Technet Plus changed and Reduced number of Keys to 5

Yes!

I sent an email last week to Technet Support, because I couldn't find anyone else with the same problem of only 2 keys. This is the response I got:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hello Jeff,
This is in response to your email regarding the reduction of product keys through the TechNet Standard Subscription.


Microsoft has implemented additional security measures that affect the maximum amount of product keys provided through TechNet Standard subscription. The TechNet Standard subscription is eligible for 2 product keys for the following products:

• Office 2007
• Office 2010
• Windows XP
• Windows 7

The number of activations available per keys will remain 10 activations per product key for the two listed keys available. Therefore 2 product keys for a product means that you will have 20 activations. At this time, there are no other products affected by this change.



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So, it doesn't look like this is a website problem. We now only have 2 keys, but they can be activated 10 times per. Still, it's not what I paid for.

I can categorically state that in the UK Technet Standard is still 10 keys with 10 activations each.

echrada said:

Yes!

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Thanks.

There seems to be some confusion about the number of keys one gets right now. I'm sure it will be straighten out sooner or later, it always is.

Prices are different for the three subscriptions:
Buy, Renew or Upgrade Your TechNet Subscription

Would that be why the change in the amount of keys offered, is less?

Jacee said:

Prices are different for the three subscriptions:
Buy, Renew or Upgrade Your TechNet Subscription

Would that be why the change in the amount of keys offered, is less?

Click to expand...

I think those prices are the same as they have been. I paid $249 to renew my Pro 'script in June.

echrada said:

I can categorically state that in the UK Technet Standard is still 10 keys with 10 activations each.

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Hi there
can you screen dump a shot of your "nr of keys".

Mine still says 5 for most products -- screenshot enc.

Cheers
jimbo

TechNet Pro ... 5 keys for me too.

TechNet Subscriptions Standard Launches Today!!!
Monday, Jun 14 This was new in June of this year.

I've had a Professional 'script for about 15 months.
I claimed the keys last year when I got the 'script.

It shows that I have claimed 10 of a maximum of 5 for:
Office 2007
Office 2010
Windows 7
Windows XP

It shows I have claimed 10 of a maximum of 10 for:
Windows Vista.

I'm not sure what this proves, but it killed a few minutes researching.

I just had a little chat of my own.

Edward: Initial Question/Comment: When I purchased my sub I had access to 10 separate activation keys and now I have access to only 5 keys, why is that?



Kevin Liang has joined this session!

Connected with Kevin Liang. Your reference number for this chat session is *******.

Kevin Liang: Thank you Edward for contacting the TechNet Online Concierge. Please give me a moment while I review your question.

Kevin Liang: Edward, this is a known issue. Our TechNet team is working on it. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Kevin Liang: It should be a web site issue and will be fixed soon.

Edward: So, I have not been limited in the number of keys available to me, the original 10 keys I believed in good faith would be available to me?

Kevin Liang: Yes, you are right.

Edward: Any time frame?

Kevin Liang: It will be fixed in 2 or 3 days.

Edward: Thank you for your assistance and have a nice evening.

Kevin Liang: My pleasure. Have a nice evening.

Kevin Liang: Thank you Edward for using the TechNet Online Concierge. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please feel free to come back again.

Edward: Thank you!

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Then how come I still have a max of 10 on some of my available products and others I have 2 . I for one if I new this I would not of renewed my subscription since i had already harvested the max of 10 on most of the things I am testing. I am loving Windows XP Pro 64 bit as I am typing very nice interface.

sandman said:

Then how come I still have a max of 10 on some of my available products and others I have 2 . I for one if I new this I would not of renewed my subscription since i had already harvested the max of 10 on most of the things I am testing. I am loving Windows XP Pro 64 bit as I am typing very nice interface.

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They only reduced to 2 the following products

office 2007
office 2010
windows xp
windows 7

everything else stayed the same. The person on the phone did say they are evaluating reducing the other products too.

If you harvested all your keys in advance you lucked out. They said they will not do exceptions. 2 is all you get unless you got more before.

Still a good deal if you are testing system and software cheaper then buying a say 4 retail box sets at for Ultimate 7 or office 2010 saved me a lot of money. I did the beta testing and have got Office 2007 pro and Vista Business i liked a lot.

Just found this.


