Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!dayton!ems!nis!sialis!rjg
From: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Query about the quality of UNIX/PCs and 3b1's (really 3b1 unix)
Message-ID: <78@sialis.mn.org>
Date: 8 Jan 88 16:15:22 GMT
References: <9691@shemp.UCLA.EDU> <18017@clyde.ATT.COM> <997@bakerst.UUCP> <909@neoucom.UUCP> <912@neoucom.UUCP> <7991@e.ms.uky.edu>
Reply-To: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Organization: The Board of Irresponsible People
Lines: 46

>I have to STRONGLY disagree.  What about after the machine is off
>of warranty and they want many hundreds of dollars to replace the
>motherboard?

$2,000 for the part.  This price was just quoted to me by the
technician who wanted to swap my motherboard to see if it would
resolve my problem.  We told him to go home for now.

>And don't tell me to get a service contract 'cause that's something
>like $50 per month ... gag!

Yep.  But seeing the prices, and how often I've already used the
hotline, I know I'm gonna send in a check real soon now... sigh... one
use of that $50/month can really really pay for itself in a hurry,
even if you do have a perfectly happy and purring machine.

>As for your crashes ... I've experienced a few crashes of that sort
>and have the details written down at home.  I haven't called the
>hotline over 'em yet.  All of my crashes have happened while something
>happening on the modem was in the process of finishing up.  (i.e.
>a uucico or ATE)

I've been reporting this or nearly identical problems to the hotline
for months (as mentioned before).  I am _still_ in a hassle with them
over warranty service.  This will continue, I know it, for some time.

At least I am glad to see that _other_ people are finally reporting
these problems.  Maybe some sort of reasonable result will come of it
someday.  

I shouldn't pick exclusively on the Hotline.  When they come through,
they come through like a charm.  And I've discovered that they are
apparently quite often _not_ supplied with the information they
deserve.  They reply "We've never heard of that problem before..."
which is true, but many other internal areas have known about it for
months or longer, but the information and solutions just don't always
get to the front lines (like, where the users and purchasers become
involved, and ultimately irritated).  I know... I should support my
claims... :-)


-- 
 ___________________________________________________________   o/`  o/`  o/`
| Robert J. Granvin      | INTERNET:      rjg@sialis.mn.org | The hills are
| 2701 West 43rd Street  | UUCP: ...ihnp4!meccts!sialis!rjg | alive, and they
| Minneapolis, MN  55410 |  ...uunet!rosevax!ems!sialis!rjg | ate my mother...