As Hadley mentioned last week, we think we have answered the requests of Vlingo users! We are EXCITED to announce that Vlingo Everywhere – a new feature of Vlingo Plus 4.0 is available starting today!
For a limited time only, Vlingo 4.0 Plus is available for a onetime fee of $14.99 (normally $19.99) and Vlingo 3.0 Plus users can upgrade for $9.99.
Current 3.0 Plus users who want to upgrade to Vlingo 4.0 Plus will need to download Vlingo 4.0 from www.vlingo.com. After installing Vlingo 4.0 click on 'Get Vlingo Everywhere' from the homescreen.
What is Vlingo Everywhere?
Vlingo Everywhere allows you to use Vlingo with virtually every application on your BlackBerry including BlackBerry Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Maps and more. You can speak almost anywhere you can type. Use your voice to type into:
• Instant messengers: BBM, AIM, Yahoo, Windows Live
• Calendar entries
• Websites (any text box)
• Any messaging or email screen
• Your address book to add new contacts
• Other downloaded Apps* including App World and more!
Get Vlingo Everywhere!
See the demo!
Vlingo Everywhere from Vlingo on Vimeo.
Erin Keleher, Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Vlingo
Posts
38 comments:
If you already paid for a version of Vlingo must you pay again, or will their be an upgrade for those of us who already paid $17.99?
Hi Ken,
For a limited time Plus users can upgrade to Plus 4.0 with Vlingo Everywhere for $9.99. Download 4.0 and click on "Get Vlingo Everywhere" on the home screen.
Cheers,
Hadley
I will be upgrading my blackberry in the next few months. I have read that you only support changing phones for one month after purchase after that you must buy again. Is this true?
I Just got it... Its great, voice recognition is very good but unfortunately in does NOT work with Blackberry Messenger Groups which for me is very disappointing as I use that alot. Hopfully this will be addressed in a future update.
Very slow (it slowly types one letter at a time) when used with Blackberrys memo pad and Blackberry browser and doesn't work in bbm groups.
I now can't use Vlingo because 4.0 (worked fine on 3.3) requires Interactions: Security Timer Reset permissions and our BES locks that from being allowed. Not a good choice since I'm sure a lot of corporate users have that same restriction.
Sadly it is true, if you change your phone (after a month) you lose the app!
Found a workaround for permissions problem:
http://forums.crackberry.com/f145/vlingo-4-0-everywhere-382812/#post4275904
I bought 3.0 several months ago (I think 6+) and paid $18 for the App.
Am I the only one who thinks it is COMPLETELY unethical for me to pay 10 bucks more ($28 total) for an app that new users pay $15 for? It's like I am being penalized for supporting this company. Not to mention that the app didn't even work for a month while I was patiently waiting for an update to Blackberry 5.0; that alone should provide me with a free upgrade.
Wait is your reasoning for punishing your long time customers? & how can I go about getting some compensation for the one month down-time?
I totally agree with the previous anonymous. It really is ridiculous how us who supported the app and paid full price have to pay much more than new users. And ditto on the month of no 5.0 support. I would just like to hear the logic behind that. At least have a the decency to explain those who purchased and supported the app and contributed to its get nickel and dimed now.
Let's say I tell my kids "if you give daddy a hug I'll give you 9.99.
My son gives me a hug and I give him 9.99, while my daughter says she'll think about it. A couple of months later, my daughter gives me a hug and says "okay, now I'll give you a hug; I was just wanting until you were perfect for hugging." Then I give her 14.99. How just is that for my son?
My response from Suppport:
"Hello
Thank you for contacting Vlingo Customer Support.
Your upgrade to Vlingo Plus 4.0 will still be free. You can just download Vlingo 4.0 and Plus should activate automatically. What will not be included in your upgrade is Vlingo Everywhere.
Best regards,
Amin
Vlingo Support"
So basically they are wording it in a clever way to get us to pay. I downloaded 4.0 and there is NOTHING new about it, except for the option to pay for "Everywhere".
The new people are paying $15 for Vlingo Plus AND "Everywhere". When we are paying $27 for Vlingo Plus AND Everywhere.
WTF?!?!
Yeah, they are so clever in there wording. My response from "support"
Hello
Thank you for contacting Vlingo Customer Support.
Vlingo Everywhere is a major new feature introduced in Vlingo 4 which allows you to speak to insert text virtually anywhere you can type on your BlackBerry, including into any built-in or third-party application. Since this is a new feature, and an extension of Vlingo Plus, there is a one-time charge to purchase it.
I asked the guy to EXPLAIN the logic behind the screw-over pricing and he totally dodged the question.
I'm gonna pass on the love and tell everyone NOT to get "4.0 Vlingo Everywhere." They should just wait until "5.0 Vlingo Everywhere Plus" or else they'll get charged a "special" upgrade fee of only $9.99 and then charged new comers $14.99.
