Access to Rockwell Knowledgebase

[JHutch2000]

I understand the frustration many folks are expressing with current support policy. Especially for those of us that have been around a while and remember different times, it can be extra annoying.

And I'd like to point out that we do NOT have support out-sourced to India. There are some regional help desks/centers scattered here and there around the world, but normal day time business hours for the vast majority of our products are handled by folks right here in North America (the bulk are in Cleveland, Ohio, though another sizable bunch of folks are located in Vancouver, Canada for the west coast time zones). We do have regional centers in various places like England, Poland, Australia and a few others that escape me at the moment. Other than the Poland location, all those other centers are meant to be regional support (Poland provides activation support for North America, as well, which is a free service ... no contract required).

I work with these engineers everyday (and still do support on occasion when needed), so I know these folks are highly educated, highly trained and very professional. No one has a "support script" that they read from. (Management tried to give out a "greeting script" so that we all said the same thing when we first picked up the phone a few years ago ... that went over like a ton of bricks!)

I say all this as a prelude to say ... support centers are ridiculously expensive to run. I'm sure everyone out there are aware of "cost-saving" measures that have shaken up the way they do business. We have the same pressures as you. We have to provide the best support we can, for as many people as we can, for the least amount of money.

We constantly review the support structure we have in place (believe me ... I've been to some of those meetings. Constantly is perhaps an understatement!). Forums being contract based is being reviewed just as much. Maybe that will change ... maybe it won't. I, as much as I would like it, do not have the authority to make those decisions on my own. But I can bring your concerns to those that can.

In the meantime, I will be constantly at work, trying to make your experience as painless as possible within the framework currently in place.

If you have a bad encounter with tech support (it is rare, but it happens), and you don't feel you are getting a good response/resolution ... drop me a line. I'll do what I can, I promise.

Joshua Hutchinson
Rockwell Automation Knowledge Base Support

 

[Steve Bailey]

OK, JHutch, here's a suggestion to make the Rockwell forum better.

Somewhere on one of the pages that comes up when a member of the great unwashed attempts to access a subscription-only forum area, provide a link to this forum. Maybe with text along these lines:

You have attempted to access an area of the site that is only available to customers under a technical support contract. If you are not already under a contract, we strongly urge you to do so. Failing that, you may be able to find information about our products at:

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda

Be advised that the above site is in no way affiliated with Rockwell Automation, and that Rockwell Automation cannot vouch for the accuracy of any information presented there.

 

[JHutch2000]

Heh. Somehow I don't think I'd ever get that one approved!

 

[504bloke]

If you have a bad encounter with tech support (it is rare, but it happens), and you don't feel you are getting a good response/resolution ... drop me a line. I'll do what I can, I promise.

Joshua Hutchinson
Rockwell Automation Knowledge Base Support

I am in England......

Support from Rockwell here is really really bad in my opinion from personnal expierence.

Back in the good old days i could phone the states and get great support, now i cant even do that, i dont have a Tech Connect and wont waste my money on one, i used to use 90% Rockwell products, now rockwell only get 10% max of my business, Siemens and Redlion taking the majority.

I just see RA as a Pay For the Support now even though you have spent thousands on their products, a complete scam.

I dont bother with the RA KB anymore as anything worth reading (or what i need) is under a Tech Connect so i cant see it, i get better support here.

I even have a new studio package but do not have the time or inclination to register to get tech connect for support due to my complete lack of faith in RA now and in the future.

 

[ERitzman]

You have attempted to access an area of the site that is only available to customers under a technical support contract. If you are not already under a contract, we strongly urge you to do so. Failing that, you may be able to find information about our products at:

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda

Be advised that the above site is in no way affiliated with Rockwell Automation, and that Rockwell Automation cannot vouch for the accuracy of any information presented there.

Heh. Somehow I don't think I'd ever get that one approved!

Hehe - thanx Josh for your assistance and I hope everyone understands I'm not trying to knock the cultural diversity we find when calling any major company's support services. Applause to AB if they can manage to keep their services in the US - keep up the fight for us Josh, we're counting on you (no pressure or anything - LOL)

Steve - I'm with you... collaboration never hurt any company business I know of with the exception being our friends Bill Gates and Steve Jobs - and well... I'll stop commenting there about that one. I think Josh is right though... getting the cooperate wig to potentially give up a portion of his Golden Parachute by agreeing to reference to a free service like PLCS.net isn't likely to go over well at the next Board Mtg. (sarcasm inserted again...hope you don't mind Josh - LOL)

 

[mattw]

Josh:

Could you explain the rationale for the Quick Start documents being for pay? I have managed to get a couple of those through the tech support from a supplier. The documents were pretty clear but contained nothing that I could see the customer should pay extra for.

Want clear instructions on how to use the equipemnt you just bought? That will be extra.

I don't see how it's cost effective for AB either. Make the info available and we don't tie up your service guys on the phone. Make it easier and we will continue to buy your products instead of searching for other options (like I'm now doing).

