ComplaintsforAutodesk, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/27/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We purchased 16 permanent licenses to AutoCAD 2018 many years ago, before Autodesk released information about their plans to retire permanent licenses or change their previous version rights policy. We have purchased additional license since as our business needs have expanded. These new license require us to update our license server's license file each year. We noticed that our license server no longer allows us to use our 16 permanent licenses to AutoCAD 2018. This put us in a "line down" situation where our manufacturing plant could not produce. We initiated a case with Autodesk directly requesting they reenable the permanent licenses. We informed Autodesk of the nature of the urgency for our request. As you can read in the attached, ***** from Autodesk refused to provide such a license file. A lot of back-and-forth transpired, where ***** cited several pieces of documentation from Autodesk's website supposedly supporting his refusal to provide the license file, but all of these documents were authored after the purchase of our permanent license and so do not apply to that contractual purchase.I am filing this complaint for two reasons: 1) I want others to be aware of the progressive, passive, yet intentional effort Autodesk has made over the past few years to reduce the service they provide to longstanding customers who own extant permanent software licenses. This has happened through their incremental release of documentation on their website (not widely disseminated or clearly announced to existing customers) which, iteratively attempts to retroactively rewrite the contractual rights of these customers. This has happened in the recent years since Autodesk has moved to an SAS subscription license model. 2) I still need the updated license file from ********************** with these licenses enabled and assurance that this situation will not be repeated in future years when I need to update our license file each year.

  Business response

  11/02/2021

  Hi ******* ,

   

  We are sorry to hear about the issue with your license files and have looked into the issue. It looks like you have a case , 18304088 , open with one of our Autodesk representatives and the issue is currently being addressed. We will follow the issue to make sure it is handled correctly. 

   

  Sincerely, 

   

  Autodesk Customer Loyalty 

  Customer response

  11/03/2021

   
  Complaint: 16067159
  
  First, thank you for the reply; I appreciate your willingness to follow this through to an amenable solution. I am rejecting this response because the case number you reference has been prematurely closed several times by the individual addressing the case (which you can see in the notes I attached to this complaint. This attachment details the full history of this case). Based on this dialogue, you should be able to understand my concern about not trusting that the case will be resolved effectively considering the repeated premature closures. To that end, I am requesting this complaint be kept open until the issue has been adequately resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  11/08/2021

  Hi *******, 

   

  Currently the case for you issue is sopen and is ongoing since there is further review happening to make the license issue is reviewed properly. You should hear back from the agent once they have decieded how to resolve the issue. 

   

  Sincerely,

   

  Autodesk Customer Loyalty 

  Customer response

  11/10/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. I find their response an acceptable next step, but it is not a resolution. As the business says, the case is still ongoing. As the longstanding, ongoing nature of this case has a lot to do with why I filed the complaint in the first place, Therefore, please do not close the complaint at this time. I would like this complaint be left open until the business has resolved the case.

  Thank you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