Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

*takes away the sauce from AT*

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

...

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

That must be the smallest post I've ever seen Narf! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

Then why not just discard the whole tech support, and put the flow sheet right on the website? So much cheaper, and if it doesn't work... who cares?

Sounds pretty much like your reasoning, when taken just one step further.

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

Umm, someone should let AT know that most people in India are Hindu, and definately not Arab. Aside from that, the other generalizations being made in this thread would seriously offend me if I were Indian.

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

Thanks CK, I already knew what you pointed out but just as many are muslim. As to offending the people of India by relating them to murderous raving lunitics who believe that it is their devine right to kill people in the name of God, well I do apologies. The converstation was taken out of context and I am fully to blame for that. In this conversation the comment was not one of hatred or anger. We were just talking.

Granted the tech support people I have talked to from India have ALL been bery polite people. Never the less I still do not feel confortable with sharing personal information with them and ask that Companies that do business with them TELL US. Thats all.

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

The problem is, El_Phil, as a consumer/customer, I generally have NO say-so in what I get. Though I used Dell as an example of a company who supplies support from inside/outside the US, in many ways, I have no choice. I buy Photoshop and make a call, I get what Adobe has put in place. Or anything else I buy for my PC that I may need to call about, as in a router (you don't want to hear that story).

As for paying for something, don't think for a minute EVERY single penny of what it takes to research, produce, distribute, and SUPPORT a product hasn't been figured into its cost. For the stupid people who run out and buy "such-and-such" brand car because it comes with free maintenance for the first 5 years, well, you're just paying up front for all of it (whether you use it or not...which is much worse than paying as you need it).

For those who can remember, cars used to contain a LOT more metal than they do now. Now, there is a lot of "plastic". Why? So the car companies can save money (and brag about how their car didn't increase much in cost. Or, if you ever noticed, go to the store and look at all the food you can buy that is referred to on the can as a pound of "fill-in-the-blank" and look at the net weight (and scratch your head as you wonder if 12 ounces equals a pound or was it 16). Well, the missing ounces and missing metal is analagous to the "missing" tech support. It's another company cutting cost where they can and letting the customer be frustrated. Except in the case of Dell, Michael seems to have had a brain fart as he seems to have forgotten one of the reasons Dell became #1 in the first place...the many years of being rated as the best tech support hardware company (a title they haven't held now in SEVERAL years).

As a person living in the US whose job it is to supply tech support to 140 people, I can tell you 99% of the problems can't be solved with a flowsheet. While I laugh with co-workers at some of the stupid things I DO have to fix, it equates more to about 25% could be fixed. And, as far as service goes in our organization, our customers get FULL SERVICE! That means they never have to move their PC (if they move to another cubicle), that means if their mouse is not smooth, I remove the ball and clean it with alcohol. If they are having a problem lining up labels in the printer, I go ahead and print it out for them. If they order business cards, I don't just give them the 8.5 x 11 inch sheets and let them tear them out, I tear them all out and stack them and deliver them to their desk. If they need CD duplication and label for a mailout, they don't get 50 CDs, the printed labels, mailers, etc, they get 50 CDs with mounted labels, inserted into the slipcover (all facing the correct way), and inserted into the mailers and delivered to their desk for their inspection before mailing. I could go on but who needs to hear it, right?

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

Yep. That would be perfect, as I don't use tech support. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

And hopefully some of the money saved might go into cheaper parts, not all of it of course. That would be too much to hope for.

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

The problem is, El_Phil, as a consumer/customer, I generally have NO say-so in what I get. Though I used Dell as an example of a company who supplies support from inside/outside the US, in many ways, I have no choice. I buy Photoshop and make a call, I get what Adobe has put in place. Or anything else I buy for my PC that I may need to call about, as in a router (you don't want to hear that story).

As for paying for something, don't think for a minute EVERY single penny of what it takes to research, produce, distribute, and SUPPORT a product hasn't been figured into its cost. For the stupid people who run out and buy "such-and-such" brand car because it comes with free maintenance for the first 5 years, well, you're just paying up front for all of it (whether you use it or not...which is much worse than paying as you need it).

For those who can remember, cars used to contain a LOT more metal than they do now. Now, there is a lot of "plastic". Why? So the car companies can save money (and brag about how their car didn't increase much in cost.


[/quote]

Eh? Last time I checked the chassis of a car was still steel and the bodywork was metal of various types (sports cars use plastic/fibreglass for lower weight). The engine block is still steel/ally depending on makers preference or spec.

Yeah the dash and what have you is plastic, but the metal content has probably only gone down (if it has at all) as steel makers can now get the same strength from thinner sheet metal.

You can't work out the tech support costs, it's impossible to factor in the stupidity factor of many users.

So you don't and charge for it aftersale through phone calls. This is progress and to be encouraged. People who don't learn how to fix their machines and need support pay more. I save money as the cost of support isn't included in the machines/components I buy. Everyone is a winner. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Support That Is Based Outside Of USA
 

Call me the day you need tech support, or technicians, and don't get any, and we will talk about it again. I had no Internet access for a full month because of moronic tech support who failed to see there was a problem on their end, with things working again as soon as we switched ISPs (of course).

But hey, we are living in the best of all worlds, so why bother with any kind of tech support or assistance? Users should do everything on their own, with no kind of bell and whistles whatsoever. Have you seen how streamlined Windows installs are? Users really should run a command shell to install their OS, saving a lot of money for Microsoft, and said money should go into improving the system instead. That would be so great, but too much to hope for I guess.

Note: this post triggered the Sarcasm-o-meter test.