jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) (06/09/88)
Has anyone ever had any luck getting support issues and questions handled by email from any of the major Unix database companies? We are currently using Informix, and they have a strict rule that they will not provide telephone support to European customers. They offer only fax or telex service. Fine, except I work at home, and I have neither a fax nor telex machine here. After one attempt to get some (simple) questions answered, I suddenly got some email from someone at Informix, but since then I have heard nothing. We are certainly not unconditionally determined to use Informix, and for us support is a major issue. If one of the other database companies has found out that email facilities of some sort are included with every Unix machine, and is willing to use them, we would definitely consider changing. jw
friedl@vsi.UUCP (Stephen J. Friedl) (06/13/88)
In article <406@pan.UUCP>, jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) writes: > > Has anyone ever had any luck getting support issues and questions handled by > email from any of the major Unix database companies? We are currently > using Informix, and they have a strict rule that they will not provide > telephone support to European customers. They offer only fax or > telex service. Isn't *that* helpful? (* grant flame permission to friedl; *) Support from Informix? We have asked if they provide some kind of email support and they said absolutely not "for security reasons". One would think a company as large as Informix could find a way to do this *if* they wanted to be helpful. Informix Corp. is a classic example of a company who feels their customers are beneath them. If their *products* weren't so good we would go elsewhere. (* revoke flame permission from friedl; *) Whew. That feels much better. Thank you. -- Steve Friedl V-Systems, Inc. (714) 545-6442 3B2-kind-of-guy friedl@vsi.com {backbones}!vsi.com!friedl attmail!vsi!friedl Nancy Reagan on ptr args with a prototype in scope: "Just say NULL"
bestwick@rtech.UUCP ( RTI UK) (06/15/88)
In article <406@pan.UUCP>, jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) writes: > > Has anyone ever had any luck getting support issues and questions handled by > email from any of the major Unix database companies? We are currently > using Informix, and they have a strict rule that they will not provide > telephone support to European customers. They offer only fax or > telex service. INGRES is fully supported by Relational Technology offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, and other cities. We offer the same support in Europe as we do in the US - including telephone support, consultancy, and training. We also port INGRES to European machines at our technical centre in London. I work in the European INGRES support organisation, so I'm probably biased - but I think we give a good service. -- John Bestwick, Relational Technology International, London, England. {amdahl,mtxinu,sun}!rtech!bestwick bestwick@rtech.uucp
aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump) (06/17/88)
In article <406@pan.UUCP>, jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) writes: > > Has anyone ever had any luck getting support issues and questions handled by > email from any of the major Unix database companies? We are currently using > Informix, and they have a strict rule that they will not provide telephone > support to European customers. They offer only fax or telex service. Fine, > > jw The only limitation we had on foreign telephone support was on *outgoing* calls - we do receive foreign calls (in fact, give them priority). Return communication, if necessary, is normally by Fax or Telex only, however. External email was set up only this year, and the establishment of an email destination for support communication is in the works. For European customers, however, this is usually unnecessary. We now have support offices in London and Munich. The London office handles England, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and Sweden; the Munich office handles W. Germany, Italy, Spain, and *Switzerland*. Since these offices took over local support a month ago, customers who have sent us (in the U.S.) questions have been referred to the appropriate European office for future questions (or should have been :-]). The addresses for Informix European support: London Munich ------ ------ Informix Software Ltd. Informix GmbH Lenexa House Rosenkavalierplatz 14 Aspen Way D-8000 Munich Plane Tree Crescent West Germany Feltham, Middlesex TW13 7AQ England Phone: (+44) 01-890-8641 Phone: (+49) 89-922030 Fax : (+44) 01-890-7241 Fax : (+49) 89-9102173 Telex: (851) 265871 Telex: (841) 529339 -- Alan S. Denney | Informix Software, Inc. | {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland Disclaimer: These opinions are mine alone. If I am caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of my actions. Santos' 4th Law: "Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting *dirty* for"
jw@pan.UUCP (Jamie Watson) (06/23/88)
In article <249@infmx.UUCP> aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump) writes: > >The only limitation we had on foreign telephone support was on *outgoing* >calls - we do receive foreign calls (in fact, give them priority). Sorry, but as someone sitting in Europe who has tried this, I can tell you for certain that this is not true. The first time I tried to call, I was told, in no uncertain terms, that while someone would talk to me *this* time, non-U.S. sites were not authorized for telephone support, and I should not call again. Strictly fax and telex. >External email was set up only this year, and the establishment of an >email destination for support communication is in the works. Forgive me, but based on my experience in software support (~5 years), I have to say that "setting up" an email destination for support does not take a significant effort. In addition, it yields huge benefits to both parties; the customer is happy because bug reports can be made quickly and easily, and the support people are happy because this takes a lot of the pressure off - your phone isn't ringing off the hook all day long, and you don't have irate customers yelling in your ear constantly. In addition, the support person has a real opportunity to *research* a problem before giving a response, which is often not possible when the customer is holding on the phone line. >For European customers, however, this is usually unnecessary. Don't I wish... >the Munich office handles >W. Germany, Italy, Spain, and *Switzerland*. Since these offices took >over local support a month ago, customers who have sent us (in the U.S.) >questions have been referred to the appropriate European office for >future questions (or should have been :-]). Sigh. I'm sure the intentions are good here (at least, I hope they are), but I'm afraid this just won't cut it. - We buy our software in the U.S., through a U.S. subsidiary, because we got tired of the price-gouging going on in Europe. Informix is not the only company doing this, by far; they are quite typical of what is going on. The European end user price of Informix products ranges from 1.8 to 2 times the U.S. end user price - and in general the manuals are not included, while they are in the U.S.! Now, as we refuse to pay double the price for the "privelidge" of buying in Europe, how anxious do you think the European office is going to be to give us support? - The "technical" people who staff such operations over here are uniformly dismal. I know this is prejuging in the extreme; I'm sorry, but I have a business to run. I can't afford to invest my time, and that of my programming staff, in teaching someone's support staff about their own product. I've done it too many times already. I say again, all I am asking for is an email address, at the main office of a database supplier, to which I can send bug reports and expect to get acknowledgement in a few days, and intelligent response within a week or so. I don't care what company it is - as far as I am concerned, the top four of five Unix database companies are essentially indistinguishable anyway. jw Jamie Watson Adasoft AG Solothurn, Switzerland Tel: +41 031/54.35.70
kbc@mdbs.UUCP (Kevin Castleberry) (06/26/88)
Technical Support for mdbs products:
KMAN (a relational db environment),
GURU (an expert system development environment),
MDBS III (a post-relational high performance dbs)
(Our products run in VMS, UNIX, OS/2 and MSDOS.)
is available by emailing to: support@mdbs.uucp
or
{rutgers,ihnp4,decvax,ucbvax}!pur-ee!mdbs!support
The mdbs BBS can be reached at: (317) 447-6685
300/1200/2400 baud, 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
Kevin Castleberry (kbc)
Director of Customer Services
Micro Data Base Systems Inc.
P.O. Box 248
Lafayette, IN 47902
(317) 448-6187
For sales call: (800) 344-5832