JF/AH Dove/Devon is 50% off at simmarket...

[alehead]

Just received the info that the Dove is 50% off currently until 1 March...

If anyone hasn't picked it up yet (like myself), now is as good a time as any...

A

[Ferry_vO]

And at pc aviator Australia as well.

[rdaniell]

I bought this yesterday. Boy! I'm really glad that I did. It is a joy to fly. It also has great night lighting for the virtual cockpit.

RD

[William Njurmi]

Same here. Also I'm very happy to be able to make a choice between modern and steam cockpit. Of course its the latter...

[greenie]

Thanks for the HU , been waiting for a sale on this old bird I used to work on . Downloading right now

[dvj]

Already 50% off?

[Cees Donker]

Already 50% off?

Exactly my reaction. I'm not buying these JF planes immediately any more, but will wait a few weeks. Then there's 50% off.
I get the feeling I paid too much and I don't like that. (I'm Dutch after all!)



Cees

[gman5250]

I felt the same way. I was surprised to see the package on sale already, it seems I just bought it...full price. Not complaining...just an observation.

[huub vink]

For those who wonder (like me), it was released the 15th of January. But I think the discount perhaps has more to do with the numbers which are currently sold than with the time it has been on the market.

Its not really my type of aircraft but for those who were in doubt to buy it, this sale is really a nice thing.

Cheers,
Huub

[WarHorse47]

For those who wonder (like me), it was released the 15th of January. But I think the discount perhaps has more to do with the numbers which are currently sold than with the time it has been on the market.

Its not really my type of aircraft but for those who were in doubt to buy it, this sale is really a nice thing.

Cheers,
Huub

Agreed. I haven't bought it as yet, but I'm doing my homework. Looks nice.

I wonder why its discounted at the distributor (e.g., PCAviator, etc.) and not by the developer (e.g., JustFlight)?

I love discounts and sales offered by distributors, but I also love the quicker availability of patches and upgrades by the developer.

[dvj]

Agreed. I haven't bought it as yet, but I'm doing my homework. Looks nice.

I wonder why its discounted at the distributor (e.g., PCAviator, etc.) and not by the developer (e.g., JustFlight)?

I love discounts and sales offered by distributors, but I also love the quicker availability of patches and upgrades by the developer.

Maybe JF should look into this, but the damage me thinks is already done. The early discount devalued all the work the developer's did on the model, which seemed like it took forever to complete. Wait a month and that new JF Corsair will be 60% off!

[bazzar]

I wonder, dvj, if you ever have anything nice to say. Every post I read of yours is negative. Always niggling away at something. Now you are complaining about a discount? I've heard it all now.

[Ian Warren]

I wonder, dvj, if you ever have anything nice to say. Every post I read of yours is negative. Always niggling away at something. Now you are complaining about a discount? I've heard it all now.

That is well pointed out .. personal I think the Devon has been nailed , I'm going into Wigram this Sunday, I was invited to pop back in there with another member from another forum in the NZ simply to check my knowledge (pick my brain case, least whats inside), biggest thing is just looking and enjoying , I do wonder if 'Mr G' is a Flightsim man , big thing is we will have RNZAF's 03 in our face, I grew up with these aircraft .. this one has been Really really done well!

[dvj]

I wonder, dvj, if you ever have anything nice to say. Every post I read of yours is negative. Always niggling away at something. Now you are complaining about a discount? I've heard it all now.

I pay my complements with my screen shots. And your statement is untrue and false. For what it is worth, I paid full price for this product a - very - short - time - ago. Is it yours? Now it's discounted 50%? Am I not allowed to complain? I guess just roll over and play the stupid sucker customer who expects a high quality product for my hard earned money. I am done with JF and AH products - forever if that's the attitude from the developers of these product lines. Is that good enough for you?

Thank you and god bless

[bazzar]

DVJ, I understand the frustration of seeing something on sale when one has just bought at full price. It happens to us all. AH has nothing to do with pricing or if and when a product is discounted, we just build these for JF. However, it could be construed that you think "paying too much" as somebody else commented, means that you do not believe you received value. As a hard-working developer, you can't blame me for taking offence to that.

I may well be a developer but I am also a human being, fellow hobbyist and fellow forum poster. I have a right to make a comment as much as you and I certainly have a right of reply.

If I look back through the posts on your member profile, I would say it looks to me like well over 80% are in the negative. Obviously hard to please? OK. That's you. Still, if that means that you are done with us then so be it. I can't make you any happier a person so might as well stop trying.

I hope you do buy something else eventually, you could miss out on a lot of fun. And surely the fun we all get from this game is worth the price we pay?

[gman5250]

Perhaps to expand on the point I made, as well as the current discussion regarding price.

I usually shop the sales, but on a rare occasion I jump at something I have waited a long time for...such as the Dove/Devon, which I bought as soon as it became available. IMHO...a magnificent model and well worth the full pop I put down.

I understand that a corporation like JF looks at their numbers, cost/benefit and return on investment for a project that they invested in. That does not present a problem for me if they feel the need to recoup their up front cost by running a sale. It's business....not personal.

I'll make a point here though. It is my personal opinion that JF may not have made the best decision by running this sale so close to the release date. I for one will now assume that this may become a trend, as economics and other factors put additional financial pressures on everyone.

