Guys, I’m fairly new to Traktor, I’ll admit, but what you’re saying is confusing me somewhat…
Between a friend and myself, we’ve got an old A6, a new A6, a pair of Z2s, and a number of the small NI controllers, and neither of our licences appear to be tied to any of that hardware in any way. Neither of us bought separate software licences, we’re just using one if the ones that came with kit. And we can chop and change without issue.
Are you sure?
Hardware can be used on any software. You need to enter the hardware serial before the software serial will work.
^this, once the license has been activated once you can use any other gear with it.
Yes, but the whole point of the “linked” serial debate here started when I said I had two extra Scratch serial numbers, but didn’t think I could sell because they came with an A6 and A10. I couldn’t transfer either of these serial numbers to the OP (or any other potential buyer) without also transferring the hardware.
I’m kinda in a similar pickle.
I own an Audio 8 with Traktor Scratch Pro 1 but as a Serato user I decided to upgrade after 2 months because I was out of the country when Traktor 2 dropped.
I bought Traktor Pro 2 but now need to buy the “S4 Scratch Upgrade Kit” at £89 on top to work with my new Audio 8 so my question is can I just buy a Traktor Scratch Pro 2 licence key from someone?
I have brand new CDs and Vinyl but they are MK1. I know these won’t work as they have turned them off in TSP 2 but I can pick them up cheap enough from DJ stores.
It’s a shame they turned them off as my flatmates MK1s still work as he bought the TSP2 upgrade as soon as it came out. I feel a bit cheated as the licence for MK1 was paid in the N2IT case but they have turned them off for anyone who didn’t upgrade instantly.
That sounds kind of like what I had to go through (though opposite).. I received a used (barely) Z2 as a present and the original owner kept using my software serial even after he sold the hardware.. It took me two weeks of arguing with the NI support and an absurd amount of emailing physical photo proof before they (NI) agreed to release my Traktor license.. “Gee thanks NI.. You mean after two weeks of hassle I can finally use my present to it’s full capabilities?! That’s so gracious of you.”
You cannot blame NI here. It is the buyers responsibility to make sure that the seller has de-registered the product or transferred ownership.
NI very rarely get involved in issues regarding 2nd hands sales, it has naff all to do with them. If you persuaded NI to release a software serial without the original owners consent then you are the first I have heard of in my 6 years as a moderator for NI.
NI cannot (and usually do not) release a serial number no matter what evidence you show them because in the eyes of the law unless the original owner surrenders ownership NI cannot know that the software is not still registered to the original owner.
Its like someone going to a garage with my car and trying to sell it without showing the log book or proof of ownership.
NI’s hands are tied by the law, not their unwillingness to help out
There are 100’s of pages of advice on this matter on the NI forum.
Yes, that’s the same lame excuse NI kept giving me.. However, without anyway to know who the original owner was, should I be expected to deal with another person’s laziness or shiestiness because they didn’t want to give up the license that should rightfully go to the owner of the hardware? My point is that this is absolutely technologically surpassable and NI shouldn’t automatically assume that new users are thieves just because they didn’t buy it new from a retailer or NI themselves.. It’s piss poor handling of a situation that could easily be dealt with in a number of technological ways.
and yes. I got a serial.. Whether it was because the original owner released it to them or not is beyond my capability of knowing.. As is.. the identity of the first owner.. So.. Uhh.. whatever happened to that quickly covered up statement from NI that any owners of NI hardware such as S2/S4/Z2 got a copy of the software free?
You can state that NI’s hands were tied in the situation but it’s clear to me it had nothing to do with legalities and everything to do with piss poor customer service (Which NI has a long history of).
Say your laptop is stolen and the thief sells it and the buyer calls NI and tries it have your licence transfered. How happy would you be that they did it. The law protects the owner and until the software is unregistered or transfered it should remain so.
You can be bloody minded about this all you like but you failed to follow the procedure that is clearly stated in the NI Knowledge Base and on the NI forum and, on this forum if you bother to research it.
Had you sought proof of transfer or received a copy of the deregister email you would’ve been able to register and activate Traktor without so much as contacting NI at all and saved yourself all the hassle… but you didn’t do that.
The owner must have faxed a transfer form, something YOU should have received a copy of before handing any money over…it’s just common sense and it’s your laziness not NI’s that you didn’t.
Which ever way you slice it, you fucked up and either the owner or NI made up for it.
Maybe next time you will follow the correct procedure.
Look, I totally understand that you are supposed to toe the NI line while you are NI moderator.. I was contractually obligated not to talk shit about apple while I worked for them. But obviously you didn’t read the part where I specified that I received it as a present.. The people who actually bought it had no idea this sort of hassle was in the future.
