CloudBrain: Why can’t we code or reply to emails?
Just a heads up for everyone out there, please try and avoid using/buying any products from CloudBrain, in particular FixTunes, but I am sure they run all their services the same way; non-existantly. I purchased FixTunes from them about 3 weeks ago, it was a nice piece of software and it was going to help sort out my MP3 collection (it uses amazon to add all the correct ID3 tags to your MP3’s). After I purchased the authorization code so I could ‘lookup’ more then 300 MP3’s the software crashed. It crashes ever single time you load it. I have tried more times than I can count to have this problem fixed, resolved or refunded. I have never received one response from any email I have sent.
Paypal is also about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. They only reclaim refunds for items that have never been delivered, not items that are sold that don’t work as advertised. So I have now given up trying to reclaim the money they stole from me, so I’ll just warn everyone against using their services.
-Bashing head against brick wall
Screenshot for extra effect;
UPDATE: I have tried calling the company phone number 877-211-6714 or 804-545-9184 but all 3 options you get voicemail. It seems like this is a shell of a company who has one person working there. If you visit the website, the are a few job openings available. It seems there is a position available for everyone but the CEO and secretary (and who needs a secretary with a phone system that redirects all calls to voice mail).
The same here, uninstall and reinstall its ok but after putting in code here come the errors. at first it looks like a great program
Well I am sort of glad it isn’t just happening to me!
I dunno how to get a refund? Have you been able to get in contact with them?
Thanks
You me and everyone else that has this program must be experiencing this problem. I have two (stable) computers I have tried this program on and it crashes on both all the time. Like everyone else I get no replies to my emails for assistance, refund or just an email to say they received my request. In my search for solutions or others that have this problem I see that advertise on Google as a Sponsored Link and other search engines. I also came across a link: http://www.download.com/FixTunes/3640-2141_4-10287868.html that has user comments that reflect what I have read here. There has to be a lot of dissatisfied customers wanting there money back. I am going to see if I can complain to the BBB. However I have spent more hours than it’s worth already. I have been able to use it with a few tricks I will pass on. If you get off the home screen ASAP and go to Unidentified sometimes it doesn’t crash. I however have found numerous bugs with other parts of the program. Good Luck.
I also have the same issues with FixTunes. Two different computers, one with a clean install of XP. Even sent them the debug info and no reply. We need to band together and put this “company” out of business. I’m posting to all music forums I can find to stay away from Clouded-Brain. We should all contact Google and express our dismay with a product they are doing advertising for. Maybe even a DoS attack on CloudBrain!
Even though I can’t condone a DoS attack on their site, I do think we should join together and try and reclaim some of our money. I have had to rebuild my workstation over the last few days, I installed all the Service Packs/fixes for XP except IE7 and fixtunes works with out crashing. But I have to install IE7 for fun (well security as the only site I use it with is my bank, damn activex) So what shall we do?
I would recommend everyone goto their site and leave comments on their corporate blog.
http://cloudbrain.com/blog/2006/12/12/fixtunes-for-mac-beta-testers-needed/
well i got screwed by this company too…I am having the same crash and close error also with no reply from cloudbrain.
soo i called in to amex to despute my charges!!!
Make it work and support it or get shut down with lawsuits and angry masses!!
I purchased their software about a year ago and have had pretty good luck with it until lately. The thing just simply started crashing on me all the time. I can’t get any reply from them either. Does anyone else know of a service such as theirs that actually works and is reliable?
Hey Brandon, I am writing an aritcle that should be posted today, that has a freeware version of Fixtunes that seems to work pretty good. I still think all Fixtunes problems are related to IE7. Thanks.
I have also had the problems mentioned above so what I do EACH and every time after I use it and close it I go to the directory C:\Program Files\Cloudbrain\FixTunes\data and remove EVERYTHING in the directory and then it will work OK one more time. Piece of Junk software that makes you do this. If someone knows of a comparable program that you don’t have to remove their database everytime but tags like this one please let me know. Thank.
