Info about Teacher

A quick heads-up for anyone thinking about picking up Teacher but might have missed this fine print:
When you buy Teacher, you’re essentially paying for a one-year subscription (right now, it's going for $80). Here’s the kicker: if you ever need to reinstall it later for a younger sibling—say, because you had to wipe your hard drive—and that year has already passed, Markottel won't give you a new activation code. Why? Because they claim their technical support window has closed. It basically means you could end up tossing an expensive piece of software straight into the trash and being forced to buy it all over again. Of course, technically, you should have known this beforehand since the Licensed agreement included on the disc lays it all out. Or so they say. Personally, I don't see how anyone is supposed to read the fine print in a Licensed agreement inside a sealed jewel case sitting on a store shelf.👎
Just wanted to put that out there; it might make some people rethink their purchase.

This is such great, helpful info!

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more ridiculous. Our kid just walked in today with their purchase order for the Teacher software.
Absolute thieves...
I’ve already fired off an email to them to let them know exactly what I think.

I'll let you all know once they actually bother to reply.

They have the nerve to tell me that getting a new activation code isn't even an issue at all....
So then, I went ahead and pressed them on whether there’s going to be a charge for it...

Those high percentages of happy parents and—more importantly—kids who supposedly used Teacher are just the result of some study that clearly didn't include me. Because I honestly don't know a single soul who’s actually satisfied with Teacher. From the start, you're dealing with an installation process that's basically impossible because the software is overcomplicated and riddled with bugs, not to mention the absolute nightmare of trying to reinstall it on a modified (or any) computer.

In theory, sure, it sounds great. But all that hype vanishes the second you see the look of pure disappointment on your kid's face when the thing that was supposed to be "fun learning help" turns out to be a total dud.

I’m not buying it. And I bet no other dad is going to either. But hey, we're peaceful people. One mom isn't—she actually wrote a formal protest letter and sent it straight to Markottel; I read it, and let me tell you, it does NOT sound pretty.

BTW, regarding that whole new activation code situation, it really is a joke. Here's how it goes (my own experience): during the school year, you buy a new computer. Installing Teacher, naturally, fails. You call Markottel, but nobody picks up because they either have insane business hours or the lines are constantly busy (probably because they're drowning in calls from angry parents). When you finally get through, they act like it's no big deal, but then they insist you email them a receipt proving you actually bought a new computer (so, it needs your full name, address, blah blah blah). Only after that, once you call them back and they manage to find the fax/email/whatever you sent, are they willing to give you a new activation code.

It's a total scam. For a pile of cash—and a pretty hefty one at that—you get more hassle than even Micro$oft would put you through (and we all know how much of a mess things are with pirated software here in the States).

Anyway, here is another topic on the subject.

Kimberly Nguyen said:They told me getting a new activation code shouldn't be an issue at all...
So I went ahead and asked if there was any kind of fee involved...

They’ll give you a new activation code as long as it's been less than a year since the purchase. My daughter was in 3rd grade back in 2003, and now that my son is hitting 3rd grade, I wanted to set up that same Teacher software for him. I gave them a call, but THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME THE CODE BECAUSE THEY DON'T PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR OLDER VERSIONS.

I picked up a Teacher about two years ago, but after I upgraded my PC, the activation key just stopped working. I tried calling them—during their crazy business hours—but couldn't get through, so I just sent an email to explain what happened.
They ended up asking me to send over a receipt to prove I actually bought the components.
After ten days of dealing with all that nonsense, they finally sent me a new activation code. At that point, I told them I'm done buying their software.
I swap out parts in my rig pretty often, and I really don't feel like jumping through those hoops every single time. 😠

So, I saw EPP on TV yesterday... they were claiming "93.5% of parents are satisfied with the Teacher." Seriously? How on earth did I manage to end up in that tiny group of six people who aren't happy?!

Keith Bennett38 said:I picked up a Teacher license two years ago, but once I upgraded my rig, the activation key just stopped working. I tried calling them—during their insane business hours—to no avail. So, I sent an email explaining the whole mess.
Then they had the nerve to demand I send over receipts just to prove I actually bought the components.
After ten days of constant messing around, they finally coughed up a new activation code. At that point, I told them straight up: I'm done buying their software.
I swap out hardware in my PC all the time, and I have zero intention of jumping through those hoops every single time I make a change. 😠

I NEED HELP! I also bought Teacher, but just like you, I upgraded my computer—specifically, I got a new case and migrated over to Windows XP. Here’s the thing: I can get into Teacher since I still have the code from the physical CD, but is there any way at all to find my ACTIVATION CODE somewhere??? My cousins installed Teacher without any issues using a version they downloaded online, and thank God, they managed to run two grade levels off a single CD (3rd and 4th grades back in 2008-2009). My big concern is finding that activation code; I know there has to be a way. 🙂 🙂 😠 🙂 🙂

Are you seriously telling me you didn't get an activation code when you bought it?

Benjamin King2, activation codes are tied to your hardware. Once you swap out components—like a new hard drive, a better CPU, a beefier GPU, whatever—that old code becomes useless and you’ve gotta hunt down a new one.

I managed to snag a new code once (check a few posts up, #5). But man, when we bought a totally new rig, the folks over at Markottel treated me so poorly I can still feel the sting. It was a few years back, so I don't remember the exact words from the lady I spoke with, but the whole thing boiled down to me thinking they were basically obligated to give me free activation codes for every single computer I might buy in the future. Long story short: I got zero help with the code.

Looking at the long game (you know, the money side of things), it feels like they actually lost more than I did. In theory, I would've bought the Teacher software for every grade level—so that's price times eight, right?—but instead, one kid used it for first grade (the other one barely touched it), and I haven't dropped a dime on the next seven editions.

Look, I get it—I actually dealt with a similar mess myself once, though in my case they did end up issuing a new code... but based on how that top question was phrased, it didn't even sound like they got a code at all during the purchase process.

Let me take a look at this program... just installed it—man, what a disaster!! This takes me back to the days when our biggest headaches were RAM and disk space, and most of the Teacher software was just bloated with bitmap images. It’s honestly mind-boggling; why on earth couldn't they just code it to use .jpg or .gif files?! Now, looking at this, after a fresh reinstall on my computer, the program won't even run anymore?! There's no way this would work on my PC! It's like they think they've cracked the code to the universe or something. Using this isn't going to make the users any smarter, and it certainly won't help those who don't use it stay sharp. Use it at your own risk. 🙂

Look, I don’t want to get dragged into this, but the idea that a program depends on what kind of computer you’re running? That is absolute stupidity squared. I honestly don't get how anyone buys this stuff.

Did those geniuses ever hear of a time-based license, for instance?

Benjamin King2 said:Are you seriously telling me you didn't get an activation code when you bought it?

I did! But look, is a reinstall even possible? My cousins managed to pull it off—and they didn't just stop there, they actually activated two different versions on a single Teacher machine! 😠 😳

So, did you actually try to run the installation or what?

Michael Thomas6 said:Saw the EPP on TV yesterday... "93.5% of parents are satisfied with the Classroom." How did I manage to end up in that tiny group of six people?

I bet about 93.5% of parents are still rocking the same old computer they bought back in '01, probably still running Windows 98. Is that even surprising? 😂They bought it when their first kid was born, just to have something for the future, I guess. Who knows?