Not sure I'm happy with Scott anymore
Sorry for this,
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I just learned that Scott has gone back to their old ways. For a while they allowed for less expensive versions of individual countries as an on-line catalogue purchase. I liked having this option, I could get a single country usually in the range of $17. Now they have gone back to 6 books, subscription based, $99 a book/year. I had to send an email to ask, but the way too proud of themselves email I received implies that if you don't re-subscribe every year, you don't get access. If they weren't so expensive in the first place, I would likely buy them every year. Way to acquire a captive audience, you greedy bastards. Time to go back to used print books or just find a different catalogue to use.
WHY would I spend $99 a year for a book I can't keep unless I pay every year when I can buy a new paper copy for the same price and have it forever?
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-------Begin Rant---------
I just learned that Scott has gone back to their old ways. For a while they allowed for less expensive versions of individual countries as an on-line catalogue purchase. I liked having this option, I could get a single country usually in the range of $17. Now they have gone back to 6 books, subscription based, $99 a book/year. I had to send an email to ask, but the way too proud of themselves email I received implies that if you don't re-subscribe every year, you don't get access. If they weren't so expensive in the first place, I would likely buy them every year. Way to acquire a captive audience, you greedy bastards. Time to go back to used print books or just find a different catalogue to use.
WHY would I spend $99 a year for a book I can't keep unless I pay every year when I can buy a new paper copy for the same price and have it forever?
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Comments
I've got access from 2015 onward of Scott Specialized US. Yes, I've "rebought" them every year, but it doesn't go away. So if you have books you've already bought, you will still be able to access them indefinitely (or as long as the website lasts...)
But I too am annoyed with Amos Publishing (Scott), as this year they took the "Yellow Pages" out of Scott Specialized (value by grade). They supposedly are releasing a new catalog specifically to address this section, but 5 months after the new years books have been released, this price catalog has still not been released either printed nor electronically. Seems they are falling apart over there.
Gee, nowhere do they mention all the people who demanded to pay $99 for just one year of access to one volume.
They have gone the way of big software. Subscription based, forced upgrades, smaller sections (like software modules), lots of money and made up statistics about what the customers want. They don't seem to want to acknowledge that the hobby as a whole is shrinking. Instead of forcing the upgrades, they need to recognize the problem for what it is. Do we really need updated prices every year? How about they release a new catalogue every other year or every third year? The prices don't change that much. They are going to mess around and put themselves out of the market. I also think they are trying to force the digital because they raised the price of the paper books. Would not surprise me if the paper books go away in a couple years.
Do we really need updated prices every year? No. We need updated prices as soon as they are determined, every day if they have them. If a stamp from Australia suddenly sees a price increase in May, why wait until the following April to update the catalogue. Take advantage of this technology; update prices as they occur. After all, that is where the majority of the ongoing production cost is, for these catalogues (I’m guessing).
All of the advantages Scott is touting for the new subscription model are exactly the same advantages one would experience with the old purchase model. I don’t know who they think they’re fooling with their breathless excitement.
By the way, I’m not just venting here. I wrote to them expressing my feelings. I’m not holding my breath waiting for a response.
If they made the whole world available for $99 a year, I bet Greg’s last dollar they would get more than the combined subscribers they’ll get with the current plan.
In fact there would be no need for specialized catalogues with a database format. One stamp entry could contain all about the stamp. Very wishful thinking on my part.