Turn2Aragorn@Yahoo.com
I too have just purchased FixTunes and get the same problem I wish I had have read this before hand. Great info Turn2Aragorn, have just done that. Cheers
No thanks to CloudBrain (“CloudedBrain” is actually a more appropriate moniker), I have found a possible solution to the FixTunes frustrations. Since IE7 has been released, I have noticed frequent crashes with many programs that make use of the IE engine. Some of these crashes may be due to the default security level set for IE7 (“Medium-High”). By setting the security level to “Medium,” I have avoided FixTunes crashes (at least for the time being). Once again, it appears that the root of the problem is a Microsoft product! Uggggggghhhhhh! I’ll post a new message if FixTunes crashes again in spite of the change in the IE7 security level.
Unfortunately, my possible solution failed. I was able to run and shutdown FixTunes successfully a few consecutive times. However, the crash upon launch is now happening once again. I tried lowering the IE7 security levels to the lowest allowed settings for both the Internet and Intranet zones, both to no avail. Therefore, it appears unlikely that the crashes are directly related to the IE7 security settings. It looks like FixTunes library database corruption is the more likely culprit.
On a slightly more positive note, I have noticed that it is possible to continue using FixTunes even after the dreaded crash message appears. The secret is NOT to click on either of the buttons (“Send Error Report” or “Don’t Send”). Clicking on “Reset FixTunes Library” on the home page will allow you to launch the program one more time without a crash. This workaround essentially does the same thing as what was suggested by Turn2Aragorn. It will save you time because it only involves clicking on a link as opposed to manually deleting files from a folder.
Apparently, “MoodLogic” is a very good alternative to FixTunes. Ironically, I have installed it but it is also crashing upon start-up.
I’ll continue searching for solutions and keep you posted.
Well, FixTunes has left me in a state of seething frustration. There is no progress thus far on the pitiful “CloudedBrain” front.
Happily, however, I have been able to get MoodLogic to work. I was receiving the following error upon start-up: “unable to initialize DAO/Jet db engine.” I found a solution to this problem at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=248790. I would strongly recommend trying out MoodLogic.
As for FixTunes, I WILL be loudly and angrily demanding a refund. It is plainly unacceptable for paying customers to be forced to waste hours upon hours searching for ways to work around the flaws in such a substandard piece of software. (I’m using polite language out of respect for the author of this blog.)
Well, now that I have played around with MoodLogic, my reaction to it is lukewarm at best. It can fix tags but in a limited way. It does not appear to search for album information, which is a severe shortcoming. I am now trying out MediaMonkey, which has the redeeming quality of being freeware.
Hey Nick, everyone. I have had the exact same problem of finding a decent piece of software, I wrote this piece here http://k0dy.wordpress.com/2006/12/29/free-mp3-tagger-id3/ and I had some success with it. If anyone knows of a tagger that works 100% please leave a comment.
I have had the same problem with Fixtunes, but have found a possible work-around. It seems that the program crashes while thinking about the welcome screen. If, immediately when the program starts (in those 3 seconds you get before it crashes), you click on a different page in the Main Menu (i.e. Identified, Fixed, etc), it will not crash. You can then go back to the main screen if you wish. Hopefully this continues to work for me…and everyone else.
Ditto, Ditto, and Double Ditto.
Looked great until I entered purchase code. Never worked again past that point. Forums are down and e-mails and phone calls go unanswered.
Sure looked like a great program. I’m using XP SP2 with IE7. I saw a post from somebody that mentioned there were know issues with IE&. Unfortunately both computers I have tried loading two times each have identical problem…..I have now burned 4 of my 5 possible downloads.
I hope to see a solution posted here oneday…..
David Green
Yup. Just a broken piece of software. I will be seeking reimbursement from my credit card company, but I’m not hopeful. It worked well during the demo phase, but crashes now every time at startup. None of the posted workarounds have helped. I welcome any recommendations for a replacement. I’m trying MeidaMonkey next, with crossed fingers.
-Slim
Had the same problem and I tried Nova’s workaround. It does work but you have to be quick about it. I have contacted my attorney general’s office and would suggest the same to everyone else. They work faster then the bbb. Good Luck
Oh my god I wish I would have seen this a few mins ago. I loaded fixtunes and it worked great and soon as I purchased it and entered the code it crashed. I also paid for it though paypal. I will be writing paypal a letter letting them know what is going on with this company.
go to bbb.org and file a complaint.
