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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!microsoft!fluke!rzdz
From: rzdz@fluke.UUCP (Richard Chinn)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: software support
Message-ID: <31@tpvax.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Sep-83 11:46:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: tpvax.31
Posted: Wed Sep 28 11:46:37 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Sep-83 21:46:58 EDT
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, Wash
Lines: 45



re: Eagle and their idea of support triggered this response.

I don't own an Eagle, nor do I intend to. That is immaterial. On the other
hand, I use wordstar and have a few comments regarding Micropro
International and the way they view support.

If you are a wordstar owner and have a question, try calling Micropro. After
the telephone is answered, a rude person will tell you to call your dealer.
Period. They won't (underline that) even answer the most mundane question. 

Once I called them to find out if Spellstar would run with wordstar
V2.something. They (micropro) wouldn't even tell me that on the phone and
this was a potential sale.

Finally, I wrote a somewhat nasty letter to Seymour Weinstein (prez of the
company) and got a reply along with a name within who would be glad to
answer my questions.

This was fine for a few weeks, then that person got their job functions
modified and (of course) no one was available who would be willing to answer
questions. 

Micropro's stance is understandable and lamentable. They are trying to build
a network of intelligent dealers who know and understand their product. They
feel that the only way they will get this is to force all user questions
through their dealers so that the dealers get the Q & A from all questions.
In this way, they hope, dealers will eventually learn the product.

    (flame on!)

My problem with this (and your problem too) is the translation errors that
inevitably creep in with a two step process such as this. Typically, my
dealer didn't know the answers either and had to resort to calling Micropro.
In my case, the software was purchased from a mail order house back east and
that in itself restricted the window when I could call and get an answer. In
a business situation, expedient answers are a must. You can't have a job
hung just because the *stupid* software vendor insists on you going through
their **asinine* system of information retrieval.

In summary: I love Wordstar, but I hate Micropro International and the way
that they conduct their business. Thus, I must continue my love/hate
relationship with them.