ScanSoft PDF Converter 4 [OLD VERSION]

List Price: $49.95 Discount Price: $8.99

Features:

• Software for converting PDF files into fully formatted documents
• Turn static PDF forms into editable Word forms with a single mouse click
• Compatible with Word, Excel, and Outlook, as well as Corel WordPerfect
• Superior formatting; image-only PDF handling; page-range selection
• Password and encryption support; does not require Adobe Acrobat or Reader

Accessories:

PC World

Customer Reviews:

PDF Converter Professional 4: Terrible Interface with Customer, Tech Support Charged For Brand New Customer [Posted on 2007-07-01]
I am a professional person who uses my computer intensively & over a 23 year period of time. Perhaps I have downloaded 150 applications, to be conservative. I have looked for a software app to convert PDF to Word 2003 and tried the PDF Converter Professional 4 on a 15 day trial offer. I thought the product answered my needs so I ordered the full product. The cost is not inexpensive (on sale at $79)with the usual cost $99. Here are the problems with this software and this company:

1. There is no conversion from the Trial product to the new product with an activation code. Instead you are asked to download a different file.
2. The company (Nuance, Scansoft, Visoneer, ASAP) does not tell you that the download is a 45 minute download until you start the download. Bad communication.
3. The application takes over the management of the PDF files on your computer & makes PDF Converter the default program for opening all your PDF files. I do not want any software to do this without my consent. I was able to change back to Adobe Acrobat Professional to open the PDFs on my hard drive but could not change how some of my other apps handle PDFs. So, I am stuck with PDF Converter starting each time I use that particular program (Quosa). My only option is to find a workaround for this problem or uninstall the program.
4. The website or the company does not tell you whether or not you have to uninstall the 114MB trial version before installing the full 414MB version. Bad communication.
5. Calls for support were especially aggravating. My first call to the company that solicited me (ASAP)resulted in "sorry, we do not support the product--we just solicit customers." Great! Call to the website product link (Visioneer) & then to their phone numbers resulted in being further shunted to Nuance. Call into Nuance resulted in a referral to their website. At the Website, for email support, a charge even for a new customer.

My take on all of this is that this company--whoever is taking responsibility for this product--has no clue as to what customers expect in the real world of business. Shame on Nuance, or whoever, for such a painful interface with a software user, especially someone that has purchased their software in the past, e.g. PaperPort, Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Stephen B. Strum, MD, via Miwha Strum

Terrible Support [Posted on 2007-07-17]

The product is reasonably good. Used it for several months, then refused to open PDF files.

Support (even email support) costs $9.99. They have an online knowledge base, but it is realtively useless. I've never used commercial business software that doesn't at least have free email support, or a user message board to discuss problems. Very annoying.

Not what it says [Posted on 2007-07-19]
I have Dragon Naturally Preferred and Paperport 11 (on my desktop). I bought this product because I have always been happy with Scansoft products, now Nuance.
I needed Scansoft PDF Converter 4.0 on my laptop for school to convert pdfs as my profs are always sending these to us.
On a reg. pdf it works fine, but often I receive pdfs that are landscape mode so two pages are presented instead of one.
This product cannot turn the page so you can convert the image.
The same day it arrived I contacted Nuance and explained the situation. They emailed me an RMA. I boxed it up and took it to the Post Office to be mailed. Remember, it is still the same day.
It took me over two months to get my money back and that was after finally threatening to go to their State Attorney General. They told me it took so long because they have to 'batch' their refunds.
Nuance is a company to avoid ... in my opinion.

Works as Advertised [Posted on 2007-08-06]
I am pleased with my purchased of this product and have been impressed with its ability to convert PDF documents to Word and Excel. It's a useful tool that I use frequently. Would buy it again.

now has OCR [Posted on 2007-09-27]
V4 has OCR built in. V3 came bundled with omnipage pro 14 and would activate omnipage for OCR. V4 in general produces better formatted conversion to a word doc than does Acrobat 7 and is a handy program to have, though far from perfect. A nice feature is that the preferences allow you to deselect scansoft toolbars for MS Office, yet V4 will still launch if you try to open a pdf within Word.

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