What a wonderful day!

[JimL]

There's probably no one here that can do anything about it, but I'll take
that chance.

The other day I discovered something interesting about an anti-virus
program. I sent an email to the publisher entitled FYI, started the note
with FYI and described what I had discovered briefly.

I got a response a few days later. It said, "Sorry we cannot answer your
question because you are not a registered owner of this software and not
elgible to recieve support."

Obviously their top priority was to have their computer check for my email
address and issue an automatic "go away." Contact with real people is
simply not an option. Even when you ARE registered, instead of support you
merely get a reference to a pile of pseudo-FAQs dreamed up by some bean
counter.

It's a wonderful day when software "supporters" are so hung up on
computerized non-answers that you can't even do them a favor.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

There's probably no one here that can do anything about it, but
I'll take that chance.

The other day I discovered something interesting about an anti-virus
program. I sent an email to the publisher entitled FYI, started
the note with FYI and described what I had discovered briefly.

I got a response a few days later. It said, "Sorry we cannot
answer your question because you are not a registered owner of this
software and not elgible to recieve support."

Obviously their top priority was to have their computer check for
my email address and issue an automatic "go away." Contact with
real people is simply not an option. Even when you ARE registered,
instead of support you merely get a reference to a pile of
pseudo-FAQs dreamed up by some bean counter.

It's a wonderful day when software "supporters" are so hung up on
computerized non-answers that you can't even do them a favor.

What "something interesting" did you discover about what antivirus
application?
Did you email their support address as opposed to a comment/suggestion
address?

 

[Mick Murphy]

What is the name of this so-called "something interesting" software?
And if you have to be a registered owner, what were you doing in it, and how
were you accessing it.

 

[Touch Base]

There's probably no one here that can do anything about it, but I'll take
that chance.

The other day I discovered something interesting about an anti-virus
program. I sent an email to the publisher entitled FYI, started the note
with FYI and described what I had discovered briefly.

I got a response a few days later. It said, "Sorry we cannot answer your
question because you are not a registered owner of this software and not
elgible to recieve support."

Obviously their top priority was to have their computer check for my email
address and issue an automatic "go away." Contact with real people is
simply not an option. Even when you ARE registered, instead of support you
merely get a reference to a pile of pseudo-FAQs dreamed up by some bean
counter.

It's a wonderful day when software "supporters" are so hung up on
computerized non-answers that you can't even do them a favor.

--
JimL

=======================================

If it was a virus you can upload it to http://www.virustotal.com/ and see
what the various programs list it as.

Virustotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the
quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware
detected by antivirus engines.


--
Regards,
Touch Base
Report back on the results, good or bad so others may benefit

"There's an old story about the person who wished his computer were as easy
to use as his telephone. That wish has come true, since I no longer know
how to use my telephone."
(Bjarne Stroustrup)

 

[VanguardLH]

There's probably no one here that can do anything about it, but I'll take
that chance.

The other day I discovered something interesting about an anti-virus
program. I sent an email to the publisher entitled FYI, started the note
with FYI and described what I had discovered briefly.

I got a response a few days later. It said, "Sorry we cannot answer your
question because you are not a registered owner of this software and not
elgible to recieve support."

Obviously their top priority was to have their computer check for my email
address and issue an automatic "go away." Contact with real people is
simply not an option. Even when you ARE registered, instead of support you
merely get a reference to a pile of pseudo-FAQs dreamed up by some bean
counter.

It's a wonderful day when software "supporters" are so hung up on
computerized non-answers that you can't even do them a favor.

No wonder they sent back a canned "go away" e-mail response. Apparently
your e-mail to them was a undetailed as was your post here.

 

[Engin Tarhan]

Hi Jim,

I believe that now, having read the replies to your post from people
supposed to be "of assistance", you are beginning to have an understanding
of why that company refused to listen to you properly before giving a
reaction - they are manned with similar people nowadays.

I consider myself an old hand in computers, having started to service them
during the year 1975, when computers were all-hardware (I'm talking about
mainframes) and "service" meant solving problems AFTER understanding what
they were.

Now I see that your "problem" is not regarded as a problem.

As a user, you don't count. What counts is license "agreement"s,
registrations, service fees, "I accept" buttons, etc.

We're here to take as much of your money as possible, in return of something
as little as possible. Service, which means someone capable of comprehension
listening to your problem to start with is expensive, so dont even think of
it! Sure, we will put in some façade, but you will see the other side (and
bang your head into the wall) only after you have purchased our product
irreversably.

Sorry Jim. You're asking too much. In another time, another place, maybe.
But certainly not now, not here!

Good Luck
Engin Tarhan

 

[VanguardLH]

...

I believe that now, having read the replies to your post from people
supposed to be "of assistance", you are beginning to have an understanding
of why that company refused to listen to you properly before giving a
reaction - they are manned with similar people nowadays.

I consider myself an old hand in computers, having started to service them
during the year 1975, when computers were all-hardware (I'm talking about
mainframes) and "service" meant solving problems AFTER understanding what
they were.

Now I see that your "problem" is not regarded as a problem.

As a user, you don't count. What counts is license "agreement"s,
registrations, service fees, "I accept" buttons, etc.

We're here to take as much of your money as possible, in return of something
as little as possible. Service, which means someone capable of comprehension
listening to your problem to start with is expensive, so dont even think of
it! Sure, we will put in some façade, but you will see the other side (and
bang your head into the wall) only after you have purchased our product
irreversably.

Sorry Jim. You're asking too much. In another time, another place, maybe.
But certainly not now, not here!

