Richard B. Gilbert wrote:

>>
>> Often contacting vendors results in
>>
>> * Automated response telling you they will get back to you.
>>
>> * Useless suggestions for quite a while, by staff with no real
>> understanding of the software.
>>
>> * Hopefully, if you are luck, so decent suggestions from those that do
>> know. But often takes quite a while to get to this point.
>
> You forgot one:
>
> Dealing with technical support people for whom English is a second
> language!

Yes, very true. Personally I've found this less of an issue than the
basic stupidity of the technical support staff. That's my biggest gripe.
If you are reasonally IT literate (and I personally don't work in IT),
the chances are you probably know more about the subject than the idiot
on the other end of the line.

A recent example of this is with Live Departure boards for trains in the UK

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_...rds/about.html

My IP address is blocked for some reason. I always get:

*******************************
You are not authorized to view this page
The Web server you are attempting to reach has a list of IP addresses
that are not allowed to access the Web site, and the IP address of your
browsing computer is on this list.

Please try the following:

* Contact the Web site administrator if you believe you should be
able to view this directory or page.

HTTP Error 403.6 - Forbidden: IP address of the client has been rejected.
Internet Information Services (IIS)
*******************************

I contact then via a web page to ask why. I've made it clear it works on
this computer when I am everywhere except at home. (I have a fixed IP).
So common sense would tell you the error message and the fact it works
everywhere except at home does really indicate the IP is blocked. I even
told them it is blocked both under Windows and Solaris.

Can the stupid idiot on the end of their support understand this? NO NO NO.

They suggest I check my anti-virus software. They suggest I clear the
cookies from my computer. They make lots of other useless suggestions,
but clearly don't understand the problem. Eventually I'm told it will be
excalated to someone else, but then I hear no more. So I still can't see
the live updates from home.

I've had about 6 or more exchanges with National Rail Enquiries over
this, and its clear that finding someone able to read the above error
and understand it, is next to impossible.

The truth is that bright people who are 'switched-on' tend to be able to
command reasonably high salaries. And so companies don't put such people
on technical support. They put people who have a basic understanding of
how to switch on a PC, install Windows software.

In contrast, with open-source software, the people providing support
often wrote the software, so have a detailed understanding of it.

Dave