DIRAC ART customer service help (suddenly my ART license revoked), any thoughts?

[Geertidow]

Dear fellow forum members,

I have an existing DIRAC live pro (2018) license and afterards purchased a DLBC + ART license for my X3800h (2026).
It used to work perfectly. Today I wanted to remeasure my ART, and suddenly I could not login anymore because I did not have a license.
I contacted Dirac customer service and they say I have to purchase DL.

But I don't think that's fair because:
1. If I would've known I would've bought the discount complete bundle
2. It should never have worked from the start.

Anyone any experience with this?
I'm kinde pissed at the moment and don't know how to respond to customer service...

 

[delta76]

Dear fellow forum members,

I have an existing DIRAC live pro (2018) license and afterards purchased a DLBC + ART license for my X3800h (2026).
It used to work perfectly. Today I wanted to remeasure my ART, and suddenly I could not login anymore because I did not have a license.
I contacted Dirac customer service and they say I have to purchase DL.

But I don't think that's fair because:
1. If I would've known I would've bought the discount complete bundle
2. It should never have worked from the start.

Anyone any experience with this?
I'm kinde pissed at the moment and don't know how to respond to customer service...
View attachment 527354

Tell them that. Keep in mind being honest and polite could go a long way.

 

[kyuu]

It sounds like you were able to use the DLBC+ART without the base licensing due to a bug. Seems more like you have unintentionally been getting a freebie for a while that no longer works (likely due to the bug being fixed in newer versions of the software). I'm not sure what you want us to tell you: seems you either have to stick with your existing filters or pony up for that license.

Could also try to appeal to Dirac customer service to see if they can at least give you a discounted license (maybe @Flak could help?), but they certainly aren't under any obligation to do so.

 

[Geertidow]

Tell them that. Keep in mind being honest and polite could go a long way.

I'm nearly always honest and polite when contacting customer service.
But if I send a support request with attachments et cetera and I get a standard email back with no feedback regarding my situation, only 'buy the license' I do feel the DL company could do a little more effort.

It sounds like you were able to use the DLBC+ART without the base licensing due to a bug. Seems more like you have unintentionally been getting a freebie for a while that no longer works (likely due to the bug being fixed in newer versions of the software). I'm not sure what you want us to tell you: seems you either have to stick with your existing filters or pony up for that license.

Could also try to appeal to Dirac customer service to see if they can at least give you a discounted license (maybe @Flak could help?), but they certainly aren't under any obligation to do so.

I also don't mind at all to puchase the license if it was really a bug. But a discounted version, or at least an explanation of why this happened seems appropriate. I took my time to write down my situation, I send sceenshots with which licenses I have. I do feel it would've been appropriate if they would've send me more than just a standard email.

I guess it comes down do this: when I ran into this problem, I spent a lot of time doing the recommended fixes (helpdesk.dirac.com/en/dirac-room-correction/My-license-is-not-active-any-longer) and fixes from ChatGPT (login/logout, power cycle x3800h, reinstalling DL, rebooting router) before contacting helpdesk.
To then receive the most general response imaginable feels wrong. Even without the DL in the purchase, it's still a significant investment you make.

If @Flak could help out I'd be grateful!

 

[Shorty]

You appear to be laying all the blame for your situation on the Dirac helpdesk. “At least an explanation of why this happened seems appropriate.” Really? I’ll give you the explanation: you didn’t RTFM.

 

[Mort]

To then receive the most general response imaginable feels wrong.

Who cares if they are nice or not? You have your answer, why do you want another one? Will it change anything other than your feelings?

I agree they have ****** support. But so do most Audio brands selling to the masses. Have you tried calling Denon lately?

 

[delta76]

I'm nearly always honest and polite when contacting customer service.
But if I send a support request with attachments et cetera and I get a standard email back with no feedback regarding my situation, only 'buy the license' I do feel the DL company could do a little more effort.


I also don't mind at all to puchase the license if it was really a bug. But a discounted version, or at least an explanation of why this happened seems appropriate. I took my time to write down my situation, I send sceenshots with which licenses I have. I do feel it would've been appropriate if they would've send me more than just a standard email.

I guess it comes down do this: when I ran into this problem, I spent a lot of time doing the recommended fixes (helpdesk.dirac.com/en/dirac-room-correction/My-license-is-not-active-any-longer) and fixes from ChatGPT (login/logout, power cycle x3800h, reinstalling DL, rebooting router) before contacting helpdesk.
To then receive the most general response imaginable feels wrong. Even without the DL in the purchase, it's still a significant investment you make.

If @Flak could help out I'd be grateful!

I agree that support could be less than helpful at time, especially when companies are laying off staffs in favor of AI, but you seem to be laying your blame on Dirac. It will likely get you nowhere.
What I would do if I were in your situation is a polite "Should I know I have to buy DL license I'd have bought the bundle. Would it be possible for you to offer some kind of discount now given the sale has ended"
May or may not work, but worth a try. If it works, great. If it doesn't, then probably time to move on.

