🚀 go-pugleaf

Computers purchased from Comtrade may NOT WORK with commercial
software packages.  Comtrade may REFUSE return of the product
AND REFUSE to provide service for the product.  Regardless any 
statements made by Comtrade representatives to the contrary.

A specific configuration that Comtrade sells, THAT IS GUARANTEED
TO FAIL, and Comtrade WILL NOT support is

          PCI Diamond Stealth 64 Video Card
          PCI fast SCSI-II controller
          SCSI-II 3x CD-ROM
          SCSI-II Hard Drive
          Diamond Stealth 64 Video Card
          Windows For Workgroups 3.11

If you load win32s into your system, your system WILL LOCKUP and/or
REBOOT whenever your perform any operation that simultaneously reads
from the CD-ROM and writes to the hard drive!!!

ORACLE users BEWARE!!!!  You can not even run the Oracle 7 installation
program without having win32s installed!!  Thus, a Comtrade computer
configured with the hardware described can not even have Oracle
products installed.

SMALLTALK developers BEWARE!!!!  Don't try to develope multi-media SmallTalk
applications!!!

==========================================================================

My assertion of lack of support from Comtrade is based on the experiences
described below.

==========================================================================

The computer was purchased new from Comtrade in September of
1994.  This problem was discovered in November.

Of all the phone calls referenced below, only one was made to their
toll free support number.  Almost every attempt to get through on the
toll free number resulted in busy tone.  I finally gave up and started 
using their toll number exclusively.  Average time on hold often 
exceeded 20 minutes.  The receptionist usually recommended that I call
back on the toll-free number, and would only connect me to the support
department when I insisted.

November:
   1st call to Comtrade.  Support department suggested that windows
   driver files may be corrupted.  Requested that I reload windows.

December:
   2nd call to Comtrade.  Reloading windows did not resolve the 
   problem, but during the reload process, I discovered that the
   symptoms did not re-appear until I reloaded the Diamond Stealth 64
   video drivers.  Support requested that I dial Comtrades bulletin
   board and download latest Diamond Stealth 64 drivers.

   3rd call to Comtrade.  45 minute toll call downloading latest
   drivers.  Problem persisted.

January
   4th call to Comtrade.  Support representative spent approximately
   one and a half hours talking me through reinstalling windows.  We 
   repeated the process multiple times.  This time we discovered that
   the symptoms only appeared if BOTH win32s AND the Diamond Stealth 64
   drivers were loaded.  I agreed to verify whether I had the most 
   recent win32s drivers.

Febuary
   5th call to Comtrade.  I had downloaded the latest win32s drivers
   from Microsoft.  No change in the problem.  The representative said
   that they would look into it at their end.

   6th call to Comtrade (some 2 weeks later).  No progress had been made.

   7th call to Comtrade.  This time to the original sales person.  I explained
   the problem to his satisfaction and he said that the problem would be
   pursued and that I would be contacted when a solution was found.

March

   8th call to Comtrade.  I got a support representative to agree to build 
   a replica of my system at Comtrade, recreate the problem, empirically
   verify a solution, and send the solution to me.  This was on a Friday.
   He said that they would start the process early in the following week.

   9th call to Comtrade.  No they had not recreated the system.  The manager
   of the department had informed the representative that too much time
   had been spent on this problem already and that NO MORE time was to
   be expended.  No return authorization was to be issued!  It is NOT
   COMTRADES problem since their is NO FAILURE of any SINGLE HARDWARE 
   COMPONENT of the system.

   I sent a fax to Comtrade indicating that I would post to the internet
   a full problem description and a full description of their lack of
   support if they didn't a) authorize return of the computer or b) initiate
   steps to correct the problem.

This posting follows through on that promise.

This posting reflects my own personnal experiences and opinions.  It does NOT
represent statements, positions, or opinions of Bell Northern Research, Northern
Telecom, or any subsidiaries thereof.