tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post3940595644354333410..comments2024-02-14T02:30:36.732-05:00Comments on The Blog of Helios: Balancing the ScalesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13978117986484281976noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-53091957908034302512009-06-30T02:47:59.520-05:002009-06-30T02:47:59.520-05:00Not to put too fine a point on it, if Acer does bu...Not to put too fine a point on it, if Acer does business with Microsoft like Dell does, they buy Windows Licenses in bulk. While the Eula obviously points out that the software isn't "owned" by Acer, Acer is in possession of the software and possession is 9/10ths of the law, or so the saying goes.<br /><br />BSA not considered.<br /><br />hAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978117986484281976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-87262957760909856482009-06-30T02:36:17.735-05:002009-06-30T02:36:17.735-05:00Three guys walk into a bar. While they are standi...Three guys walk into a bar. While they are standing there, one of the friends accidentally knocks a heavy crystal pretzel bowl off the bar and it smashes one of the other guy's foot. The guy is hopping around and it becomes evident that his foot is broken.<br /><br />"Damn, I didn't need this. I am broke and I cannot afford a trip to the emergency room."<br /><br />The clumsy guy shrugs, reaches into the third friend's pocket, extracts 500 dollars and gives it to the injured buddy.<br /><br />"Here." he says "This should cover it, now get in a cab and get that foot taken care of."<br /><br />Acer didn't make anything good helios. They gave you Bill Gates' property, not theirs. Putting Vista on those computers didn't amend a thing. They gave away something that did not belong to them. Hell, they didn't even pay your cab fare. You had to drive yourself to the hospital.<br /><br />Pathetic bunch at Acer I say. That only intensifies our boycott of Acer products.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-72746576460025810212009-06-30T02:24:03.238-05:002009-06-30T02:24:03.238-05:00I didn't mention this, actually it was a bit e...I didn't mention this, actually it was a bit embarrassing but funny at the same time.<br /><br />Acer did go out of their way to make this right. When they unblocked the login, they did what they thought would be a generous thing by installing a fully licensed copy of Vista Business Edition on each computer.<br /><br />Now be quiet...I cannot concentrate amidst the hysterical howling. Yes, given who we are, it is funny...but that's not the point. They thought they were doing the right thing by doing so. From a retail standpoint, it WAS a generous gesture and I for one appreciate it. <br /><br />I am actually going to ship the machine with Vista on it to the winner of the Acer drawing...not as an insult, but as something cathartic to perform. "The Cleansing" of a drive, as it were.<br /><br />Almost as cathartic as "installing" Vista into a paper shredder.<br /><br />hAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978117986484281976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-78226432707344156622009-06-29T22:01:11.270-05:002009-06-29T22:01:11.270-05:00And Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc. wonder why Appl...And Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, etc. wonder why Apple is eating their lunch. When one of my Macs dies, I can make an appointment, show up at the store, and have a courteous employee fix it on the spot.<br /><br />Customer service isn't trapping the customer in a phone system designed to make the customer furious by the time that they actually reach a person.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18354974465136846413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-53143819371515881902009-06-29T18:38:03.582-05:002009-06-29T18:38:03.582-05:00Good for you but I was really looking forward to t...Good for you but I was really looking forward to the wood chipper video. (Or M-80 demonstration)<br /><br />Still I would have preferred the "Don't let this happen to your laptop" demo but its better they go to the deserving kids.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14202236588030415716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-38817062073774377572009-06-29T17:57:10.480-05:002009-06-29T17:57:10.480-05:00"I once saw..."
