Best Buy and WB » Forum Post by Dawter

Try that before responding like a punk

That's nice, very encouraging. I've had a few issues I've been dying to get answers to but can't get a peep out of support (even after having devoting many hours beta testing, which other companies pay me for, or at least give some kind of token of appreciation for having devoted a good work-week of time on their product). I have been considering posting to the forum but have had reservations due to just this type of behavior.

Thanks for affirming my decision not to post, everyone. Stardock products are usually great, but the support alone is enough to make me not want to renew next time around. Can you imagine the reaction if this had been any medium other than the internet? Can you put yourself in the other person's shoes, just for a minute or two?

Keep in mind that not everyone has the time or inclination to "hang around". If I spent the time getting to know the "community" for every piece of software I owned, I wouldn't be able to afford any of it. Some of us just want answers so that we can use the software the way it was advertised and go about our business. If the community here supports Stardock, then perhaps a grater collective effort should be made to help out and keep the place clean and inviting, thereby freeing up time and resources for Stardock to improve their products and services.

Simply put; these are clearly the single most unprofessionally kept support mediums I have ever seen. As a support person myself I am completely appaled, and am beginning to regret my purchase(s). It doesn't help things at all when these sentiments are reflected in threads by the most experienced skinners - without which I would never have purchased this software (everything but the games and ThinkDesk, TD being next and was considering games previously). By all appearances, this seems to be quite common here.

To the official support representatives here; I know you work your tails off.. but nobody, you or the customers, deserve this. It only creates unnecessary hassles for both parties. There's nothing here that couldn't be fixed with some good organization and a few good moderators that can enforce a solid Terms of Service agreement.

I took my computer in to Best Buy to get more memory. When the guy started it up he immediately said, "You have Window Blinds on here! That will make your computer slow and it also messes up the registry. I suggest you take it off."
I took it off.

WB used to be that way, but is no longer. Although I agree that Best Buy does not have the best techs (minimum wage doesn't buy great techs), nobody can keep up with every piece of software out there. The company I work for sees literally tens of thousands of new programs and software updates every day, it's impossible for any one person to know every one of them. I wouldn't let that technician scare you away from WB if like it. However this thread may be a different story.

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central

Successfully updated karma reason!

ZubaZ

Join Date 11/2001

+917

Simply put; these are clearly the single most unprofessionally kept support mediums I have ever seen.

I need to reread this thread a third time perhaps but while there was a smattering of sarcasm and a wee bit of odd random humor the responses were fairly helpful.

The illustrated the problems with trusting a Best Buy source. Miss Dawter didn't get the humor and was moderatly insulting. No harm, no foul really.

If one wants official support, one should go to support@stardock.com. THey have always been very professional in my relations with them. The Stardock devs I have spoken to/worked with/consider friends have been great {also very professionalal until *I* opened the door for a more personal relationship}.

If one wants to go to the local pub or hardware store where the "gang" hangs out and ask what they think of this or that . . . WC is the place.

Notok: Feel free to post or not. Before one posts a question, one should search the forums for an answer. While reading likely posts one should get a feel for the community; one should be forming expectations. Then, once one posts, the responses will be in context and all manner of things will be well.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I remember a long time ago when an IT guy where I worked said that it would mess your computer up to change your wallpaper (it was a tiny bitmap that I made). There is this thought that trying to make your computer look better is a waste of time. Almost ANY piece of software can mess your registry up if there is a hiccup--just think how we all hold our breath during the monthly Windows Update. \

Since WB is pointless, why take the risk? The problem with this thinking is that WB is not useless. First, it does make your computer look better, and it does matter. Why listen to MP3's--we all have at least 2 players on our systems, why watch movies (I've had some issues with conflicts with DVD player software in the past, why have more than simple text-based browsers--do you really need to see all those pretty pictures to be productive? We do all these things, they all slow down our computers, and they all involve programs that can cause potential problems and conflicts (particularly if one is not careful). Every study I've looked at shows that productivity is increased when a person is more confortable with their environment (these are non-computer studies, of course, but the same thought applies). To me, the right music and UI on my PC is crucial to being productive. I wouldn't be without either.

But there is another point, and I think we miss making this point all too often. WB actually is a directly productivity increasing application. There are three elements that I use constantly that aren't available in the standard Windows interface. First, there is the ability to roll-up windows. This works far better than the task bar in many instances for me. I simply hate not having this feature when I'm using someone else's computer. The second is the always on top ability. This is very useful as well, particularly when entering information from research. The third is the ability to make windows transparent. Being able to see through to what is underneath is quite useful (I'm not talking about transparent borders, though I like them too--but the ability to make the entire window semi-transparent).

It really does seem to me that the thought beyond the tech's comments were that he thought the software was useless. I mean, why not tell someone to uninstall any Norton products (soooo many problems), RealPlayer (or whatever that pushy player is now called), or Microsoft Office for that matter--they all have the same issues that he mentions as being capital offenses on the part of WindowBlinds. You see the same thought when you read reviews about Vista--"why waste time making it pretty, make it work?" Um, no--make it work and pleasing to the eye, or it's not done.

The tech support guy could be brilliant, and just need a couple bucks while working on his start-up--we don't know that he's an idiot, and the job he has and the amount he is paid says nothing about that. There's no reason to attack the people involved in this issue--just look at the issue itself. I've never had any major problems with Stardock products, and the minor problems were quickly remedied either in the forums at Wincustomize or by Stardock support. It's the "useless" image that gets the products in trouble, and it is that image that needs to be combatted.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

I read your initial post and was confused enough by it to read all the replies.