I just purchased VLINGO Plus on Dec. 8th late aft. for $17.99, 36 hours later there is a major enhancement 4.0 PLUS with "Everywhere" that costs $14.99 However for me to upgrade it states that I need credit card information for the additional $9.99
VERY WRONG! Getting my refund, one way or the other. Mastercard will stick by me most certainly, while these folks cannot even reply to my emails.. no phone number to reach anyone of course!!!
E.J.
This company royally sucks. I filled out the support form twice now, both times I get a response not answering any of my questions. The person who responds marks the support problem as "solved" so I can't reply again.
I asked how I can be compensated for the 1 month when it didn't support 5.0, and also why I have to pay $27 for something that new customers pay $15 for. Neither question was addressed in my response. They insisted that 4.0 upgrade is free for me, which it is, but there aren't any new features unless I pay extra.
I'm really sick of this. I suggest that NOBODY purchase this app unless you are willing to pay again for every feature upgrade.
Very slow, at times it would be FAR quicker to type. Also I'm shocked to learn that you can't move Vlingo to another phone if you upgrade and you have to repurchase at full price!!!!????!!!!
First of all thank you for your feedback. While we do hear your concerns about people paying different amounts over time for Vlingo Plus, this is generally how software works. Whether it’s Mac OS, Office, Windows or virus software -- major releases almost always involve an additional fee, often without a discount to people who have already paid. In our case we’ve elected to offer Vlingo Plus 3.0 users a special upgrade price. The overwhelming feedback so far is that $9.99 is a small price to pay to add the ability to use Vlingo with virtually any app on your BlackBerry.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions for different ways of handling this issue. One option we’ve been thinking about is an option to pay a monthly subscription which allows users to always have access to the latest version at no additional costs. Do you think this would be more equitable? Thanks again for you feedback.
Cheers,
Hadley
Hi Hadley Harris,
Please can you explain why you have to purchase Vlingo again at full price when you upgrade your phone?
Hadley Harris. If this was OEM I would totally agree with you. But it isn't. With all retail versions of MS Office and MS Operating systems the software can be moved from one PC to the next as long as it has been removed from the prior PC. That's why buying retail is better. If I know I will have a computer for a very long time I buy OEM.
Not only can I move the retail versions from one PC to the next, I get "for free" all security patches and service packs (which often add new functionality). Heck, the updates and patches come for free on OEM as well.
I purchased Vlingo at full retail pricing for $18 6 months ago. Now Vlingo tells me I need to spend more money if I switch devices. I don't think so. I will never buy Vlingo, and will tell everyone I know not to buy Vlingo until this is changed to something more reasonable. Vlingo software is good, but the company STINKS. I feel cheated.
Hadley Harris? Do you have an answer?
It would be nice if the upgrade worked the way Vlingo says. I purchased V Pro 3 for 14.99. One week later I replaced my Curve with a B0ld. Should have been able to run V Pro 3 for free on new phone, but it wasn't compatible. When v4 came out I should have been able to get V Pro 4 for 9.99. After two weeks and numerous contacts with customer support, I ended up having to pay 14.99 AGAIN for software I just bought less than a month before.
Whoever is running Vlingo makes great software but can't handle a simple customer issue like this. Unlike every other gadget software company I've ever dealt with - all of who seem to bend over backwards to help people out, EVEN when moving software that is years old onto a new device.
I'm hoping Vlingo gets its crap together and finally addresses my issue before I finish and publish my review
Hi Glitch,
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience thus far with the support. Can you please respond with your ticket number, so I can look up the details of your incident.
Thanks,
Luis
HH: "One option we’ve been thinking about is an option to pay a monthly subscription which allows users to always have access to the latest version at no additional costs."
Oh, yes! Please please please let us pay you money every month so we don't have to pay you money! What the hell? Also, please let me know what is new about the upgrade from 3+ to 4+ if I don't want to pay you more money.
I love how new users pay $20 for 4+ and Everywhere, and your existing faithful customers who helped make you what you are get to pay $30 (for a limited time, which will soon be $40). Way to show us your appreciation and gratitude, Vlingo. Looks like this has already started to sully your reputation substantially. I'll no longer be recommending your product, which will likely cost you a few sales. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising, and had you treated your existing customers with respect, you would have a lot more of them.
"The overwhelming feedback so far is that $9.99 is a small price to pay to add the ability to use Vlingo with virtually any app on your BlackBerry."
Pardon? The feedback I am seeing is 100% negative.
Anonymous AMEN
No, you are NOT the only one who thinks this is totally unethical.
I changed from my BB Pearl to a Tour in September, so I was without this app since then, as the Tour works off the 5.0 OS.
