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Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Will
From: Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Miniscribe troubles
Message-ID: <24907@cup.portal.com>
Date: 11 Dec 89 06:50:37 GMT
References: <6152@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 31

I've been reading a lot of articles on the net about MiniScribe's problems,
but I can say as an individual who has been purchasing a lot of their product
over the last two months that their technical support has been, and continues
to be, excellent to a degree that would shock me even if the company were
making runaway profits.  

To give you a comparison: a few weeks ago I bought a CDC WREN drive and called
CDC for some technical specs.  I was referred to a 900 number, where for a
charge of a mere $3.00 a MINUTE, a tech would (and did) answer all my
questions.

Compare this to my calls to MiniScribe on Friday, 12/8/89, nearly a week
after they announced their re-organization.  First, I was able to call
an 800 number.  Second, the tech was just unbelievably helpful.  I needed
to know what the terminating resistor looked like on a particular model
of SCSI drive, and after he had problems determining this from his
blueprints, he took down my business phone, went out onto the manufacturing
floor, determined what the part looked like, then called me back.  When
we determined together that my drive lacked the part, he grabbed some
parts off the floor, personally took them to the parts department (who
didn't have the part), and they sent me the resistors via Federal Express
at THEIR expense.  And, I might add, this was past 4:00 p.m. in their
time zone.

Frankly, I was stunned.  It's been a long time since any company has
ever done something like that for me without any argument or hassle.
I was thoroughly impressed, and if it's any sign of the company's 
overall attitude toward its customers I have to think they are going
to make a comeback.

Will              (sun!portal!cup.portal.com!Will)