rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) (05/09/91)
Think twice about buying OS/2 or any Software product from IBM. Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their software update program and their customer complaint department. I originally purchased IBM OS/2 1.1. About 13 months ago I pursued getting an upgrade to version 1.2. I contacted IBM and they told me to just go through a local dealer. Every IBM retailer I went to had another story, no information, or wasn't able or willing to do the upgrade. I went to Computerland and they were willing to do the upgrade for $125. I figured it would be worth it as long as I then had a clear upgrade path to future releases. I felt even more assured that I was finally a registered user when I received, unsolicited, a bright shiny new version of OS/2 1.2.1 from IBM themselves via UPS. I was currently doing some research in some old PC WEEK newspapers when I noticed that there was a version 1.3 available as a free upgrade. I went to the original Computerland that updated my version 1.1 and got a form that was supposed to upgrade, for free, my version of OS/2. I got the wrong form (it was for extended edition ) and the dealer did not sign it (required for the free upgrade ). I went to a more local Computerland and got the right form. This was on April 22. I mailed the form to IBM and I got a letter stating that the offer had expired on March 31. Keep in mind that although I am a registered OS/2 owner that I go no notification from either IBM or Computerland concerning a free (or any) upgrade. I figured I could talk to IBM and get some special dispensation on being only 22 days late with the request. This is where the fun really began. I called the 800 service number on Thursday, May 2 and repeated my story as related here. The man at IBM filed a customer complaint and assured that in cases like this I would receive a response in 48 hours. I gave him both my home and work phone numbers (answering machines are available on both numbers). I waited until Monday, May 5 with no response and I called them back. I was indeed in the data base and it was also noted that no one had responded to me as yet. I was assured that they would put some double secret tag on the file and that I would be contacted in 24 hours. It is now May 9 and I have still not heard from IBM. I called the number back and asked to talk to the man (I have his name) I originally talked to a week ago. He was busy but he would call me back right away (REAL SOON NOW). Two hours later no response. If you would like to be kept in the dark and fed bovine scatology I would suggest that you either work in a mushroom farm or purchase IBM OS/2. Todd Bradstrum
ddoherty@ics.uci.edu (Donald Doherty) (05/10/91)
In article <1991May9.160203.3669@cbnewse.att.com> rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) writes: > >Think twice about buying OS/2 or any Software product from IBM. > >Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their >software update program and their customer complaint department. > I too worry about IBM's track record on software and software updates. In my experience, you buy an IBM product, register it, and never hear from them. At least Microsoft is good about notifying customers about updates. I don't want to work at tracking these things down. Maybe IBM feels that this should be a service provided by retail outlets. Experience shows that most outlets are incompetent at best at doing anything but taking people's money and I venture to say that most computer literate people bypass them and buy through mailorder, etc. Don D.
schuster@panix.uucp (Michael Schuster) (05/10/91)
In article <1991May9.160203.3669@cbnewse.att.com> rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) writes: > >Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their >software update program and their customer complaint department. I dunno. I got OS/2 1.0 from a friend who couldn't boot it. I sent in the update card and have been able, with little trouble, to get IBM 1.1, 1.2, 1.2 November Update, and 1.3 totally free and with no hassles whatsoever. Also free copies of SideKick PM 1.0 and 2.0 ... just by sending in the cards and keeping my ears open for upgrade information when a new version was forthcoming. -- Mike Schuster | CIS: 70346,1745 NY Public Access UNIX: ...cmcl2!panix!schuster | MCI Mail, GENIE: The Portal (R) System: schuster@cup.portal.com | MSCHUSTER
slh@gibdo.engr.washington.edu (05/11/91)
In article <1991May9.160203.3669@cbnewse.att.com> rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) writes: | |Think twice about buying OS/2 or any Software product from IBM. | |Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their |software update program and their customer complaint department. | [stuff] Well it looks like you had some problems, but: who was your original dealer (1.1) that you didn't get the upgrade through was the cost of update to 1.2 because you were late in applying? you did get 1.21 w/o even asking the problem with w/1.3 is your dealer's and/or your fault, not IBM's if you believe your dealer screwed-up you should be on their case although certainly you should (as you did) contact IBM, to try to get the update and let them know what screw-up's your ComputerLand is. IBM has been giving free updates to both the os and sdk since 1.1 (and will probably include 2.0), I think that's pretty damn good.
rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) (05/13/91)
In article <1991May11.031105.4689@gibdo.engr.washington.edu>, slh@gibdo.engr.washington.edu writes: > In article <1991May9.160203.3669@cbnewse.att.com> rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) writes: > | > |Think twice about buying OS/2 or any Software product from IBM. > | > |Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their > |software update program and their customer complaint department. > | > [stuff] > Well it looks like you had some problems, but: > who was your original dealer (1.1) that you didn't get the upgrade > through > was the cost of update to 1.2 because you were late in applying? > you did get 1.21 w/o even asking > the problem with w/1.3 is your dealer's and/or your fault, not IBM's > if you believe your dealer screwed-up you should be on > their case > although certainly you should (as you did) contact IBM, > to try to get the update and let them know what screw-up's > your ComputerLand is. > IBM has been giving free updates to both the os and sdk > since 1.1 (and will probably include 2.0), > I think that's pretty damn good. One of my original points is that I was not notified by IBM of the available upgrade. Anyone that is a registered owner of a Borland or Microsoft product will know what I am talking about. When an update is available from them they yell it at you, they scream it at you. If the upgrade is free, why not just mail it out to all registered users. Why keep it secret and put a time limit on it. Has anyone ever been notified of availble free upgrades (from any company) from any dealer? I haven't. And don't forget my other point is that IBM customer relations are so bad. It has been nearly two weeks since my original call and I have yet to hear from them even though I was promised a 48 hour turn around. If it is the dealers fault let IBM tell me that and why. If it can be proven that Computerland truly dropped the ball maybe I can get some satisfaction from them. I am not able to read IBMs mind. If something is availble I have to be told about it in order to act. I think IBM is pretty damn bad.
edso@watson.ibm.com (Edward C. So) (05/14/91)
In article <1991May9.160203.3669@cbnewse.att.com> rtb89@cbnewse.att.com (roy.t.bradstrum) writes: > > Think twice about buying OS/2 or any Software product from IBM. > > Here is my personal experience in dealing with IBM, their > software update program and their customer complaint department. > > I originally purchased IBM OS/2 1.1. About 13 months ago I pursued > getting an upgrade to version 1.2. I contacted IBM and they > told me to just go through a local dealer. > Every IBM retailer I went to had another story, no information, > or wasn't able or willing to do the upgrade. I went to Computerland > and they were willing to do the upgrade for $125. I figured it would be > worth it as long as I then had a clear upgrade path to future > releases. I felt even more assured that I was finally a registered > user when I received, unsolicited, a bright shiny new version > of OS/2 1.2.1 from IBM themselves via UPS. I was currently doing > some research in some old PC WEEK newspapers when I noticed that > there was a version 1.3 available as a free upgrade. I went to the > original Computerland that updated my version 1.1 and got a form > that was supposed to upgrade, for free, my version of OS/2. > I got the wrong form (it was for extended edition ) and the > dealer did not sign it (required for the free upgrade ). I went > to a more local Computerland and got the right form. This was on > April 22. I mailed the form to IBM and I got a letter stating that the > offer had expired on March 31. Keep in mind that although I am > a registered OS/2 owner that I go no notification from either > IBM or Computerland concerning a free (or any) upgrade. > > I figured I could talk to IBM and get some special dispensation > on being only 22 days late with the request. This is where the fun > really began. I called the 800 service number on Thursday, May > 2 and repeated my story as related here. The man at IBM filed > a customer complaint and assured that in cases like this > I would receive a response in 48 hours. I gave him both my > home and work phone numbers (answering machines are available > on both numbers). I waited until Monday, May 5 with no response > and I called them back. I was indeed in the data base and it was > also noted that no one had responded to me as yet. I was assured > that they would put some double secret tag on the file and that > I would be contacted in 24 hours. It is now May 9 and I have > still not heard from IBM. I called the number back and asked to talk > to the man (I have his name) I originally talked to a week ago. > He was busy but he would call me back right away (REAL SOON NOW). > Two hours later no response. > > If you would like to be kept in the dark and fed bovine > scatology I would suggest that you either work in a mushroom > farm or purchase IBM OS/2. > > Todd Bradstrum A rumor in IBM has it that IBM will fed-express a copy of OS/2 1.3 what's due him. -- DISCLAIMER: I don't care if my personal opinion expressed here agrees with or contradicts the official position of my employer. Edward C. So edso@watson.ibm.com (Internet) Computing Systems, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
