Overages have their consequences Bentley

I'm an autodesk product user mainly, but we have a couple microstation and water cad seats on select.

We got a $500 bill this week for some one opening a third watercad once, likely to just look at the program.

We normally have only one person using it at once, and have never had an overage.

Let me just say that after seeing how Bentley handled this, with a sudden invoice like they did, is the worst thing they could have done.

We have paid about $7,000 a year to them and only use about 1/2 the software. No More.

Node Locked it is.

Parents
  • Yes, we recently received a substantial bill. Bentley did not realise that the INSTALLATION process also consumes a license, so while we were upgrading our machines and and at the same time migrating to CE, were unwittingly were creating overages.
    While Bentley finally removed these instances from the final bill, they were a source of serious conternation and questioning from Senior Management for some time. FWIW, there was a user left the license checked out when specifically instructed not to while we trained a new user. Our own fault, but a painful lesson, and definately easily preventable by Bentley.

    The ability to prevent Overages should be a setting by SELECT Server Admins (now changing to Bentley User). It is siply done and I really cannot understand Bentley's retisence in enabling this tool, other than akin to our police speed enforcement practices - income.

    It certainly does not endear them to their customers, nor create the environment where we are confident in using their software, or even trialling software fo rpotential purchase.
    I do understand their position that they do not wish to halt production simply due to someone taking an extra seat, but with the tools available now (and were in the SITE based SELECT Server), this is very simple to resolve.

    • Bentley - Include the option to STOP new seats of software being initiated when an overage situation is reached.

    The user above would then have the confdence to run the software on SELECT Server and you would have a potential extra seat when they start using the product more widely and demand rises.

    Greg Smith

    Microstation 10.17.01.058

    Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employer

Reply
  • Yes, we recently received a substantial bill. Bentley did not realise that the INSTALLATION process also consumes a license, so while we were upgrading our machines and and at the same time migrating to CE, were unwittingly were creating overages.
    While Bentley finally removed these instances from the final bill, they were a source of serious conternation and questioning from Senior Management for some time. FWIW, there was a user left the license checked out when specifically instructed not to while we trained a new user. Our own fault, but a painful lesson, and definately easily preventable by Bentley.

    The ability to prevent Overages should be a setting by SELECT Server Admins (now changing to Bentley User). It is siply done and I really cannot understand Bentley's retisence in enabling this tool, other than akin to our police speed enforcement practices - income.

    It certainly does not endear them to their customers, nor create the environment where we are confident in using their software, or even trialling software fo rpotential purchase.
    I do understand their position that they do not wish to halt production simply due to someone taking an extra seat, but with the tools available now (and were in the SITE based SELECT Server), this is very simple to resolve.

    • Bentley - Include the option to STOP new seats of software being initiated when an overage situation is reached.

    The user above would then have the confdence to run the software on SELECT Server and you would have a potential extra seat when they start using the product more widely and demand rises.

    Greg Smith

    Microstation 10.17.01.058

    Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employer

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