What are these Ovi guys thinking?

[Gerco]

As I got my phone completely locked up last night, just by resetting the phone with *#7370# and restoring a backup on it, I needed to start configuring and installing stuff from scratch, which of course sucks.

I have been using RoadSync for some years now to sync my email and calendar, paid for the original version (USD 50), then another 60% of the original price for an upgrade. Then it turns out that the version they offer through their own channel is not Touch-Friendly. They advised me to get the latest version through Ovi. But again, this was a purchase of EUR 10.

Now after the reset, the tool does not appear to be on my phone anymore. I searched the memory for a sis installer, but it's not there. So I went to the Ovi store, went to 'My Stuff', the section that nicely keeps track of what you already downloaded, clikced on RoadSync, and .... WHAT!? The only link there to get the tool again, is 'Buy'!!

So when you get stuff from the Ovi store, it gets downloaded and installed on your device in a way you can't store a backup copy of the installer somewhere, and when you lose that install, you have to buy your software again from Ovi?!

I have contacted Ovi support for clarification on this and am waiting for a response.

Meanwhile, I am wondering whether other people have ran into the same and how things got solved for them.

When I like software I usually buy it. But when vendors start to treat their paying customers this way, I can understand that pirated software will never die.

[rdcinhou]

I have the same problem with the Adobe LE Reader (bought from QuickOffice through their link since the trial application).

After a hard reset, the license went away.

Their support site says that you can get it back by registering, then activating via a return email link.

I registered with them, but their link never showed up in the email in order to activate the registration and leave the support request to re-download.

[jmcgrath]

I had the same issue with Ovi Store with a sudoku game. Bought the game and never got a download link SMS. Went to My Stuff and there is was as a purchase but the only option that it would give me was to buy it again. I reported it and 2 days later got an SMS with the proper link on it. Ovi still has no link to re-send the download SMS or any other sort of download link.

[Hooksym]

Yes, sorry you got caught in this. Ovi installs apps and will not let you redownload without paying again. I was lucky enough to have detected this aspect of the Ovi store and ran a test with a $2 app I didn't care about, deleted it and, sure enough, can't download without paying again.

As such, the Ovi store is worthless. I buy from developers or handango or the Brighthand store.

Although not famous for their customer service, if you have your liscence #, try seeing if Dataviz can help.

[Gerco]

I have used the Dataviz Customer Service already a couple of times before and I have nothing but good experience with them. They respond quite fast and were always very helpful.

Meanwhile I was in contact with the Ovi Support team. Though the mechanism is not really customer friendly, they will provide you a download SMS. I actually lost the first SMS as I was struggling to get my N97 back to normal again, so without problems I received a second SMS with download link. The support team explained me that contacting support is for now the way to re-receive your paid content when you lose it.

The good thing of this is that when you redownload the file, the installer is in the \download folder of your device, so you can then archive it yourself in case of future problems.

I must say that given the situation, the support team here also helped me out on a very nice and helpful way. Strangely enough I did not have that feeling with the Nokia support crew. They just point you to the nearest Service Point....

[RogerPodacter]

This is a known issue and nokia has not responded. If you contact nokia support they literally tell you to buy it again. Hence i've only purchased one app from the ovi store and will never purchase another app from them. Your only solution is to go to the developer and get another copy.

How in the world could nokia have not had the foresight to anticipate this situation?! Its truly mind boggling.