I am so very frustrated and trying to reach CUSTOMER NO SERVICE at Corel! The chat on the website does not work -- I have tried it numerous times and always get the answer there is no one available online -- so how does this constitute being online 24 hours M-Th as they advertise? The phone number listed directs you back to the website. Maddening!!
Three of my machines have started showing a popup that my software is illegal, and directs me to a link to contact customer support, which, you guessed it! directs me back to the website!! I should not have to PAY for support to ask a question or clarify this issue. I own a full copy of the software for each of my machines. All I want to do is get this resolved!!
And then, since our company is growing and we are adding yet another graphics work station for a new hire next week (yes, I already bought another full copy of the software for that machine!!), I thought about exploring a site license or even the subscription service but, shock! I can't contact anyone to talk about my options!!
VERY FRUSTRATED!!!
Hello Lisa,
can you please contact me directly per email / direct message on this site, and I will see how I can help. I will reply from my Corel.com email address so that you know it's from Corel, and will need your serial number and proof of purchase to check if your software has been flagged by mistake. From past experience, purchasing from marketplace / auction sites is usually not legitimate software. The other problem could be that the serial number you are using has been used more than what is allowed through the End User License Agreement.
Yes, in the past, we had some whole with the registration process and didn't check for validity. With CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, you can only get a free Standard Membership (this is replacing the traditional registration process) if you have a valid serial number that hasn't been used before, e.g. we do check. If that check fails, you will get the message that we were unable to verify your status. But we didn't have this in place with X5, and at the same time, we have started a communication process to the users who might be victim of piracy in order to provide with a very attractive price to become legal. Again, I will need your serial number and proof of purchase in order to validate that there is a mistake with the display of the message.
Regarding the questions you might have about subscription, I would be happy to help. I previously posted more information in my blog here and here.
I wanted to follow-up to my previous message and provide a few extra details. From the different people who have contacted Corel (including those who contacted me directly), I can confirm that there has been no mistake in the detection about the serial number being illegitimate so far. Everyone who has contacted me so far is what I would all a victim of software piracy and did actually purchase a product in good faith from unauthorized software resellers.
Yes, with versions before X6, it was possible to register the product even if the serial number was not legitimate. This is something that has changed with X6. You can only get a free Standard Membership (this is replacing the traditional registration process) if you have a valid serial number that hasn't been used before, e.g. we do check with X6. If that check fails, you will get the message that we were unable to verify your status.
Software piracy is a persistent issue that affects all of us. At the same time, we understand that some of you might have been the victim of software pirates and have inadvertently purchased an unauthorized copy of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. We have therefore started this amnesty campaign in the Americas (expanding in other countries in the coming months) providing users an opportunity to purchase an authorized version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite through the in-product message.
On behalf of the entire CorelDRAW team, I am very sorry for those who have been victims of software pirates. As posted in the forum earlier and as a general reminder, Corel and our authorized partners do not sell products at 50 to 90% discount, and amazing deals on auction or marketplace sites are rarely legitimate. If you find a price that seems too good to be true compared to the one listed on Corel.com or an authorized Corel reseller, please feel free to contact me directly so that we can take appropriate action.
Combating piracy is an ongoing process. We will continue to work with all of you and with our internal teams & systems to ensure we do everything possible to promote fairness and the legitimate use of Corel software. For more information about how software piracy hurts everyone, you can visit www.corel.com/piracy.
This has just happened to me with X6. From your post, it sounds to me as though, if I paid for a copy of X6, which I bought from Amazon, and then installed it, and registered the serial number, there should be no question that it's a dupicate or belongs to someone else. Yet that is what Corel is saying.
I am now dead in the water with my software, at a very busy time of year, with no resolution in sight.
In addition to the frustration I feel, I would like to know on what authority Corel invaded my PC, looked at my files, and disabled my software.
Mrs Z said: This has just happened to me with X6. From your post, it sounds to me as though, if I paid for a copy of X6, which I bought from Amazon, and then installed it, and registered the serial number, there should be no question that it's a dupicate or belongs to someone else. Yet that is what Corel is saying. I am now dead in the water with my software, at a very busy time of year, with no resolution in sight. In addition to the frustration I feel, I would like to know on what authority Corel invaded my PC, looked at my files, and disabled my software.