Wow. I wish I also read this first instead of stumbling upon when looking for a solution. I just spent $25 on a non-working software. I plan on contacting the Attorney General if I don’t hear back from them. Also we should try to get a post on consumerist.com
ME TOO, what a great build up and let down all the makings of a great product and nothing; if they fix the software, buy shares in the meanwhile avoid the software!
Welcomt to the club – 10 e-mails without a response from them! Garbage….so I downloaded and paId fOr another program from http://www.Maniac.Tools.com (another mp3Tagger) – This one screwed up about 3 months work. Does anyone know of a workable and good program that will do what FixTunes used to. …..YES, IT USED TO WORK!
yeah I wish I saw this one earlier… man i hate it when something like this screws so many people.
POTENTIALLY GOOD NEWS
I was in the same situation as many of you, and as previously posted, PayPal refused to reverse the charges since there wasn’t a tangible “product” involved.
I did some digging on the Internet to find those responsible, since I’d received no response otherwise. I’m not sure if that digging is what prompted the response, but I did get my money back from PayPal today.
I sent a stern (but professional) email to several Cloudbrain addresses, and received a terse (but helpful) response — helpful, at least, to the point that I got my money back for a product that proved useless for the intended purpose.
In case it helps, the address I used (and the one from which I finally received a response) was cloudbrain-at-gmail-dot-com. I honestly hope the guy gets the software and customer service issues worked out, but in the meantime, at least he returned my hard-earned money.
Was working great for me until Vista and IE7. My laptop with XP and IE7 also have the same issues.
However – another laptop with XP and IE6 still run perfect. And bye the way – I am way over my 5 times of entering my purchase code. I don’t believe it checks it.
There is a good Wired article about various Tag managers and cleaners. The rated FixIunes very low, and MediaMonkey very high. I found MediaMonkey to work great (and it is free!).
http://www.mediamonkey.com/
Wired review: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/reviews/1,72304-0.html
I’m glad I found MediaMonkey before buying FixTunes!
The work around left by Nova above works but try to add new songs to Fixtunes and guess what. That’s what I think the issue is. As soon as fixtunes starts it searches for new songs in itunes or the specified folder but crashes before it can complete the process. I have sent dozens of emails with no reply. MediaMonkey is great, unfortunately you have to do everything manually but at least it works
Finally found this blog – I thought I was the only one having this issue. After trying to resolve this from Cloudbrain – I filed BBB as well as paypal complaint – if nothing else, hopefully other customers donot get ripped by Cloudbrain.
FixTunes is the best program EVER…when it works! I was using my son’s, then purchased my own. BIG MISTAKE! It never worked and all I got was error message after error message. I’m so glad I purchased mine with PayPal. I filed a dispute and received my full refund from Cloudbrain THE VERY NEXT DAY! All was NOT lost. Now I just wish I could find a comparable program.
glad i read this b4 buying! … good thing it crashed b4 i paid $$$ for it….
A comparable program to Fixtunes is Zortam Mp3 Media studio. You definitely are going to the “help” and “how to” documents with this one(not very user friendly). Once you get the hang of it though it’s a good tag editor.
Looks like there back. The website has posted a new version of there program as well as being able to get support from there forum. I haven’t tested it much but so far so good. Good luck.
Same crashes as before, horrible, nothing fixed in this version!!!!
I urge everyone to register on their support forum and request a refund. I did:
http://fixtunes.com/forums/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1483#1483
If you bombard the board eventually we should get a refund? Maybe, who knows.
I found one work around to the crashes. I was deleting everything in the data directory & then re-starting. I noticed however that it crashed when accessing the same mp3 each time (& it wasn’t connected in any way with the one in lastfile.txt. When I opened the file in winamp the artist title was the artist followed by lots of “-” I counted them while I was deleting -over 500. re-opened Fixtunes & it worked flawlessly – till the next crash!
The forum is no longer functioning and they are not returning any e-mails or attempted communications. The new version does not function as they claim, either.
What are our options? Class action? Why doesn’t PayPal stop transactions to this fraudulent company?
That is a good question. I tried to get PayPal to issue a refund, but like the rest of the Internet even they seem to be a bunch of scam artists! The protection you get from them isn’t worth anything! As far as I can tell, sell something online, and long as you ship SOMETHING to the buyer, it OK with them. Sell a Car, ship a rock. Keep the money. Crazy as it seems.