 

[parky]

I have got to hand it to rockwell, the few times I have used them it has been pretty good (that was before tec connect).
The local rockwell rep said he would help me install RSV32, Power & ADS but before he arrived I had it up & running (never used it before), & one other time on remote I/O they turned up but it was I who found the problem (no ground on rio 24v dc supply giving fluctuating readings on analogs)but the response was good, however since tech connect & PV+ (yes that monster) they could not help me & yet again sorted it myself with plenty of coffee & trial & error.

 

[JesperMP]

Joshua, you get a pat on the back from me for just being here and sharing your views with us.

About that it is so costly to run a support team, I dont only believe it, I know it because we also run a costly support team. Now how does that it is costly to support customers fit into the strategy of not letting customers help them selves by granting them free access to your KB and forum ? Your strategy is simply illogical at best.

What does your marketing department say to all this ? Do they even know what is going on ?
Try to calculate the value of the lost goodwill. How much will it cost to win it back ?

It is a policy that would have been worthy of East Germany.

Every time this image is displayed somewhere, there is a customer that needed some info and he could have had it, but was denied it:

It is like a novel by Kafka. "This door was meant for you".

 

[rdrast]

TO be honest, even with TechConnect, I get more on-target and accurate answers to Rockwell problems from hitting Google then using their broken, frustrating, inefficient, and virtually useless search engine on the Knowledgebase.

At the worst case, I cut and pasted an exact error message to the KB, got somewhere near 200 completely invalid and off the mark hits. Pasted the exact same text into google, and the second hit was the CORRECT, ON-TARGET KNOWLEDGEBASE ARTICLE.

The old Knowledgebase was at least mostly useful, the "new and improved" (as of what, 1.5-2 years ago?) is a complete joke, paid for or not.

 

[504bloke]

As said above this would be better

The thing is when customers get fed up with this pay policy and the shut door approach they will jump ship and once they have changed it will be hard for RA to get them back.

After having received support from RedLion i feel RA should take a leaf from their book!

 

[bkottaras]

As said above this would be better

The thing is when customers get fed up with this pay policy and the shut door approach they will jump ship and once they have changed it will be hard for RA to get them back.

After having received support from RedLion i feel RA should take a leaf from their book!

As most members on here suggested already it would be a great tool.
I have gotten more answers out of Ken R (Rockwell guy) on this forum on Rockwell products than the actual Rockwell forum.
Just add: "Ask Ken" at the end of the link!!

Thanks Ken

 

[504bloke]

Typical example here

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?p=287307#post287307

The poor chap now needs to pay to get a KB article that should be free.

 

[JHutch2000]

Typical example here

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?p=287307#post287307

The poor chap now needs to pay to get a KB article that should be free.

Actually, I would argue that what he is looking for is JUST the type of value add that Rockwell can provide. He's not doing a simple connection from one processor to another. He's routing communications from one processor THRU another one to a third. This sort of thing can really trip people up (I know from experience ... I've sat with lots of folks helping them set this type of scenario up).

While I can definitely see the argument folks have put forward about the forums, I just don't see this one as a valid data point in the free category, unless you are of the opinion that all support should be free (rolled into the cost of the equipment). And, frankly, I'll never sell that argument. It just costs too much money to provide support these days.

Maybe I'm missing why this one should be free is a dual fee vs free environment. If I am, please enlighten me.

Joshua Hutchinson
Rockwell Automation Knowledge Base Support

EDIT - The link he was given, by the way, works whether you have a support contract or not. It was just a link to search results for the keywords "Message thru passthru". Some of the answers are contract only, of course, but the search results are open to everyone.

 

[OkiePC]

Okay, Joshua, how about this one:

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=41586

All he wanted to do was programmatically change the clock value. Why is that a protected tech note?

Paul

 

[504bloke]

Actually, I would argue that what he is looking for is JUST the type of value add that Rockwell can provide. He's not doing a simple connection from one processor to another. He's routing communications from one processor THRU another one to a third. This sort of thing can really trip people up (I know from experience ... I've sat with lots of folks helping them set this type of scenario up).

While I can definitely see the argument folks have put forward about the forums, I just don't see this one as a valid data point in the free category, unless you are of the opinion that all support should be free (rolled into the cost of the equipment). And, frankly, I'll never sell that argument. It just costs too much money to provide support these days.

Maybe I'm missing why this one should be free is a dual fee vs free environment. If I am, please enlighten me.

Joshua Hutchinson
Rockwell Automation Knowledge Base Support

EDIT - The link he was given, by the way, works whether you have a support contract or not. It was just a link to search results for the keywords "Message thru passthru". Some of the answers are contract only, of course, but the search results are open to everyone.

You mean PAID for Value !

The link i posted, i believe the first 2 which are relevant are paid for tech connect articles..

Yes i think this should be free.

Along with a lot of other people i am pi$$ed with RA's charge for support policy, so yes i think all the KB should be open along with the forums.

I have an old S5 siemens, or an old S7-200, i go to siemens, support is FREE, i go to there forums, Its completely open, i ring germany and speak to someone in english and they help me!!

Shall i go on.......

I buy a redlion product, there software is free, there support is free, there firmware revisions are free, there support is rock solid and they bend over backwards for me...

Shall i go on ?