What does "Lifetime Updates" really mean?

Lifetime updates should mean for every version otherwise it's false advertising for the initial purchase.

To me, when I offer free updates for life, I provide updates for life, regardless of how many versions are released. It's just good customer service in my book.

Shame that Apple and Microsoft don't offer the same thing

I take life time updates to mean the life time of the software in question...

Always check the terms and conditions, or get in touch with the person/people selling the product.

I have experienced this in the past with rather expensive software. The lifetime updates were used as a key selling point but when it came to the crunch the product creator decided that an upgrade from 1 to 2 was considered a new product even though it largely consisted of bug fixes and feature requests discovered by the 1.x crowd.

It is up to the product creator to make this clear.

The problem is that by making their intentions clear the benefit is no longer there and it almost becomes worthless. What is a software developer going to spend their time on: upgrading problems and adding features to an existing product (1.x) or spend their time on the new product which will make them more money (2.x)?

I think it's fair to assume if not otherwise told that lifetime updates means the lifetime of the product regarless of the number in the About window.

That usually means from a software developers perspective:

"If I have to change the program for any reason, you can get the latest version, and when I go bankrupt, that's it"

A lifetime is a lifetime. No matter how often they upgrade something.... it should be lifetime without charge.

Do MS and Apple actually market lifetime updates though? They do provide support for their products which includes updates but that is to protect their product and brand rather than a direct feature to the piece of software they are selling.

I expect to get point releases free and pay for major releases.

Otherwise the vendor will have to rename/rebrand the software for major releases and spend more heavily on marketing and that just gets passed on to me.

To expect people to do major enhancement work for free is just bad business for everyone involved.

Although obviously I'd rather see this in plain text in the sales copy, realistically it's always going to get bumped to the small print by some legal/marketing drone.

Cheers,

Andy

John,

to me lifetime means just that: lifetime. There's no other way to interpret the word, is there?

Real software companies usually are very specific about their upgrade terms. Many companies offer free upgrade for a specific time frame (for example 1 year) or within the same version number (1.01, 1.21, 1.67).

It's mostly with IMers that they advertise lifetime and later tell you it wasn't meant this way. I've had this happen with some pretty popular and respected IMers, and with products that were anything but cheap.

Software developers in the IM niche are the least reliable developers. Most of them are one man shows (or 1 man shows with outsourcers) and can't be considered real businesses. Now add the need for sales hype to that and you end up with life time upgrade promises that aren't worth the paper to print them out.

But it's not only the problem of dis-honest sales copy. There's also the problem of the developers not treating it as a business and thus not being able to continue to support the product.

How many WSO software or script products have we seen that were dead just weeks after their release?

I do think, though, that selling software with a lifetime free upgrade promise is neither good for the developer nor for the customer. It's short term thinking of the developer, and it's unrealistic of the customer to expect it will work out well in the long run. Free upgrades diminish the chances of a product to be well maintained and developed to its full potential.

Creating real, valuable software updates costs money. There's no way around this fact.

Now, if a company has no way to make the existing customers pay for upgrades - where should they get the funds for the development from?

It's hard to run a software business and keep the software updated if you rely only on a constant flow of NEW buyers. A mix of new buyers and existing ones paying for valuable upgrades is what makes a sustainable software business.

Ralf

I guess now would be a good time to come clean...

I'm delighted to see Andy's & BIGMikes's responses as they
confirm my understanding of "lifetime".

HOWEVER, I would like to see less hype and more realism
in the sales copy for software.

When you sell a product, and you offer me lifetime updates,
I want to see your definition of lifetime.

There's way too much ambiguity and hype... it's time for a
lot more openness and transparancy in this industry.

John

Yes life time updates should mean you get every update for free for life, in my opinion.

Lifetime updates, is free updates while I am still alive

I beleive lifetime update mean that it life time update untill the software expires.

Life of the product.. Ideally for all updates, but at minimum what you got at the time you bought it..

If a product says free lifetime upgrade, I expect free lifetime updates. Version 2.0 isn't a different product. It is an upgrade. If that isn't the case, I would make that clear on the sales page and not use free lifetime upgrades as a selling point.

As an example, I've used CorelDRAW since v2.0. The upgrades have never been free and were never advertised as free. I've paid for each one. It's still CorelDRAW ... same product that does the same thing it has always done... only better.

It means for the life of the product. Any other interpretation doesn't make sense.

Let's face it. If you buy a product from a person via WSO, Clickbank, e-Junkie, eBay or just a website, they can say a lot and there is zero guarantee that the project will be up and running in a few months time. If they say free lifetime updates, then all that means is that as long as he works on that product, updates are free.
Maybe they have some T&Cs where they specify "lifetime". Some companies, like vBulletin Inc, specify that they will only give free updates for the current main version, as in, if you have a license for version 3, you get free updates for 3.x, but not for 4.