donc@microsoft.UUCP (Don CORBITT) (05/21/91)
This discussion sure is interesting, but it currently has nothing to do with Windows. Since the first article was cross posted to the MSWin and OS/2 groups, all the replies have been also. I would sure appreciate it if each of us edited the Followup-To or the Newsgroups lines, so that as a discussion veered off track, people in groups that are no longer appropriate don't need to skip those messages. This (my) posting is of course quite selfish. I have a limited time each day to read mail, so I try to be selective. Since I work on Windows, I read comp.windows.ms to see what kinds of problems people have, and their suggested improvements for the product. (And no, I unfortunately _don't_ have time to do tech-support by mail for thousands of developers. Wish I did....) I am not interested in IBMs alleged poor customer support. If I _did_ want that kind of information, I would read one of the OS/2 groups. Note that this isn't a flame, just a gentle reminder. If I wanted to flame, I'd use lots of obsc*ne words with 1 l*tter removed, to prove that I'm lit*rate. :-) -- Don Corbitt, donc@microsoft.uucp, Windows developer. Mail flames, post apologies. I'm not the net.police, does it pay well? (and finally) "Cross posting is almost always inappropriate."
winstead@faraday.ece.cmu.edu (Charles Holden Winstead) (05/21/91)
In article <72456@microsoft.UUCP> donc@microsoft.UUCP (Don CORBITT) writes: >This discussion sure is interesting, but it currently has nothing to >do with Windows. Since the first article was cross posted to the >MSWin and OS/2 groups, all the replies have been also. I would sure >appreciate it if each of us edited the Followup-To or the Newsgroups >lines, so that as a discussion veered off track, people in groups >that are no longer appropriate don't need to skip those messages. > >This (my) posting is of course quite selfish. I have a limited time >each day to read mail, so I try to be selective. Since I work on >Windows, I read comp.windows.ms to see what kinds of problems people >have, and their suggested improvements for the product. (And no, >I unfortunately _don't_ have time to do tech-support by mail for >thousands of developers. Wish I did....) > >I am not interested in IBMs alleged poor customer support. If I _did_ >want that kind of information, I would read one of the OS/2 groups. > >Note that this isn't a flame, just a gentle reminder. If I wanted to >flame, I'd use lots of obsc*ne words with 1 l*tter removed, to prove >that I'm lit*rate. :-) >-- >Don Corbitt, donc@microsoft.uucp, Windows developer. >Mail flames, post apologies. I'm not the net.police, does it pay well? >(and finally) "Cross posting is almost always inappropriate." Gee, why don't we just gear the newsgroup so that we only post on your coffee break too while we're at it. I for one enjoy the discussion comparing the future of OS/2 with windows, and request that it continue. I don't read the OS/2 bboards because as of now, I still use the DOS / Windows pair. I guess that microsoft is getting a bit edgy with OS2 2.0 and Apple breathing down their neck. -C
dave@kharma (05/22/91)
donc@microsoft.UUCP (Don CORBITT) writes: > > This (my) posting is of course quite selfish. I have a limited time > each day to read mail, so I try to be selective. Since I work on > Windows, I read comp.windows.ms to see what kinds of problems people > have, and their suggested improvements for the product. (And no, I wish you did. It would beat waiting in the two hour queue to get help from your bosses. <nudge,nudge> > > I am not interested in IBMs alleged poor customer support. If I _did_ > want that kind of information, I would read one of the OS/2 groups. That or try to read the "new" dox for an AS/400 multiplexer... |) > Note that this isn't a flame, just a gentle reminder. If I wanted to > flame, I'd use lots of obsc*ne words with 1 l*tter removed, to prove > that I'm lit*rate. :-) Me too! Nice to know there are humans at Microsoft. I was beginning to wonder... note the smiley... :-) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - isc-br!tau-ceti!dogear!kharma!dave [dave@kharma] Dave Laird, SysOp: kharma The Computer Concern, Springdale, WA 258-7109 or 1-800-786-7109 kharma: 509-233-8474 (Local from Spokane Area) 24hrs 1200-14400 (HST)