Bad computer tech support rant
After a bad support call yesterday, seeking help for a problem and getting shafted by the company's tech support dept, they had the nerve to send me a questionaire. Of course I'd like to take a few minutes to let them know how I feel! This is a complete rant, feel free to ignore. Stress therapy by typing. I'm sure you understand.
*Company name blanked*: You recently declined to pay for support for your *company name blanked* computer and we would appreciate knowing why.
Me: Sure. The restore CDs that I have are not damaged and are running perfectly. The problem isn't that the discs won't load, or are damaged. The problem IS that when they are run they don't detect the computer as an *computer type blanked* and therefore refuse to resinstall the operating system. It's absurd, unthinkable, that you would choose to tell me that I will have to pay to fix this problem when the fault (and it is a fault!) lies entirely on poor software design that gives a false reading on your hardware when determining that the computer it's being installed on is a genuine *computer type blanked>* computer. No matter how I tried to explain this, the tecnnician on the phone seemed unable to grasp the situation. Now, I've got a genuine *computer type blanked* computer, a set of genuine *computer type blanked* reinstallation CDs that genuinely refuse to reinstall the software that was paid for, and a genuine problem on my hands. Imagine if people knew that you refuse to support your own crappy software image cd's when they purchased your systems. Outrageous! As the technician hired to do the "simple" job of reinstalling this computer from it's factory-shipped reimaging cd's, I am appalled at both the level of support I received on the phone and with the level of competence of the technician I spoke with. Finally, I think it's unforgivable to charge for support for a problem that is entirely something of your making, that being the design of the reimaging system that you as a company chose to implement for your customers. I am letting the owners of this computer know my experiences with your computer and technical support I received. I will also be very unhappy to explain to them that they will have to pay you for the opportunity to discover why they cannot reinstall the software on their computer as they were told when they purchased that they would be able to do.
*Company name blanked>* Finally, is there anything else you would like to tell us about your support experience? Your answers will help us continue to improve our service to you…
Me: Long hold times on the phone to speak, long hold times when I was waiting for the person to talk to their supervisor (which I never was able to talk to myself, even though I requested this) and a low level of technical competence rounded out my negative experiences with this call and your company. I will absolutely be talking with my professional colleagues and clients with my experiences with your company in hopes that they will wisely refuse to purchase computers from you in the future.
*Company name blanked*: You recently declined to pay for support for your *company name blanked* computer and we would appreciate knowing why.
Me: Sure. The restore CDs that I have are not damaged and are running perfectly. The problem isn't that the discs won't load, or are damaged. The problem IS that when they are run they don't detect the computer as an *computer type blanked* and therefore refuse to resinstall the operating system. It's absurd, unthinkable, that you would choose to tell me that I will have to pay to fix this problem when the fault (and it is a fault!) lies entirely on poor software design that gives a false reading on your hardware when determining that the computer it's being installed on is a genuine *computer type blanked>* computer. No matter how I tried to explain this, the tecnnician on the phone seemed unable to grasp the situation. Now, I've got a genuine *computer type blanked* computer, a set of genuine *computer type blanked* reinstallation CDs that genuinely refuse to reinstall the software that was paid for, and a genuine problem on my hands. Imagine if people knew that you refuse to support your own crappy software image cd's when they purchased your systems. Outrageous! As the technician hired to do the "simple" job of reinstalling this computer from it's factory-shipped reimaging cd's, I am appalled at both the level of support I received on the phone and with the level of competence of the technician I spoke with. Finally, I think it's unforgivable to charge for support for a problem that is entirely something of your making, that being the design of the reimaging system that you as a company chose to implement for your customers. I am letting the owners of this computer know my experiences with your computer and technical support I received. I will also be very unhappy to explain to them that they will have to pay you for the opportunity to discover why they cannot reinstall the software on their computer as they were told when they purchased that they would be able to do.
*Company name blanked>* Finally, is there anything else you would like to tell us about your support experience? Your answers will help us continue to improve our service to you…
Me: Long hold times on the phone to speak, long hold times when I was waiting for the person to talk to their supervisor (which I never was able to talk to myself, even though I requested this) and a low level of technical competence rounded out my negative experiences with this call and your company. I will absolutely be talking with my professional colleagues and clients with my experiences with your company in hopes that they will wisely refuse to purchase computers from you in the future.