Downloaded FULL version but still asked for previous serial number as if it were an upgrade.

[DWTNA]

So I received the serial number for the standalone version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Student and Teacher edition that I purchased from the Adobe online store.  After it downloaded I received a serial number.  When I installed the software and attempted to activate it using the provided serial number the pop-up box stated that the number I provided was for an upgrade version and that I needed to provide the serial number from the previous install; something that I do not have because I have never owned Lightroom before.

Before you start, I was very careful in selecting the FULL version, please see the attached image of the shopping cart which clearly indicates that I have purchased the full version.  Further the email with the serial number gave no indication that I have purchased the upgrade version.

So my question is, how do I get a non-upgrade serial number that will work with the software that I have installed??

[kglad]

contact adobe support by clicking this link and then clicking 'still need help' as soon as it appears, https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

[DWTNA]

You have got to be kidding...  I have just spent the last 3 hours simultaneously waiting for someone to reply to my chat request while navigating the telephone/voice mail menu.  The chat box keeps telling me that support is available 24/7 and that I should wait patiently for an expert while the voice mail system says that phone support is not available for my product.

After finally getting someone from the chat team, Ganesh says and I quote - "Ganesh: You need to return the upgrade version and purchase the upgrade version."  Talk about helpful....

Now I'm waiting because Ganesh has transferred me to the "Customer Support Team" - which begs the question -- who was I chatting with in the first place.

What a farce.

[kglad]

that's probably a typo and he meant, you need to return the upgrade version and purchase the non-upgrade version.

Return, cancel, or exchange an Adobe order

[DWTNA]

If someone would actually look at the image I upload at the top of this discussion they would see that I DID order the non-upgrade version.  Just in case, here is the URL that I reported to "customer support" - https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/catalog/software._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_education_sl_p... during my chat.  There is nothing on this page to indicate that is an upgrade purchase.  As I reported to Ganesh, it DOES NOT SAY UPGRADE anywhere through out the checkout process, nor does it say upgrade anywhere on the email that was sent to me containing the purchase confirmation.

The point is that there was an error in your order fulfillment system and customer service wants to assume that I am trying to get something for nothing.  I am trying to get what is advertised on Adobe's own ecommerce site but clearly that is a problem.

[DWTNA]

Here are the steps that I followed to purchase a full version of the software but for which I received an upgrade only serial #.

1) Logged into my Adobe ID account and sought out "Products: For Education Customers" by clicking the link products link at the bottom of my account summary page.  This resulted in my being directed to the following URL:

Products

Here is a screen capture of the page which clearly states the page is for education customers.

2) Press the BUY link beside the Lightroom for Students and Teachers Edition. Please note - THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THIS IS AN UPGRADE VERSION.  Clicking the link results in the following URL:

Products

The only thing that changed is that the buy icon changed to an "Add to Cart" icon.

Here's the screen shot.  Notice that it still says Products: For Education Customers at the top and there is no mention of this being an upgrade version.

3) Press the "Add to Cart" icon. Which loads a new page.  Here's the URL:

https://www.adobe.com/ca/cart.edu.html

And here's the screen shot:

Please notice the price.  It will become relevant when you read the chat that I had with "customer service" last night.  Also, once again, absolutely no indication that this is an upgrade version. In fact, if someone at Adobe would actually look at this screen shot they would see that just below the text indicating the product's name is a line that states: "I want to buy:  Full"

4) Proceed to Checkout.  After providing my Adobe ID and password again I was directed to this URL:

https://store1.adobe.com/ca/cart/checkout.edu.html#null

Here's the screen shot, please notice that the content of the cart states "Full, Mac/Win, English, Download"  Once again, absolutely no indication that this is an upgrade version.

5) I provided my credit card information and then received the following email from Adobe.  A close reading of the message will not reveal anything about this purchase being an upgrade.

  Dear DOUG TURNER,

Thank you for your purchase of downloadable Adobe products.

For your records, we have included your serial numbers below.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 (Mac/Win,English)

     <serial number removed - kglad>

Download Instructions:

1. Login into Your Account with the Adobe ID: DWTURNER@TEKSAVVY.COM

    *  http://www.adobe.com/go/ols_ww_login/

2. In the My Orders page, locate order #AD015387514 with the date January 14, 2015, and expand the order to view the details.

3. Start your download by clicking on the 'Download' button.

4. After you have completed the download process, your serial number will be displayed in the download center.

You can log back into 'Adobe Account Management' in the future to re-download your product or retrieve your serial number. Please refer to the download policy for terms and conditions.

http://www.adobe.com/go/ols_en_download_policy

For help with downloading and installing your product, visit the Download and Installation Support center:

* http://www.adobe.com/go/ols_ww_download_instructions

Best Regards,

The Adobe Store Team

A second email with somewhat different formatting but with the same details was received immediately following the one quoted above.

6) Followed the instructions provided in this message and then installed Lightroom and entered the serial number provided above once the software launched.  The pop-up box then informed me that I had been provided with an upgrade serial number and that the serial number from my previous purchase of Lightroom was needed.  This was the first indication that I had not been provided with the product that I thought I had purchased.

7) That's when the nightmare that Adobe calls customer service began.  Here's the transcript of the 30 minute entirely useless chat I had yesterday.