Other developers simple create a new product instead of using Version 2.0 when they see they added many new features and offered free lifetime update on the previous product.
Proper companies never use the term free lifetime update, because they know as well that this is a very vage term. No one can guarantee you that the creator of the programs won't die tomorrow, or simply decide to shut it down - end of life of product.

In the amateur business that we are in (WSOs, Clickbank, etc.) it's probably a good marketing strategy to use the term "free Lifetime updates". But use common sense, it doesn't actually mean anything

Updates is minor bug fixes and small improvements.

Upgrade is a considerable revamp.

Lifetime usually means the products life span - not yours, unless otherwise stated.

A lot of the attitude here is wrong and is based on presumption.

Marketing "gimmick"?

When in doubt ask or read the terms.

Most marketing is gimmick. Gimmick doesn't mean "scam" or "dishonesty" Gimmick is a form of communication. Gimmick is putting on make-up, nice clothes and having a white smile. Gimmick is "Look at what else you get! Look how it shines! It can also be used as a door stop!"

What you probably mean is sleight of tongue or something - but if you knew better you wouldn't assume lifetime means your lifetime.

It's like people assuming there is a money back guarantee when none was promised or lifetime support when none was promised. People do that because they're used to it or they have a sense of entitlement.

Now if the seller clearly said one thing and did another that's just lying but it's not gimmick because lifetime updates or upgrades has a specific and universally agreed upon meaning whether or not you are aware of it.

Your misunderstanding is your misunderstanding.

Lifetime updates or upgrades (customer's lifetime) doesn't even make sense so it's a wonder they think it means that.

That's a promise no one can keep.

No doubt some marketers intentionally use language to mislead, counting on people's ignorance, lack of due diligence and lack of responsibility, but it's often people who dupe themselves.

Good question. As a buyer I expect that "Lifetime updates" means I will forever keep enjoying the software even if they go to version 20. That's not always the case. I remember buying software that promised lifetime updates and updated it for years.

One day I got a message that they will no longer honor lifetime updates and that I would have to purchase future updates. That didn't sit well. I understand it because their revenues were taking a hit. As a customer I felt I didn't get what I purchased. Had they never promised free updates forever I would have been fine, but they did.

What they should have done is kept the old customers on a lifetime update policy and only start charging the new ones for updates. That would have been only right.

As it is I stopped using the software and purchased a different package. They not only lost out on updates but helped the sale of a competitors product.

It really depends on the vendor, and of course whether they honor it.

Also, many people nowadays are using 'life time updates' obviously as a marketing tool. The translation is more along the lines of 'if we get around to making an update, you can have it, as long as saying lifetime updates convinces you to buy now'.

But usually 'lifetime' updates means any software version. Otherwise, usually software vendors will specify. But of course, if you have questions, contact that vendor.

To me, "lifetime updates" of a product only includes small features and bug changes. Although many people would disagree, I think an entire overhaul of an existing product is a new product entirely. As a software developer you do want to treat your customers fair, but in the world of technology you also have to stay caught up with your competition which may include completely morphing your product in a new direction at which point your product is no longer the same that it was in the beginning. I do believe that when you are selling the product you should have a clear definition and should not at any point just throw in an upgrade fee without your customers knowing in advance.

Usually lifetime software updates includes all future patches and version upgrades to the software. The only thing that would be excluded usually is any optional software addons, or any sister product releases (like in the Windows example mentioned above about Windows XP vs. Windows 7 - since these are 2 totally different products the lifetime updates won't apply in this case)

I rather contact the support people to ask what
are their update policies, and what exactly is
meant when they use "lifetime updates" in their
sales copy..

Karan

Regardless of whether it's called lifetime upgrades, or limited upgrades, or what does it mean to you, the fact is, a lot of marketers are using it as a form of sales gimmick, hence it's the intention that counts in my opinion.

I mean, why call it lifetime upgrades to play around with ambiguous words trying to get away with it?

This is one of the most ridiculous threads I have ever read.

I am just stunned that someone would even ask this question, let alone have so many people jump on the bandwagon supporting them.

Do you really think that its possible that someone could make a complex product like software sell it as modestly as possible and then provide you with free upgrades until the day you die ?

How much are you paying for the software ? $50 ? $100 ?

I would understand if you where talking about $5000 or $10,000 by irronically even software that sells for that much like AutoCAD or Max or Maya sees a new product every year without fail.

Grow up, you are supposed to be business people.

The only relevant logical and practical concept here is for the life of the product, which you should expect to be 12 months to 3 years on average.

Version 2.0 is a new product, it always has been.

Free upgrades until you die - OMG

As far as "ambiguous" wording goes - this is the IM crowd right ?

haha

You must act now for this special one time offer as there are only 30 copies of my ebook that will show you how to make millions whilst you sleep all without doing any work at all.

