kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England)) (09/14/88)
In article <336@laic.UUCP> wilson@nova.laic.uucp (Robin Wilson) writes: > >In a previous article U - B was first defamed and then let off the hook >in terms of their treatment of customers. I hope not everyone is so >forgiving. Let me share our experience (these are my opinions only): > >3. U-B requires us to pay a huge amount for software upgrades which >include "BUG FIXES" for our current U-B equipment, and "of course" >brilliantly written code for their "NEW LINE OF PRODUCTS" (which we >neither need or desire to purchase). So in effect all of their old >customers pay for the development of their software for all of their new >customers. > Ow, you touched my nerve with that last comment. So, here goes. I think the cat is out of the bag sufficiently at this point for me to flame U-B without being a lone voice crying in the wilderness. I have already trashed our dog NIU-150s, but I would like to continue using the NIU-2s and NIU-180s I have. The NIU-2s have been unsupported in software for two years and U-B recently announced that the NIU-180 would not be sold after December and the new NIU-190 only runs the latest software release. I resent paying exorbitant software support fees that are based on the dollar volume of hardware/software sold by U-B to us from day one. (You figure out why they did this. Perhaps it's easier than inventorying and tracking product sold?) All the support money goes to new products which don't suit me, since U-B has never figured out how to play in the TCP/IP market. (Hey, guys, where is your IP router? It's been two years since Skip and I talked about a beta test.) There is almost no difference in capability between the NIU-2s that I still run and the NIU-180s and the new NIU-190s. Now, of course, telnet would be nice and I would like to upgrade, but I have a lot of NIU-2s to trash and a hefty software support fee to pay. U-B is only interested in chasing new accounts and figuring out, ala IBM, how to milk existing customers by churning the hardware base and reving the software just to obsolete product. You think I'm buying Access/One with this kind of history? Not likely. I need a vendor who's hungry enough to think about what I need once in a while. Don't apologize for flaming U-B. They deserve it. It might help Mike Gardner figure out what to make of this company he is now trying to manage. And I won't even begin to talk about the sales force... Kent England, a usually reasonable guy
mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov (David Mostardi) (09/14/88)
>In a previous article U - B was first defamed and then let off the hook >in terms of their treatment of customers. I hope not everyone is so >forgiving. Let me share our experience (these are my opinions only): [...opinions deleted...] It would appear that there are several dissatisfied U-B customers. Are there any satisfied customers out there in Net Land? In particular, does anyone have opinions about the U-B ACCESS/ONE hardware? I have received glowing endorsements for it? Comments, anyone? David Mostardi, MSRI, Berkeley CA. Internet: mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov "Guess what Dad! Those chocolate diskettes fit right into your computer, no problem!"
eshop@saturn.ucsc.edu (Jim Warner) (09/15/88)
In article <968@helios.ee.lbl.gov> mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov (David Mostardi) writes: >It would appear that there are several dissatisfied U-B customers. >Are there any satisfied customers out there in Net Land? We recently bought a bunch of broadband-ethernet repeaters from them. They all arrived without manuals. Plaintive calls to our saleman produced first promises, and then a claim that if we wanted manuals we should have ordered them. This went on for several weeks with periods of unreturned phone calls, etc. All this while we were still holding their money. The documentation, when it finally arrived, was pretty wimpy. The products, however, work fine. I would recommend, if you think you might need any support, that you find a more responsive vendor. At the very minimum, ask for a complete set of manuals for access one as a precondition of receiving an order. jim warner u of cal santa cruz