I have been considering contacting the hosting company, but I am unsure. Maybe get everyone to sign some kind of online petition?
let me know!
I honestly feel that besides the support issue, Fixtunes is bar far the closest best mp3 tagger. Media Monkey is nice but not as easy as Fixtunes. So far, I got to tag 5122 songs with Fixtunes which fetches from Amazon with flickr, wikipedia and extra Amazon album details when you click on the artist name from the browsing panel.
I’ve heard of the crashes but it has yet to crash on me, simply for the fact that my PC is associated with Firefox and not IE7.
The “unidentified/identified/fixed” is a time and management savior, and Fixtunes is the only program I know with such.
Overall, I know their customer service sucks though, bashing the program because of IE7 issues is simply unfair.
BTW, I’m not sure what kind of music library this guy at Wired News has so fixtunes couldn’t find 90% of it…because on my end it’s the total opposite. If you’re tags looks like %&^*&@(@* before it even goes in the program, of course it’s a waist.
As they say, what works for one, doesn’t for another…that’s life, kids.
I had many problems as described. I wrote to CloudBrain who sent me a link to download a new ‘fixed’ version. It is http://www.fixtunes.com/newversion.php So I uninstalled the original, that I had paid for, installed this version and at least it didn’t crash. It is however more full of bugs than a hedgehog in the Spring. So I lodged a complaint in the Paypal resolution centre. Next day, Paypal closed my dispute saying it was resolved. I checked my account and there was the refund in full.
Yes it is rubbish software. Yes it does trash your tags and hide many ‘duplicate’ files. But also yes, I had good customer service from CloudBrain.
Yep I got stung as well with this piece of s**t. I wish I had read this before parting with my money. (Is hanging still legal). However every cloud has a silver lining as they say. Welcome to mediamonkey available “FREELY” from http://www.mediamonkey.com fully featured, great accurate metadata find from amazon including cover images (cover image is embedded in tag so that any player capable of displaying covers can, it’s especially good at organising large collections. How this is free I don’t know but beware of the urge to correct every typo and populate every metadata field, will soon overcome you, it is really that good. Thanks mediamonkey you have restored my faith in human nature.
Thank you!
I had my credit card in hand and was about to make the purchase.. Having been burned before I thought I’d google fixtunes for problems.
Paying for software that doesn’t work after it is paid for is bad enough, but no replies to requests for help and refunds is not the kind of behavior that invokes feelings of confidence in purchasing a product.
I’m going to try out mediamonkey. Hopefully others will see this as I did and not waste their money.
I GOT A REFUND!!!
I paid via Paypal.I asked for a refund, explaining that Cloudbrain sold me the software (Fixtunes) knowing that it didn’t work properly on OSX, therefore they had acted fraudulently. About 3 weeks later my account was refunded.
[...] was first looking at FixTunes, which seems like a great utility, until you read a blog post like this. It seems the list of users who’ve paid for FixTunes and promptly had it start an endless [...]
Oh iTunes, You Robber of Sanity » McCouch.com said this on July 25, 2007 at 4:03 am
I thought about buying this program, but now I am thinking that might be a mistake. Can someone who is not using their product code give it to me so I can try it out before buying it? Thanks!
Email: tom.smithson@hotmail.com
Thanks again!
Try “tag & rename” instead. It works well and has about the same functionality.
Vent your frustrations, … Share your Reg Code.
It works fine. I just bought the reg code. I do not run IE7. No issues. Love it, thank you very much.
I can not speak for IE7 users, … but it seems that my machine loves the FixTunes program.
Those bitching and venting had better have tried the patch before discrediting the program. A program like this is bound to need some trial and error time. Pay up, let them fix the problem, try the patch on the help page, and then bitch. I for one have no issues with the software, and it has transformed 30 gig of MP3s without any real disruption to the use of my machine, a great background worker, and it’s nailed the artwork for even the rarest of old reggae albums. Pay the $25, download the patch, and get those little pictures to work on your IPOD.
Non constructive criticism is just that, … and a program with a trial that good fully deserves the opportunity to debug interference from IE7.
Regards,
$25 well spent.
