We're actually curious about this one as well; we've been trying to RMA a couple broken ARC cards back to USR/3Com/Commworks/whatever the Hell they're called this month, but we're getting stymied by the same problem: no way to get in touch with a human for support. So not only can I NOT get updated modem and ARC code that fixes known issues like RADIUS accounting server bugs and "voltage irregularities" on the middle slots of my chassis, but now when a card does fry, I can't even get it fixed. And while I find Scott's idea of calling sales just to get a human an interesting idea, I'm not sure I want to have my caller ID information and the phrase "prospective Commworks sale" connected together anywhere. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. So I'll second the motion: are there anyone left at 3Com who can help someone who's been with this stuff for over half a decade? You know, when a new software upgrade meant a month or more of pain with users (and quite possibly one or more upgrades that one could only get if you had a "support contract") as all the kinks were worked out? When the old "upgradeable" NetServer had a horrendous UDP packet latency problem that was only fixed by buying new hardware? When the HiPer ARCs got OSPF about 18 months behind EVERY OTHER RAS vendor on the planet? Sorry I'm ranting, I'm just frustrated at all the roadblocks I'm hitting to try to get my dial up pool back to 100% operational health with something approaching modern modem code and routing features...to say nothing about my 486 NMCs being worthless in a trade in unless I buy two more HiPer ARCs in addition to a HiPer NMC, and no, I don't buy into a company offering a discount on an unrelated product just to unload inventory. If you're offering an NMC upgrade program, let me trade in an old NMC towards a new one at a somewhat realistic value. Period. Don't make me buy more ports than I know what to do with just so your profit on them offsets the losses you take by eating a generation of useless hardware foisted on the masses by people that probably don't even work there anymore and which a few hundred more dollars of up-front engineering would have probably fixed in the first place. I would have felt a lot better paying $X for a card two or three years ago that I can still use now versus $X-500 for a card that is worthless now...especially when the card was billed as "upgradeable" in the first place. If it's upgradeable, let me change the processor on it to make it just like a new card, minus the cosmetics. 3com might want to keep an old customer service adage in mind: if a customer is happy with you, he may only tell his wife. But if he isn't, he'll tell everyone he knows. OK, now I'm actually done ranting. I feel better. Flame away. Chris Kalin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott Trautman" <scottt@corp.gdinet.com> To: <usr-tc@xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 12:43 PM Subject: [USR-TC] Gee, wouldn't it be nice to talk to a human at Commworks regardin g a repair

All I freaking need is to call and setup an RMA for a power back plate for a 70a integrated fan tray chassis, which I know is well out of warranty, I'm willing to pay to repair, but there is a 0% chance I'm going to pay $2000 for a "support contract" to fix it.

But, without any kind of support contract, there is NO WAY to navigate their voice system.

Maybe I'll call and say I want to BUY something; you can be sure I'll be talking to a human in no time, won't I?

And they wonder why things go as badly as they do, complete lack of any common sense.

SO, DOES anyone know where to call for this should-be-simple task?

SMT

Scott M. Trautman Global Dialog Internet 608-240-4638,4637fax 2810 Crossroads, STE LL2 scott@gdinet.com Madison WI 53718 http://www.gdinet.com <http://www.gdinet.com/>