I sent Vlingo support a question as to why my registration number (which I gave to them) did not work. Guess how they fixed it? They gave me the same registration number. HELPFUL? NOT. Then they closed my ticket, saying “Issue solved.” Further their form responses don’t even fully address the issue or answer the actual questions posed by returning customers. I should always be wary of companies w/o phone numbers for customer support.
Now I am being asked to pay again, when it was me (us) who had (initially) supported Vlingo, not the people who are only now purchasing the application. We should 1) get this upgrade for free, 2) should be able to transfer the application from phone to phone, maybe with the caveat that the phone has the same phone number - none of this 'one month' business 3) be valued by Vlingo for supporting them in their infancy, which we clearly are not.
Finally, don't get me started on Vlingo's rep's comment about the "overwhelming response" from the customers. I'd bet that they are either not clued in to the total price they are paying, or they really like to get the shaft.
I used this application quite a bit while I had my pearl, now having been without since September, I wonder just how much more I will miss it if I refuse to pony up another 10 bucks. Answer: not a bit.
Hey, Vlingo - Issue Solved.
First of all, thank you very much for your feedback; we appreciate the fact that you’ve taken the time to write these. You have brought up some good questions and concerns. I promise you that as we continue to evolve our policies and pricing going forward, we will consider this feedback very seriously.
Our goal is to find the right pricing and policies that are consistent with the value our products provide to our customers. It’s feedback from customer like you that help shape those policies. Please continue to send us your thoughts, even if we don’t always respond, none of it will be ignored.
Thank you,
Hadley
Completely Unethical on the part of vlingo. Love the app but definitely wont reccomend it anymore or pay extra money for what is essentially an upgrade. absurd
Listening....transmitting...thinking
TERRIBLE SUPPORT
I've attempted to download the update on 4 different occasions but I keep getting the message that I STILL need to update. Naturally, this has completely disabled the existing version of Vlingo on my phone.
Vlingo needs to get their s*** together. Nuking functional software on user's devices isn't going to drive any sales.
Hello,
We'd like to help you, but we are going to need some more information. Can you please contact support at http://vlingo.com/vlingo/contact_support.jsp
Luis, Vlingo Support
Agree with all the above complaints. A licensing scheme like this, where even transferring the software to a new phone can require you to pay again, is unjustifiable. So, frankly, I'm not surprised the justification isn't forthcoming.
Telling all my business associates not to get Vlingo for their blackberries as long as policies like this are in place.
Dear Hadley Harris,
Hope you had a good christmas. We are still waiting for a response from you in regards to Sam's question
"Please can you explain why you have to purchase Vlingo again at full price when you upgrade your phone?"
and lol's question
"do you personally think it's reasonable that your company is charging customers full price again simply because they lost or changed there phones? Or like me do you think it's just pure greed?"
Are you going to answer or continue to ignore this issue?
Early Users should get the best pricing -- as they are the users that helped to get you off the ground in the first place.
Subsequent users should be paying a higher fee. If you expect early users to pay a upgrade fee, the upgrade fee + the original amounts paid should not exceed what a new user pays.
As you roll an upgrade, you might consider having a limited time for free upgrades for the early adoptors of the new code (who will likely pay the price in software bugs/compatability issues.)
The way your pricing is now, I would recommend that any potential customer just wait until they see a deal comming from you. If past is any indicator of the future, you will be offering the entire suite for $9.99 again.
Thanks again for taking the time to write us. In regard to our transfer policy, our aim is to be in line with other premium mobile services. Our one-time payments are meant to be for the life of the device, not a perpetual license across many different devices. http://www.vlingo.com/terms.jsp We do, however, allow users to transfer they’re license to a replacement device within the first year, which I believe was lol’s question. If you break your device and replace it with the same device on the same phone #, the Plus functionality should work automatically. If it doesn't, please contact customer support at http://www.vlingo.com/vlingo/contact_support.jsp
As I mentioned, our goal is to have our policies be in line with other premium services. We take this feedback very seriously and will take it into account as we continue to evolve our offering.
Thanks,
Hadley
Hi Hadley Harris,
While I strongly disagree with this policy, I feel you have handled our questions with real class. Thank you for your time.
Will Vlingo work on the new Droid from Verizon? I use it now on my Blackberry and MUST have it when I get my new phone tomorrow.
I haven't downloaded or used the Google version yet, but you should have mentioned a synopsis of the license agreement for vlingo. This is quite an extensive set of rules the user is agreeing to and there is a mention of a subscription fee basis without any further explanation. I would simply recommend anyone who chooses to use the free app to read carefully the terms of service agreement which you must accept before gaining access to the app.
I understand paying for Research and Development, but I don't understand why 4 months after paying $18.00 for an app, some of the benefits I had before are now an "upgrade" and won't work until I pay another $10.00. I work with 5000 employees and my son is in the army (large group)and everyone we talk to is appalled by your practices for charging customers.
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