Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!hub.ucsb.edu!spectrum.CMC.COM!lars
From: lars@spectrum.CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: 3COM bridge resets
Keywords: 3COM
Message-ID: <1991Jan7.225927.29284@spectrum.CMC.COM>
Date: 7 Jan 91 22:59:27 GMT
References: <1991Jan3.173757.8314@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> <1991Jan4.140428.10849@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu> <3000@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM>
Organization: Rockwell CMC
Lines: 71

In article <1991Jan3.173757.8314@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>
   rjlang@falcon.lerc.nasa.gov (Ray Lang) writes:
>>[...stuff deleted about problem with a 3COM (Bridge Comm) bridge...]
>>>We have contacted 3COM two different times about 4 or 5 weeks ago and they
>>>... were supposed to get back in touch with us. We are still waiting.

In article <1991Jan4.140428.10849@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>
   skaggs@nsslsun.gcn.uoknor.edu (Gary Skaggs) writes:
>>Wow!  You actually TALKED with someone at 3COM about at BC product?  What a
>>miracle worker. ...
>>For the uninitiated, you call this 800 number and start entering touch tone
>>codes to get to the right department.  A choice comes down, "enter 4 if you
>>would like to speak to a technician regarding a Bridge Communications product
>>now..." or some such. ...
>>Well, after having been on hold for 45 minutes, I gave up.

In article <3000@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM>
   txd@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM (Tom Dietrich) writes:
>I work at 3Com's Technical Support center, but this is an UNOFFICIAL,
>personal response to your article.
>
>In response to you, do you have an service account with 3Com? Your
>visions of how it works here are not anywhere near reality. We *do*
>ask that the Network Manager (hopefully someone who has an idea of the
>overall network topology) is the person who calls. The automated phone
>system does ask you for a service account number. Once that is
>entered, you are prompted to enter a number, coinciding to what device
>is giving you a problem. If there is an engineer who is not handling
>another problem, said engineer's phone will ring. In the event that
>all of the engineers are busy, you will be sent to the Duty Engineer's
>queue, and be prompted to leave a message, with a brief description of
>the problem, so that the case may be handled by an avaliable engineer.
>The response time is generally less than an hour, even in the worst
>cases.
>
>If you don't have a service account, (as I suspect is the case) you
>will go to another group, and the response time may be considerably
>longer.

In a previous job, I worked for another data communications vendor, in a
customer service group. Our basic service philosophy was that we wanted
repeat customers, and we would provide whatever consulting was needed to
get our customers running so they would be happy with our gear.

Once, we had a customer whose network included a unit with a "Bridge"
logo, and for which the documentation was not commensurate with our
customer's technical skills. To determine how to configure our
equipment, we needed answers to a couple of simple questions about the 
configurability of the "Bridge" unit.

After a half day of chasing around Bay Area directory information for
which 3Com group was in charge of the former Bridge product line, I
finally located the 3Com tech support number, and its associated
voice-mail-from-hell system. After I answered "No" to the question about
whether I had a service contract, the system asked me to please have a
current MasterCard or visa number ready so they could bill me for the
technical support. No MasterCard, no support !!!

I called my customer back and related this to him. I also told him that
according to my best professional judgement, he should abandon all hope
of getting the "Bridge" box to work. He agreed: There was no way he
could expect the Federal Government to reimburse him for a charge to his
personal credit card which was not travel related.

Maybe by now, the tech support number has been moved to the "900" area
code ?


-- 
/ Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer
  CMC Rockwell  lars@CMC.COM