How about you direct me directly to the procedure where it states that a gift receiver can enter in their details and automatically have that sent to the current serial user? Because I checked and it doesn’t exist..
Yes.. You are correct.. in the case where thievery exists.. But this wasn’t one of them.. Are you aware of any retailers that remove the serial card of products they own and then sell the product without deregistering the software? Are you saying it’s perfectly legitimate for somebody to buy a product.. register the software and then sell it to somebody who is giving it as a gift without deregistering the software?
I wasn’t lazy, I didn’t fuck up.. People who were honestly trying to help me out made a mistake in ignorance by buying a product they knew nothing about second hand..
Do you keep the serial cards and registration info right next to your products in the box they came with?
Anyway you slice it, you are apologizing for terrible customer support that automatically assumes I’m a thief. If it was the owner that finally released the serial… They didn’t “make up for it”.. They bloody released the serial to something they no longer owned.. The previous owner was either lazy or shiesty, and NI was absolutely lazy and dismissive.
To put a finer point on it.. I had every bloody piece of kit that was originally included in the Z2 box including the hardware serial card and the software serial card and even after being pleasant and doing my best to provide multiple forms of proof of ownership BEFORE they asked.. They treated me like I was a thief. Damned straight they gave me my fucking serial in the end.. I followed the only procedure that that NI’s awful clusterfuck of a support system/forum/main site offered.. I bitched until they realized that as much fucking hassle I was giving them.. I wasn’t the person at fault in the situation.. Squeaky wheel.. I’m not the kind of person that is going drop trou and spread cheeks because a 3rd party wanted to help me out..
So.. please.. continue to apologize for NIs well documented horrendous customer support and complete disinterest in giving their customers what they want or listening to customer concerns.
Come on, man. You get ONE copy of Traktor free with most NI hardware. This doesn’t mean that every person that sends in a picture of their Z2 “proving” they own it instantly gets a copy. If the seller keeps the copy, that’s the buyer’s fault. I sold my S4 a long time ago, but still needed to keep my Traktor license, so the price of the S4 was reduced accordingly as it was “hardware” only. If someone rips you off, it’s not the original manufacturers responsibility to make it right. NI did more than they had to, and yet you are still passing blame and spouting negativity. I have no affiliation with NI, yet it’s so easy to see that your frustration was a result of an ill-conceived purchase.
Ok whatever helps you sleep at night.
So the people that bought it didn’t read this either:
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/support/knowledge-base/show/946/notes-on-the-second-hand-purchase-of-native-instruments-products/
Really? That wasn’t the implication they made when they issued the proclamation.. The implication was “our software is an expensive complex piece of work.. and should be paid for.. However if you own a piece of NI hardware especially one is 50% useless without it.. You should probably get a copy of the software gratis.”
This hardware wasn’t reduced in price.. and it was sold less than a month before NI chopped the price.. and.. the serial card was included.. therefore the seller wanted to imply that the software came with it.
and this wasn’t just a picture of my Z2. It was the entire kit and all documentation and after that was specifically requested and hunted down.. The fucking receipt.. NI Support continued to imply after receiving all that that I was either a thief or it was my fault for not being in on the surprise of getting an outrageous gift like that. I’m not pissed off about the rigamarole I had to go through to get my software nearly as much as I am pissed off about the continued insinuation that I ripped it off from somebody.. or was just plain stupid..
Both of you can apologize for NIs piss poor customer service all you want.. It doesn’t change the matter that they could have handled it far differently.
I’m being negative because I take offense at being accused of being a thief? Ok.. dude.. whatever…
Indeed I sleep very well at night after practicing using my hardware and software..
Do you have problems with reading comprehension? What part of it was bought by people who have no experience or understanding of the product do you not understand? The serial card was included.. Essentially you are condoning fleecing people who are trying to be nice.. Would you feel the same if it was your gran making an uneducated second hand purchase?
Whatever helps you sleep dude.. Whatever. Whatever indeed.
For some reason, I feel compelled to try to get this through your head one more time, but I have a feeling you are just going to keep being stubborn. People are trying to educate you, but you keep perpetuating misinformation.
It doesn’t matter if the people who bought it have no understanding of the product. THAT’S NOT NI’S FAULT. Also, it doesn’t matter if the serial card is included IF the original purchaser registered it. As I already stated, you get ONE serial for Traktor per piece of hardware purchased, regardless of what you think NI has “implied” (they explicitly state their policies in the links Karlos provided).
The seller kept/activated Traktor, so you didn’t get it with the purchase, regardless of some serial card. Activation is ownership, and whoever bought the gift for you clearly didn’t understand the process or make sure that the serial number was transferred. Again, not NI’s fault. If I buy ANYTHING used and it doesn’t come with some of the original components, why in the world would it be the original manufacturer’s responsibility to replace those components?
