread active, too. It helps inform the new arrivals or those who aren't regularly online to see it and throw their POVs in the hat. Certainly, any newbie who comes in just this week alone who sees this thread will go "there was a weekly freebie? And the other DAZ stuff were free, too? Why'd they remove them?"

  • edited December 1969

    It would have been nice to get this information in a newsletter. I have a bunch of advertising in the last few weeks but I dont see an announcment that the weekly freebie is ending. ;(
    I can understand the business reasons for doing it but I lack the finances to rejoin the Premier club or make many purchases. Since I run Poser 7 a lot of the recent stuff just does not work well for me or doesnt work at all. Daz Studio just does not run and I can't find out why.

    Thanks to Daz for the freestuff in the past. I have not used much of it.

    I now have even less of a reason to visit this site.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    Markschum said:
    It would have been nice to get this information in a newsletter. I have a bunch of advertising in the last few weeks but I dont see an announcment that the weekly freebie is ending. ;(
    I can understand the business reasons for doing it but I lack the finances to rejoin the Premier club or make many purchases. Since I run Poser 7 a lot of the recent stuff just does not work well for me or doesnt work at all. Daz Studio just does not run and I can't find out why.

    Thanks to Daz for the freestuff in the past. I have not used much of it.

    I now have even less of a reason to visit this site.

    The announcement was pretty much just indicating that the new freebie having a blurb reading as "free with purchase" from last week and this week.

    On the note you mentioned about DAZ not working but Poser 7 does, that seems odd. If you're using an older machine, it might explain things. What are the specs? I'm running a pretty dated P4 with a 6 year old graphics card with less than 2 G RAM, and DS 4.0 runs (or rather walks... and sometimes crawls). DS 4.5 is no go, though (but it's fine since I don't find any immediate reason to use it yet).

    Anyway, I and the others here empathize, but send a support ticket and let Marketing know you aren't happy with the change in the weekly freebie and maybe if enough of us do so, they'll reconsider (longshot, but at least it let's them know it's not doing them any favors to have removed it).

  • KatteyKattey Posts: 2,899
    edited December 1969

    It would have been nice to get this information in a newsletter.
    It was given at least once in February 1st newsletter "What's new about the Platinum Club"
    Another change you will see in the coming week is that our Weekly Freebies will now only be free with the purchase of another item - to everyone BUT Platinum Club Members. These Freebies will continue to be free to you without any additional purchases.

    But I'm not sure if non-PC members got the similar notification.

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    Kattey said:
    It would have been nice to get this information in a newsletter.
    It was given at least once in February 1st newsletter "What's new about the Platinum Club"
    Another change you will see in the coming week is that our Weekly Freebies will now only be free with the purchase of another item - to everyone BUT Platinum Club Members. These Freebies will continue to be free to you without any additional purchases.

    But I'm not sure if non-PC members got the similar notification.

    Hm. Didn't get that newsletter, so it probably was a notification for PC only.

  • edited December 1969

    @borgyb I have an athlon 2800 processor running win xp. Studio 4 just crashes on start up. I had submitted two support tickets and three emails over a 3 month period with 0 responses from Daz so I gave it up. Same thing happens on my dual processor laptop with 4 gb memory.

    I dont worry anymore about stuff like that, life is too short. It just means a pile of purchases never were made and I dont mind that either. ;-)

  • ServantServant Posts: 754
    edited December 1969

    Markschum said:
    @borgyb I have an athlon 2800 processor running win xp. Studio 4 just crashes on start up. I had submitted two support tickets and three emails over a 3 month period with 0 responses from Daz so I gave it up. Same thing happens on my dual processor laptop with 4 gb memory.

    I dont worry anymore about stuff like that, life is too short. It just means a pile of purchases never were made and I dont mind that either. ;-)

    Huh. That should do ok for DS4 and below. Ah well, that's too bad.

  • anikadanikad Posts: 1,919
    edited December 1969

    I don't like the change of the store, Daz's refusal to deal with listing sale end dates,

    I've come to the conclusion that Daz doesn't actually know when a sale is going to end, they decide at some point during the sale not before the sale starts.

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