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Last Post 08/08/2009 12:50 PM by  dparsons
WARNING - 25.4 HAS A PROBLEM!!!
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dparsons
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Posts:32


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07/06/2009 11:13 AM

    I recently upgraded from 25.2 to 25.4.  All was fine until I started trying to combine my PDF's into a single PDF.  I have always used the e-mail transfer in Xactimate to send the Estimate, General (or any other) report, the Photo Report (which allows more room for descriptions and larger pictures), and the ITV report to a folder, and I then would open Adobe Acrobat to combine all of these into a single (and yet smaller) PDF file.  Suddenly I see all of the Xactimate produced reports are encrypted and require a password to unlock.  You cannot combine encrypted PDF files into another PDF file.  This has been mentioned previously, by the way.  Well, I got onto the website and checked the 25.4 material, then the HELP on Xactimate, and there is no mention of any encryption.  I then got to a real live person on "Live Talk" and was finally told that this was actually added in 25.3, which you load in when upgrading.  I was also told that there is no workaround and that the password is a closely guarded secret (!).  I talked to a guy in Sales this morning and was told he could sure sell me a dual license for an additional $50.00 a month and reload 25.2.  Or I could drop back to 25.2 and loose whatever I had done in 25.4.  Wow, what options.  I then talked to a head Techie who admitted the word came down from "upper management" to add this "back in".  I have used Xactimate since it was DOS and I have never, ever had PDF files encrypted so he sort of stuttered on that one.  He then said 25.5 has removed the forced encryption and it can be turned off.  Since none of my companies have approved 25.5, that doesn't do much good.  I told one of these folks that had they put a disclaimer into the material regarding this, some of us would not have installed the upgrade.  DOH!

    This can be worked around by printing the the reports using your own PDF printer that is installed when Acrobat is installed.  The only problem is, the files are somewhat larger making the total package a lot larger and harder to sent.

    And to add insult to injury, Xactware raised the price by $10.00!  I told the developer that 25.4 was Xactimate's answer to Windows ME 2, I mean Vista.  That hurt. 
    Ray Hall
    Senior Member
    Senior Member
    Posts:2443


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    07/06/2009 12:19 PM

    WOW....... d parson has probably lowered his hourly rate for being an expert witness.
    rferguson1973
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    Posts:2


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    08/02/2009 10:57 AM

    I also have a problem with the new upgrade.  I use copy and paste ALOT from room to room.  When you paste the items into the new room, it puts them in upside down!  Plus, it duplicates the "comment" entries.

    If anyone has found a way to get this fixed..... please let me know!

     

     
    Tom Toll
    Moderator & Life Member
    Senior Member
    Senior Member
    Posts:1865


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    08/02/2009 11:25 AM

    It goes toprove that software developers are controlling us, rather than the users controlling them. Its not about effeciency any longer, its about the greed factor. We pay for their software to perform a service to the public, not their software gods.  Its about time we stood and be heard. It is our hard earned dollars that keep them in business, yet we are crapped upon on a regular basis.

    Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
    Ray Hall
    Senior Member
    Senior Member
    Posts:2443


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    08/02/2009 2:02 PM
    All of this negative talk is kinda hard to believe as I had a smoke -water restoration contractor tell me this is the only program that is accurate and excepted by all the insurance carriers. However the prices are not high enough for hurricane IKE claims for TWIA losses and much lower than the TWIA price list that I used. I guess all the exactimate estimates will now be a good class action suit. O my goodness who can I have confidence in when Texas get's hit again in 09. I do not believe the water suckers, or exactimate, and some doubts about the plaintiff attorneys... I am scared to stick my head out in jungle out there.
    okclarryd
    Veteran Member
    Veteran Member
    Posts:954


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    08/02/2009 9:21 PM

    I recently upgraded to 25.5 from 25.0 and, in a word...............

    DON'T

    Larry D Hardin
    RandyC
    Member
    Member
    Posts:197


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    08/04/2009 8:25 AM
    Well, we just upgraded from 25.1 to25.4 per carrier's request. Now it hangs up when we upload claims. There is a cumbersome work around...but it is time consuming...and then it will still hang up if we don't do the process exactly in the new sequence. Writing claims is taking longer than scoping them. Tom is right. We need to stand up, but everytime I stand up, something knocks me over.

    Randy Cox

    johnpostava
    SIMSOL.com
    Member
    Member
    Posts:141


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    08/04/2009 2:29 PM

    I haven't been on the site for a couple of months attending presentations, tradeshows and conferences.  Sounds like ISO's estimating system is getting better and better - NOT!  I don't know how the Xact sales reps and managers do it but they are able to get their sales by selling it to managers who dont have to use it!  It's more expensive and slows down an adjuster's production.  MMMMMMMMMM!  that sounds like good business sense in this economy.  Over the past year we have won some small battles against X but they still hold the large carrier industry at their mercy.  Something needs to give and good business sense needs to take over.  We will keep trying.  We may fall down once and a while but we'll just brush ourselves off and get back in the race again!   Just my two cents....good luck to all of you for a profiable tropical seaon (no matter what software you are using!
    D Groves
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    Posts:42


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    08/04/2009 2:31 PM
    As of this moment, there are 14,475 members of this site. My suggestion is those of you who utilize Xactimate begin a serious dialogue of issues which you believe need be addressed by Xactimate (program bugs, desired features, subscription pricing, etc.). Afterwards, formulate those issues/concerns into a cohesive draft petition and post it on this site for members to sign. I am not currently an Xactimate user but I will add my signature to a meaningful attempt to have this vendor understand the needs of our industry and to uderscore our support expectations. Drafters of such a petition should consider attempting to identify those insurance carriers who insist on Xactimate and include them as cc:.

    It seems that Xactimate's prime directive has been to bypass the field adjuster and market directly to the carriers - admittedly, they've appear to have been successful. If after presenting a cohesive front (backed up with signatures), Xactimate (or any other vendor, for that matter) is unresponsive then the lines will be clearly drawn and individual adjusters will have to take a stand when carriers and IA firms demand that one use a defective product (for which you are paying).
    RandyC
    Member
    Member
    Posts:197


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    08/04/2009 7:40 PM
    They are more responsive now than 4 years ago. The problem is they change things from one version to another. In 24, I got used to using sketch and moving the rooms around in the tree, dropping macros in the room and having the variables populate the numbers on the money. In 25.1, that changed. I had to re-learn the akward dimensioning of the folders in Line item using somewhat different variables, until I figured out a way to cut and paste and add the sketch rooms under the folders in the tree. Then...the new version came out and that wasn't a problem anymore. They swapped a few boxes so when you sail through the process, you click in the wrong place. A few files get rejected...then you learn a new habit. They will probably change it back like it was to cause a few more file rejections.

    I remember a version where you could drop a gable roof, click on the ridge and pull it one way or the other for common rafters different one side to the other. That was great for about 15 minutes and then it disappeared in a new version. It's not like learning these things come easy in the first place.

    Randy Cox
    okclarryd
    Veteran Member
    Veteran Member
    Posts:954


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    08/06/2009 11:20 PM
    What I like the most is when I figure out a "fix" for one of the little issues that are everywhere in Xactimate and get their IT department on an IM session and end up teaching them about the problem they didn't know about.

    And, yes, they are much better than they used to be. It's just a sad state of affairs when "terrible" is better that it used to be.
    Larry D Hardin
    dparsons
    Guest
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    Posts:32


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    08/08/2009 12:50 PM
    I have used them all, and I still like Xactimate better. I saves me time, and that is what is important.
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