Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis.tis.llnl.gov!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!hpubvwa!grlab!scott
From: scott@grlab.UUCP (Scott Blachowicz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP Contracts
Message-ID: <240024@grlab.UUCP>
Date: 9 May 89 19:31:47 GMT
References: <547@mmlai.UUCP>
Organization: Graphicus
Lines: 39

/ grlab:comp.sys.hp / burzio@mmlai.UUCP (Tony Burzio) /  6:56 am  May  6, 1989 /
> The people at the response center in Atlanta are REAL nice, and try very
> hard.  Most problems are solved with the first call.  I have noticed,
> however, that X Window System calls require weeks to complete, with most
> being pumped back to the factory for help.  I have a list of 6 X bugs waiting
> in the queue for the response center to finish with my call about the static
> raster widget not working.  Could HP get an X guru assigned to the response
> center?
Our problem is that we're technically able to track down a good deal of
the problems ourselves. By the time we give up and give the response
center a call, we're usually over the heads of most of the engineers
that we deal with (Santa Clara or Mountain View or whatever  Response
Center). We usually end up finding and fixing the problem ourselves
before the "factory" has a chance to respond. If we locate the
problem as an HP bug, it doesn't seem to do much good to tell the
Response Center because we'll have to go through the hastle of supplying
source code for them to duplicate the problem only have to have it
drop into the black hole (i.e. STARS/Marketing review). We have gotten
responses for a few of the bug reports 6-12 months after reporting them
(they landed in Marketing or Lab Review...by which time they are 2 or 3
revs out of date)

Actually, there have been a some times when they've been very helpful
and patient.  (we recently had some LAN problems where a pair of
systems would talk; we added a couple systems; the pair wouldn't talk;
we took the new systems off the net; still no talking; shuffle some more
wiring/connections/etc; talk; no talk; at any rate, we ended up
deciding to replace one of the LAN cards...no more problems).

Overall, we just tend to avoid the hastle of dealing with the Response
Center...and mostly have for the past 3 years or so. I'm not sure what
can be done unless "guru" types can be kept in online support...

Now that that's been vented, it's back to work I go...

Scott Blachowicz
USPS:  Graphicus                UUCP:    ...!hpubvwa!grlab!scott
       150 Lake Str S, #206     VoicePh: 206/828-4691
       Kirkland, WA 98033       FAX:     206/828-4236