I do not believe that Corel 'invaded' your PC, looked at your files nor disabled your software.
If you do read this entire (old) thread, it is entirely possible that:
1. You may have bought an illegal copy of the graphics suite, without knowing that it is not valid, or
2. The serial number of your software may be inadvertently marked as 'Pirated' in Corel's database and when you last ran DRAW or PP, it communicated to Corel. This usually occurs around the time of shutdown, when the graphics suite checks for any possible updates available.Or
3. A copy of your serial number may have been generated/copied/happened-upon and is in the wilds of Pirate-Ville.
Do click on Gerard's avatar and send him a message about your status. Be prepared to provide proof of purchase and the license number for your Graphics Suite.
To be back up and running, in the meantime, why not download and install the X7 trail software. Do be aware, if after the trial period, you do not plan on purchasing it, then make sure all your work is save in a previous CGS version (X6 or earlier.)
Thank you for this. Corel has already sent me a new serial number. I now have to uninstall and reinstall the software to fix the problem that they caused. In the meantime, I have lost business because of their unethical and heavy-handed tactics.
I suspect that most people in my situation would not have responded as assertively as I did, and would probably have been bullied into buying the 'amnesty license' that Corel wanted to sell me for $200. It was not easy to convince them that:
1. I bought the software FROM Amazon
2. I had the receipt/shipping notice from Amazon
3. I registered the software immediately upon receipt
4. Corel accepted my registration, and my license number and sent me confirmation, and has been in regular contact with me ever since, updating the software many times.
Frankly, I suspect this is some scheme to gin up business and frighten people from buying software other than from Corel directly.
I'm not going to download and install the X7 trial, so that I can generate another deinstallation/installation hairball at the end of the trial period. I don't want X7. All I want is unfettered access to the software I've already bought and paid for,
And, when it comes time to upgrade, I may just look elsewhere. Perhaps Corel's usefulness to me has run its course.
Mrs Z
Corel, like any other commercial company, has to protect their investments. In previous versions the software protection was almost nonexistent and pirated copies were sold/shared in thousands, maybe even millions of copies.In the latest versions they have started to make it a lot harder for pirates to sell/share/use copies and like with any other protection it can also sometimes affect legitimate users. Say you put up a high fence, secure locks and an alarm to keep burglars out. It works but is also hindering yourself sometimes, and you have to count on false alarms now and then.
In this case I frankly don't understand why you are so angry at Corel. I may be misinterpreting what you're writing but in your first post it sounds like you cannot use Draw because you've been locked out. In your second post, three hours and sixteen minutes later, you have already got a new serial number from Corel, uninstalled and installed and is up and running again.I do understand that you are frustrated because your legitimate copy suddenly stopped working, and three hours can be very long, but like I said these things can happen and Corel seems to have helped you solve your problem very quickly.I have a sign making program that is protected by a hardware dongle. At one time it got broken and had to be replaced. I don't remember how many days it took to get a new one but I couldn't use the software at all during this time.
Frustration, yes, but blaming Corel "to gin up business and frighten people from buying software other than from Corel directly" is just not fair. When it's time to upgrade you may "just look elsewhere", but these kind of things can happen with any software. Or maybe not with Inkscape, it's free and unprotected as far as I know. Be prepared for other surprises though.
I'm a senior IT management professional with a 30-year track record, and an excellent reputation. I've dealt with hundreds of vendors over the years. Corel has been around for decades. If they haven't worked out how to keep their software secure by now, then shame on them. As I said previously, they've been communicating with me, on this very piece of software, for 15 months, updating my software, acknowledging my registration, validating my serial number, etc. No issues to this point.
It is one thing to 'count on false alarms now and then.' It is another to convict and imprison your customers without a trial. Their tactics are shameful.
