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Dragon Naturally Speaking

Dragon Naturally Speaking review: Commercial too long 92

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Author of the review
8:34 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

I watch The Science Channel quite often, every single day. I work late hours and usually catch re-runs of shows I missed, and see a lot of commercials for Science Channel shows. I don't mind those. What I DO mind is the seemingly never ending Dragon Naturally Speaking Speech Recognition software commercials. I get annoyed from the first SIGHT of that commercial. They keep talking and and talking and talking, about the SAME. DAMN. THING. I have NEVER been so annoyed that I'd look up somewhere to complain about a commercial before, until this.

Update by mm120
Apr 26, 2012 6:21 pm EDT

I'm surprised this complaint got as many replies as it did. I posted this in July of 2011 and it's now April 2012 and the commercial has changed, but it's STILL way. TOO. LOOOOOOOONG! It's also funny that when you type in dragon commercial, "dragon commercial too long" comes up and this is the first result. Discovery should really take note of this already.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

92 comments
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Who Gives a Rat?
, US
Apr 29, 2017 4:07 pm EDT

I have misplaced my disc for Dragon Naturally Speaking Premium 13. I called the company to see if it was possible to get a download of the program with the product key I have. The man on the other end was outright obnoxious toward me.. If I would ever encounter him on the street I'd squash him like the insect he is. I have essential tremors and need the software for when i am seriously shaking. However I will now be looking elsewhere and if i do find my disc I won't use it. Instead I will shove it up that idiot's back side.

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Tanya Briggs
, US
Nov 04, 2015 10:57 pm EST

OH MY FRIGGING GOLLY GEE...it is holiday time and those damn Dragon 5+ minute late night commercial is starting to come back!
for the last few years I simply had to stop watching Discovery ID and a few of the other shows because of the ABUSE of that commercial. It ranks way above the crappy commercials that use a doorbell when they don't have to use a frigging doorbell...but I digress. DRAGON will never, and I say NEVER get a dollar from me even IF I needed to use their software. I would quit a job IF they required me to use their software...that's how bad the hate is for the abusive commercials they use. IF I fall asleep while TV is on, guess what wakes me up? DRAGON commercial! And I get so damned pissed off that I will then start timing the remaining part of the commercial. It was over 5 mins long! Must have been more before I woke up, got pissed and grabbed my iphone to time the abuser.

I complained to Dragon for the last 3 years when the holiday blitz starts and I hope each year they will listen to consumers complaint and make a commercial short and sweet, but noooooooooooo. I stopped watching discovery ID for a couple of years and just started watching again for a few months. Looks like I will have to stop watching it again till the commercials stop.

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Tanya Briggs
, US
Oct 11, 2021 2:56 pm EDT

I don't know if the Science Channel or Discovery ID runs these commercials anymore BECAUSE I don't watch any of the channels that abused us with the Dragon Software commercials. Just said NO MORE. I don't even know if there is a Science Channel or Discovery ID anymore. I'm being serious. I have not watched anything on those channels since 2016. The Christmas season of abusive ads broke me. I only mention this fact in hopes that these cable companies realize they have gone too far.

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PCSMids
, GB
Apr 28, 2011 11:44 am EDT

Have paid for goods for Dragon Naturally Speaking and paid via BACS so proof is obtainable. Despite numerous requests we are still not in receipt of the goods.

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Hangar1
Boston, US
Mar 29, 2015 3:51 am EDT

I completely agree. I would never buy this software simply due to the most annoying commercial I've ever seen. And it just goes on and on and on. Every time it starts its time to change the channel.

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jjjjjjjq
fuck off, US
Feb 24, 2014 10:48 am EST

not only that, but start researching this Nuance menace a little more. If your company has anything to do with speech recognition they will buy your company before it really gets going or if you refuse on the moral reasoning of "I should be able to be in this market too", drown you with legal fees until it's bankrupt. And because of how software patents work in the US, they essentially patent the problem to be solved (not just the solution). They don't patent Dragon Speak blah blah implementation, they patent FCKING Speech Recognition. they now own speech recognition and can take legal action against you for opposing Nuance. Eli Whitney didn't patent cotton picking, he patented the cotton gin. in fact he was required to show exactly how it works. Nuance can just patent speech recognition and the government will take their word for it because they policies aren't computer literate enough to understand it anyways. On top of that they don't have to develop speech recognition any more than from 20 years ago because their strategy disallows competition. If Eli Whitney could've done that we'd still be using cotton gins to this day, guarantee it.

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Scott12345
, US
Jan 19, 2014 7:28 pm EST

Thank you for all your wonderful posts. My wife thought I was crazy about how I couldn't stand their latest commercial with the emaciated, bad jeans wearing alien. I now find myself in good company.
Scott

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Gaditchdoc
Panama City, US
Jan 12, 2014 8:51 am EST

Thank god for remote controls, Would never buy this crap because the commercial pizz&&ed me off, and somebody get that girl a hair stylist, she is about as homely as they come...