Most software companies offer a free trial of some kind, that is about as transparent as it gets, download it buy if if you like it and in 2 years from now if your still using it give the guy another $50 or $100 bucks

I consider lifetime updates to mean a one time purchase, no matter how many updates or versions are released. If the developer stops production on the software, then you don't receive anymore updates. However, if you release a completely overhauled program, like video games for instance, you don't buy Age of Empires and get Age of Empires III for free.

For my products, which all come with lifetime updates, it means:

As long as the product is in development, all buyers get all updates to the product for free, without charge, provided they are reachable through my email subscription list.

A very simple and non-confusing guarantee. If the product is no longer being developed obviously there's not going to be updates, so...

If the case of software, I would be PISSED OFF if I didn't get an update to 2.0 on a piece of software I bought. Life time, to me, means the life of the product, not the current version.

Did that happen to you bro?

If the corner donut shop offered me a lifetime supply of donuts and coffee for a couple hundreds bucks. I would assume it meant as long as they were in business and I was alive.

Maybe not exactly the same thing but that's how I view the word lifetime.

Not offering a lifetime of upgrades doesn't stop me from purchasing software though. However I do expect that the 2.0 upgrade that they are charging for be significantly different from the 1.8 ver and not just a bug patch and I expect my current version to continue operating should I choose not to upgrade.

Example: I'm still using photoshop 7 and Office 2003 so even though I'm not using the latest and greatest, I am happy that I am still able to use what I paid for even though I'm no longer receiving upgrades.

If the seller says just "free lifetime upgrades" with no type of limitation or disclaimer then it should mean any new version of the software, minor or major, should be free.

Giving free upgrades on minor point upgrades such as 1.14 to 1.15 but charging for a major upgrade such as 1.x to 2.x is fine, provided that customers know they will be charged for this before purchase.

You should always honor exactly what you put on your sales page, and if what the sales page says could be taken in more than one way, always do your best to put the customers needs before the potential dollar signs floating around in your head. Happy customers tend to bring you more customers but unhappy customers tend to cost you business.

If you think charging for major upgrade releases is wrong then do not buy the next version of Windows to come out, or any MS product for that matter. Pretty much every mainstream software charges for point upgrades.

It all really falls to exactly what you lead your potential customers to believe they are getting. If you say "free lifetime upgrades" then deliver on that promise.

If you want to charge for major releases there is nothing wrong with it, provided your customers know this before they make the decision to purchase.

When I first started out I had a simple script that didn't do much, when I moved to a newer script that was completely rewritten from the ground up and had a ton more features I not only upgraded all current customers to the Pro versoin but created an upgrade path from the old script to the new one. Doing this didn't really effect my bottom line as much as you would believe as I continued to promote and sell the new version for a few years before selling that business off.

I also agree with Gail above, upgrading should always be an option, not a requirement for the product to continue functioning. And never ever remove features when you do an upgrade.

One well known product in the IM world had a large portion of its functionality removed when you upgraded to the newest version, and customers had to pay to recieve the upgrade. Charging customers to remove functionality has got to be the biggest boneheaded move I've ever hard of.

I think what it really means is "until we go out of business", LOL

- you get lifetime updates!
- you get updates until we go out of business!
(see what I mean, lol)

Well to try and answer this question,

When someone is offering lifetime support than they are basically saying that as long as their product is alive or marketed, that they will support any of the customers who have purchased the item.

Although this can be really complex sometimes, be sure to check the fine print and see if they really do promise on what they say, because sometimes they just say things to get a sale!

I agree with the posters here that say listing something with "Lifetime Updates" should mean getting that product in the most recent version forever. I don't think that happens a lot.

I think saying "Lifetime bug fixes" or something else is probably what most vendors should say. (Or, going by the answers on this thread, what most vendors or sellers probably mean...)

I also agree with other posters here that connecting with the company via phone or reading ALL the fine print is in order if you run across something like this. It's a buyer beware world out there. Sometimes what you head or read doesn't always happen.

Also, it doesn't do any good to have "Lifetime Updates" if the product seller isn't solid and the product goes off the market.

I like to read reviews of products and sellers on the 'net before I buy something anyhow, which does help.

oh come on...lifetime updates is updates until you go out of business or I die...As long as it is the same product...all this version number thing is a bunch of bunk...

Now one can play games by changing the name of the product...but you are playing games.

Now I don't know why anyone even gives these kinds of promises...but that ain't my problem as a customer...if you tell me that I get lifetime updates for 7 bucks...it ain't my business that you over-promised...that's on you...

The answer...don't offer lifetime updates...especially if you plan on playing games to get around the obvious meaning of the wording...

Lets keep it simple.

Whenever the end creator updates their software, they change
the value of the product from Example: Ver 1.01 - Ver 1.02

Doesn't get much easier than that.

