Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@mojave.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Microsoft Use of 900 Number for Tech Support Message-ID: <14517@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 8 Nov 90 21:56:07 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 54 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 803, Message 9 of 13 hpubvwa!ssc!Tad.Cook@beaver.cs.washington.edu writes: > Higdon has a HUMBLE OPINION??!? No, but seriously, they recently > instituted this for support of MS DOS ONLY ... all their applications > support is free. Oh, I see. The "product" that put them on the map (other than a BASIC) is treated as a second-rate stepsister. The company has to protect itself from all those unwashed masses who might actually have some legitimate problem (oh, but how could they--DOS is perfect, right?) > Gee, *I* haven't had these problems. What makes Higdon so special? > But he often has problems communicating with phone companies and toll > carriers too... Well "Gee", that's wonderful for you. Of course, I deal with telecommunications and computer companies day in and day out without much difficulty. It's my job. I don't write about the successes much because it's pretty dull, but the failures are sometimes worth mentioning. The reason Microsoft stands out as being a stinker is because it ISN'T the norm. I have had great success dealing with dozens of hardware and software vendors. NOT with Microsoft. And the underlying problem seems to stem from how they handle telecommunications. > There is an advantage though to living within toll-free calling of > them (Seattle). Maybe if you had spent $15.00 on 900 charges getting nowhere rather than making a free local call, you would have a different view. > Also, if you want to follow up with a particular > support person, they will give you their network username. Roger. And when I called back to talk to this "particular person", the person that answered told me that he couldn't locate any "username" such as the one I gave. So I ended up relating the whole problem once again to this person. Yes, I had the correct name. > You can really blow their mind by getting on usenet and addressing your > followup communication to username@microsoft.uucp. I have done this, > and it ALWAYS gets a quick phone call, especially from the NEW folks > over there. It is a fast growing company, so the majority of support > folks are "new." When I offered to communicate with the original person via e-mail, there was much hemming and hawing and I was discouraged from doing this. At any rate, when I get home this weekend, I'll try to e-mail the username that I was origially supplied. And then I'm going to look for a different platform to handle my requirements. John Higdon (hiding out in the desert)