🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <28MAY91185039@acad3.alaska.edu> tftfm@acad3.alaska.edu writes:
>Toll free number to Microsoft?  Hah!  They've got them for sales, but better
>have a deep pocket for tech. support.  

I have no trouble paying for tech support. Generally speaking most questions are
not "the product's broken" but more along the lines of "I can't figure this out
and need your help."  Most calls to tech support could probably be avoided if
people would take time to READ the manuals.  Not just a quick look in the index,
I mean READ the manual.  I own windows, (project, word, excel, and powerpoint)
for windows.  Of the half dozen calls I've made to tech support over the past
six months I'd say two of them involved "features" of a program that didn't work
the way Microsoft intended.  The others were in the manual, I was just too lazy
to find it.  The two calls that actually needed MS support involved the
interaction of two programs.  This generally isn't covered well in the manuals
since each product is sold as "stand alone."


>PS:  Anyone ever get a person in less than 45 minutes for Windows support? 
I've NEVER waited longer than 20 minutes.  Yeah windows is probably a busy group
but if you have a question on Project or Powerpoint the wait it VERY short.

>Ever get a correct answer?
Do you mean a correct answer, or the answer you wanted to hear?  You have to
remember the product will never do 100% of what you want it to.  You can't
please all the people all the time right?  As with most software questions there
is no single correct answer.  I've never hung up without more knowledge than
when I called.  My problem may not be 100% solved but I will at least have a few
more avenues to explore.
>
>Rumor has it that Microsoft will have a 900 number for DOS 5.0 questions.
>Either that or they're starting a DOS Love Line....I don't remember for sure.

The long term solution to support isn't easy.  Lotus won't even let you speak
with a tech support agent unless you beep in a valid "prompt id number."
Service is free for about 6 months and then is $48 annually.  After my "free"
support expired I got quite intimate with the manual and haven't needed them
since.  Lotus also offers 900 service and promises to answer all calls within 60
seconds.  Now that sounds like fair support to me.  I forget the per minute
charge.

WordPerfect offers a toll free support line and a live DJ to entertain you while
you wait.  The wait there is typically 15-20 minutes.  Generally, I don't mind
paying for the call.  I do get upset with the long holds.

People pay $15,000 for a car and then pay mechanics to work on it without
question.  They buy a $300 peice of software and want 10 years of free support.
Overall I've probably spent an hour on the phone with tech support people
directly.  I don't feel sorry for MS's reduced profits.... but I still don't
think infinite support "has to be" free.

I'd be willing to bet the calls to MS support would be cut in half if they
verified the registration of every caller.
---
Dan Aksel