ArcGIS Developer Subscriptions, Esri Global Accounts, Email Addresses, and Customers
I have an Esri Global Account. This one, in fact. I've had it since 2010. It encompasses my entire relationship with Esri since starting SpatialBridge. During that time, I've had subscriptions to the Esri Developer Network, and SpatialBridge has been a member of the Esri Partner Network.
Fast forward to 2017. Due to lack of need, I allowed my EDN subscription to lapse and, in the interim, Esri replaced the EDN program with ArcGIS for Developers. OK, cool. I now have a need again, so I went to sign up.
I go to developers.arcgis.com, and click Sign Up for Free. Then I click on the Sign in link for those who already have an account.
I enter my Esri Global Account credentials, and I'm logged in. The banner at the top says that my account is suspended (as expected, on account of I let my subscription lapse), so I click on the link to Upgrade or check your subscription.
Somehow that lands me on the ArcGIS Online Organization tab (side note: at the time that SpatialBridge joined the EPN, somehow my personal Esri Global Account was converted to an Organization account?). Anyway, no worries; there's a big button right there under the Subscription Status tab that says RENEW. Maybe I'll click that.
Up pops a dialog that tells me to contact Esri.
OK. First, I'll try something else.
So, I go back to developers.arcgis.com, and click Sign Up for Free again. This time, I enter my name and email address and click Send Confirmation Email.
A few minutes later, I get the confirmation email and I click the link in it. I land on a page to create a new ArcGIS Developer account, which I believe is also creating a new Esri Global Account.
So I contact Esri (Canada) Customer Service, and let them know what I'm trying to do: use my existing Esri Global Account, and add an ArcGIS Developer subscription to it. Easy peasy, right? Nope. I need to create a new Esri Global Account to get an ArcGIS Developer subscription. Oh, and one other thing. I need a new email address to do it. A. New. Email. Address. Seriously? Esri is asking me to get a new email address, to get a new Esri Global Account (which, as I said, encompasses my entire relationship with Esri since 2010), to get an ArcGIS Developer Subscription? This seems ... inconvenient.