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IrritatedAgain
Independence, US
Jan 09, 2014 9:29 pm EST

Try transcribing for Nuance--the parent company--if you'd like to see just how effective the software is. Dragon may be able to understand a thick Texan accent but it sure as hell can't understand one from the Midwest. It understands a myriad of other accents, SOMETIMES, but it never will autocorrect (or "become accustomed to the way you speak"), no matter how many reports I hear from the same dictator. Although, that statement is partially true because it DOES change the wrong recognition--just never to the correct words. When the Michigan-born dictator says, "S1, S2 audible" and Dragon hears "S1, Thomas", you can be sure there are fundamental programming problems--ones that go far beyond the piss-poor production company they hired to make that fast-talking, multi-tasking mom look like she died several decades ago!

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Fritz the cat
, US
Jan 08, 2014 1:59 pm EST

I tried to use Dragon Speak this morning only to find I needed an upgrade. But, after 4 attempts it would not upgrade and I could not use Dragon Speak. I tried everything I know and still could not get it to work. So I uninstalled it and tried to run an older version, that didn't work either. I have been a long time customer, started with Dragon 6, but no more. I would not in good faith recommend this product.

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Rccc
, US
Jan 04, 2014 1:57 pm EST

I hate this Dragon commercial so much that I change the channel and usually never return!

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James261
Simi Valley, US
Dec 31, 2013 1:46 pm EST

I love the kid "it's like a puzzle I can't put together". The grandmother looks like a tired out worn wash cloth. Just gotta love the crime scene investigator "if it can understand this Texas accent if can understand anyone".

Most annoying commercial! Buy the way Dragon. I would never buy this product because of a cheap, lame commercial. Here are stations that have interesting programs, and they have to fund the programming by a horrible commercial.

Change the channel!

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Lunarfeast
Beverly Hills, US
Dec 29, 2013 7:51 pm EST

I agree that this commercial is too long. To redundant and just on too much. I often turn the channel or mute the t.v when it comes on. I was amused to read the other comments others left about this commercial and the spokeswoman on it and about her hair. So I looked her up. Her name is Kate Paulsen. Her profile is on http://neactor.com/profile/KatePaulsen

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BassGirl1122
North Augusta, US
Dec 22, 2013 5:33 am EST

I too hate it and found this right after one of them boring commercials on ID.We don't need a 5 min long or half an hour long commercial to want what they are selling..one min is sometimes too long..lol!

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Charles Austin Miller
kings, US
Dec 11, 2013 4:10 am EST

Terrible, long-winded commercials for a terrible product. Dragon Speech Recognition software has all the same problems as primitive speech recognition software from 20 years ago. With Dragon, you STILL have to specify all special capitalization and punctuation and new paragraphs; furthermore, you are never going to use Dragon to pass a writing class, inasmuch as speech recognition is only as sophisticated as the speaker. If you have just can't grasp proper sentence structure, grammar and punctuation, Dragon is NOT going to make you sound like a genius.

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w.evans
sacramento, US
Nov 29, 2013 6:08 am EST

OMG. Dragon software commercial is soooo long. I change the channel for at least 10 minutes every time it comes on. I think that any network playing this commercial is really hurting ther ratings. If I have to see it one more time I believe I may stab my eyes and ear drums oit with hot pokers. Please please take this commercial off the air.

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Hypothesize
South Bend, US
Nov 19, 2013 5:06 am EST

Eregious egregious, flagrant violation

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Hypothesize
South Bend, US
Nov 19, 2013 4:59 am EST

The original commercial is every bit as redundant as their software. The newer commercial is every bit as long as the original but, this time the spokesperson happens to be a pretty sweet looking blonde girl, whom I have looked for on facebook to no avail...For that reason, I will be filing a complaint as well.

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Hypothesize
South Bend, US
Nov 19, 2013 4:47 am EST

That commercial is redundant. The new commercial is just is just as long but, the spokesperson this time happens to be a pretty sweet looking blonde girl, whom i have looked for on facebook to no avail. I cannot find her... and for that reason, I will be making a complaint aswell. I will officially demand easier access to their product and the FTC will be notfied of these bait and switch tactics.

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Joe Trio
somerville, US
Oct 31, 2013 11:48 am EDT

Dragon, don't you people realize how annoyingly long your friggin commercial is, I hate it, everyone I know hates it, your cutting your own throats with this ad, I know you switched to a semi attractive conservative type women, and it is better than the dork you had before, but its just to long, to much info to swallow, change your advertizing agent, cut the hole thing in half, maybe add some humor, because drab don't sell, people are changing the station because of your ad, and I wouldn't be surprised if sales are down on this softwear, hire a hip advertizing agent that gets the message across by enjoying the commercial not hating it. please! No more!

