Paying For Technical Support

Should We Have To Pay For Tech Support?

Since many companies offer free Tech Support, does it seem reasonable that all should? Specially if their product is labor intensive, difficult, or just plain !#$%#$%.

Please, NO MANUFACTURER BASHING HERE, PLEASE!

regards.....casey

A manufacturers view. It depends.

It depends on how good the manual is and how closely the product does what the manual says it does. The manufacturer is NOT responsible for application support. However, we often cover how the application is going to be accomplished before the product is sold.

We have two main products now. One is about 7 years old. This product has an 800 page manual and should require little or no tech support. We have a newer and much more sophisicated product that is NEW without the 800 page manual. It requires more tech support mostly because the manual is not as complete.

I can not see why anyone would need tech support from AD or AB. At least not on their older products. I find their documentation straight forward. I have had to call Rockwell only twice to reset the authorization for my SLC stuff. I found Modsoft and TiSoft to be straight forward too, but they are old. Step7 is !@#$%#. I have yet to make a Mitsubishi FX2N sub routine work with my GPPWin although I have tried in about 3 years.

Finally, those that call because they can't or won't read the on-line help should pay for their laziness or their inablility to read.

they must support us, otherwise we wont use their products..for
example when I need support I'll call the rep, if ain't gonna help me out then..I will look for another brand that have reps in my area that will support me for "free" ...this is the least they can do for us...we (automation engineers) make their business running ..the way I see it they should pay us.

they must support us, otherwise we wont use their products..for
example when I need support I'll call the rep, if ain't gonna help me out then..I will look for another brand that have reps in my area that will support me for "free" ...this is the least they can do for us...we (automation engineers) make their business running ..the way I see it they should pay us.

Define tech support.

IT_guy said:

they must support us

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No they don't. The manufacturer must support the product. There is a difference. There is so much that a manufacturer has no control over and that is the customers responsibility.

IT_guy said:

, otherwise we wont use their products..for
example when I need support I'll call the rep, if ain't gonna help me out then..I will look for another brand that have reps in my area that will support me for "free" ...this is the least they can do for us...we (automation engineers) make their business running ..the way I see it they should pay us.

Click to expand...

I can see switching brands because the PLC X doesn't work as documented and PLC Y does. I can't see switch brands just because you don't get help from the rep X. The PLC X may well be well documented and perfect for the job but the PLC programmer isn't. I know I am pointing out extremes, but the orignal question on paying for tech support requires a little more definition. There is some I don't think the customer should pay for. There is other types of tech support where the customer should pay.

I wonder how many PLC reps get asked to tune the PIDs of the their PLCs each year? Is it fair to ask a PLC rep to tune your PIDs? Is that tech support?

Peter, you are rather smug. There are plenty of people out there who get stuck on a problem and even after reading the manuals, it doesn't sink in. From reading past postings of yours, I know you are very bright. But some of us are not so. I do agree that the lazy ones should pay. However, I would say that the cost of technical support has to be gotten from somewhere. Sometimes it is covered in the price of the equipment. Other times it is a separate line item. Each company prices their products differently. You can't say that all companies should do the same. Each has the right to their own strategy.

Like where's the line drawn between your responsability to be able to open a manual and read it, and the manufactures responsability to provide endless support for like doing your job for you??

Authough my supplier (You Know Who) provides very good FREE support, I do my best to find the answer in the manual or examples before clogging their live tech support resources with needless questions. As they will only be able to maintaine free support if it's not abused by too many people.

godfrey said:

Peter, you are rather smug.

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I said I was bringing up two extremes. It makes good business sense because provide additional help in all cases. How much additional help depends on the situation. I just don't think it is right for the customer to make the PLC rep pay for the customer's inexperience, ignorance or laziness. I don't like IT_Guy's attitude which is help me fix my screw ups for free or else. I think that is disrespectful to place no value on help that one needs and all the time and effort it took to gather that knowledge. There are a few customers that want thousands of dollars of support for a thousand dollar product. It can't be done.

We help our customers quite a bit with application advice and how to apply the product. There are people on this forum that that will back up my statement. In most cases we have helped some one through the particular application before and we know how to do them. We have made it easy to help our customers if they will meet us half way by providing some files via e-mail.

My customers expect free customer support, why shouldn't I?

just my thoughts

Paul (in the third stall)

The vote seems pretty much in agreement.

Good thought Paul, why can't we charge for tech support.

If I could have gotten $25 for each tripped circuit brealer the last thirty years...

regards.....casey

Casey,

Maybe I'm reading you wrong, but it seems that if were able to make the money from tech support or programming it would be alright. Both of your polls you ask: PLEASE...No manufacturer bashing. But in another poll your bashing, your quote:



"So, the AB panel shop charges $275 for a programming change, plus travelling expenses, plus a service call, total around $600.

The field tech gets $36 for less then an hour of work and two hours driving time.

We won't say what the customer and the tech got, but the shop got rich off their bargain.

Ahhhhhh, the free enterprise system at work."

Can't play both sides of the fence. Well you can, but damn that barbed wire cuts.
I haven't had a problem with an support, maybe they know we'll be back.

Sorry 'bout that...

Technical Term is ooops!

I get very emotional about that shop.

I have never charged for any type of Tech Support. Rarely have we charged for service calls, even when the customer is at fault.

We provide full documentation for products assembled. We expect the installer or repair person to be minimally trained. If he has a screwdriver, and a little common sense, then he should be able to get by.

We hae gotten excellant FREE suport for most distributors and manufacturers. Seldom have we had to pay for software (usually due to starter kits or volume buying). We used to get weeks of FREE factory training, due to volume buying.

I just don't like paying above market average prices, getting poor documentation, having the product not perform properly, then having to pay extra to get help to make it work.

So again, I apologize, busted on bashing.

regards.....casey

Did you seriously have an intent other than bashing when you started this thread, Casey ?

I work my butt off doing what you think you should get for free and I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to gear up to do that. I am too vested in this topic to discuss it in this fashion.

The old saying stands true. " $@#% me once shame on you, $@#% me twice shame on me"

If the shops that bad why deal with them again if you know what you are going to get????????

This thread will go nowhere because:

1 We will all get positional and talk past each other.

2. The definition of "technical support" is too broad. Each person will have their own picture of what is meant by this, so what is reaonable to one person will be unreasonable to another.

3. A clear distinction needs to be made between supporting the product and supporting the application. The moment the vendor starts sending field engineers to site to start modifying application program, then they have taken on a liability that must be compensated for.

4. Nobody, but nobody does any sustainable commercial activity for free. All support activity has an income stream somewhere that is paying for it. It is NEVER free.