The Cellar - View Single Post

tw · 12-08-2004, 09:06 PM

Its rather silly to blame WHERE support comes from. Devil is in the details. Do it yourself. Here is a Gateway computer model GP7-600. It had only 64K memory. I want to increase memory. No problem. Their support page is http://support.gateway.com/support/default.asp . Enter the serial number: 0018640774 . Access what is provided to tech support.

Now imagine yourself as a support technician. What size memory SIMMs can be installed in this computer? What software will upgrade this machine? For example, what is the latest BIOS and what does that upgrade do? You tell me. You have everything that tech support has.

Surprises. I could even run the program that (supposidly) identifies all upgrades unique to that machine - and still get wrong answers. They list an NIC that was not provided with that machine and that still is in that machine. They also list sound cards that don't exist. And they list software upgrades that already exist in that machine.

Now it gets interesting. I get two 128 Mb SIMMs. They will not work. Why? Jumping ahead a few hours later, I learn these Gateway computers, even after upgraded with the latest BIOS, will understand 8 chip 128Mb SIMMs, but not undertand 2 chip 128Mb SIMMs. (I learn this from other sources outside of Gateway). How is tech support suppose to know this? Tech support has access to the same web site information sources we have. They have virtually nothing.

So we blame tech support for being stupid? This Gateway support was from the west coast (confirmed by asking about the weather). He claimed he has access to information I did not have. So I asked him to read from his pages. Then I described the chart on his page or completed paragraphs (from memory). I had access to everything he had. Tech support would be just as bad anywhere else in the world.

Its not about where tech support comes from. In fact some of my least technically informed tech support people are Americans. Its about top management. BTW, Gateway has long been removed from my list of acceptable machines because of management decisions. This story only confirms my decision.

So how does technically incompetant management blame someone else? They put the tech support in Ireland or India. Then the racists among us quickly blame ... them others.

Gateway should long have been removed from your 'acceptable' list. It was that obvious some years ago. Rarely matters where tech support comes from. But some will never believe this.

Why do I call tech support? Because their own web sites are so devoid of facts. In an America where so many computer builders don't even know what is suppose to be in a power supply; that is also the mentality of their top management. Management protected by an anti-American concept called "Buy American". Don't like the tech support? Then look who is running the company - and therein lies the problem. Bad web sites not constantly upgraded to include answers to latest questions. Foreigners doing American jobs is secondary.

Tech support moved to India? If you have any doubts as to the intent or why, then first ask - does top management even know how to use the product? Did they come from where the work gets done , or are they graduates of the business schools? Anything may be called symptoms.

Posted above is a Quality Coils story. That abridged Wall Street Journal report also discussed other companies. They provided the names and dates. It is long, therefore it was worth reading. Find details of their top managers up. Notice their educational backgrounds.

We had a massive NE blackout one and a quarter years ago. Who created it? Foreign employees from Argentina? Would not matter who was doing the work. All top management in First Energy Corporation was so devoid of technical knowledge that they even ran a $400 billion Bush Cheney fund raiser so they did not have to fix a potential Three Mile Island problem. We could be reading the book "We almost lost Toledo". Blaming foreigners is too often akin to being racist. Blaming others only because they are different? Where is the technical ignorance that was not first in top management?

You have an example from Gateway. You tell me how I was suppose to know what SIMMs go into that computer AND that 2 chip type SIMMs will not work. You want to blame someone. Start there. Why can I not get simple technical support?

12-08-2004, 09:06 PM	#29
tw Read? I only know how to write. Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 11,933	Its rather silly to blame WHERE support comes from. Devil is in the details. Do it yourself. Here is a Gateway computer model GP7-600. It had only 64K memory. I want to increase memory. No problem. Their support page is http://support.gateway.com/support/default.asp . Enter the serial number: 0018640774 . Access what is provided to tech support. Now imagine yourself as a support technician. What size memory SIMMs can be installed in this computer? What software will upgrade this machine? For example, what is the latest BIOS and what does that upgrade do? You tell me. You have everything that tech support has. Surprises. I could even run the program that (supposidly) identifies all upgrades unique to that machine - and still get wrong answers. They list an NIC that was not provided with that machine and that still is in that machine. They also list sound cards that don't exist. And they list software upgrades that already exist in that machine. Now it gets interesting. I get two 128 Mb SIMMs. They will not work. Why? Jumping ahead a few hours later, I learn these Gateway computers, even after upgraded with the latest BIOS, will understand 8 chip 128Mb SIMMs, but not undertand 2 chip 128Mb SIMMs. (I learn this from other sources outside of Gateway). How is tech support suppose to know this? Tech support has access to the same web site information sources we have. They have virtually nothing. So we blame tech support for being stupid? This Gateway support was from the west coast (confirmed by asking about the weather). He claimed he has access to information I did not have. So I asked him to read from his pages. Then I described the chart on his page or completed paragraphs (from memory). I had access to everything he had. Tech support would be just as bad anywhere else in the world. Its not about where tech support comes from. In fact some of my least technically informed tech support people are Americans. Its about top management. BTW, Gateway has long been removed from my list of acceptable machines because of management decisions. This story only confirms my decision. So how does technically incompetant management blame someone else? They put the tech support in Ireland or India. Then the racists among us quickly blame ... them others. Gateway should long have been removed from your 'acceptable' list. It was that obvious some years ago. Rarely matters where tech support comes from. But some will never believe this. Why do I call tech support? Because their own web sites are so devoid of facts. In an America where so many computer builders don't even know what is suppose to be in a power supply; that is also the mentality of their top management. Management protected by an anti-American concept called "Buy American". Don't like the tech support? Then look who is running the company - and therein lies the problem. Bad web sites not constantly upgraded to include answers to latest questions. Foreigners doing American jobs is secondary. Tech support moved to India? If you have any doubts as to the intent or why, then first ask - does top management even know how to use the product? Did they come from where the work gets done , or are they graduates of the business schools? Anything may be called symptoms. Posted above is a Quality Coils story. That abridged Wall Street Journal report also discussed other companies. They provided the names and dates. It is long, therefore it was worth reading. Find details of their top managers up. Notice their educational backgrounds. We had a massive NE blackout one and a quarter years ago. Who created it? Foreign employees from Argentina? Would not matter who was doing the work. All top management in First Energy Corporation was so devoid of technical knowledge that they even ran a $400 billion Bush Cheney fund raiser so they did not have to fix a potential Three Mile Island problem. We could be reading the book "We almost lost Toledo". Blaming foreigners is too often akin to being racist. Blaming others only because they are different? Where is the technical ignorance that was not first in top management? You have an example from Gateway. You tell me how I was suppose to know what SIMMs go into that computer AND that 2 chip type SIMMs will not work. You want to blame someone. Start there. Why can I not get simple technical support? Last edited by tw; 12-08-2004 at 09:11 PM.