Zimbra licensing SUCKS!

[mtanzer]

One of my clients running zimbra needes a renewal of 100 clients/mobile license.

2nd of February: the license was ordered.
3nd - 5th: No reply.
6th: I complain about the lack of a new license by phone.
7th: The License ist not more valid. Tons of phonecalls, many users are insecure, if their mail is delivered or not. A call from the CEO. I am very angry and call my distributor
8th: Answer from Zimbra/VMware: Disti action required - End user name (XXXXX GmbH) does not match email id (m.tanzer@xxxx.at) - Could you please confirm if you wish us to proceed booking with these details?-CV-08-Feb-2011

Hey, we are a registrated Customer since 2009!!!! Have a look in your CRM system!

Answer from the distributor: Please proceed, Mr. Tanzer is the external license admin

9th: Answer from Zimbra/Vmware However, could you please confirm if @x509.at is a valid domain

F***! My emailadress and domain is known to the zimbra support and to the forum.

Answer from the distributor: Once again - Yes, this domain is correct, please process this order

10th, 01:05: The license ariverd. 9 days to purchase a license!
Dear VMWare, XEN rulez.

mt, external admin of 10 Zimbra Servers.

[uxbod]

Sorry you have had a few issues Why do you believe you email address would be known to the forum ?

[mtanzer]

Because I am registrated with this address to the forum and to the support. And this is not the first license I purchase.

[uxbod]

I believe your Distributor would need to take this up with Zimbra. Again sorry you have had difficulties

[langs]

Hehe I always touch base with my account manager at least a month prior to a license needing renewal. Being is Australia the time zones can play havoc.

Wish there was more of an official presence for Zimbra down here, even now then people try and sell me exchange and I tell them we use Zimbra the answer is always "you use what now?"

They get very surprised when I point out how big Zimbra has grown these days and I will die before I use exchange again.

[moetiker]

Hi,

same experience on my side. ... my server expired I had no chance to get a license on time.... I spend hours to find somebody who was starting selling me a licence .... I'm still waiting that my contract is enabled on the vmware side...

the world is upside down ....

[batfastad]

Unfortunately I agree. Dealing with resellers is generally annoying compared to buying direct, in any industry.

Needed to renew a starter pack license earlier this year so kicked off the process with >30 days before the end of the license. Since there's no option to buy direct these days I contacted Zimbra Sales by e-mail and phone. After 2 weeks I was put in touch with a reseller who raised an invoice which was paid the following day. License received by e-mail 2 weeks later.
5 weeks from start to finish! Disgraceful.

It also cost 30% more because the reseller skewed the exchange rate whereas we previously paid in USD. Meant it cost us only marginally less than Exchange.

When you could buy direct from Zimbra, license delivery was pretty much instantaneous.

Buying direct without having to go through multiple layers of bureaucracy (and price markups) was a big plus to me vs Exchange.
Fortunately there's still plenty of other plusses to Zimbra for us vs Exchange. But perceived price increases are not a great idea in the current economic climate.

[dik23]

Oh no !

This has made me worried - my 60 day trial runs out in 3 weeks and I've just sent my orders out to a number of resellers in the UK to get prices.

Is there anyway that the trial can be extended ? I was hoping to get this all sorted out in a couple of weeks - I won't even be in the country when the trial expires

[moetiker]

I think you can just order an other trail.

[Klug]

I'm (also) a VAR so you might want to read this from the VAR perspective 8)

It mainly depends on the VAR and his distributor (between the VAR and vmware).

We used to be able to sell/deliver licences in less than 48 hours.
Currently it's more something like a week.

The main issue (from chats with other VARs and customers) seems to be that the vmware distributors are not aware enough of Zimbra, how you sell it, the pricing scheme, etc.
Also that many "vmware VAR" are now trying to sell Zimbra without knowing it either.