Based on this assumption I probably would not continue to purchase new releases from JF, anticipating that they will be on sale shortly. Nothing against JF...it's business, not personal. JF may have hurt their long term sales with this move. If one looks at the inventory, which BTW is data for the most part and therefore has no supply side challenges, it is obvious that with such a large inventory JF could amortize their less than expected sales on a given project across their entire product line.


Sidebar:
I've only felt reeeeallllllyyyyy slighted on a purchase one time. It was neither JF nor AH.

I won't name names, but I purchased a certain highly touted turboprop tube when it was first released and was greatly disappointed, as it appeared to be an FS9 port over, spruced up for FSX. When the real deal second version was released, I was expected to pay full price with no consideration for having bought the earlier version. OK...so I bit the bullet and threw down for version two. When the third "upgrade" offer came out...there was indeed a discount...but with the upgrade, I was well over a hundred bucks into the airplane. Pricey...

From the developer there was never a thank you or a KMA....not really good PR...in my humble opinion.

[Cees Donker]

Whatever the product, a sale on such a short term (four weeks!), and with indeed 50%!, which is massive imho, hurts not only the customers who just bought this at the usual price, but also the developer. The reasoning behind this assumption is already explained by others.



Cees

[Martyn]

Hi all,

It is one of the (many) responsibilities of our sales and marketing team to explore how best to maximise sales, not only in our 'shop' but in the many third-party retailer shops too (SimMarket etc). Over the years they have trialled many things, pick-and-mix bundles, the freemium 757, super sales and a range of promotions that apply exclusively to the third-party retailer shops. The heavy discounting on the Dove was just one of those experiments, and it is by no means an indicator of a permanent trend or shift in our sales strategy. If you look back at some other significant releases (Canberra, Tornado, Tristar Pro etc) you'll see that it was a considerable time before large discounts were applied and in some cases that has yet to happen. Early discounting has unfortunately become the norm across most industries now (anyone else remember FS2000 and MS Train Simulator still retailing at full-price several years after release?) but the sales strategy for every one of our products differs and you are unlikely to see a discount like this being applied often, although of course we will always strive to provide good value for money.

Due to the way that these products are developed and paid for, the developer is not directly impacted by discounts/promotions. We absorb the loss in profit margin etc, and all of those factors are taken into account when making decisions like these. We, like many other FS developers, are very customer-orientated (hence why I'm replying here this morning rather than coding the Socata) and your opinions also influence our decisions heavily. We certainly sympathise with those of you who purchased at full price and are feeling disappointed, and we apologise for that and accept that the discount was perhaps too early and too great in this case, but hopefully you'll agree that for the most part we do offer fair pricing and good value for money.

Your feedback, as always, is much appreciated and has been shared throughout Just Flight.

Thanks
Martyn

[rdaniell]

My ole daddy used to say that some people would complain if you lynched them with a new rope. My father in law used to say that everybody knows what to do with a bull but, the person who has it by the horns.

I for one am glad that the Dove went on sale for half price. I wouldn't be flying and enjoying it now if it had not gone on sale. Great airplane Baz.

As to the marketing decisions that went into this sale, I could care less. I've been on the other side of the fence on numerous occasions and just had to grin and bear it. Life ain't fair.

RD

[gman5250]

Your feedback, as always, is much appreciated and has been shared throughout Just Flight.

I'll be the first to thank you for your forthright response Martyn. Your consideration of the points of view discussed in this thread are very much appreciated.

When a distributor or developer listens to their customers it is a clear indication that they are genuinely concerned with maintaining a healthy and respectful dialogue with the people who support their business.

Case in point:
I have a ticket in with another distributor regarding an installer/password failure on a popular product. The total lack of response from the distributor indicates that they do not appear to give a Rat Sass about their customer support. In this case it will probably result in my deleting them from my Christmas card list.

Good service is good PR....thank you for taking the time sir.

[heywooood]

who by now hasn't bought something at full price only to see it go on sale the next day or very shortly afterward...blaming the mfg for what the seller does is misguided at best.
I think most of us now try to wait for the sales and bargains when we can, but there are those items we like that we buy as soon as they are available. Hopefully understanding the slight risk to our financial acumen.

One thing though, complaining about sales and discounts is not popular with the folks who rely on them...

[jojohnson9]

who by now hasn't bought something at full price only to see it go on sale the next day or very shortly afterward...blaming the mfg for what the seller does is misguided at best.
I think most of us now try to wait for the sales and bargains when we can, but there are those items we like that we buy as soon as they are available. Hopefully understanding the slight risk to our financial acumen..

Very well said. I bought the DH.104 as soon as it was available and have no regrets...love the plane. I think of all the great prices I got on many purchases during the annual Thanksgiving to New Years sales bonanzas....more than makes up for paying full on the Dove.
And if the P-39 ever arrives I will pay full price immediately!

[Ferry_vO]

Wasn't sure about buying this, but a ten minute flight in the demo and $5 coupon from PC Aviator sealed the deal for me! $13 for both packs, can't beat that price!
AH Sure have produced some great aircraft recently, love the F3F, B-17 and now the Dove.