[nathan_long]

They probably don't understand how much work it is for you to produce the next version.

Also, software updates are painful. If your washing machine breaks, it's obvious why it's broken, and replacing it just costs money. But when software needs updating, it's unclear to the average person why that's the case. It doesn't rust or rot; why can't I just keep using it? And if I don't like the price of the update, migrating to something else is often a large project.

Maybe it would help to clearly state at purchase time something like "includes N months of updates"?

[pjmlp]

Still, if the machine breaks within 2 years of being bought, that repair will be free of charge in EU countries, regardless of what the guy at the shop might say.

[NameNickHN]

Five years ago I've created an update policy that defines how long after the purchase you receive the latest version for free. That was five years too late for this specific customer, but that customer already paid for updates since then. I wondered why the update fee bothered him now.

[tonyedgecombe]

They were probably just having a bad day and you happened to be the nearest person to take it out on, I wouldn't read to much into it.

After a while in this business you start to develop a thick skin.