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Conzoomer
Privacy First, US
Oct 31, 2013 7:20 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Simply put, if this snake-oil software was "so great" as depicted throughout this annoying commercial(s) ..it would not need a week long slot for someone to "say" how great it is and it would obviously "speak" for itself. What I find unreal, is that the person(s) responsible for marketing it(to this day) have yet to pull their heads from lower orifaces, long enough to see that. How can it be such a great marketing idea if needing to shove a product down the consumer's throat, which will only result in it being eventualy spewed back up in their face. The first time I viewed this commercial, I thought "handy tool", 300 times later, I can sum it up in one word.. "[censored]ware", simply because it HAS to be pushed like a street drug, rather than seem inviting to try. For that factor, I now never will try this product, unless of course I find it at a yard sale or pull it from a waste basket nearest my cubical.. and even then, I suspect a huge "maybe".

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oscar meyer
bellmore, US
Sep 15, 2013 3:43 am EDT

Personally, I think the chick is hot and turns md on sexually. She is the exact opposite of a schoolgirl fetish in that it is obvious she stopped attending classes a long time ago.
I would never buy the Dragon product based on the complaints I have read, but I sure love those sexbomb commercials! I hope we see her again advertising somethung equally innocuous and boring so I can once again single handedly watch TV! Ha!

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Jit Stain
West Chester, US
Jul 29, 2013 11:35 am EDT
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Commercial is brutal. Its like a dentist appointment.

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Joshua.
, US
Jun 19, 2013 2:57 am EDT

I get a literal knot in my stomach every, and I mean EVERY time this commercial airs... I have read at least 5 other complaints on this board by people claiming to also get physically ill upon first sight of this obnoxious bull ###, how is that not considered a problem yet? I wonder if the people who are responsible for making this monstrosity even watch it until the end, without changing the channel... PLEASE HEAR OUR VOICES!

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yonjuro
New York, US
May 22, 2013 7:36 pm EDT

I HATE DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING (VERSION 11.5) it crashes every single f***ing time I use it. It took me about 10 min. just to type out these two lines.
it crashes Internet Explorer, Internet Outlook and often all by itself. I'm running Windows 7 with eight gigs of memory, but I keep getting a "low resources" error.. This product is ###!
It works okay out of the box, but then after little use, user profiles get corrupted, it freezes up, crashes itself and whatever else I'm working on, and generally sucks.
You'd think that by version 11, Dragon would be able to put out a stable product. I guess not.
f*** you, Dragon.

MikeL DISH
MikeL DISH
Denver, US
Feb 28, 2013 7:58 pm EST

martensendavid,

I'm sorry to hear you haven't been enjoying your experience with us and would be happy to help you! Please understand that we don't control the content, including commercials, that the networks choose to broadcast as that's their discretion. We just provide you with the networks. Please send me a private message so I can discuss this further with you as I'd hate to see you go if your service is still active with us!

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R. Cooper
, US
Dec 30, 2012 8:05 am EST

I am so tired of this commercial! It is way too long, and on every other commercial break! I just had to find a place to complain.

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Purfektstranger
Toronto, CA
Dec 22, 2012 9:00 am EST

If there is a Santa...he will banish that brutal commercial from tv forever. I mean seriously...what's with that girl who won't shut up? Does Dragon software understand the word shampoo?...because she sure as heck has never used it. She goes on and on and, as others have mentioned, she really does look like an alien. What about that housewife and author? Those black circles and cigarette skin ain't fooling anyone. The only things she is probably writing these days are fake prescriptions. Then they show you how grandma is helping out her grandson by getting him the dragon. Good job grandma! Now your lazy assed grandson can supersize your junk food order for free because that s where he is going to end up working now that he can't even manage a keyboard. Not sure who over thought this gem of a commercial . The 'crime scene' consultant has gotta be 80 years old and that assessor / professor looks like she spends more time assessing crispy cream doughnuts than she does her student's work! Someone should tell the good professor that's it's common courtesy to end a letter or an email with a salutation and your name. As I am typing this, I swear that this commercial has just reared it's ugly head and the dirty haired alien lady is doing her thing. They must know I am doing this and it's only a matter of time before I am taken against my will, locked up in a room and forced to watch this commercial again and again. Dragon commercial haters unite! It's time to take a stand!

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estimablesir
Stamford, US
Dec 21, 2012 5:54 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Someone should mail a box of dung to whoever is behind this horrid creation.

