Final Draft Inc, makers of Final Draft screenwriting software yesterday announced changes to their technical support policy which are bound to irk users of their software products.
As of 16 February 2012, telephone calls to their support line will cost a cool $25.00 per call. This new premium service replaces the previous per-minute billing systems which proved unpopular with many. For international (non-US) users of their software, the news gets even worse as the new service is only available Mon-Fri from 9am to 5pm, Pacific Standard Time.
Final Draft Inc also used the opportunity to launch their new Final Draft Reader app for iPad. However unlike other screenwriting apps for iPad, the Final Draft Reader is exactly that: a reader for your Final Draft 8 screenplays. So while you can add notes to your script using the Final Draft ScriptNotes feature, you can’t actually write or edit your screenplay from the app.
The app is priced at $19.99/ £13.99 and available on iTunes.
Add in the potential for a $25 premium service support call should you need it, and it soon becomes clear that many may find better value for money in competing apps like ScriptsPro ($5.99) and Celtx ($4.99)