I always assumed free lifetime updates meant precisely that, since you bought the original product you are entitled to free updates for as long as the lifetime of the product (unless ofcourse the product suddenly changes its name and is no longer considered said original product)

"Lifetime" can have several meanings, particularly depending on where you stand.

From the perspective of a customer, lifetime is often considered to be the lifetime of the buyer. The seller is partly banking on this, because it causes the prospect to be more likely to become a buyer.

From the standpoint of the vendor, Lifetime is typically the lifetime of the product. This is nearly always less than the lifetime of the buyer. For an example in the "physical world" it is not unusual to have a "lifetime warranty" on tires. This warranty is good for defects in "materials and workmanship" over the life of the tire. The life (on the outside) may be perhaps 70,000 miles. Now, if you wear the tires out in 30,000 miles this doesn't mean you get new tires, unless you can prove there was a defect in "materials and workmanship" and not due to your driving habits or lack of maiintenance on your vehicle.

Similarly, lifetime warranties, or lifetime updates for downloadable products can be difficult to obtain. Most reputable marketers that advertise lifetime updates will give you updates through minor (1.1, 1,2, 1,4) revisions, and major revisions (2.x, 3.x) as well. However, that said, just how many IM products do you see that undergo many revisions? It is much more likely that the same information will be repackaged and sold as something "new" under a new name rather than an "old" product that has been updated. This is primarily because folks will often buy the same thing if it comes in a different box with a new name and sales hype. By the way, it also technically releases the vendor/seller from the obligation to provide updates into the "new" product... I doubt that many vendors really think about this, but are more focused on the fact that it can be nearly impossible to sell "my-product 2.0" to the same folks as they can with the same information repackaged as "new-product 1.0." It probably has more to do with human nature and copywriting than it does with trying to avoid any need to provide existing customers updates.

I know of at least one product I purchased years ago that was revamped and sold under a new name. The vendor sent out emails offering the new product to the old (existing) customers for a decent discount, and they got a lot of pre-launch sales that way. I don't believe they had promised a lifetime update on the original product or not, it's been a while...

with the LFM software we dont offer lifetime updates though you do get them... but when we develop a new feature for the software we sell them as plugins.

So your original purchase is always updated if we update it with new code... but all new features are sold as plugins

Hope that made sense

I bought a product a year or so ago with lifetime updates and I was curious about this product as I had never received any. so I looked up the seller and found an updated product listed as a WSO just about three months ago with limited release.

I wrote to the seller to ask what the scoop was and why hadn't I received any updates. I didn't get any answer. So I guess that was my answer. As far as I could tell, the newer updated version didn't sell very many and had less than a half dozen posts in the thread. So was this karma?

Don't offer lifetime updates, or any updates if you don't intend on delivering them to your buyers.

From the hundred or so WSO's I've purchased, I have determined "Lifetime Updates" means "I will send you an update or two, put you on all my mailing lists and forget about you as soon as I start working on my next gigantic, humongous, you've-never-seen-anything-like-this, product launch." Am I being negative? No, I'm reporting facts. At least 70% of you product sellers provide no support whatsoever on stuff a year or two old.

This term is the same as any other: it means what it means in that context. Unless some organization has been created to lawfully enforce a countrywide exact meaning of the term, than its open to interpretation every time. As someone said earlier, check the TOS each time. It's like here in the U.S. with "natural" & "organic" when it comes to food. Organic is regulated with a lot of terms & meanings backed by the govt, so they can't misuse it. Natural sounds great, but isnt regulated so can apply to anything, being outright false advertising.

LIFETIME UPDATES means....

We know you'll forget, or we'll go out of business, and maybe our intentions are true and sincere but we're only human and like we said, you'll forget or we'll go out of business but if it helps you to make the decision to buy now then we mean it with all of heart and all of our soul.

Lifetime updates means updates for the lifetime of the product. It doesn't mean for your life. It means the products life. Customers are entitled to free updates to V2, V3, etc., until the product does exist anymore. If the change the name of the product (for example) from Niche Domination to Niche Domination Exclusive, you are not entitled to lifetime updates as long as a sort of different product is offered. For example: Niche Domination includes lifetime updates and is an eBook. Then Niche Domination Exclusive comes out and it has videos, without the eBook. Then the customers from Niche Domination wouldn't be entitled to a refund.

I hope you understood my quite long story .

As internet marketers we would be slammed by Government agencies for most of the so-called guarantees that are made.

No wonder IM'ers get such a bad name.

It's better to "over-communicate" and mention that there is a limited warranty or Lifetime period, rather than leave it open to interpretation.


eg. LIMITED UPDATE GUARANTEE - You are purchasing a product with a one year upgrade and bug-fix guarantee period from the date of purchase, and does not include jumps in the product version (from say example 1.4 to 2.0)