Just remember to ask Pastel the true cost of the software.

After I paid several thousand pounds to buy Pastel Partner and was using the software quite happily, the company decided to bring in an annual registrations policy where the software stops working after one year and requires you to enter a new validation code. I was assured by my local dealer that this would never incur any additional costs. But this year (2007), my local dealer has asked me to pay 10% of the total cost of the software to re-register or take out a support contract. They tell me that this is the policy from the company's head office in South Africa.

I am not amused; no way will I pay to re-register something that I have paid for already. I am not exactly getting anything extra for my money. The company has stooped very low in my opinion by starting these extortion tactics and locking me out of my data.

Just for your information, my local Pastel dealer is www.pastel.co.uk