I take back everything I have ever said good about IBM support
Category Customer Service
This is just ridiculous! If you have been following this blog (and you probably haven't ) you will know that I have been trying to get IBM support to solve a problem with WCS and the Managed Client Provisioning Server. In short the installation fails every time and at the same point. I submitted the problem via Email support (which I have mentioned in the Blog previously as being very good and responsive in the past) on February 20th. I spent the first few weeks trying to convince IBM support that I really was having a problem. They clearly wanted and expected the problem to be a user error, so I wasted many hours redoing installations, downloading new copies of the installation files, trying other hardware, and sending screen shots of the various installation choices etc. Finally, when they couldn't find anything wrong with the information I sent them, they insisted that I join a sametime meeting, share the screen, and go through the installation while they watched. When the installation failed, as usual, they decided to turn things over to level 2 support in the middle of March.
This is just ridiculous! If you have been following this blog (and you probably haven't ) you will know that I have been trying to get IBM support to solve a problem with WCS and the Managed Client Provisioning Server. In short the installation fails every time and at the same point. I submitted the problem via Email support (which I have mentioned in the Blog previously as being very good and responsive in the past) on February 20th. I spent the first few weeks trying to convince IBM support that I really was having a problem. They clearly wanted and expected the problem to be a user error, so I wasted many hours redoing installations, downloading new copies of the installation files, trying other hardware, and sending screen shots of the various installation choices etc. Finally, when they couldn't find anything wrong with the information I sent them, they insisted that I join a sametime meeting, share the screen, and go through the installation while they watched. When the installation failed, as usual, they decided to turn things over to level 2 support in the middle of March.
I was excited - this would surely result in a quick solution to the problem, and I could get on with the project. However, after looking at my logs and getting numerous traces from me, they still couldn't figure out the problem so they asked for VNC access to the server. Unfortunately, as you, the reader, know access to resources here via the satellite connection is anything but fast, and they found it too slow to work with and requested a "ghost" image on March 31st. (In actuality, the logs show they were connected for less than 5 minutes) I responded that I didn't use Ghost, but rather TrueImage (which is the better product, and I believe used by more Domino shops than Ghost). Support told me that they hadn't gotten a response from L2 about whether this would work, but that I should just send the image files anyway. I made 2 DVDs and sent them to Westford in early April.
Finally after weeks of waiting for an answer, I was informed at the end of April that L2 didn't have a copy of TrueImage, and that I should go get a copy of Ghost. I pointed out that IBM was a lot more flush with cash than I am, and that an evaluation version of TrueImage was available on Acronis's web site. Support then asked me to make a bootable CD and upload that image to them. (probably a clear violation of the user license) I complied, and now after waiting a few more weeks, I hear back that my hardware is not the same as L2 has, and the image will not work on their machine. (and the result would have been any different if I had used Ghost?) To top it off, Level 1 support now wants me to try uploading a copy of the image (7GB of data) to an FTP server so they can try it. For some reason, It's better that I take the 14 hours to upload the image with my slow internet connection (which will probably fail) than to ask someone in L2 support who is connected at T3 speeds if they could send the images. I've volunteered to make the 14 hour drive to Westford, and show them how to use the product - I'll see what response I get to that.
Is it just my paranoia, or does IBM support not really care if business partners are comfortable working and supporting this product? In a few days I will have been struggling with this problem for 3 months. I've been a loyal business partner for 14 + years, but I would be very hesitant to recommend that a customer consider WCS for anything more than a lab evaluation - can you imaging having a production environment where it took 3 months to solve a technical issue? (It certainly feels better to rant and rave and get this out of my system, but it doesn't solve the problem)
Finally after weeks of waiting for an answer, I was informed at the end of April that L2 didn't have a copy of TrueImage, and that I should go get a copy of Ghost. I pointed out that IBM was a lot more flush with cash than I am, and that an evaluation version of TrueImage was available on Acronis's web site. Support then asked me to make a bootable CD and upload that image to them. (probably a clear violation of the user license) I complied, and now after waiting a few more weeks, I hear back that my hardware is not the same as L2 has, and the image will not work on their machine. (and the result would have been any different if I had used Ghost?) To top it off, Level 1 support now wants me to try uploading a copy of the image (7GB of data) to an FTP server so they can try it. For some reason, It's better that I take the 14 hours to upload the image with my slow internet connection (which will probably fail) than to ask someone in L2 support who is connected at T3 speeds if they could send the images. I've volunteered to make the 14 hour drive to Westford, and show them how to use the product - I'll see what response I get to that.
Is it just my paranoia, or does IBM support not really care if business partners are comfortable working and supporting this product? In a few days I will have been struggling with this problem for 3 months. I've been a loyal business partner for 14 + years, but I would be very hesitant to recommend that a customer consider WCS for anything more than a lab evaluation - can you imaging having a production environment where it took 3 months to solve a technical issue? (It certainly feels better to rant and rave and get this out of my system, but it doesn't solve the problem)