Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!mephisto!psuvax1!rutgers!elbereth.rutgers.edu!medici From: medici@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: CHARGES ($) for Tech Support; what do you think? Message-ID: Date: 12 Apr 90 21:17:07 GMT References: <9367.261bcd4c@amherst.bitnet> Reply-To: medici@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 52 In article <9367.261bcd4c@amherst.bitnet> tgoldin@amherst.bitnet writes: >Yesterday, I called Plus Development's 800 number to get some help with a >Hardcard 40. I was surprised to find that the number had been disconnected and >replaced with a 900 number. Users who dial the new number are charged a flat >fee of $5.00 per call. >[...edited...] What do you think? I think it sucks. Pay for support schemes dilute the company's incentive to produce user-friendly, bug-free products with complete, understandable and useful user documentation. In fact, it actually encourages the opposite, whereby additional profit may be realized by increased use of such "pay as you go" services. In my view, this is yet further evidence of the decline of the software industry: Bigger profits before better profits. Now, before you light-up your flame throwers, I am not suggesting that Plus is making a profit at $5.00/call, but suppose the charge were higher, such as $5.00/minute or $25.00/call? Browse through some back issues of _InforWorld_ and _PC_Week_, you'll see that I'm not far off the mark. Some companies have already begun charging for support in this manner. Further, what about the consumer who, after careful evaluation of the market, purchases one (or, worse yet, one hundred) of a particular item. Then a few weeks/months/years later, the manufacturer decides to start charging for support. Does this consumer get free support? Does s/he get a refund (if so, how is the value determined)? Surely the topic of free versus paid support would have been an important issue in the consumer's decision. Finally, what about those persons that are not permitted to dial pay-per-call services (e.g., 900 area code and 976 exchanges) because of company policy? Any way I look at this concept, I see either a failure of the vendor to provide an adequately documented and error-free product, or an excessive greed motivation. Many vendors provide excellent technical support without any post-sales cost to the consumer. Witness the shining example of Word Perfect Corporation. WPC not only provides free customer support, but provides over a DOZEN separate TOLL-FREE phone numbers to help speed the process of getting you to the person with the correct knowledge. WPC built its position of the strenghts of its free technical support. Would that other companies follow thier lead. (Just my humble opinion(s). I am in no way associated with any company or organization mentioned above other than (perhaps) as a customer or user.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Medici - Rutgers/CCIS/Instructional MicroLabs | Disclaimer? Did I say Internet : medici@elbereth.rutgers.edu | something? Did somebody Compu$erve : 74755,304 (74755,304@compuserve.com) | listen? Worse, did any- Voice : (O) 908/932-2412 or (H) 908/521-0751 | one accurately QUOTE me?