CAUTION: Re "Buying" Software on E-Bay: Buyer Beware!!!

This is for anyone who is thinking of "purchasing" a "used" version of software via E-Bay or any other method rather than going directly to the vendor, thinking that they'll wind up saving a few bucks. Although it may appear that way by a selling price, it may not work out that way in the long run, so please be aware of the following:

First, to clarify, you are not *purchasing* the software -- you are purchasing the license to use that software. The seller must be the one, true licensed user of that software -- the individual that purchased the license from the software vendor. To use the product legally � and this applies to ANY software purchased from ANY vendor, be it Microsoft, Adobe, Stenograph, Advantage, ProCAT, etc. � the license for the software must be transferred from the orginal licensee to the buyer.

Before the seller can transfer and sell their software license to you, the seller must complete a Software License Transfer and pay any applicable fees. (Sellers frequently ask the buyers to pay these fees.) Sellers MUST complete a software license transfer per the agreement they made with the vendor at the time of purchase, when they acquired their software license.

FYI, this isn't unique to Stenograph. This policy is held by virtually every CAT software vendor, and applies to all third-party vendors as well, such as Stenotech and Acculaw.

Further, before you buy used software, we suggest first getting answers to these questions:

* What is the cost of executing a Software License Transfer?
* Will I be able to obtain a replacement security device if the original one fails?
* Will I be able to get technical support?
* Will I be able to get software updates to keep current?

Taking these factors into consideration as the "true" cost, you may find it's more cost-effective to purchase new software, possibly on an easy payment plan, without all these concerns.

Cindi Hartman
Training Program Manager
STENOGRAPH, LLC