I want to see an report on lack of customer support for apps

[Jak Crow]

How many paid apps have you bought where you have an issue with it or a question about service, you try and contact the developer, and never see a reply? I am getting sick of the complete lack of customer service from android app developers, especially from high profile apps like Tunewiki and Plex, or paid apps that developers have abandoned, leaving those that have paid for them out in the cold. Paying customers, especially for apps that have put many of these guys on the map, deserve better support, but it seems like some phone app developers believe they don't need to respond to their customers, that they just need to bring in the money and that's about it.

 

[Little Darwin]

Since people get bent out of shape if they have to spend more than $1.99 for an app, how do you expect the developers to provide support? How much support do you think is possible with the $0.25 left over after development and distribution costs? My guess is that for even a popular program requiring periodic updates, there is probably no money left over for realistic support.

If you want a supportable app, I would say it is more reasonable to charge $10-20 per smart phone app... but nobody would ever pay that, so we are stuck paying a pittance, and getting what we pay for.

As far as people dropping support... With these forces in play, why would you be upset that people abandon the field and stop supporting apps when they find out that there is no profit in it? For $1.99 do you really expect lifetime support? If so, we should really be upset with the big players in the PC world like Microsoft where we pay over $100 and get limited installation support, and then go onto a pay per call basis if we need app support...

 

[meyerweb#CB]

Agree with Darwin. It's hard to get decent support for desktop apps that cost hundreds of dollars. Most Andoid (and iPhone) apps seem to be written by individual developers for whom this is likely a part time job / hobby. Even if the developer earns a $1 for each app he sells, one complicated support incident could cost more, in terms of time, than (s)he) earns in a month. Do you really think it's reasonable to provide support for free, forever, for an app that you paid a couple of bucks for years ago? Even Microsoft eventually stops providing support for old versions of apps.

Everyone wants something for nothing, it seems.

That said, I'm actually pretty impressed with just how willing many developers are to provide support, even for free apps.