Dragon NaturallySpeaking to Nuance is a bastard child to a really great family.

Referencing a post I made a while back, it referred to the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Essentials suite from Nuance. The Essentials suite is a custom package that’s only sold at target; ONLY at Target for $40.

See Nuance doesn’t sell Essentials anywhere else, but Target. The Essentials is not listed on the Nuance website and is not offered to the public as a comparison product. Nuance writes the program, distributes it to Target and supports it, but yet it’s hidden from view. You can’t buy Essentials from Nuance. They don’t want you to.

I had originally inquired with Peter Mahoney [GM & SVP @ Nuance] on the issue of how Nuance handles the Essentials suite.

Peter Mahoney refers to the Essentials suite as:
The Essential Edition of Dragon as pretty limited functionality – it does not integrate with any third party application. Many software companies have a strategy like this where we offer a limited functionality version of the product into some consumer channels. It allows us to provide access to some of the functionality for an extremely price sensitive audience. We are always looking at our packaging strategy and will definitely continue to consider where we offer this product in the future.

Since August of last year [2008] people have been waiting for a ‘FIX’ release of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 to work with Vista 64.

On March 25th, Nuance released it’s initial release of Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Vista 64, but for the users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Essentials, they’ve been forgotten.

Nuance has clearly stated when the other suites will be disbursed, but Essentials is not listed.

From the Nuance website:
Your current (Version 10) serial number is required for installation.

You do not need to uninstall your current version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking before you install version 10.1. If you choose to uninstall your current version and you want to retain your User profile(s), answer “Yes” when you are asked if you want to keep your user files during un-installation.

Product Edition and Language Download Size / Availability

English Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 Preferred1.37 GB

English Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 Standard1.22 GB

English Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 ProfessionalPlanned for Early-April

English Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 LegalPlanned for End-April

English Dragon Medical 10.1Planned for Mid-May

Note: French and German releases are planned for April/May.

It’s not that the serial number the customer has is not considered valid, but that the product they want to upgrade is not even listed; it doesn’t exist.

Do we have another group of disenfranchised customers?

Update: March 27, 2009:
Thank you for contacting Nuance Customer Service.

We apologize but as of now the only update that is available is for Standard and Preferred edition. Succeeding plans would be for Professional, Legal and Medical edition. We have not heard any updates for Essentials edition. On the other hand, we are currently having a promotion for Dragon Preferred 10 offering it for only $99.99 plus shipping and handling in lieu to its originally price of $199.99 plus shipping and handling. You can take advantage of this by calling us at 1-800-654-1187 through the use of your PIN .

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Kind regards,

Devon

Nuance Customer Service

It appears that Nuance’s response to their ‘essentials’ customers is to make them purchase upgrades. Obviously, this is not the answer that Dragon NaturallySpeaking essentials customers are looking for. Taking into account that the essentials package only costs $40 from target, Nuance once there existing paying customers to pay an additional hundred dollars to upgrade to their standard package.

This is exceedingly unfair.

From the very beginning, Nuanced simply promised upgrades to Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 customers who were registered. They never mentioned that they had to be using specific packages.

From the blog that Nuance maintains, Mr. Mahoney states that the essentials customers ‘… is a smaller customer base and they have prioritized for the higher end customers’. So basically ‘essentials’ customers are not being placed into a different category, they are being abandoned.

They’re being abandoned because the activation keys and the products that they purchased aren’t item listed on the website. Nuance tech-support is not even offering an upgrade option; they want the essentials customers to purchase a new version. The discounted price that nuance is offering you not even competitive to prices that can be purchased via the Internet.

I could’ve purchased Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 from Fry’s electronics last weekend for $50, but why was I going to waste my money when I was told I was when you get a free upgrade.

From an economic standpoint he wants has every right to stop producing particular product, they can stop creating the essentials package for Target. I’m not sure how Target would agree with this…

While I think I’ve stated my position to Mr. Mahoney fairly well, it’s still going to be up to Nuance whether or not they want to address the essentials customers or not. Peter says that he’ll get back with me in a couple of days after he’s had a chance to think about it.

My opinion is that nuance has every right to discontinue the essentials package, but you shouldn’t discontinue a software package in midstream. If you’re going to discontinue the product, make an announcement, allow the customer to make adjustments, don’t wait until the customers are expecting an upgrade for the product they purchased, and were told were going to get free upgrades and then do an about-face, and say now you have to purchase a higher package. That’s a slap in the face and it’s disrespectful to people who feel they are valid customers.

I’ll update this as more information is presented.

Thanks for reading!
Enjoy.

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• Dragon Naturally Speaking v9 and v10 – The ‘Essentials’ Secret