Thank You Rockwell Automation

Today, I was out-of-state working on existing customer equipment. We understand that Bill Gates can change OS like dirty underwear.

I recently upgraded my computer from 32-bit XP, to 64-bit Windows 7. AND Studio ME went from 5.1 to 6.0 to 7. The recent technology upgrades left us unable to support existing clients.

We, as integrators, are now learning and implementing "Virtual PC's". This allows us to buy and use new computers, and also maintain existing legacy accounts.

Today, I found out that my 32-bit virtual PC Rockwell activation could not drill to the real toolkit activation.

I called Rockwell, and explained the activation issue. In a few minutes, the Rockwell Automation Team, remotely connected to my computer, and stitched my virtual PC back to my HOST (real) PC together via a virtual internal network. This allowed my virtual PC with legacy Rockwell software work properly on the legitimate license on my real host PC.

After Rockwell Support helped me, we immediately met our industrial client request.

A public thank you to Michael, and Xavier at Rockwell Automation for their patience, perseverance, and expertise.

Thanks again, I was able to resolve client request, and fly home.

Plastic,

Good on you for taking the time to post your appreciation for their help. It's rare to see such a post.
While often justifiably, most come here only to complain, more so than praise.

G.

The sad thing is though that even if you've spent thousands to buy their software and promoted their hardware to clients they won't offer the support you speak so highly of unless you take out a Tech Connect contract and pay extra for support. Siemens on the other hand and even my Mitsubishi suppliers are much more helpful without charging extra.

Oh well, that didn't last long now did it?

G.

If your experience or view on it is different, please feel free to share

The majority of the Tech Connect calls we place are for activation issues.

beethoven_ii said:

The sad thing is though that even if you've spent thousands to buy their software and promoted their hardware to clients they won't offer the support you speak so highly of unless you take out a Tech Connect contract and pay extra for support.

Click to expand...

I agree.

The inevitable begins...

If some are happy with a service and find it's value for money, then who can say it's "sad" to have to pay for it? Who can say it's a good service or not a good service just because it's not free?

This was one of the many, I'm sure, occasions where someone has had a good experience and found the cost of support well worth it. What others think should not detract from what Plastic thinks, it's his opinion. He's happy with his choice and that he got value for money. So happy he felt like sharing his joy with us. That's why I say good on him, even if I do or don't agree with the quality of the mentioned service, or the nature of how it's procured. I'm happy that he's happy.

My experience has been mainly with Siemens and Rockwell/Allen Bradley, with varying degrees of lesser experience with other brands. I've had, as I'm sure have many others, ups and downs with support from the different companies we deal with. You pay for Rockwell TechConnect Support. We are not deluded. We know that we pay for it. We know what we should receive for that payment. They don't dupe you into paying for it. Are we all silly for paying for it? Should it be free? Perhaps? It's a matter of opinion of course.

In my opinion, and this doesn't just go for Rockwell TechConnect Support, I don't think money necessarily comes into it with regard to the quality of support service.

Whether paid for or not, you might get great support on one continent compared to another, or it might differ from one country to the next, office to the next, and indeed support assistant to the next. What paying for the service should guarantee is that they must provide support, or reimbursement where a product(s) does not perform a task that it advertises it can perform.

Some use free firewall software, some pay subscriptions - it's a choice. Many use expensive software for specific tasks. Many use free software for the same tasks (not pirated). The people who choose to pay should not think of those who choose not to pay as cheapskates. Likewise, those who choose not to pay should not think of those who do as fools for doing so. It's a choice. Some will have good experiences with support, others may have had nightmares, but that's not necessarily down to the fact that it's paid for or not.

I drive a Ford, or a Volkswagen at the moment. I paid thousands for them. I drive them around "promoting" for Ford and VW. Do I expect free services or preferential treatment when something goes wrong? No. I pay the bill for a service and if outside warranty, I pay the bill for the repairs. Personally, I won't drive another brand car just because they give you a free service once a year. I choose to go with the brand I like and accept the charges that choice incurs.

If you program a machine for a client the program code is your product, which you sold to them. If some unforeseeable event happens five years later, of which you agree the program should have, or could have handled, and you also agree to modify the original program to fix the issue, do you do it for free, as part of support? Or charge for it as a modification? If a client is heavily invested in an integrator, or a programmer, paying them thousands every year for contracts - should that company have to pay a retainer for support services?

