-----Original Message----- From: William Chops Westfield To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Date: 09 March 1999 19:19 Subject: Re: Customer Service @ CCS (was re: Bad Disk) > Bet you don't agree with having to die one day but thats just the way > it is I was just stating the facts!! keep your hair on!! and when i > finish uni i'll hold you to the job offer!! ta! > >Heh. I should have made it clearer that we release 3000+ images across 50+ >platforms (various combinations of features and several major "releases" at >a time.) Every month or so. :-) Looks like about 50gig of binaries (some >of which are self compressed.) (This is all conservative estimates, I think.) > > > Also keeping this subject going will only damage your sales so why not > give the guy a new copy (i'll send you some blank disks if your too > tight) and keep the peace? > >I am NOT the company mentioned in the original complaint. > >I also should have mentioned that I don't have much sympathy for companies >that won't help a customer with a bug unless they have paid their fees or >will upgrade releases. Customers capable of finding and recognizing bugs >are your friends. Customers capable of analyzing bugs ought to be your GOOD >friends. AFAIK, I have free reign to give customers fixed software images >at any time, with the understanding that that might mean they now have a >version that is not (can not be!) supported through the normal support >channels. (none of the analysis or bug tracking tools will have a good idea >of what is in or not in a "special" bug-fixed image that I provided. It's a >little embarassing when the next bug they run into shows up a year later and >they're still running the "engineering special" that was provided to fix >their last fix!) > > > and if you were in customer relations in any company of mine you'd be > sacked!! > >For refusing to provide a fix? Yeah, that wouldn't be that wise. But the >example that started this all was someone trying to get an OLD version of >the software (not due to a bug), and as someone else pointed out, smaller >companies are not particularly likely to have the infrastructure in place >to provide an old version of software. > > > for the price of a couple of disks you could have had someone come on > here praising you and who knows how many new customers that would have > brought, tight as a gnats chuff eh??. > >Paradoxically, customers are much more impressed by fast turnaround on >bugfix requests than they are by bug-free software. I shipped a feature >once that flat-out didn't work under some circumstance that I SHOULD have >forseen (ie I was really embarrassed!) When the customer complained, we >turned around a fix nearly instantly, and they thought that was great! >They were probably happier than if it had worked right in the first place. > >BillW >cisco Sorry, what I meant was it's bad to come on here and then not sort things out while the whole pic list looked on (the company was on here weren't they?), I'm sure you agree that now and again a little loss (the price of a few disks after all) makes a profit in the long run, you only give a copy to the guy who is visible to the masses and the guy who stays quiet gets nowt! The effect of television is similar, when wingers weekly is on the TV you promise to sort things out but when the cameras have gone you stall till its old news, then do nothing!! Please note that these are observations of real life incidents NOT related to me! And TV Presenters do blow things out of all proportion and it gives old people something to do and watch! I also apologise for mistaking you for the vendor!! Im sure you run things differently. Yours' all calmed down now, Andy. (-: