Interesting ISC Support Policy

[Bill Kennedy]

In article <1990Jun28.132734.19603 at nstar.uucp> larry at nstar.uucp (Larry Snyder) writes:
>pgd at bbt.se (P.Garbha) writes:
>
>>Well, then the trick is obviosly to buy on a "new" company name,
>>or just simply buy it on a new employees name, each time.
>
>Or say you are someone else when calling in for support.
>-- 
>      Larry Snyder, Northern Star Communications, Notre Dame, IN USA 

Or choose a vendor with support prices/policies more in keeping with your
need for support.  At this point ESIX is looking more and more interesting
based on what I read in this news group.  It appears that they have a
bona-fide interest in identifying and solving problems, they seem to follow
up.  I should add that I'm completely ignorant of their product/services
other than what I read here.  I'm sure I'll become "enlightened" :-)

I have had first hand experience with Digital Reasearch (yeah, back that far!),
Microport, AT&T, SCO, and ISC.  The "couple of hundred a year" to DRI was far
in a way the best I've seen until they stopped supporting anything for any
amount of money.  Microport would, after the dozen "it's a hardware problem"
recordings, hunker down and try to find the problem, sometimes they did.  SCO
has the most amazing bureaucracy I've ever seen.  I was dutifully called back
three times over ten working days by the same wrong-analyst-for-the-problem.
I never got the right-analyst-for-the-problem, I ran out of time.  AT&T is
a complete "no go" unless you produce an AT&T hardware serial number.  I don't
care what the warranty says, it's not what they actually do.

The subject is Interactive, I just wanted to sketch in some background and
admit my ignorance of Everex.  When Interactive tech support was free, it
was nearly worth that.  There was no way to track a problem or a call, so you
got to start all over again every time you dialed; yes it's plugged in, yes
it's powered up, repeat system contents, etc.  Further, until recently they
had no native English speaking support reps.  I'm very sympathetic to the
communication difficulties encountered speaking in a second language but doing
technical telephone support isn't where that problem gets solved.  It's awkward
and embarrassing to ask for (and answer) the third repeat of "megabyte".  Far
in a way the best ISC support I've gotten has been in this news group.  In
fairness, much of it has come from the contributions of ISC employees.

So now we're supposed to pay for support.  There's nothing wrong with that
if there is a product to deliver and if it can be cost justified.  SCO has
a support product to deliver but I can't cost justify it.  If hands-on-phone
experience is any measure (mine), ISC doesn't have a product.  Maybe they
have done a complete overhaul, restructure, restaff, remanage, but if they
are just starting to charge for what I've seen it ain't worth it.  Spending
time waiting for someone to find the manual page I have in front of me when
I call isn't my idea of support.  Paying to be eligible to spend that time
is absurd.  Paying (IMHO) a lot to be eligible to spend that time is a
condition that can probably be treated with appropriate psychiatric care.

Shucking usenet oysters in pursuit of a pearl is, for me, costworthy.  From
time to time I can even help someone else, that's neat.  Ponying up money
for something that wasn't cost effective when it was free requires some pretty
heavy explanation.  I don't want glossy sales sheets, I want facts.  I want
to know that it won't take four calls repeating the fundamentals every time
to find out that nobody has ever heard of that before.  I want to be able to
hear and understand "megabyte" when it's uttered.  I want to know that the
problem has been referred to the appropriate developer, and I'd be delighted
to be offered a workaround, I'd pay for that.  Thus far I've seen no evidence
that Interactive is selling anything like that, they've just started charging
for something that wasn't cost effective when it was free...

It's really tough to get people to pay for something that used to be free.
HBO pointed that out when they started scrambling their satellite signal.
Along that line, however, HBO found out that if you offer value, people will
pay.  If Interactive can/does/will offer value, I'll pay.  In the meantime
I'll keep shucking usenet oysters 'cause that's where I find the pearls.
Sorry you had to shuck this oyster...
-- 
Bill Kennedy  usenet      {texbell,att,cs.utexas.edu,sun!daver}!ssbn!bill
              internet    bill at ssbn.WLK.COM   or attmail!ssbn!bill