The worst part of this isn’t that you refuse to accept any accountability here; it’s that you unfairly bashed a company who ultimately DID RIGHT BY YOU when they had absolutely no obligation to do so. You are here complaining about their customer service, when in actuality you ultimately received exemplary customer service (whether you realize it or not). NI wisely protects the buyers who have registered their products, so they weren’t going to just deactivate a registered user’s serial because you emailed them. Lucky for you, they were willing to fix your mistakes (or whoever bought it for you).
Great post
No, actually. I didn’t.. as you weren’t party to the interaction you have no way of knowing what happened in it.
I have no problems with NI hardware or software. I think both are extremely well manufactured and thought out.. But I’m not going to kiss their butts in every single area of business when they have a badly implemented main site, a tacked on user forum, a clusterfuck of a serial management system and customer service agents who are simply pricks..
Let me put it this way.. Mistakes were made yes.. I’m willing to assume some of that although I’m not exactly sure what I should feel bad about.. The people purchasing it should have bought it straight from a retailer.. Because they sure as hell didn’t get a break on the price.. The seller forgot to deregister the serial.. But for some reason left the card with the box.. because.. well who knows.. But if you think I’m going to act like NI was patient and understanding at any point you are out of your mind and have no idea what you are talking about. At every point it was possible to the customer service person was rude, dismissive and arrogant. If they had no reason or obligation to get. it. sorted. They simply wouldn’t have. But they did, after much arm twisting..
I’m not saying that they are the worst company in the world. I love their products so obviously they aren’t what I am saying is that they should step their game up when it comes to customer service (having natively english speaking agents might help a bit), web forum presence and main site integration, and serial management on the web end..
If you believe they are perfect.. You are welcome to your opinion.. I’m tired of arguing with people on this forum..
This is a terrible forum environment.. Just like every other fucking aspect of the business it’s a fucking dick wagging pissing contest.. Christ on a crutch.. I swear.. This place is worse than Dogs on Acid was. peace out.
balls! blaming the forum and people who gave you some real good explanations about your own mistakes or the mistakes your friends made while purchasing a used unit? that`s quite the wrong way, man! ni gave you a copy of traktor even though they weren’t supposed to do.
you or your friends should have asked the seller for the traktor serial and not ni. (and no i’m no mod in their forums).
2 things you could do:
the only person here acting like a “fucking dick wagging pissing contest”-attendee is you.
so either you stand by your word and peace out or you grow a pair, straighten your back and stop this destructive mockery in this place.
I wish I could get a copy of Scratch Pro 2 serial from the early days as I own Full Scratch Pro 1 and the Audio 8 and Pro 2 but not the scratch serial 
Oh well, I need to spend again I think.
I know it’s frustrating that your shiny new toy that mommy and daddy bought for you isn’t working, but let’s take a minute here and look at the situation more objectively.
It’s pretty obvious that the people who screwed up here were:
The seller, who continued using the software and didn’t unregister his serial number prior to the sale. The seller was either ignorant or misleading by doing this. Considering he included the serial card with purchase, possibly a bit of both.
The buyer (whoever gave you the Z2 as a gift - given your replies, I’m going to guess your parents). If you buy something secondhand, it’s your responsibility to make sure that thing works when you buy it. That includes knowing what you need to know about the product you’re buying to begin with to make sure you can test things to make sure they work. Assuming you stick with the DJing thing and you buy software from someone in the future, I’d suggest doing so in a Starbucks or somewhere else with free Wi-Fi so you can make sure the serial they’re giving you actually works before handing over your money (I understand you didn’t purchase the Z2, before you fly off the handle again).
You. There are many reasons here that Native Instruments, or basically any other company, would look skeptically at this situation - most of which have already been listed so I won’t go into them more. In MOST cases, you’d be out of luck here since the people who purchased this for you didn’t do their due diligence. That’s not NI’s fault, and despite that they furnished you with presumably a new TPro 2 key as a gesture of good customer service. They weren’t obligated to do so in the least, and most companies would have put up at least as much resistance if not just told you to go piss off. NI oftentimes does have poor customer service, but your story (given the information that YOU have provided here, not speculation or others filling in the blanks) is not an example of said poor service. It’s an example of confusion, stubbornness, and misplaced anger on your end.
You should be pissed off at the seller for not unregistering his key prior to sale and for continuing to use it thereafter. You should be pissed off at your gift-giver for not knowing what they were doing when they bought the Z2 for you (pretty rude to do so, but it would at least sort of make sense). You should NOT, however, be pissed off at NI for going above and beyond their obligations to provide you with a key. You should NOT take your anger out on strangers on the internet who have tried to help you with your issue, and then explained where you might be going wrong.
And, as an addendum, you should also probably seek some therapy for entitlement and anger issues. Or grow up. One of the two.