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  #11  
Old 02-02-2006, 09:41 AM
Guy Prevost's Avatar
Guy Prevost Guy Prevost is offline
 
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Location: albuquerque, nm
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I really liked the old epanelbuilder to play with and get an idea of general panel layout. I liked it well enough that I donated money for the service. However, I'm a mechanical engineer and have access to my own cad software and machining services. I'm willing to pay some for the ability to test a lot of ideas in a short period of time, but I'm not willing to pay $100/year for services I won't use. Especially since I'm at least 3 years out from actually building my panel.

I would really like to keep playing at designing my panel in my spare time (especially while I'm at work ), but I can't afford $100 to do what is mostly a recreational activity at the moment. I would have to quit playing at panel design until I was sure I was <1 year out. Bummer!

As others have said, I would be willing to pay a lesser rate for the ability to drag all of the latest instruments around, and possibly print or save them without having to do a screen capture. I tend to keep a document with a running list of all of my panel ideas.

My 2cents,
Guy
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  #12  
Old 02-02-2006, 10:08 AM
flyvans.com flyvans.com is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Posts: 466
Default too expensive$$$

hi

to chime in with previous posts:

we have been users of epanelbuilder to play around with basic layouts and concept of instruments.

of course we were looking forward to the new version :-) but then the first negative surprise was, that it was now subscription based... never mentioned beforehand, not even a figure in $$$ published before you register... so first thing, reading through the fine print just to make sure, that we won't pay before we know it...

i was expecting to pay something for the "true" benefits, like cad-production straight out of epanelbuilder, but wished even that feature would be paid for by whoever does the cutting in the end since it brings customers straight at them.

but the current model is just plain unattractive for several reasons:
- first it's just too expensive... for a drag & drop, concept drawing feature i would pay maybe $10 once and that's it. not 10 times as much.
- a panel/homebuilding project doesn't take 3 months, it doesn't even take one year... it will take 3-5 years. so the time based subscription model is bound to be doomed.
it was fun to play around even before we ordered the empennage kit. so realistically people will now only be able to start to play around in the later stages. but having a good idea about costs of avionics etc... is very helpful early on.
- many more points can be criticized...

i gotta go,

i can only say we've been happy customers of bill's creativair lighting products and hope you (bill) will rethink the business model for epanelbuilder.

regards, bernie
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  #13  
Old 02-02-2006, 10:15 AM
ptrotter ptrotter is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Sussex, NJ
Posts: 309
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Bill,

I don't mind paying for a good product, but I can't seem to find any pricing information except "Subscription based and starting at only $39.00".
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  #14  
Old 02-02-2006, 11:24 AM
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f1rocket f1rocket is offline
 
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Hey Bill,

This thread just proves the point that "No good deed goes unpunished!"
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  #15  
Old 02-02-2006, 11:24 AM
Jekyll Jekyll is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 625
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bvondane
Ok guys...

I have modified the new ePanel Builder to allow non-subscribers access to the panel builders basic features and all panel templates and all instruments... You will also have access to links to the instrument manufacturers web sites as you did in the old version...

Basically you have all the same functions you had in the old version except for the last panel you worked on will not be saved... I did not have this written in to the application and have been told by my developer that it will cost more than I can afford to have it added right now...

Hope this helps with a lot of your concerns...

-Bill VonDane
ePanel Builder
Uh,,, OK,,, thanks. Now that's listening to customers American style!

Jekyll
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  #16  
Old 02-02-2006, 11:56 AM
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cjensen cjensen is offline
 
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Location: Milwaukee, WI area
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this has been a really great thread! customers and a service provider coming together to compromise, all within a couple of days.

thanks a million for listening bill!!
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  #17  
Old 02-02-2006, 12:41 PM
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Jamie Jamie is offline
 
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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Bill:

Best of luck on your new venture. I think the model of allowing basic usage of the site and payment for advanced services will be a great one and should benefit you well. This model seems to be the newest trend in the on-line world (and is actually making money for people unlike the early dot-coms). I hope you do well -- you deserve it.

- Jamie
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  #18  
Old 02-02-2006, 12:45 PM
Guy Prevost's Avatar
Guy Prevost Guy Prevost is offline
 
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Awesome Bill! That's customer service!

Best of luck,
Guy
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  #19  
Old 02-02-2006, 12:57 PM
jcoloccia jcoloccia is offline
 
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Posts: 1,110
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This is way better, Bill. I can totally get behind fiddling for free over the next couple of years, and then paying for the service when it's time to get down to brass tax and seriously get something done. Half the fun of the original sight was that I had family members and co-workers all fiddling around designing me a panel and it was a blast to see what people would come up with!
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  #20  
Old 02-02-2006, 02:15 PM
Righty Righty is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 58
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Bill,

I am of the same sentiment as many here. I've got a few years to go before I 'really' need to design a panel, but I enjoyed playing around with the previous version.

I think it was a very good decision to give back the basic functionality for free. This will add to the value of the advertising space on your site, as you will most certainly be getting a lot more traffic from a certain demographic group that interests your advertisers (homebuilders who will be buying instruments, avionics, services, etc. sooner or later) at a key moment (when they are dreaming about the things that they want to buy for their panel).

When I first saw that you were going to make it subscription only, my first thought was, "that's too bad, I won't be coming back to this site. I guess I'll have to do my dreaming the old fashioned way". Of course, as another poster mentioned, someone else would probably fill the gap left by the parting of your previous version. That being said, I will continue using your site to dream and will probably see your adds a few hundred times over the next five years and maybe even pony up some cash for the full service when the time comes.

Did I mention that I think your product is really cool?

Regards,
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