Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site vax135.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!mhuxv!mhuxh!mhuxi!vax135!miles
From: miles@vax135.UUCP (Miles Murdocca)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Digital Equipment Service(DEC): Is it as bad elsewhere?
Message-ID: <949@vax135.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 09:01:18 EST
Article-I.D.: vax135.949
Posted: Fri Feb  1 09:01:18 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 11:07:43 EST
References: <927@druxj.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 35

I understand your frustration with hardware/software problems.  I too
was plagued with problems while maintaining 2 VAXes at a site in Holmdel.
But what I found was that DEC was more than helpful in solving our problems.
A brand new 750 crashed every day around 2:00am.  DEC tried all kinds of
things including replacing boards, but nothing worked.  Finally, a
new set of PROM's were made up by the system designers and all was OK.

We had a DR11-B "look-alike" sold by Ramtek that we suspected had failed.
It was not under service contract with Ramtek (or DEC) but the DEC site
people offered to run their diagnostics on it anyway (they said it
would help them to make sure the problem wasn't elsewhere in the machine).

The site personnel still help out in formatting new disk packs, as
an "instructional" part of their job even though we buy packs from Nashua
and drives from System Industries.

Here at AT&T Bell Labs in Holmdel, there are over 200 systems under
service contract from DEC.  Because of the size of our location, it may
be easier for them to give continued good service.  But it hasn't been all
rosy either.  We had an 11/40 that was not under contract and it took
forever to get repairs made.  A tape drive on an 11/45 went dead and it
wasn't fixed after 5 fulltime days of DEC personnel working on it (no one
was very familiar with such an "old" drive).

The field service manager made contact with me a few times a year as
I'm sure is the practice elsewhere.  I would suggest you contact your
field service manager if you are having many troubles.  There is no reason
to settle for poor service when we pay so much for it!

				- Miles Murdocca
				  4B-525
				  AT&T Bell Laboratories
				  Crawfords Corner Road
				  Holmdel, NJ 07733
				  (201) 949-2504