“TAG & RENAME” … is not anywhere near as easy or as fast. My wife uses it. When I asked what to use for MP3 album art additions she suggested “Tag & Rename”, … so I took the download from her computer (networked) and played with it for a few hours after some brief instruction from her. I didn’t last long before thinking there must be something easier. I found Fixtunes and did the 50 sample files. I bought the password less than 2 hours ago and have already processed more songs in two hours than my wife has completed in months of “Tag & Rename”. I say that FixTunes is the hands down winner, … and that’s with two machines running each respective program literally back-to-back, desk-to-desk, … and the wife is pissed because “Tag & Rename” takes manual effort, … and FixTunes takes very little if any, … it’s working in the background as I type this, … ha, … the program let me win one over the wife, … I’m in trouble now.
Go FixTunes over Tag & Rename, …
Fixtunes ripped me off too, crashed all the time, no support.
Try Media Center by JRiver for managing large music libraries – it’s fantastic.
This was probably the best tech support resource for FixTunes I’ve found so far anywhere! It’s sad that over a year later the same problems exist. Clicking away from the home screen fixed my problem which was a song with a corrupted (too long) song title. Every time FixTunes tried to process the file it would crash and the file was at the top of my list. I was able to mess around while the crash dialog was up and managed to delete the file from the list.
Bottom line in this program is… if you download MP3’s from random sources you’ll probably run into issues (but then again, that’s what this is designed to correct!). The only crashes I’ve had so far have been from bad tags but I can’t help but wonder about the coding. I’m a programmer so I can certainly understand the aversion to error checking… it’s my least favorite aspect of coding but when done properly it just makes life so much easier!
I’m just now getting ready to process my fixes on a 35GB collection so I could be in for a new mess of errors but at least my lookups are done. One suggestion is to periodically cancel processes and backup the data directory in the fixtunes app folder. Renaming/Deleting this folder will completely reset the program so if you need to jump back without losing progress you can revert to a backup and then remove a corrupted file from the list.
Greetings fellow disgruntled Fixtunes users. EV shows the error as such: Event Type: Error
Event Source: Application Error
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Date: 1/18/2008
Time: 1:24:25 PM
User: N/A
Computer: TINSMAN001
Description:
Faulting application fixtunes.exe, version 1.0.0.1, faulting module fixtunes.exe, version 1.0.0.1, fault address 0×0003a729.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 Applicat
0008: 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c ion Fail
0010: 75 72 65 20 20 66 69 78 ure fix
0018: 74 75 6e 65 73 2e 65 78 tunes.ex
0020: 65 20 31 2e 30 2e 30 2e e 1.0.0.
0028: 31 20 69 6e 20 66 69 78 1 in fix
0030: 74 75 6e 65 73 2e 65 78 tunes.ex
0038: 65 20 31 2e 30 2e 30 2e e 1.0.0.
0040: 31 20 61 74 20 6f 66 66 1 at off
0048: 73 65 74 20 30 30 30 33 set 0003
0050: 61 37 32 39 0d 0a a729..
The error is reporting the wrong version of the application and I don’t use IE. The program claims that a tag caused the crash and that it won’t attempt to correct it in the future. I think this is a just a built-in CYA code. I have reset the library and used only ripped songs to test this theory and it still happens.
My next step is to tackle this with the sysinternal ProcExp.
i aslo grabbed this software like some have said works fine in the demo mode after i bought the software it worked for the first day then started crashing now i cant even load the program even after removing it along with the registry keys and the root folder does anyone know how it still remembers it had an error after i reinstall it i have removed it and all of its reg keys must have another location it stores its logs in im going to dig around to find it “any ideas”
oh i forgot to tell you i was able to get a refund on fixtunes but guess what the key still works
doesnt really matter though this software doesnt work lol
i have figured out how to run with less crashes if running on a vista machine launch the app as administrator prevents the at launch crash for me but i do get crahes still c++ blah blah crashes lol but i can still use the software hope that helps some of ya
http://www.jobgle.com
1) I’m glad I read this before I tried it out on my pc, and
2) I’m up a creek. My dad bought Fixtunes and so far it’s worked good for him aside from bogging down his system (QUITE heavily might I add). I launched it to organize my own stuff and it told me that the settings file was incorrect or corrupt and wants me to input a purchase code. would anyone mind sharing a regkey with me? I’m flat broke and I just need it to get it running on my dad’s pc before he finds out. I’d really apreciate it.