I still have no idea what the point of your original post was or whether you had a question at all, even after reading your own follow-up replies. Your number 1 objective was to get feedback? About what?

It's as if you posted "I got up this morning."

Well... OK.

Cheers,
Daiwa

Successfully updated karma reason!

Z71

Join Date 08/2001

+76

And BestBuy sucks

I have to disagree on this one.
I've owned 4 computers in my life. The first one would crash every week. The next two would crash once a month or once every two months.
The one I have now, I bought at Best Buy and haven't had one single problem for over a year.
--I did have one crash, but it doesn't count because it was my fault--.

Now the people, on the other hand, are another story. Whenever they talk, I just act like thier the teacher from the Charlie Brown shows. You know, making that --whaa-whaa-- sound. LOL

Successfully updated karma reason!

Jafo

Join Date 03/2001

+1845

Wincustomize.com is a skinning/community site which hosts Stardock's programs' skin libraries, and is primarily funded by Stardock.

It [Wincustomize] is not 'the' official company product support forum. For that contact support@stardock.com

However, as with any community, if you put in a little effort, and some patience, you may find considerable knowledge and assistance here.

The initial thread posting had no query to which to respond. It made a statement which was flawed, as it has been subsequently pointed out that WB is not a resource hog, and that there was/is a VERY good chance the shop assistant was at best naive.

People who want assistance from an open community such as this...but demand it yesterday rather than expending a little effort and showing some patience will likely leave disappointed.

However...if you spend some time you will discover that EVERY problem gets a solution...though the kindness of people volunteering their time to assist.

The 'Now! Generation' is decidedly ugly....

Successfully updated karma reason!

In my own opinion, when going to Best Buy, I don't listen to the Geek Squad. Where I am located, these guys think they are the bee's knees. I have eavesdropped on their support, and mostly it's entertaining and not informative rather opinionated.

My uncle bought an HP desktop with a LightScribe CD RW. He could not get it to "scribe", and so took it back to ask the Geek Squad for some help. I went with him. As I watched, a gathering of Squad members insued. It looked somewhat like a beehive, all this buzzing. They opened and shut the drawer a few times. One of them was focused on looking for something in the monitor that wasn't evident to me or my uncle. After about 15 minutes of waiting, and this is with 4 or 5 of them conferring with each other mind you, they turned and the "leader" asked quite seriously to my uncle: "Do you know how to get this to print?" Silence. Stunned silence.

My uncle's response was surprizingly calm: "I think you click where it says 'file', scroll down to where it says 'print'. But, I brought it in because when I do that, it doesn't do anything."

I went in, once upon a time, for a wireless PCI card. The D-Link 520 I had recieved as a gift was not strong enough. As I perused the wares, a Geek Squad associate came quickly to my aid. He asked me what I was looking for, and I replied that I needed something with a little more ummfph than the D-Link 520. I was eyeing a powered adapter, which he evidently became aware of. He immediately noted to me that the product I was looking at was in no way what I needed. He began to inform me that this Linksys setup over here was what I needed, and that the D-Link was crap. I should switch over to teh MIMO and buy this $120 router to replace the 2WIRE that came with my SBC DSL. I was informed that the equipment I use is hacker friendly and that he would be surprised if my PC's security was not comprimised. SCHACKIDY-WHack! All I wanted was about 20 more feet of reception! If I switched to what he wanted me to switch to, I would then be broadcasting my signal at another 100-500 feet, extending the security parameter I had so fervently worked to harden.

I have more stories from Best Buy. I would not take anything that anyone tells me as God's word without first investigating their theory.

In my opinion, dawter, Windowblinds does not corrupt/mess up one's registry. Nor does it take anymore memory than that of Windows own GUI. However! The skins that you use may sometimes be heavier than others. But that is not the fault of the Windowblinds product, that is the author's use of file format and how many features they have taken advantage of in the making of their wonderful skins.

If you were not having a problem before taking WB off your PC, why would you do it? WindowBlinds is well written, and tremendous thought was put into it. It is in continous development because the develpors want it to work with everything possible.

Most problems are caused by user fault, or simple PC ignorance. If you are not PC savvy, you depend on those that are supposed to have "expertise". I try to treat my PC like a hospital. When I visit a hospital, I do not take one doctor's opinion and fly. I get at least one more opinion before making a decision to amputate my arm, because it has hair on it.

I am not being sarcastic to you when I tell you this. So, for feedback I have this: don't take any one person's advise as Gospel. Do you own investigating. And Windowblinds will not in itself destroy your computer.

Happy Skinning!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2419

The support forums allow the community of users who use these kinds of programs to help. Often that help is more timely and more effective than even tech support can be since no matter how professional tech support people are, they often cannot match the experience of people who have been living the stuff for years and years.

If someone is "afraid" to use the forums to obtain tech support, that is their perogative. They can contact support@stardock.com.

Moreover, I think some people don't realize how much support Stardock provides on-line in addition to the forums:

https://www.stardock.helpserve.com/

Successfully updated karma reason!

ZubaZ

Join Date 11/2001

+917

Moreover, I think some people don't realize how much support Stardock provides on-line in addition to the forums:
Link

Brad,
Having logged a case or two through the new system I think it's great. However, this would be sooo much better if it used one's stardock or Wincustomize credentials . . .

Keep up the good work and Happy Holy days.

Successfully updated karma reason!