Moderator: Removed.

As this thread has demonstrated, we very much want to engage with clients and welcome feedback.  However, it needs to remain respectful and in the realm of accurate.  Any posts that stray from this will be removed. 

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Moderator: Removed.

As this thread has demonstrated, we very much want to engage with clients and welcome feedback.  However, it needs to remain respectful and in the realm of accurate.  Any posts that stray from this will be removed. 

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

I actually do have a question in regards to the subject of Fences 5 Upgrade FAQ

Maybe it should be obvious but I have been trying to get clarification none the less.

Does a classic Object Dock subscription allow Fences 5 to follow the classic rules as stated under the text What is 'Object Desktop Classic'

Fences would follow this:

https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1544388616/Stardock+Software+Subscriptions

That said, it's unclear what exactly you are asking.  Is there a 'for example' that you have in mind?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager  

Hello Sean,

Thank you for your response.

I do have an example. Object Desktop Classic follows these rules

'Prior to May 2023, Object Desktop subscriptions had an annual renewal cycle but were not automatically charged - it was a manual process for the client to purchase more time for the product. If you see ‘Classic Subscription’ on your Object Desktop product in your account, it means your purchase of the product was made before that date. Other than the product being billed automatically henceforth via a ‘renew’ or ‘extend’, no other characteristics of the Classic product will change.

For the ‘Classic’ Object Desktop product, if the subscription lapses, the included software will continue to function at the versions that were available when the subscription lapsed.'

If I were to subscribe to object desktop classic could I assume that Fences 5 as included with object desktop would also follow the rule as listed  i.e. software will continue to function at the versions that were available when the subscription lapsed

You are most welcome.

A Classic OD sub can no longer be purchased outright I am afraid. 

That said, if you had one (or renewed and expired one), yes, that would be true. 

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Thanks for the explanation. It all makes sense in the wording but there is still a lot of change to take in none the less.

It does appear there is a silver lining for long time loyal customers! This is good   

Well said.

Nice. Even sensible complaints against redacting posts get deleted.   

As long as this crazy pricing policy is maintained, that's it for me with your software.   

Quoting DeDaDo, reply 108

Nice. Even sensible complaints against redacting posts get deleted.   

To be fair... most of the deleted posts not only were completely off-topic, because they neither had much or anything to do with the upgrade nor the prices - even if some of them had mentioned other things which, for sure, should be discussed - just not in this topic. Others also lacked quite a bit of any respect. And then some of them sounded like "yeah, your software is crap anyway..." and these especially don't much sense here, because, well... if you don't like the product, you probably won't care about upgrading it anyway. So, even not liking what Stardock is doing here as far as Fences 5 Upgrades go, I can see why cleaning up this thread made sense - it slowly became just "bashing", which certainly reduces the willingness to discuss the actual topic on hand further.

As an additional note to add to the discussion.

As of this post, Fences 5 is still in beta. Anything that is still in beta testing deserves to be treated as such. Beta software should be for people that are willing to work with faults and provide feedback on how to make those faults better. The subscription and pricing is also all part of the release preview.

Since Fences 5 is still in beta testing this is actually the peak time to fix things that may be broken and good ideas can in fact become implemented in the final release. Feedback that is left should be aimed at fixing software issues and be solution orientated.

Subject: 🌟 Appreciation and Concerns About Recent Changes 🌟

Hey Stardock community,

Firstly, I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who showed their support with Karma (upvotes/thumbs up) or shared similar sentiments as I did in my original reply.

I've been a fan for a while, but recent developments have me scratching my head.

I've noticed there's no love for Steam customers when it comes to upgrade discounts, particularly for those who've been loyal fans but chose to buy from Steam at the start. It feels a bit off, especially considering the potential savings on Steam fees if an upgrade path from Steam to the Stardock storefront existed. Imagine the win-win situation – users get a smoother transition, and Stardock saves on fees.

The permanent license upgrade cost has seen a significant increase, pushing users toward annual subscriptions. It feels like a shift in strategy, and the costs are a concern.

Fences 4, while it has its merits, has been a bit bumpy, especially for those with a multi-monitor setup. It's disheartening that this has been a persistent issue, and I'm left wondering when Stardock will prioritize a fix.

On a different note, congratulations on celebrating 30 years!
However, it has me wondering – thirty years of what? Are we celebrating glitches and pricing changes? If you're considering a subscription, be mindful that it might contribute to the anniversary festivities of questionable decisions.

The leap from Fences 4 to Fences 5 seems puzzling to me. Perhaps there's a vision that I, as a user, am missing.

I've always had a soft spot for Stardock, and I hope these recent moves are more about genuine software improvements than just an anniversary celebration.

Let's discuss openly and respectfully...

I highly doubt you are capable.

I left the determination of what to do with the antagonistic and insulting comments to Sean as it's his thread.

My response would have been to delete the comment AND its creator.

You as a customer have the right to seek assistance from Stardock's Support team.  You have not purchased the right to insult them.

Parroting [quoting] your insults is not 'support'.  It shows naive indifference with an inability to formulate their own opinions.

If you do not like Stardock's pricing vote with your feet and leave.

No-one is stopping you.  That is the meaning of commercial free enterprise.

Is this a joke? No upgrade path for permanent license owners? And 300% on your pricing? 

I'll find an alternative. To all of your software. 

There's a word for "an upgrade for a permanent license": It's "subscription"...or alternatively, a new permanent license purchase.

...you must be joking... right? padme.jpg

I have owned Fences since the first versions. Never subscribed, always purchased the permanent license.

Upgrading Fences v.4 to v.5 now costs too much and I don't think I will ever upgrade the product. In fact, I am more inclined to completely change software with others from other companies or completely remove the dependency (I have no problem doing this as I'm deleting more and more files from the desktop to make it cleaner).

Many people will also be inclined to crack the program rather than pay these exorbitant amounts, keep this in mind.

Valve has been a valued software partner for many many years; one that would be very upset if we offered a migration path off of their platform.

That said, as we have with all our Steam software versions, Steam users will have an upgrade path once Fences 5 is available there.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

so if i have a current OD subscription am i even eligble for Fences 5

Yes, of course.  It would be on your account page:

https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

I paid to upgrade to Fences 4 as soon as it was announced.  But now $30 to upgrade ?? I think I will stay with Fences 4 . Maybe...someday...I'll catch a "sale" .If not...oh well.

Received an email today for a permanent Fences v5 upgrade @ 7.99USD from SD.  Or slightly more in CAD 11.99. 

Anyone else get this?

Nevermind it's a trick. I chose get it now, then I selected the small text "upgrade" it asks for my email to see if I qualify and then says 10.99 CAD but if you don't look carefully it says billed annually.  That's not an upgrade.  

I have a Fences 4 license but is it possible to get a discount with a permanent Fences 5? From the screens it seems you can either purchase a subscription with a discount if you are a previous owner (X)or a permanent upgrade but without a discount. Any ideas?

How do I get a refund?

I wanted a permanent license, not an annual subscription to one.

I got an upgrade, 7.99 as a user of fences 4, but apparently it was for an annual subscription which i didn't want. How to process the refund please.