 

[Geertidow]

I agree that support could be less than helpful at time, especially when companies are laying off staffs in favor of AI, but you seem to be laying your blame on Dirac. It will likely get you nowhere.
What I would do if I were in your situation is a polite "Should I know I have to buy DL license I'd have bought the bundle. Would it be possible for you to offer some kind of discount now given the sale has ended"
May or may not work, but worth a try. If it works, great. If it doesn't, then probably time to move on.

You appear to be laying all the blame for your situation on the Dirac helpdesk. “At least an explanation of why this happened seems appropriate.” Really? I’ll give you the explanation: you didn’t RTFM.

The RTFM part is completely incorrect.
1. I had a DIRAC Live license, but from 2018. I knew I maybe had to buy a new license.
2. I installed DL and tested if my old license worked and it did.
3. Then after a while I bought the DLBC/ART bundle as an add on.
4. 2 months it worked fine, and then suddenly it didn't.

So I did RTFM.

In summary, I was already using my exosting DL license (2018) for a few weeks before deciding to upgrade to DLBC/ART

It would also be weird to just accept a license being revoked without any customer support.

 

[Shorty]

Even without having read TFM you should not have expected one Dirac licence to work on another AVR. This obviously would have ruined their business. Count yourself lucky it worked for a few weeks…

 

[ry_]

Yeah I’m not surprised. DIRAC is one device, one license. So your previous license should not have worked on your Denon because it was not specifically purchased for it. While I don’t agree with that rule, it’s their policy. Anything they give you now is gracious.

 

[Oddball]

Well there is nothing to give. With all due respect, they should not be making exceptions as other users pay their dues. Licences are transferable with the gear, so at that level users should be to some extent compensated for the cost when selling Dirac enabled gear.

 

[Geertidow]

Well there is nothing to give. With all due respect, they should not be making exceptions as other users pay their dues. Licences are transferable with the gear, so at that level users should be to some extent compensated for the cost when selling Dirac enabled gear.

You really think this?
If a company makes a mistake the financial burden is for the consumer?

What if they put on a wrong price on their website, lower than the day before (no discount, just a mistake). Can they say "oops you have to pay more now"?
Because others also payed more?
Can they do that 2 months later? Do we consider this normal practice and service level?

Please take note that my DL license is nearly 7 years old and I dont remember the terms of that license. Was it device bound back in those days?
Online, that license does not mention a specific hardware type for it.

I'm not for undue free software, but I'm not sure if I agree with charging the consumer for company slip ups.

But most importantly, I want to know what a product costs before purchasing.
When I was successfully using my old DL license (regardless if it's an error) for a while I thought I knew the price for an ART upgrade. Turns out I didn't.

But, Dirac reached out to me to inform me they'll look into this more, so that's good news.

 

[Oddball]

I really think so. You should pay up like the rest of us. No exceptions.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Please take note that my DL license is nearly 7 years old and I dont remember the terms of that license. Was it device bound back in those days?

AFAIK, that was always the case (except, perhaps, for the PC/Mac versions).

 

[Shorty]

“If a company makes a mistake the financial burden is for the consumer?”

You are somehow incapable of accepting the fact it’s not the company who made the mistake.

Geez….

 

[Geertidow]

“If a company makes a mistake the financial burden is for the consumer?”

You are somehow incapable of accepting the fact it’s not the company who made the mistake.

Geez….

Not incapable at all.
And I'm also not saying I did not make a mistake.

 

[OpticonPrime]

For which device did you purchase Dirac Live Pro 2018 at the time? That is a different version with different functionality compared to the current Dirac Live Room Correction Core optimization technology. Everywhere, including on the Denon website, it is stated that this is a device-bound license and that Bass Control (BC) and Active Room Treatment (ART) require that specific license to function.

It’s unfortunate that it worked before and no longer does; hopefully you’ll be able to purchase the correct Core version with a discount.

Sometimes you are just lucky, sometimes you aren't.

Edit: if you Google the right way you can find articles from that time that describe Dirac is bound to the device. Except for the PC version.

 

[dziemian]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt Dirac Live 2018 pro a beta version before Multichannel? I think I still have it in my licences besides multichannel. Dirac stopped betas a while ago even though it says "never expires"

 

[Geertidow]

For which device did you purchase Dirac Live Pro 2018 at the time? That is a different version with different functionality compared to the current Dirac Live Room Correction Core optimization technology. Everywhere, including on the Denon website, it is stated that this is a device-bound license and that Bass Control (BC) and Active Room Treatment (ART) require that specific license to function.

It’s unfortunate that it worked before and no longer does; hopefully you’ll be able to purchase the correct Core version with a discount.

Sometimes you are just lucky, sometimes you aren't.

Edit: if you Google the right way you can find articles from that time that describe Dirac is bound to the device. Except for the PC version.

Yeah it seems so and I don't mind buying the license, but I hope I can get the package discount.

 

[Geertidow]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt Dirac Live 2018 pro a beta version before Multichannel? I think I still have it in my licences besides multichannel. Dirac stopped betas a while ago even though it says "never expires"

Maybe my NAD C658, but Im not sure.