The OP came here to vent, not to get help. Yes, problems may get solved
AFTER they are known but just WHAT was known from his post? NOTHING!
Jim's post wasn't to enlighten anyone or to get help. It was obvious
that he wanted to rant which isn't that uncommon in newsgroups but what
was atypical is that he never mentioned any details (the anti-virus
software, the OS, and his discovery) to blame someone for something. He
won't be heard by the anti-virus vendor regarding his supposed discovery
but he needed someone, anyone, to hear his woes and now he feels
emotionally soothed after sharing his ambiguously described tribulation.

A shorter response might've been, "Feel better now after venting?"

 

[JimL]

Don't really remember the "interesting" details.

I used several different email addresses at once.

 

[JimL]

That's interesting too. The actual "interesting" thing was in AVG Free as
compared to AVG Full. I had used AVG Full for about 6 months. Rather than
address an issue in AVG Full they refunded my 2 year subscription.

I sent them word that the problem in AVG Full was not present in AVG Free,
despite declarations that there was no functional difference between the two
programs.

(Yes, yes, I know. There are _feature_ differences.)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

There's probably no one here that can do anything about it, but
I'll take that chance.

The other day I discovered something interesting about an anti-virus
program. I sent an email to the publisher entitled FYI, started
the note with FYI and described what I had discovered briefly.

I got a response a few days later. It said, "Sorry we cannot
answer your question because you are not a registered owner of this
software and not elgible to recieve support."

Obviously their top priority was to have their computer check for
my email address and issue an automatic "go away." Contact with
real people is simply not an option. Even when you ARE registered,
instead of support you merely get a reference to a pile of
pseudo-FAQs dreamed up by some bean counter.

It's a wonderful day when software "supporters" are so hung up on
computerized non-answers that you can't even do them a favor.

What "something interesting" did you discover about what antivirus
application?

Did you email their support address as opposed to a
comment/suggestion address?

Don't really remember the "interesting" details.

I used several different email addresses at once.

If you emailed them - you'd likely have the sent item (or at least thought
it was interesting enough to comment on - so I figure you must remember
something...)

And what about the second part of the first question: what antivirus
application?
(Surely you remember that... *grin*)

As for the second question - was one of them their comments/suggestions
email address?

I'm actually interested here - but you have given no details. Essentially
you have made a general comment based off some (at this point) fictitious
occurrence/product/etc. A little more details would go a long way.

Don’t worry about mentioning the product name – this is a public newsgroup
and you are posting your opinions here. Was it Symantec/Norton? McAfee?
AVG? Avast? TrendMicro? ESET? Someone else?

And the details – look in your sent-items folder and pull those out. If
they were interesting enough for you to email – unless you thought you were
going to get something out of it – sharing it here would (in your story so
far) likely be better than emailing it to the company. Perhaps everyone
else will find it interesting and something will come of it per
mass-marketing versus ‘just you’…

 

[JimL]

Hurrah for details!!!!

There were plenty of details if they had bothered to read them.

My original in his thread post had enough details to suit my purpose in
posting, which was not to tell you details about some piece of software,
rather to comment about a pathetic trend in todays software support.

Just TRY to contact ANY large firm about ANYTHING. Take, for example
PayPal. Their system often fails, but there is absolutely no way to get
help with such a failure. Ever try to get help with an ISP problem that
isn't on their pre-approved problem list? Unlisted problems are assumed not
to exist.

There. That should supply enough detail so you can complain that it is off
topic.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Hurrah for details!!!!

There were plenty of details if they had bothered to read them.

My original in his thread post had enough details to suit my
purpose in posting, which was not to tell you details about some
piece of software, rather to comment about a pathetic trend in
todays software support.
Just TRY to contact ANY large firm about ANYTHING. Take, for
example PayPal. Their system often fails, but there is absolutely
no way to get help with such a failure. Ever try to get help with
an ISP problem that isn't on their pre-approved problem list? Unlisted
problems are assumed not to exist.

There. That should supply enough detail so you can complain that
it is off topic.

In other words - you wanted to rant - not actually get help or provide a
warning to those who might choose the same product (and perhaps get the same
level of customer service you did)...

I use support contacts all the time. I have had a mixture of experiences
(naturally) - but overall - all turned out well. There have been occassions
where I had to do more research and/or move up the chain in order to get
what I needed out of it - but... It's all part of the process.

Having a bad experience and letting it known to the public you had a bad
experience so that others might avoid that and/or voice their specific
opinions on the same issue/same vendor is often how bad service gets forced
into good service for a given vendor (or they go out of business - either
way, solving the issue.)

You are making a general declaration based off a single (at this point - for
everyone else) fictitious occurrence for some fictitious product and
expecting what? People to just agree with you automatically (in general)?
Or - as you seem to point to now - you were just ranting in general based
off that sole experience with the unknown vendor and the unknown interesting
details?

In general - I disagree with your assumption. I have found large companies
to be generally responsive to my needs/concerns when I contact them properly
about a problem. There are exceptions, and I voice loudly those exceptions
to the company and the general public - otherwise those exceptions may have
no incentive to change. But I do so specifically.

For example - Symantec (the corporate support - particularly purchasing) has
seemingly lost/confused many of my company orders and licenses with other
customers several times. This has been escalated and moved around and such
many times. I have let others in the same business know about my trouble so
that either they can attempt to head off the problem in advance or avoid it
all together.

 

[JimL]

Really close. I did figure there was a far outside chance that some
software company decision maker might see the post, recognize the idiocy of
ignoring/screwing/despising software customers and do something useful about
it some day.

JimL