Actinic Support

[leehack]

Good in theory Wesley, useless in practice though as it is so hard to manage. Support services need to a paid up front service and a set fee usually or a premium rate number. Otherwise they spend the same managing the service as they do providing help.

Maybe even a normal support service via email for every day stuff and a premium rate number for urgent problems. It needs to be self managing though or it just gets messy. One off support annual cost or a premium line at 50p per min, nothing else to do on managing that.

I agree with Mal too, for both support and upgrades, i think it is too cheap and needs upping.

[pinbrook]

how about support being charged at a price depending on you last six months or 12 months usage.

i thought cover was for 10 incidents although i've never yet heard of anyone being refused help on the eleventh

[EDIT] i take that back as i've just been to actinic website and can no longer see that restriction detailled.

However i did see this

Please note that free email support for Actinic versions 6 and earlier has now been discontinued. Cover and Developer subscribers will continue to receive telephone support for all versions.

so in theory if you are a cover subscriber you can still get support for v3,4,5,6

[leehack]

So in theory if you are a cover subscriber you can still get support for v3,4,5,6

Croccy they might be cursing you for showing that lol. OMG who has the job of doing that - poor sod, you could get right in a tizz, i struggle with 3 versions. We should have an Actinic museum of old versions along with the best and worst looking sites in each era.

Long live the 'nic! long live the 'nic!

[Paul Cooper]

I find I use support to fix things that don't work as intended due to bugs etc.. rather than for help in using the software. So it would be rather unfair to have to pay progressively more due getting bugs resolved. Remember that some of us upgraded to V9.0 at the start rather than wait until the hopefully stable V9.03. So I would argue that we should get far more support as that is in everyone's interest to sort out the teething troubles as soon as possible.

Despite my complaints about Actinic support, it is even now, far better than my previous shopping cart provider which is one of the reasons why I jumped ship to Actinic. That cart provider used to sell support tickets which were refunded if it was a bug, great idea but their software was far more unstable and bug ridden and their support was so so ever so slow.

[Darren B]

It needs to be self managing though or it just gets messy.

And lets be honest we all know managing this stuff is not actinics strong point, the partners/designers list is a classic example.

I think the money i pay is a far price for the upgrades and the odd support request and have no problems with paying more for a specific urgent support line, the biggest problem is, you dont know when your gonna need it.

"You pays ya money and takes ya chance"

[TraceyHand]

"You pays ya money and takes ya chance"

LOL
you been drinking, Beaumont?

[Darren B]

LOL
you been drinking, Beaumont?

Ermmmm lets say i did not drive this evening

[TraceyHand]

Ermmmm lets say i did not drive this evening

I knew it!!

so early in the evening too

(she says, hiding her Stella cans LOL)

[Darren B]

Not that early really, honest it was not

[RuralWeb]

Remember that some of us upgraded to V9.0 at the start

Not really - there was an alpha and beta testing programme designed to find the bugs. Unfortunately not many people participated which ment that many bugs found thier way into the software.

You should not need to pay for bug fixing as there is usually a period of beta testing prior to release with a direct line to the development team via chris which will cost you nothing. Keep your eyes open for the beta release, test it and send in your bug reports this way they will not find thier way into the software.

The more people that bug test the less calls to support

[Faulkds]

What a great idea....

Release software full of bugs so that the customers who purchase it will have to pay for support....

Hmmm

[RuralWeb]

no they don't. It's called beta testing and it's by invitation only initially and then a public beta.

Many so called bugs are caused by inexperienced users trying to do things beyonds thier ability and when it all goes wrong they blame the software.

[RuralWeb]

oh and it's the exact same process other software companies use eg microsoft where ie8 is now out for beta testing and google where gmail is still in beta testing as far as I remember.

Before going into the design tab people should do some Reading up on HTML and css as without it you are lost. The software caters for all levels of users from very basic people who will use themes to get as close as they can to what they want and very advanced users who will go into the design tab and perhaps be using dreamweaver. The problems come when group A try and do what group B can do.

[Faulkds]

It was only a joke Mal....

Anyone would think you had shares in the company....

Ive been working in the IT industry for 20 years and know whats what...

I also know these software companies have deadlines to meet and not perfect software is rolled out. Thank goodness for the internet so those updates can be pushed to the client...

[knightrideruk]

Actinc Technical Support

Mr Barling

Whilst I think that all the members of the forum appreciate that you have major problems within your tech support department you have had plenty of warning from forum members that it was coming.

A lot of your customers have paid a lot of money either as outright purchase or via premium support for V9. I would suggest that a good majority of them, including myself would also register their disapproval at what must be the worst release you have made.

I personally have had major problems with Actinic Business Plus and still have two open issues more than three months old. After many telephone calls (you either get through after about 20-30 mins or unceremoniously get dumped) I am told they will be cured in V9.3, but we are still waiting for it!

Maybe you could keep your customers better informed by email on support problems, at least we would feel we are not forgotten.