It is also another thing to insist, as they did for several minutes when I called to complain, that I MUST be using pirated software. That I MUST NOT have registered it. That I MUST buy another copy. This in spite of the fact that I was looking at screen prints from my Corel account showing the purchase, and immediate registration, at the time I was on the phone.
And oh, you think software companies and other corporations don't use heavy handed tactics to obliterate competition? Try reading recent news about Amazon. Or Microsoft. Or Apple. Need I go on? Or do you think it's only Corel who's pure here?
Corel was wrong. I know it, and they know it.
As for your last comment, there's always an alternative. Remember WordPerfect?
Corel probably remembers WordPerfect too.
It took 24 hours or less for Adobe's CC to get hacked and in the pirate distribution channel. If I looked, I suspect CDX7 is in the pirate distribution channel.
I sympathize with Corel...and even Adobe...concerning wanting all their doggie beans. They deserve it. On the other hand, heavy-handed protection systems affect only two classes of consumers: Casual thieves and legitimate users. It doesn't stop the determined nor those that will use the kygen'd copies.
Even so, it's the aftermath, the dealing with Corel, or Adobe, or whomever, that is the issue here. Being told from the get-go one is a thief isn't the correct way to handle such a situation. I've been in the same situation with Corel. It's isn't a fun place to be.
Mike
MIke, you have the right idea. The message that suddenly appears says,
"This software is operating under an invalid license. It has therefore switched to Viewer Mode. All save, export and print features are now permanently disabled. To continue using CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, you must purchase a legitimate copy. Take advantage of our amnesty program to buy an authorized version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 at a special low price. This exclusive offer is available through this message only."
It doesn't say, "there's a possibility that this software may be pirated;" it has interfered with the normal operations of my PC, called me a thief, and offered me 'amnesty.' Phooey on that, I say. Only later does it tell me that 'if I purchased the software from an authorized reseller or from Corel itself, then I should call Corel and be prepared to provide serial number and proof of purchase. Armed with both of those things, I called them, and was told that my software was illegal and that I must buy another copy. The non-native speaker of English that I was speaking with insisted that he could do nothing to help me, that I could not speak to his supervisor, and that my only recourse was simply to buy another copy. I had to get quite exercised with him in order to get him to send me over to technical support so I could open a ticket. Technical support was quite good. They have already provided a new serial number (which I take to be the equivalent of standing down), but now I have to uninstall and reinstall the software on my PC, which is annoying and takes time away from my business. So, while Corel is chasing wild geese, I am losing real money because I can't get my work done.
Their customer-facing support is appalling. Perhaps one day they will learn that offshore outsourcing of their support is counterproductive, and bring it back. It's happened before.
I had this issue arise using Corel Paint Pro, and attempted to get help from Corel, only to discover that the ONLY way to get somebody to help me at Corel was to pay for a support call, even though this was entirely their fault. I bought the product originally from Corel directly on their web site, and, in fact, had purchased many Corel products from them directly, all properly registered. In 2 cases I had even owned the original products before Corel purchased them, and had received in both cases (JASC Paint and After Shot Pro) outstanding support from the actual developer companies before they sold out to Corel.
My experiences with Corel were utterly and totally terrible. I was without the use orf the product for days, even with a long string of emails and extremely vocal complaints to Corel. Their product manager assured me that my case was extremely rare and that no other Corel products had this issue, yet I easily found numerous complaints on this Corel Draw forum expressing the same problem.
I have subsequently switched to other products and cannot risk my productivity on the whim or the stupidity of poor programming combined with even worse customer attitutde. No way in he11 will I give them one more cent for any of their products.
In my prior position of Senior VP Technology for a Fortune 100 company I approved of dozens of software licenses, purchases, and all the associated support and other issues over and over, yet I cannot recall a single instance where I have ever in my 35 year career seen a company so utterly feckless and disrespectful of customer inputs and concerns
My 2 cents...
Larry
Hello Mrs Z; It is a safe idea to keep more than one ver. of Corel installed on some of the computers, this computer I'm using now has X4, X6 and X7 installed just in case something happens to one program I just drop back to the next one.
Good Luck, George