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Jason King
Glendale, US
Dec 21, 2012 5:40 pm EST

The comment by Steven Gates is right on the money. I got the program as a gift (gift from hell), I installed it, and I was one sorry soul. Even though I have uninstalled it, since, my laptop just does not behave properly. It is slow and it freezes a lot. An expert told me I need to rebuild the laptop to make it work properly. How can they get away with this? I hate the commercials extra more, especially when those lying a$$holes in the commercial, give their complete BS testimonials. Please get this crap off the air..

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estimablesir
Stamford, US
Dec 21, 2012 1:52 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This commercial is absolutely ridiculous. The testimonials are preposterous. "Pirate days by John Water" "Bold that." "New Paragraph." Shut the hell up. "The project is coming along...scratch that...making new strides". How could they possibly afford to consume that much ad space? Every commercial break is entirely smothered by Dragon Naturally Speaking. The length is absurd and the commercial itself is poorly conceived. I've never seen a commercial this annoying before. It actually makes me physically ill when it comes on. Make it stop!

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Steven Gates
Seattle, US
Dec 21, 2012 2:47 am EST

I used to think Billy Mays was annoying. The good lord was kind enough and removed him from the gene pool, now this crap.
I am an IT professional. This program is utterly useless and will degrade your computer performance drastically. It takes a lot of CPU resources, slows down the machine, and it may actually break your machine. It also requires you talked to the program for quite a while in order for it to get used to your accent. Also you need learn quite a few commands to make it work. Enough of this crappy program, and the ugly woman announcer with bad hair. What a f*&^%g nightmare.

MikeL DISH
MikeL DISH
Denver, US
Dec 19, 2012 1:06 am EST

martensendavid,

I came across your post and wanted to provide some assistance! Please understand that a network provider, Dish has no control over the content shown on the channels. We just pay the networks to provide you with them and it's their choice of what to broadcast as we do not own them. We hate to see you go and I hope this helps. If you have any questions or if there's anything else I can help you with, please email me your account number at michael.lemar@dish.com and I'll look forward to the opportunity of assisting you further!

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Idespisedragon
Adrian, US
Dec 14, 2012 2:34 pm EST

I typed "dragon speech' into Google, and the third option was "commercials are annoying and too long", I clicked on that, and it brought me here. I understand that computer illiterate people, old people, and dumb people who can't write to save their ### would appreciate this software, but I think we'd all appreciate you dropping your commercials down to 1 minute, because these 3-5 minute infomercials at nearly every commercial break annoyed me enough to come complain about it here. I get it, you're trying to get around DVR, and make people see your commercial despite the fast-forward. But what about those of us watching non-recorded television? These commercials are brutal, man.

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Wallace D
, US
Dec 13, 2012 5:43 pm EST

That commercial pisses me off so bad that i change the channel everytime it comes on.There's got to be something we can do, maby complain to the networks that show that worthless piece of ### ad. Why in gods name would a network want to piss off its viewers to the point of not watching their programs anymore and going on line to complain about it?I've never gone online and complained about anything before EVER!I think im going to just stop watching HISTORY SCIENCE SCI-FI and all the networks that air that ad it's making me crazy just thinking about.I ###ING HATE IT!

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martensendavid
, US
Dec 12, 2012 2:59 pm EST

OMG
I file a complaint about Dragon and GUESS WHAT...they are advertising on the same complaint board!
So please tell me how you can maintain you objectivity?
What BULL!

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martensendavid
, US
Dec 12, 2012 2:57 pm EST

Too bad the company does not read the complaints. I will never buy the product because of the commercials...and I thought it was a good product until that time.
I also am considering dropping DISH NETWORK for allowing these commercials to run...but I figure both cable and Direct TV do the same thing.
There has to be a better way to fleece consumers.

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complcommercials
Sterling Heights, US
Dec 11, 2012 3:34 am EST

The commercial sucks and the girl in the new commercials looks like a ###ing alien but dragon isn't going anywhere.. You know Siri.. On your iPhones... That's dragon.. -.- fml

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Idadho
New Meadows, US
Dec 10, 2012 6:54 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Worst problem about these Dragon commercials is this: Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/Ease of Access/Windows Speech Recognition.

Windows has had a built in Speech recognition for years. Try to install Dragon. If you don't have all the required software, it will not install. The Windows version works fine.

The new blond is at least presentable. The writer slouched on her couch has dark eyes that look like death warmed over. The student NEEDS to learn to use a keyboard if he wants to ever get a decent job.

Glad I have a MUTE button.

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Marc Radde
Cicero, US
Dec 06, 2012 5:21 am EST
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Most annoying commercial I've ever had the displeasure of seeing, I change channels every time just to not hear or see it.

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Marc Radde
Cicero, US
Dec 06, 2012 5:18 am EST
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I too change the channel at first sight or sound of this monstrosity of a commercial, it's just keeps going and going, over and over, again and again, I can't stand it, period!