I may have moved on to an iPhone, but I still have a hacked NOOKcolor running Android! Plus I have two years’ worth of Android apps between Google’s Marketplace and, more recently, Amazon’s Appstore. While it wasn’t an everyday ritual, I did try to grab Amazon’s free apps of the day if they looked halfway decent, figuring I might want to use them in the future. Now, I’m used to Amazon’s Kindle service, where they send me a nice email if a book is updated by the publisher with instructions on how to update it. But I’ve paid for those books, and so Amazon is just following up and keeping my business. What amazed me tonight is that Amazon continues to follow through with that same service for the Appstore, even if I didn’t pay a dime for the app!
This is the email I received tonight:
Hello,
We’re contacting you about order #[redacted] for “Fancy Widget Pro” placed on [redacted]. We recently learned that the original version of the app has been discontinued and is no longer supported. As a result, we’ve released a new free version of the app, “Fancy Widgets,” which integrates the free version and the pro version into a single package.
To download the new free version of “Fancy Widgets,” visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LYAN6G
We’d also like to offer you the premium features at no additional cost. Visit the app developer’s website (http://fw.anddoes.com/GetLicense.aspx) and enter the order ID and order date for “Fancy Widget Pro.”
Once you have your license key, launch the new free version of “Fancy Widgets,” tap “Settings,” and enter your license key in the “Unlock with license key” section to unlock these features.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Sincerely,
Customer Service
Amazon.comPlease note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.
That’s pretty darn cool. I don’t recall any software store following up about a FREE purchase and checking in with me about upgrading it! The future of the Kindle Fire is riding in part on the success of the app store; this is a great sign that Amazon will stand by their users and their purchases. Amazon has taken some heat from unhappy developers, but they’re not going to have many unhappy consumers with this kind of service!
I got that email myself – it IS awesome! I love Fancy Widgets, it is one of the few things running on my Droid Pro!