Some TechNet Standard License Keys Drop from 10 to 2; Pro Drops from 10 to 5

The most common email this week, perhaps, was about a sudden and unexpected change in the way that Microsoft's new TechNet Standard subscription works. That is, for most software products--Windows 7, Office 2010, whatever--subscribers received 10 product keys. But this past week, all of a sudden, that dropped to 2. What gives?
This bit came from the Microsoft online support forums and suggested that it was all a mistake:
So that's good news, right? Not so fast. According to a reader who chooses to remain anonymous, Microsoft just sent out the following email:
So I called TechNet myself. And what I discovered is that, yes, Microsoft did just change the terms of the TechNet Standard and Pro subscriptions. For the Standard subscription, Microsoft is only providing two product keys for [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Office [COLOR=blue !important]2007[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], Office 2010, Windows XP, and Windows 7. For Professional, it's five; both were previously ten. However, subscribers can request additional keys via email. And I verified with Microsoft that each product key is still good for ten activations.
The TechNet Standard subscription is still an excellent deal, of course, and I should once again point out that this product is for evaluation purposes only, not so you can inexpensively install Windows 7 on every PC in the neighborhood. But I do understand why existing subscribers are upset that Microsoft quietly changed the terms of the subscription. It was kind of a lousy thing to do.

Hi there
MS of course can do what it wants and there is BOUND to be some "Lawyers loophole" that says somewhere in the small print "Offer and conditions may be changed or withdrawn at any time" but it really is against NATURAL JUSTICE to change conditions like that for EXISTING subscribers.

No wonder most people DETEST lawyers and the whole legal profession MORE than Politicians or Used Car salesmen.

Of course one can understand MS wanting to protect its intellectual investment but this policy should have been ANNOUNCED and apply only to NEW suscribers or existing suscribers when their subscription is renewed.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

echrada said:

I can categorically state that in the UK Technet Standard is still 10 keys with 10 activations each.

Click to expand...

Hi there
can you screen dump a shot of your "nr of keys".

Mine still says 5 for most products -- screenshot enc.

Cheers
jimbo

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I have just had an unpleasant surprise, when I bought my sub I immediately claimed 10 keys etc. Today when I had another look, it says claimed 10/2 maximum?????

Same here, showing 6/5 max for Win7, a very good deal while it lasted.

the new policy in place enables access to a maximum number of keys for many products .... Current policy is that subscribers may access a maximum allocation of 2 keys from the download portal for use during the Subscription year to be used during the software evaluation process. Once the maximum allocation is exhausted, there will be no more keys available. Additional keys are not available upon request due to Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to counter-piracy

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This sure sounds like they will expire at the end of the subscription year.

Not good news.

Hi there
I'd imagine Windows wont suddenly stop working at the end of the subscription year and you CAN get 10 activations per product so that's still 20 activations for 2 keys -- should be enough even for the most inveterate tester.

We really should blame the people who try and scrape a few extra dollars by flogging technet keys on ebay and elsewhere.

I really have NO problem with MS tightening up its anti piracy -- my gripe was with it CHANGING the whole ballgame for EXISTING suscribers without giving them ANY notice of an impending change.

Whatever the SCUMBAG lawyers say -- how would you feel if you paid an annual fee to an exclusive automobile renting club guranteeing you to a nice sexy BMW for yyy dollars. You could rent these for 10 times a year.

Now say WITHOUT ANY ANNOUNCEMENT AT ALL you suddenlly discover when you want to rent a BMW they say --well you've already used the facility 5 times as we have now changed the number of times the facility is available to 5 so that's it for the year or we now have changed the cars from BMW's to Honda Civics (sorry Honda drivers).

I don't think you'd be very pleased at all.

IMO MS while they have the RIGHT to do this they certainly haven't gone about it in any way at all that conveys ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER of NATURAL JUSTICE.

I'm belabouring this point only because the actual change itself won't cause ME any inconvenience whatsoever -- but I disklike the manner under which this change was done.

MS should REINSTATE the ORIGINAL policy for existing suscribers and send out a notice of CHANGED policy -- or at least give people the option of cancelling subscriptions with the appropriate refunds.

Of course there as there ALWAYS IS with big corporations will be a legal get out clause -- but here Natural Justice should take precedence over the tiny small print --
Now you can understand why I HATE COMMERCIAL LAWYERS AND THE WHOLE LEGAL PROCESS THAT OPERATES IN MOST COUNTRIES -- It discriminates against the small individual in favour of HUGE corporations.

Criminal Law and Human rights stuff is another issue BTW -- it's this whole type of Big company litigation etc that gets my goat.

Cheers
jimbo