ajw@serc.cis.ufl.edu (Andy Wilcox) (05/06/89)
In article <2054@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> chris@bingvaxu (Chris Peck) writes: >X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 242, message 14 of 16 > >Has anyone else run into anything like the following before? > >[Incredible story about delays in sun software support deleted] > Well, I never thought I'd be writing to sun spots! But, the most incredible thing happened to me last month... I, too, called sun with a software [bug/feature] question, on March 30, late in the afternoon. Probably too late to expect a call back on Friday, which is fine. So, next Friday (4/7) rolls around with no call back. Oh well, lots of stuff to do... So, home for the weekend, comfortable with thoughts of solace for those support guys who are so backed up its taking them more than a week to call me. Monday (4/9) I call sun, give them my reference number (*288069* if anybody is still alive, conscious, and able to read out there). The secretary was, of course, very nice, and assured me that it would be soon. Hmmmphft. I called sun about, oh, 6 times since then, and, it seems, my question has been elevated to manager level. Great. However, it's now been FOUR WEEKS since I originally placed the call, and I've gotten not a hello or a goodbye from support. In case anybody has assumed otherwise, reverse entropy has not caused the software problem in question to fix itself in a puff of fractal improbability. Make ya wonder how those 3100's are...
jipping@cs.hope.edu (Mike Jipping) (05/09/89)
dbabsd@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu (DBA - bsd): > chris@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Chris Peck) > writes: > >>Has anyone else run into anything like the following before? >> >>Last Weds (3/29) I called Sun Software Support... > > ... > what's most > irritating is that we PAID for 2-4 hour turn around (please don't laugh, > as i'm sure sun does all the way to the bank, it really is in the > contract). but, i guess sun doesn't honor contracts...(?). come on, sun, > either give those of us who PAID for our support the support you promised > or give us some kind of rebate. I've often wondered about this. When we renewed our maintenance contract with Sun, there was this official document I had to read before signing. The contract I signed for AnswerLine Service (Exhibit 4B) says under the Terms of Participation that Sun engineers shall respond to the initial Customer inquiry within two business hours. A follow-up response will be provided within four business hours; such response may consist ... Now, we have -- like everyone else, it seems -- experienced abysmal software support from Sun. I'd be ecstatic if I got next-day response -- heck, even same-week response. And so, aside from bitchin' on Sun-Spots and nuking the local sales office, what's a mere mortal end-user supposed to do? Then I read the "Master Service Terms and Conditions", item 2c: If either party fails to perform its obligations under this Agreement and such failure continues for a period of twenty (20) days after written notice thereof, the other party shall have the right to terminate this agreement. Or, paraphrased, "like it or lump it"! You had better write them the day after your call -- and you can cancel service three weeks later. Thank you very much and have a nice day! Mike Jipping Internet: jipping@cs.hope.edu Hope College BITNET: JIPPING@HOPE Department of Computer Science Voice: Hey!
fuat@cunixc.cc.columbia.edu (Fuat C. Baran) (05/12/89)
In article <8904241508.AA03362@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu> dbabsd@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu (DBA - bsd) writes: >Well, chris, yes. In fact, our average response time from sun software >support is probably in the 7 day range. I have a call outstanding now >that's over two weeks old (customer reference # 291192 for those of you at >sun who might say: "oh, that's impossible"...look it up). Yes, occasionally email response time is very poor. In general we have one week turnaround from the hotline, though the worst case was over a month. At the other extreme I once had a response in under 48 hours, twice (they generated two SO numbers, and I got two responses... :-)). >frankly, sun software support is so bad that it's almost worse than not >having any support at all (except you need those patches for the buggy >OS). it nearly useless to get return calls a week later. what's most >irritating is that we PAID for 2-4 hour turn around (please don't laugh, >as i'm sure sun does all the way to the bank, it really is in the >contract). but, i guess sun doesn't honor contracts...(?). come on, sun, >either give those of us who PAID for our support the support you promised >or give us some kind of rebate. I once complained to our Customer Service Adminstrator about poor response time given that we had a 4 hr response (24hr/weekday) contract, and was told that the 4hr response really only applied to the hardware. For example, a hardware problem called in at 3 am will get a response by 7 am (and an SO number at the time the call was placed), while a software problem called in at 3 am will get logged at 9am (i.e no SO number available till "the office opens in the morning") and response by 1pm. Yes this sounds pertty bogus, and the person I spoke with acknowledged that, but said that someone at the support center would have to change the established policy. Note that this applied to calls phoned in to the support center. Email querries seem to take 2-7 days to get a canned response with the SO number, followed by a few more days for a real response. >as a side note, i should mention that hardware support is fine and we are >very pleased with our sun hardware. we just think that the software >support is a joke. Yes, so far our hardware support has been excellent. Calls are logged through the support center, but it is the local New York office that actually deals with us, and we are very happy with them. --Fuat INTERNET: fuat@columbia.edu U.S. MAIL: Columbia University BITNET: fuat@cunixc.cc.columbia.edu Center for Computing Activities USENET: ...!rutgers!columbia!cunixc!fuat 712 Watson Labs, 612 W115th St. PHONE: (212) 854-5128 New York, NY 10025
news@cayman.com (UseNet admin) (05/24/89)
by ajw@serc.cis.ufl.edu (Andy Wilcox): > Well, I never thought I'd be writing to sun spots! But, the most > incredible thing happened to me last month... Ditto. Exactly. I found that after 4 week I knew more about the problem and the available fixed than the people who called me back. It is interesting to note that "mcnealy@sun.com" is an active mail box which does exactly what you would expect. Apply sparingly. Milage may vary. -brad