We recently purchased an endoscopy camera in donation. We could have got any other one too. But the reseller gave us a reasonable rate, and his specifications included 'facility to record' video of operations performed.
The camera was OK. The display worked fine. The trouble started when we installed the software on a PC for recording operative videos. The software declared that it was good for a month and then we would have to have it activated. We called the company engineer, who told us that the software supplied with the camera was always a one-month version, and that we would have to buy the full version if we wanted it. He pointed out that it was the distributor who had made any promises in that connection, not the manufacturing company.
We were stumped. It did have recording facility, meaning the ability. The thing not said before sale was that we would have to pay extra to have that facility. It reminded me of "Take Note" hardware I had got. It stated it would convert handwritten text into editable text. It supplied software called "MyScript Notes", which did the job. The snag was that it was a demo version, and we would have to buy the full version if we wanted the feature.
"I feel cheated" someone said.
"It is like marrying a good looking girl who can cook well, sing well, paint well, but won't do anything" a male staff member said.
"Or marrying a handsome hunk with loads of money and a mind to match, but who won't let the wife enjoy any of the features" retorted a woman staff member. Well, you get the idea. We talked to the reseller- M/s. Diamond Something. He was co-operative, perhaps the donor had withheld a major part of his payment, until we certified the equipment was OK.
"I will give you the activation code" he said "even if the manufacturer will not."
"We cannot take it from you" I explained to him. "The license for the software should be given by the manufacturer of the hardware."
"Why? You have bought it from us. We will give you service afterwards, not the manufacturer."
"It is like Microsoft Windows. A person who sells us a computer cannot install Windows on it and give us a license key of his own. That would be piracy. We do not want pirated software."
I wrote to the parent company and asked for its catalogue. There was no response. Finally we realized that we would not get the licensed software. I apprised the donor of the situation and asked him to release the balance payment if he felt like doing so.
Let the lesson we learned the hard way help others. Before you buy this or any other equipment from this or any other vendor, don't fall for the 'facility' word. Confirm that the full facility is a part of the deal.
The camera was OK. The display worked fine. The trouble started when we installed the software on a PC for recording operative videos. The software declared that it was good for a month and then we would have to have it activated. We called the company engineer, who told us that the software supplied with the camera was always a one-month version, and that we would have to buy the full version if we wanted it. He pointed out that it was the distributor who had made any promises in that connection, not the manufacturing company.
We were stumped. It did have recording facility, meaning the ability. The thing not said before sale was that we would have to pay extra to have that facility. It reminded me of "Take Note" hardware I had got. It stated it would convert handwritten text into editable text. It supplied software called "MyScript Notes", which did the job. The snag was that it was a demo version, and we would have to buy the full version if we wanted the feature.
"I feel cheated" someone said.
"It is like marrying a good looking girl who can cook well, sing well, paint well, but won't do anything" a male staff member said.
"Or marrying a handsome hunk with loads of money and a mind to match, but who won't let the wife enjoy any of the features" retorted a woman staff member. Well, you get the idea. We talked to the reseller- M/s. Diamond Something. He was co-operative, perhaps the donor had withheld a major part of his payment, until we certified the equipment was OK.
"I will give you the activation code" he said "even if the manufacturer will not."
"We cannot take it from you" I explained to him. "The license for the software should be given by the manufacturer of the hardware."
"Why? You have bought it from us. We will give you service afterwards, not the manufacturer."
"It is like Microsoft Windows. A person who sells us a computer cannot install Windows on it and give us a license key of his own. That would be piracy. We do not want pirated software."
I wrote to the parent company and asked for its catalogue. There was no response. Finally we realized that we would not get the licensed software. I apprised the donor of the situation and asked him to release the balance payment if he felt like doing so.
Let the lesson we learned the hard way help others. Before you buy this or any other equipment from this or any other vendor, don't fall for the 'facility' word. Confirm that the full facility is a part of the deal.