For additional help, reach us at http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

General Info
Chat start time	Jan 15, 2015 1:59:04 PM PST
Chat end time	Jan 15, 2015 2:34:33 PM PST
Duration (actual chatting time)	00:35:29
Operator	Ganesh

Chat Transcript

info: Hi, we are currently helping other customers in line ahead of you. We'll be with you as soon as possible. While you wait, you can try our community forums where experts are online 24/7. info: You are now chatting with 'Ganesh' Ganesh: Hello. Welcome to Adobe Technical Support. Ganesh: Please allow me a moment while I look into your account & verify the details. Ganesh: Hello Doug. DOUG TURNER: hello Ganesh: I understand that you have purchased Lightroom 5 and it asks for earlier version serial number while installing, is that correct? DOUG TURNER: Yes. I specifically purchased the FULL standalone student/teacher version of LR5. I was sent a serial number but when I install the box says that the SN is for an upgrade and that I need to provide my previous SN which I do not have. info: Your chat transcript will be sent to DWTURNER@TEKSAVVY.COM at the end of your chat. Ganesh: Thank you for confirming. Ganesh: I will be glad to help you with information on  this issue. DOUG TURNER: Great... Ganesh: Please allow me a minute to check the details for your purchase. DOUG TURNER: O.K. I can provide a cut and paste of the email... DOUG TURNER: Dear DOUG TURNER, Thank you for your purchase of downloadable Adobe products. For your records, we have included your serial numbers below. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 (Mac/Win,English) (EDIT after POST:serial number removed for privacy- PattieF)  Download Instructions: 1. Login into Your Account with the Adobe ID: DWTURNER@TEKSAVVY.COM * http://www.adobe.com/go/ols_ww_login/ 2. In the My Orders page, locate order #AD015387514 with the date January 14, 2015, and expand the order to view the details. 3. Start your download by clicking on the 'Download' button. Ganesh: Thank you for providing details. Ganesh: I see that you have purchased an upgrade version for Lightroom 5. Ganesh: I will transfer this chat to our Customer Support team so you can return Lightroom 5 upgrade version and purchase full version. Ganesh: Is that okay? DOUG TURNER: NO, NO, NO... I specifically purchased the full version... I have a screen capture of the shopping cart to prove it. DOUG TURNER: I was very careful to make sure that I did NOT purchase the upgrade. Ganesh: I checked the order details again and it is for an upgrade version. DOUG TURNER: How can I send you the jpg that shows the shopping cart that specifically says I want to buy the FULL version??? DOUG TURNER: NO. I repeat. I did not purchase the upgrade. I can prove it. Ganesh: Order total for Lightroom 5 is $89.27. Ganesh: You can check the cost for full version on Adobe site. DOUG TURNER: $79 Us plus Tax. for the STUDENT & TEACHER FULL version. Give me a second and I'll copy the url for you... DOUG TURNER: Check here -- https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/catalog/software._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_education_sl_p... DOUG TURNER: Hit the BUY button beside light room and then add it to your cart and you will get a message stating that you want to buy the FULL version. Ganesh: I see that you have purchased a retail version and not an educational version. DOUG TURNER: Did you check the link??? Ganesh: Yes. I checked the link. DOUG TURNER: Do you see the Student & Teacher edition? Ganesh: You need to click on ''Student & teacher pricing'' to purchase a student version. DOUG TURNER: That's how I got to the link in the first place... DOUG TURNER: This really is not very helpful. Is there someone I can talk to? Or perhaps you can escalate this issue to a supervisor? Ganesh: Doug, I checked with my senior on this issue. Ganesh: You need to return the upgrade version and purchase the upgrade version. Ganesh: You can return the current order and can contact our Sales team to get help to purchase the correct version. DOUG TURNER: How do I return downloaded software?? DOUG TURNER: Hello?? Ganesh: I am sorry for delay. Ganesh: Do not worry, our customer support team will help you with return process. Ganesh: Would you like me to transfer the chat to our customer support team? DOUG TURNER: Yes, I thought I was talking to customer support. A transfer would be good. Ganesh: Allow me a minute to transfer the chat. info: Please wait while I transfer the chat to the appropriate group. info: We are still assisting other customers, thank you for your patience. You can also try our community forums, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. info: We are still assisting other customers, thank you for your patience. You can also try our community forums, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. info: We are still assisting other customers, thank you for your patience. You can also try our community forums, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. info: We are still assisting other customers, thank you for your patience. You can also try our community forums, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I waited as long as I could for a response from the appropriate group and then closed my browser.

*** I need this software for a course that I am taking.  Please provide clear instructions on how to get this issue resolved.  ***

[kglad]

the link to cancel your purchase is in message 3

[DWTNA]

I don't want to cancel the purchase.  I want to get my purchase to work.  If I do cancel and re-order the software it seems very likely that the same results will occur.  Is there some mistake that I made during the process?  What should I do differently?

[kglad]

no one can change the serial number you currently have into a different serial number.  you need to purchase a different serial number.

if and how you made a mistake or if the adobe web site made a mistake i can't say.

[DWTNA · Accepted solution]

O.K. Thanks for being clear.  I will return and re-order the software and re-open this discussion if needed.