Tech support is broken

[muzzy]

I recently had a problem with the Service pack 1 for flight simulator
X. After several tries on the flight sim support groups with no help I
got the customer support number and called Microsoft. I spent over two
excrutiating hours with a gal and then a guy in India trying to solve
the problem. If I would have been able to understand what they were
saying, the problem would have been dealt with in about 15 minutes. I
have no problems with India or her citizens - they are usually very
polite and want to help - BUT - the accented speech when dealing with
complex technical issues is not acceptable. (I certainly commend the
people of a foreign country for learning another language and having
the gumption to try to help other foreigners with their problems). The
problem is with Microsoft, not India. I surely hope the Microsoft
people read this group. IT'S NOT WORKING OUT PEOPLE - DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT PLEASE.

 

[Bill Yanaire]

Maybe you should get Ubuntu. I don't think they have call centers in India!

 

[Frank]

Maybe you should get Ubuntu. I don't think they have call centers in India!

That's funny!
Frank

 

[Chad Harris]

Muzzy--

We aren't MSFT but I can certainly clarify their attitude towards Tech
Support, and we appreciate your assessment. If you want to talk to the MSFT
directly, I'm going to make that possible for you.


Tech Support for end users at MSFT is about spending the least money with no
regard or quality control for it.

The principle of MSFt tech support is very easy to understand. They
outsource all of it because they can get cheaper labor abroad than they can
in the U.S. With regard to most software, the tech support is incompetent.
Mosf of them are minimum waged, and poorly trained and they are English
language challenged to the max. The average tech support personnel has
never heard of a MSFT newsgroup, and most basics in Windows, Office, and in
your case Flight Simulator.

The Canadian Tech Support arm of Convergys of Ohio is sometimes better than
what you were shown.

Most Tech Support for Vista is in 5 Indian Cities by a company that is
bigger than MSFT in employees called Convergys of Ohio. Most Tech Support
in the Manila, Phillipines is by http://www.harte-hanks.com/

Most Billing support is in Manilla Phillipines by Sitel.
http://www.sitel.com/

They are instructed not to tell you who they are and they lie and say they
are MSFT.

MSFT exercises absolutely no quality control over them. It is simply that
MSFT doesn't want to talk to the lowly end user--they consider themselves
aristocrats and like the US Congress, they believe you are stupid but they
want your money. They aren't going to say this is true and their websites
would evoke the perception it isn't, but all you have to do is call them
and quiz them on the basics of any software feature in Office 2007 or prior
or Windows Vista or prior and you'll quickly see they may easily find their
belly button instead of the Start Button. They may be able to give you
better information on the belly buttton than on what the start button does.

If you want to give feedback to Microsoft's Flight Simulator Team directly
immediately, I'm going to give you links to do this. Let them know about
your PSS (Phone Support Experience).

Here are links that will let you contact them directly and tell them how you
really feel:

Blogs of the Flight Simulator Team--Hit Contact to express your opinion or
sign in and post.

Steve Lacey Tour of the Flight Simulator Team
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=26632


Blogs Flight Simulator Team
http://www.fsinsider.com/team/Pages/BLOGS.aspx

Good luck,

CH

 

[Bill Yanaire]

Very funny. Telling him:

MSFT exercises absolutely no quality control over them. It is simply that
MSFT doesn't want to talk to the lowly end user--they consider themselves
aristocrats and like the US Congress, they believe you are stupid but they
want your money.

and then pointing him to links so he can complain. That is about as usefull
as a pecker-on-a-priest!

(Oops. Spoke too soon. Those damn priests are at it again!)

Thanks for the entertainment !

 

[john]

Muzzy--

We aren't MSFT but I can certainly clarify their attitude towards Tech
Support, and we appreciate your assessment. If you want to talk to the
MSFT directly, I'm going to make that possible for you.

Tech Support for end users at MSFT is about spending the least money with
no regard or quality control for it.

that's why the MVP program exists.
Their true mission, while cleverly disguised as "Technical Support" is
really all about noise and damage control, while Microsoft has no official
or legal obligation, not to mention responsibility or accountability

--
=======================================
"We have no intention of shipping another bloated OS and shoving it down the
throats of our users."
-- Paul Maritz, Microsoft Group Vice President
=======================================

 

[XS11E]

IT'S NOT WORKING OUT PEOPLE - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT PLEASE.

This isn't the place for a complaint, MSFT may or may not read your
post.

Try here: http://support.microsoft.com/contactussupport/?ws=support