Oh yeah? I once saw a ..."I once saw..."<br /><br />Oh yeah? I once saw a wood chipper throw up a bsod AND memory core dump after the first boot of Vista.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-86186309943461744322009-06-29T16:20:19.206-05:002009-06-29T16:20:19.206-05:00Kenny, I understand and greatly appreciate your se...Kenny, I understand and greatly appreciate your sense of fairness. 'Tis a rare thing these days but it isn't enough. You spent three hours a day for three days on the phone with them. On top of that you physically drove to their facility and dropped the laptops off for repair, then drove home.<br /><br />How much time did that take you all totaled? Did this hassle take you away from things that you should have been doing? Like working and providing a living for yourself? Did the time spent backlog your deliveries of computers to your HeliOS Project kids?<br /><br />I know the answers to those questions because I work for you off and on. <br /><br />Acer didn't do anything special. You painted them into a "have-to" corner and they responded to put out any PR fires. They only did what they had to do...and nothing more.<br /><br />I have forwarded this blog AND my directive to our purchasing agent. I don't believe we need to do business with Acer until they give you one of their top of the line laptops for your troubles.<br /><br />Knowing you, you won't ask. They remain on our "NBUAC" list until they make good with you.<br /><br />"No Business Under Any Circumstance"<br /><br />Randy MeyersRandall Meyers - Dallasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-43595050881609357002009-06-29T15:07:51.897-05:002009-06-29T15:07:51.897-05:00When I get an Indian named "Bob", I alwa...When I get an Indian named "Bob", I always say something like "Howdy, Bob, ah'm Krishnamurti. How's things with you an' all the good ol' boys down the Ganges?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-86502516973543615962009-06-29T12:13:38.576-05:002009-06-29T12:13:38.576-05:00Pete has a point but I think Acer could go a long ...Pete has a point but I think Acer could go a long way in making sure this problem doesn't happen again.<br /><br />first off, I think there is a real problem when you have a customer support base that does not speak the customer base language natively. I've worked tech support extensively and every shop I've worked for have had "red flag" situations for either supervisor intervention or at least a tier escalation. Any time we had complaints from a non-profit, it was a red flag. Acer has been perceived as turning a non-profit by the ankles here and shaking 100 dollars out of their pocket and that isn't good for business. Sure Acer fixed the problem. They should have donated a laptop to the cause.<br /><br />I'm with Pete here. They did the right thing but only after being embarrassed and forced to do so. I'm not sure I will buy another Acer product until they do what's right with helios.<br /><br />Helios, that's just my opinion. You showed a lot of class here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-87712347251393888312009-06-29T12:04:02.706-05:002009-06-29T12:04:02.706-05:00However..!! while it was great for Acer to step ...However..!! while it was great for Acer to step up and do the right thing.. the fact still remains that for anyone else calling with this issue.. they will have to go thru the same thing Helios went thru and at the end of the day probably still have to $100 to fix the problem...<br /><br /><br />Helios experience with Acer and a coworker's same experience with Acer for the exact same problem..( my coworker paid the $100).. has made me shy away from Acer products.. companies have to realize that in todays world of the WWW... world of mouth is no longer you tell 5 people and they may tell 5 people... and it most likely stops there.. today.. you post your experience on the WWW and thousands if not millions of eyes see it.. <br /><br />so while Helios did the right thing and also posted the positives... the problem still exists and the damage to their name has been done by their greed..Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670183390035783604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-25676724932520402552009-06-29T11:37:23.093-05:002009-06-29T11:37:23.093-05:00Ken, wonderful work.
Acer will be glad to know th...Ken, wonderful work.<br /><br />Acer will be glad to know that we have reinstated them onto our vendor list. And as you so graciously balanced the scales, I will do the same. I will call <br />San Jose this afternoon.<br /><br />I was not shy about calling them and telling them to go to hell.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-33533479141475294672009-06-29T11:03:23.468-05:002009-06-29T11:03:23.468-05:00Wood chipper eh? I once saw (snort) a video of Vi...Wood chipper eh? I once saw (snort) a video of Vista being installed in a paper shredder. It installed with no issues.kozmcraehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477116396443886503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33801994.post-35970927006305164692009-06-29T09:52:43.365-05:002009-06-29T09:52:43.365-05:00See Helios, this is what separates you from 99 per...See Helios, this is what separates you from 99 percent of the other tech bloggers in the blogosphere. Sure, it was easy to trash Acer, and I believe you were right in doing so. Your non profit is doing amazing work. However, very few in my experience ever go back and report on the corrected situation like you did. You did it with style, humor and class.<br /><br />Thanks for offsetting the rest of us who wouldn't have bothered.<br /><br />SteveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com