email is: yekithinthedark14@yahoo.com
Hi, so other than fixtunes, what can u suggest? I’m having trouble trying to find a software to fix my songs and album artwork. thanks
I think this is flat out the best software i had ever used for fixing mp3 tags. Just a quick tip. When fixing songs do them in blocks. a couple hundred or so. Once its complete, reset the app (option is on the apps front page) this clears out the apps storage. So far this thing has been a dream. If you feed it correctly it will be awesome !
I was having lots of issue with fixtunes Crashing .. What I found to prevent it was this .. Fixtunes will crash on crap downloads and files that are broken. When you reload it – it will keep trying to start from the song that craped it out..
Delete the file and poof.. good to go!
Gutted,
just found this page after purchasing fixtunes v5.35. Experiencing crahses decribed above and looking to fix. However from what I can see there is no reset selection on this version.
can someone advise me. I’ve deleted the log file but it still crahses.
Should I delete the clear the song.txt file? and if so how do I work around fixtunes starting the autofix so that it only uses unfixed tracks?
I realise the last post here was a few months ago but any advice would be great as I’m getting nothing from cloudbrain
Shame on me for not adequately researching the product first!
I recently purchased Fixtunes for iTunes and started processing my
library of about 5,000 songs. While Fixtunes does have some nice
features and configurable options, I don’t believe it’s ready for
“prime time” on OS X 10.5 at least. Here are some noted drawbacks:
1. Operation. Has been iffy at best. I’ve had quite a few crashes and
freezes. My system is relatively “clean” and my MBP is only a few
weeks old. It uses a proprietary server to compare the updates to and
operation is slower than I would have expected. It takes almost a
second per song and with 5000 songs, it’s not just a quick process
even if it doesn’t crash. I have fiber to my house and run sustained
D/L speeds of about 4MB/sec to my 2.4Ghz, 4GB ram MBP. I know the
slowness is not an issue on my end.
2. Support. You’d think purchasing the program would give you access
to a different level of support, not. It seems the “support” system is
via a user forum. I tried to register in the forum and got repeated
“database” errors. Those kinds of errors are a backend issue and not a
client problem. So not being able to even register to post a question
about my problem, I was left to use their “billing issue only” web
contact to tell them my forum and product issues. They say there’s a
24 hour turnaround time. The clock is ticking and I’ll update tomorrow
as to how true that claim is.
As it stands right now, it’s not worth $25 without some bug fixes and
dedicated support for users who purchase the program. Another issue is
the trial. The trial only works for 50 songs and unfortunately that’s
not long enough to see technical issues such as frequent crashes. In
addition, the site shows version 5.32 for download for Mac. when you
run it and click on “About” it shows version 5.31. Indicative of poor
code quality assurance. For that to get out the door without being
caught is very sloppy.
I have purchased a Fixtunes 5.4 license a few days ago, except that I never received the code to unlock my copy.
I wrote to Cloudbrain and after an initial response, I havent heard back from them at all. I feel robbed so far but I will wait a few days before accusing anyone.
I wanted to call them only to find out that “We’re really sorry, but we can’t answer customer support (or technical or billing) questions over the phone.” You really cant or dont want to?
I cant complain about the software cos the 80 songs that were indeed fixed with the try out went just fine and it got in sync with itunes as well.
I would love to get my purchase code since my money was certainly discounted from my paypal account!
Wow, who would’ve thought a simple little piece of software could cause so much grief! I too just bought the software, only to find that no one has contacted me, yet my bank account is about AUD$30 lighter! A couple of emails later (and numerous days), but still nothing.
It brought a tear to my eye when I searched for Cloudbrain FixTunes and found this blog… the scroll bar on the right said it all!
There is only 1 thing that works well on FixTunes, and that is the anti-piracy feature that “phones home”, so people can not distribute their serial codes – if you enter the same serial code on several machines, you get a message saying “this serial code has been used more than 5 times” and you need to buy another.
I wonder what anti piracy system they are using. It is effective.
If only they put more effort into making the software work.