Sutori - Stories Tagged With 'computer'

Magellan drives me crazy

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:51:09 -0700

So, I got an explorist 400 for Christmas last year. Opened the box, and inside was a little device that told me just where I was, but was largely useless because where I am is only interesting in relation to other things. For that, you need to buy the map.

Ok. 125 bucks, and it's in the box; all you have to do it activate it on the web site. Right? Wrong! The link to activate it doesn't work. So, I put a couple of waypoints in, but largely, the thing has sat around unused ever since.

Finally, I decided I was going to get it working, and so, I bucked up on their ecommerce site and waited while the CD was backordered. Finally it has come. So, I'm pretty excited, and am down here trying to install it. Installation on my ancient boat-anchor computer is fine, but the device itself needs a firmware upgrade to version 5.something. Fortunately, they've thoughtfully included a CD with firmware upgrades in the box.

So, I slip it in and read the readme. There are many dire warnings about using the right firmware for your product, and a nice table of product->firmware mappings. Sadly, my explorist 400 is missing from the list!

So, I follow the link to the website to get updated there. They at least know about the explorist 400, but unfortunately, the latest firmware version they have is 2.something. Well, that's a downgrade from 4.x which is already on the machine.

Well, there's a link for support. Let's try that. Oh login. What's my password, and why do I need it to do anything on the site? Oh sod it, I'll just click the forgot password link here. Evidently I should expect an email some time soon with my new password. I'm still waiting. waiting. waiting.

All I want is for this nice little gift to be useful. It's driving me crazy.

I know coordination between channels is hard, but for pete's sake, just let one thing with this company go right!

The Power of You, Antec!

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:02:40 -0700

Over the past 2 years, I have extremely satisfied with the level of customer support and quality that I receive with purchasing Antec products.

I was building my first computer and when deciding on which computer case to build, I chose an Antec because of the constant rave reviews that their cases get. I couldn't have been more happy, however, one day, the front panel of my case snapped off. I was confused as to what my next step should be. I was debating between avoiding the hassle and have a panel free case or contacting Antec to try my luck. I decided on the latter and I received a response within 24 hours. They asked for a shipping address. Confused as to why and what I would be getting (would i have to return my case, did I have to pay for shipping for a new case or would I have to send mine in to get it repaired) , I responded by sending in my address.

In no more than 2 days, I got a shipping confirmation and tracking ID. I was still unsure what I was getting and why no payment was requested. I then contacted them again. Turns out, I was getting the entire front panel sent to me via courier and would arrive within the next week or so. I was so surprised. The cost of shipping that thing to me was around $30 as stated on the box and Antec didn't ask me for a penny.

However, this isn't an isolated incident. I requested a parts quote for a new case I bought for a relative. They didn't reply with a price and only with a shipping confirmation (as I had provided the address in the first message). The item arrived in about 2 weeks via normal parcel mail and the cost on the package was $20. Once again, I didn't pay a penny.

With service that excellent, my next computer case will be an Antec, I assure you that.

Good Service vs. Poor Product Quality

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:59:02 -0700

Okay, time to get this off my chest. In June of 2005, I purchased a Dell home computer. This was my first Dell product and my wife's second. The ordering and shipping of the product was a good experience, fast and efficient. The setup was even smooth, up and running in less than an hour. Joy, Happiness. I’m thinking that I probably won’t need that 1 year warranty that I paid for.

Think again. The operating system started to do some funny things right off the bat, so the call went out to support. A very pleasant and competent person walked me through the re-install. I tell ya, Dell can do some wonderful things with the F12 key. All good, heck it was probably the fault of the operating system developer( take a guess ). Temporary happiness.

2 months later, the CD reader/burner was the next to go. Call to service, check this, check that. Yup, you need a new one. They ship it out. I replace it(yes, me – it was pretty easy) and ship the broken one back. System back up to speed.

Another 3 months down the road, the monitor blanks out. Call to service. Check this, check that. Yup, it’s broke, a new ones on the way. Get it and send the broken one back. I’m in business once again.

A year or so passes with mostly no issues, until last weekend(roughly 26 months since original purchase) when I’m greeted by the Blue screen of Death. Aka full failure of the main hard drive. Call out to service and yup, it’s failed. As I’m out of the warranty period, they check to ensure that I had all the disc’s I need to re-install, which I don’t, so they ship them out, then recommend that I call sales for a new drive. Well, I figure I can do this quicker on my own, so run to the local Best Buy and get a deal on a hard drive. Go home and tear the PC apart, only to realize that Dell has replaced the standard hard drive connector with it’s own proprietary one. Great!!! Now I have to order one from them, and return the other.

So here I sit waiting for the new drive to arrive from Dell, and am pondering whether the great service that I have received from them balances out against the poor quality of the product that they have sold me. Sadly, when I weigh the good versus the bad of owning a Dell, the bad is definitely the heavier of the two.