Upgrading to Creative Suite 3? Use caution!

Just a word of advice from someone who did this upgrade in a much more painful manner than necessary! Make sure you understand what you are buying!

Last summer, I started my job at my current company, and got an entirely new computer with all new software. Naturally I needed all my Adobe goodies. This was shortly after the completion of the Adobe/Macromedia merger, so I was able to get it all by purchasing the Creative Suite Web Bundle, which included Creative Suite 2 Premium and Studio 8 Pro.

When CS3 came out I was all in a tizzy about upgrading as quickly as possible, because I had been on the PhotoShop and Fireworks CS3 betas and was already addicted. I checked out all the new suite options, and decided that Master wasn't for me - I didn't need all the video apps. And Design Premium didn't include Fireworks or Contribute.

I bought Web Premium, which I thought had everything I needed. I failed to notice that InDesign was not part of Web Premium. I think it was a mixture of my hurry and excitement to purchase (bad idea), and my assumption that anything called "Creative Suite" would include InDesign because it always has. Again, "to assume just makes an ass of u and me"...

Well, as I was going through my installation woes with CS3 Web Premium, I discovered the missing InDesign upgrade, and went on Adobe's site to see what I missed. I looked at the cost of upgrading InDesign alone, and figured that's what I was going to have to do. The "upgrade eligibility" page on the site was ambiguous - it said I could upgrade if I owned InDesign CS2, which I do. I wasn't sure if that would be allowed, so I chatted online with a customer service rep who told me it would work. Cool. So I bought the inDesign upgrade, and installed it, but when it came time to register, it would not accept my previous serial number for the upgrade or locate my previous installation. Argh.

I called support for like the 10th time in the past 2 days and was told that in fact that upgrade could not be done, I couldn't upgrade twice off the same product. Yeah, I get it, I understand, I see their point when they put it that way. But think about it, I OWN the previous version! I have done nothing shady or illegal here, I just want the shiny new versions of everything that I've already bought!

So, now I'm in a position where none of the suite products allow me to upgrade my previous purchase in full without purchasing another product as a standalone.

I ended up having to return CS3 Web Premium to get CS3 Design Premium, and forego Fireworks, because it's not as essential to my workflow (I was looking forward to some of its Flex comping and skinning features...too bad) . I can't bring myself to pay full price for a full version of a product I don't use that much that I already own. CS3 is also very pricey, my company has put $1700 into this suite so far! I'm disappointed in this oversight of Adobe's, at the lack of clarity on the website, and at the lack of education of the customer service rep I chatted with online.

I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the merger. I know Adobe can't be expected support infinite variations of their suites. I'm probably an edge case. But I still feel a little shafted here.

On the flip side, the new versions of everything in CS3 are fantastic, you should buy them...just watch what you're doing before you do!