How many come here everyday without TechConnect contracts looking for support that many of them probably should be paying for? They expect us to pay for it and provide that information for free.

Rockwell TechConnect Support is a huge global operation employing many staff. It doesn't run on thin air. They choose to charge for the service, because it's an intellectual commodity that they developed and continue to develop.
Rockwell are in the business of making money. Why should they not charge for support? One could argue, business-wise, that the companies that choose not to charge for support are the "sad" cases, as they are missing out on vast revenues. If Siemens and the like had been charging all along, or decide to start charging, I would not argue one bit. More luck to them I'd say.

In my opinion, the quality of support provided has little to do with how much one pays for it. Paying or not has more to do with the given companies philosophy toward providing support for free, or for charge as intellectual property.

Some think it's sad to have to pay? I think it's sad to expect peoples time and expertise for nothing, but that's just what I think.

Regards,
George

God Bless America, Free Enterprise and You, Geospark. Well Said.

They would be happy to provide you with a 30 day grace period contract to help you out.

I don't want to delve into a big debate. Among other reasons, I don't feel very qualified to do it. There are many savvy guys here that could exhibit better arguments that I could possibly do, to one side and to the other.

I am not discussing if AB customer service is good or not. I just don't understand why they cannot offer free tech support while other (successful) companies in the controls industry do it. Just to mention 2 examples: Red Lion and ABB.

Another detail: I understand the cost of the tech support people, but why not giving free access to the Knowledgebase?

Elcan said:

I don't want to delve into a big debate. Among other reasons, I don't feel very qualified to do it. There are many savvy guys here that could exhibit better arguments that I could possibly do, to one side and to the other.

I am not discussing if AB customer service is good or not. I just don't understand why they cannot offer free tech support while other (successful) companies in the controls industry do it. Just to mention 2 examples: Red Lion and ABB.

Another detail: I understand the cost of the tech support people, but why not giving free access to the Knowledgebase?

Click to expand...

ABB technical support is only "free" for their drives, as is Drives Tech Support for Rockwell. If you want help from ABB on an older Bailey DCS system, believe me, it is NOT free!

Red Lion... 1/1000th the size of Rockwell when it comes to products in the field. Market share that barely shows up on the radar. All they can offer is "free" tech support because if you had to pay for it, nobody would buy their stuff at all.

Access to the Rockwell Knowledge Base is free, you must be referring to having to provide them with your email address as not being free?

"Free" person-to-person technical support for complex systems like PACs and SCADA / HMI software is worth every penny you pay for it in the long run. Once a product gets old and revenue from selling it stops, the bean counters will cease funding of "free" support technicians for non-current products and you are left on your own. Rockwell still supports everything they have ever sold, but that means employing knowledgeable people, who do not work cheap.

Today I have purchased a new ControlLogix CPU that is £4710.00 + VAT list price. If a month down the line there is any kind of problem with it I cannot get the level of technical support I would expect from any other company selling me a product at that sort of price without paying a premium for it. Certainly they would replace it under warranty if the component was found to be faulty but I can't think of another company that operates like this. I'm sure there will be some out there though.

I kind of agree with Beethoven. I recently upgraded from 1 laptop to another. I loaded all kinds of "non Rockwell" software up and it had it running in no time. After 2 days trying with the Rockwell- I have to have someone come out here and look at it. I can't activate it and I'm now wondering if it's a 32 to 64 bit issue? It's annoying when all the "little" guys software just boots up and works... At least in my experiences.

dginbuffalo said:

I kind of agree with Beethoven. I recently upgraded from 1 laptop to another. I loaded all kinds of "non Rockwell" software up and it had it running in no time. After 2 days trying with the Rockwell- I have to have someone come out here and look at it. I can't activate it and I'm now wondering if it's a 32 to 64 bit issue? It's annoying when all the "little" guys software just boots up and works... At least in my experiences.

Click to expand...

Thousands of people run Windows 7 x86 and x64 with no issues to any software. Rockwell provides a product compatibility center to ensure that your software versions would be compatible with the various operating systems in service.