[buug] RE: Customer Service Ticket #29277 (fwd)

[Zeke Krahlin]

On Thu, 17 Aug 2000, Christopher Sullivan wrote:

> I don't normally spout this kind of stuff on the list, but this really
> (for whatever reason) ignited feedle's fuse.  Is this typical of the kind
> of customer service experience you get from "free" services, Zeke?

No, it is not typical, in that this lousy cutomer service attitude is not
limited to free services. I have found this to be typical of both free and
fee services. Xdrive has turned out to be very poor in this matter.

I have paid for some services, which have wiped out my data, shut down my
account, and in other ways made for a miserable experience. Example: West
Coast Online, my first ISP, started meddling with my mail and newsgroup
access, because someoen complained that I am "gay"! And I was paying
$25/month. Another ISP, 2xtreme.net, cut off my access for over six
weeks...claiming there's nothing wrong at their end. Turns out there was,
but I went ahead and dumped them anyway...as they refused to credit me for
those lost weeks.

I have observed an overall degeneration of many online services, both fee
and free...and I believe this is due to the philosophy of our "new
economy", not to the trite belief "you get what you pay for". I have
experienced excellent service from free arrangements, as compared to
equivalent services that charge a fee. In fact, sometimes even *better
service.

However, you need to look around before diving in...and this goes for both
free and fee.  And even then, what was once an excellent service can
change at any moment to a crappy one...whether free or fee. Because you
pay for something is no guarantee you'll get good service. What seems to
be happening, is a tendency to get customers to pay A WHOLE LOT MORE,
before they'll get decent service...not just pay a small or moderate
amount. Similar to the glut of exorbitant wealth impacting S.F. Bay Area.
The same machinery is happening on the 'net.



---
"Zeke Krahlin" <ezekielk at weak.org> 
Linux: the people's OS.
A billion communists can't be wrong!