Mac Office 2004 Select Version & purchasing Office 2007

[Amit Srivastava]

Hello,

All through the Fall, our University advertised a deal from Microsoft
similar to the Super Suite Deal wherein purchasing Microsoft Select Office
2004 Standard Mac for $75 would qualify one to purchase Mac Office 2008
for the $10 (just the S&H charges). Now they inform me that that Microsoft
reneged (their word) on that deal and therefore the campus store no longer
advertises that deal on its website.
I was told by the campus store that the ³Select² version is a ³license² and
indeed the CD did not come in a box ...so I am unable to send in a ³box top²
along with the purchase receipt to claim my copy of Mac Office 2008. I have
not been able to find any clarifying information on the Mactopia website.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks!

- amit

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Hello,

All through the Fall, our University advertised a deal from Microsoft
similar to the Super Suite Deal wherein purchasing Microsoft Select Office
2004 Standard Mac for $75 would qualify one to purchase Mac Office 2008
for the $10 (just the S&H charges). Now they inform me that that Microsoft
reneged (their word) on that deal and therefore the campus store no longer
advertises that deal on its website.
I was told by the campus store that the ³Select² version is a ³license² and
indeed the CD did not come in a box ...so I am unable to send in a ³box top²
along with the purchase receipt to claim my copy of Mac Office 2008. I have
not been able to find any clarifying information on the Mactopia website.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Sounds like you should either

(a) demand a refund from the campus store, then buy a qualifying copy of
Office 2004, or

(b) see if the campus store will be offering a deal similar to the
Select license for 2008.

Don't have any idea what the beef between MS and your University is,
though I strongly suspect that the University's claim that MS "reneged"
is spurious - MS reps that deal with volume licensing, in my experience,
tend to be very precise about licensing terms, and honor those terms.
Mistakes happen, of course.

However, that's between them - you don't have a claim on MS unless you
purchase an individual license.

 

[William Smith]

Hello,

All through the Fall, our University advertised a deal from Microsoft
similar to the Super Suite Deal wherein purchasing Microsoft Select
Office 2004 Standard Mac for $75 would qualify one to purchase Mac
Office 2008 for the $10 (just the S&H charges). Now they inform me that
that Microsoft reneged (their word) on that deal and therefore the
campus store no longer advertises that deal on its website.
I was told by the campus store that the “Select” version is a “license”
and indeed the CD did not come in a box ...so I am unable to send in a
“box top” along with the purchase receipt to claim my copy of Mac Office
2008. I have not been able to find any clarifying information on the
Mactopia website.

Hi amit!

Just adding to JE's comments...

The MVPs have been paying close attention to the Office:mac deals that
Microsoft has been offering and often pointing folks to take advantage
of them. Both of them have been for retail purchases of the 2004
software and what you received from your University does not qualify as
"retail". It is instead "volume" licensing, which is why you were able
to receive the software as inexpensively as you did.

If you took the advice of the University to purchase the software
because you thought you'd receive Office 2008 for just S&H, ask them to
show you their proof that what they told you was, in good faith,
accurate. I bet they can't do it. If they can then you have legal
grounds for acting.

Microsoft has not reneged on any offers. Your University reseller was
mistaken in what he told you.

Hope this helps!

--

bill

William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>