MCC Pilotlog/Crewlounge Pilotlog is a RipOff
If you are considering MCC Pilot Log, here’s my experience:
I purchased MCC Pilot Log Enterprise Edition (Lifetime) 5 months ago because I had heard good reviews and the company’s web site pitched how there were no subscription fees. It cost me about $81.09 after the EUR conversion. The MCC Pilot Log web site states “We do not run a subscription plan. We have 3 editions with one-time fee for life-time use. The basic STD Edition is even FREE.”
During these 5 months I used the software, but suddenly the airline interface stopped working. I went to the support page to log a support ticket and was greeted with the following message:
“IMPORTANT NOTE : 10 years after the first release, and 2600 changes and fixes later, it was time to rebuild mccPILOTLOG on new fundaments.
mccPILOTLOG is still available to existing customers. New customers can still purchase mccPILOTLOG, if they want. However, we are no longer updating mccPILOTLOG. Instead, the team is focusing on the new logbook. We recommend all pilots to migrate to our new app CrewLounge PILOTLOG !”
After my initial disbelief and further investigation I found the FAQ page for people like me who had just purchased what was sold as a lifetime license. Below is an excerpt from the company’s FAQ page:
” I paid for mccPILOTLOG, do I have to pay again ?
We keep our word : your license for mccPILOTLOG remains valid ! You have paid for a lifetime use of mccPILOTLOG, so you can continue to using mccPILOTLOG as long as you want. We do not terminate mccPILOTLOG, your logbook continues to run. We do not terminate support, you continue to receiving the same support as before.
We only terminate further updating and bug fixing. Our team is now focusing on the CrewLounge AERO Suite, a completely new platform created with the latest coding technologies and security protocols. CrewLounge PILOTLOG, as part of the CrewLounge AERO Suite, is the new pilot logbook to replace mccPILOTLOG. CrewLounge PILOTLOG is subscription based, we do no longer offer one-time payments.
We invite all pilots with a lifetime license for mccPILOTLOG to migrate and enjoy the new CrewLounge AERO Suite ! We certainly understand that you are reluctant to switching to a subscription plan. We have GOOD news for you : You don’t !
Contrary to our competitors, that either ceased to exist, or that canceled all license keys and forced users into a subscription plan, we offer grandfathering rights to all users of mccPILOTLOG ! You can now migrate your lifetime license from mccPILOTLOG to CrewLounge PILOTLOG with a one-time contribution ! Buy 3 years and get Lifetime ! No subscription, no extra charges ! We will also pay the VAT for you !
That’s true ! All pilots with a lifetime license for mccPILOTLOG can now transfer their license to the new CrewLounge PILOTLOG application and be excluded from subscriptions, for lifetime! This offer is limited in time !
As a bonus, you receive a free 1-year license for the popular calendar app CrewLounge CONNECT (value 12.00 EUR) ! And, as an extra bonus, all PRO users (mccPILOTLOG) can now free upgrade to ENT (CrewLounge PILOTLOG) without being charged extra !
So, here is our offer :
• purchase 3 years of the new CrewLounge PILOTLOG software (*)
• get 10% immediate discount (for 3-year orders)
• get another 20% discount (that is, we will pay the VAT applicable to your country)
• transfer your Lifetime license to CrewLounge PILOTLOG (be excluded from subscriptions)
• upgrade to a higher Edition ENT or the new ENT+ (even if you are on PRO today)
• get 1 year free use of our popular roster app CrewLounge CONNECT
This is a temporary offer, we hold the right to terminate this offer at any time !
(*) Pilots that purchased mccPILOTLOG in 2019, can upgrade with paying only 1-year subscription to CrewLounge AERO.”
Essentially, the lifetime software I just purchased will not be updated any more. Therefore, the airline interface will not be fixed. In other words, my software is now useless to me.
But wait, I checked out their upgrade offer and found that I will need to pay for 3 years up front to get the lifetime subscription that I already paid for 5 months ago. The price is 2.99 EUR/month or about $3.35/month as of today. A total of about $120.00. Believe it or not, I actually considered just paying the money and moving on with my life. So I downloaded the trial version of the new CrewLounge Pilot Log, imported my data and tried to download my schedule with the airline interface. Of course – it doesn’t work.
Overall, my experience with this company is extremely negative. I would not recommend MCC Pilot Log or CrewLounge Pilot Log. You will be disappointed and will end up having to pay for a real logbook program from a reputable company. Good luck folks. Learning is a change in behavior as a result of experience.