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For Beginners and others who spend time madly writing questions in forums
This thread has 40 replies. Displaying posts 16 through 30.
Post 16 made on Friday August 21, 2020 at 16:27
Brentm
Ethereal Home Theater
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On August 21, 2020 at 13:04, Fred Harding said...
Brad, Brent and I did this back in the early 2000's...

I do not remember what year it was, but it was DAMN cold in Chicago.
Brent McCall
Paid Endorser for;
Ethereal (386) 846-7264 Cell
Post 17 made on Friday August 21, 2020 at 16:50
jrainey
Active Member
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So here I am...kind words from Brent...who is a old man....I am am lumped in with him...that also makes me a old man.

And the Onkyo rep.

2020 got anything more for me?????
Jack Rainey - Full disclosure...reformed integrator, now mid-Atlantic manufacturers rep for: Integra, Paradigm, Anthem, Parasound, Atlona, LG TV's and Metra Home Theater...among others
Post 18 made on Friday August 21, 2020 at 20:06
Brad Humphrey
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On August 21, 2020 at 13:04, Fred Harding said...
Brad, Brent and I did this back in the early 2000's...

Exactly. They are still using that same material on tests. From what I understand, questions related to FireWire, parallel ports, etc. Some things that are not even around anymore.Not sure when all these bad things changed there. But it was obviously after you guys helped out
Post 19 made on Friday August 21, 2020 at 20:57
Brentm
Ethereal Home Theater
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I think that the goal of Comp Tia was good, but yeah it really did not go anywhere.
Brent McCall
Paid Endorser for;
Ethereal (386) 846-7264 Cell
Post 20 made on Friday August 21, 2020 at 22:46
Trunk-Slammer -Supreme
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On August 21, 2020 at 13:04, Fred Harding said...
Brad, Brent and I did this back in the early 2000's...

Did you mean to say early 1900's?



LOL
Post 21 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 09:05
highfigh
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On August 21, 2020 at 10:47, tomciara said...
|
I would have to say that RTI was perhaps the best or probably worst example. When everyone out in the field was having the same problems with their product, you could call them up to ask about it, and they would say it is the first time they had heard about it. That is what infuriates people in the field, trying to make their %#*@ work.

They're far from alone- if I had a dollar for every time I heard "Gee- I have never heard of this before", I could have retired and built a huge home, bought cars, etc. The fact that the tech support people rarely understand what we're trying to do makes it worse but, to be fair, the companies can't very well pay experts to sit at a computer and explain this stuff to people who may not have RTFM- there are just as many people in this industry who are clueless and that means they won't even ask the right questions. However, when I ask for answers to technical questions and even the engineers don't understand, it pisses me off- I'm not being paid to find out what their shyte does or doesn't do. They should already know that.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 22 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 09:08
highfigh
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On August 21, 2020 at 20:06, Brad Humphrey said...
Exactly. They are still using that same material on tests. From what I understand, questions related to FireWire, parallel ports, etc. Some things that are not even around anymore.Not sure when all these bad things changed there. But it was obviously after you guys helped out

Do they still deal with Token Ring networks?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 23 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 10:00
Anthony
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Sorry Ernie.
But I must agree with everyone else.

Some rudimentary detective work always needs to be done first. Some answers might be found in the documentation, people in the field always have more real life experience (unless it issomething supper new) then the engineers that designed it all the way to the lowly call center tech (for larger companies) that only knows what pops up on his screen
...
Post 24 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 10:07
goldenzrule
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There are good and there are bad.  If you think it is frustrating to deal with a caller while they change wires, try going to a job to add a music streamer to an existing system, which should take 20 minutes, and having all IP control of video devices in the system stop working.  4 calls to tech support with no resolution.  They kept rewriting my file, loading new completely new files.  They couldn't fix it.  Finally, a last call 8 and a half hours later, the 5th TS person immediately says she knows what is going on, and has me download a special "beta" version of the software and simply load our file and download to the system, voila.  Everything fixed.  8.5 hours due to some firmware issue that 4 of 5 tech support people had no clue about. This job was on a Friday, and they host a large party for the town every year with close to 200 guests and utilize the 3 outdoor TVs.  The party was on Saturday, so I was feeling the stress to get this going, so I had to also postpone my other job for that day a week due to this.  If TS simply communicated, I could have been out of there within an hour and moved on to my next job.

With that said, I get that is not necessarily the norm, but I rarely call in for support, and it is only when I have exhausted all thoughts on what could possibly be going on.  If you get a good TS agent, everything goes smoothly.  If you get one reading a script and doesn't seem to know any more about the system or issue than you do, the aggravation sets in.  The above example, btw, was the final straw that led me to seek out a new control/automation system after being with them for years.  There is only so much I can take.
Post 25 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 11:10
buzz
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I've had good and bad experiences over the years. In one case I was on a first name basis with the whole support team and we would recognize each other on sight at conferences. And there have the script crews that first insist that I connect this, disconnect that, reboot everything, then they will discuss my issue -- that probably needs to be bumped up a level.

I have had some very good experiences. In one case I called a TV manufacturer's support line asking a very specific question about RS-232 support. The phone person didn't have the answer, but said she would ask the factory. About two weeks later I got a return call instructing me to remove jumper xxx and install jumper yyy.

I had a running issue with my DSL. I moved to another apartment about 90 feet from the original location and asked to have my service moved. I could reach out the window and touch the old phone line, but I struggled for about six weeks with no service. Excuses were: "that job is done", " reboot ... ", "service not available in your area", "we don't support your computer", and on and on. I finally called the regional office and asked for help. They were very polite and in about an hour a very competent person called, we quickly established that we both knew what we were doing, and he gave me a phone number that did not go through the switchboard. When I used the number they recognized me by name. After a few hours they called back and informed me that there was an issue in their central office rack and it would require a couple days to schedule the replacement. Two days later I was back online.
OP | Post 26 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 11:22
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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On August 22, 2020 at 10:00, Anthony said...
Sorry Ernie.
But I must agree with everyone else.

Some rudimentary detective work always needs to be done first. Some answers might be found in the documentation, people in the field always have more real life experience (unless it issomething supper new) then the engineers that designed it all the way to the lowly call center tech (for larger companies) that only knows what pops up on his screen

Did I say we shouldn't do detective work before calling? I don't remember doing that. And how could a person even formulate a question without working through all details that CAN be figured out? (Besides, I contradicted myself on this issue back on the last Friday of July by posting here before calling LG.) I never did call them.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
OP | Post 27 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 15:28
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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An example of the detective work that I would do before asking anybody or calling the factory can be seen at [Link: remotecentral.com].

Don't let its size fool you -- that's a lot of writing but it's probably less than ten minutes of looking at and messing with the components.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 28 made on Saturday August 22, 2020 at 16:16
Brad Humphrey
Super Member
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On August 22, 2020 at 15:28, Ernie Gilman said...
An example of the detective work that I would do before asking anybody or calling the factory can be seen at [Link: remotecentral.com].

To which you misread and made an incorrect assumption. But I corrected you, so it's all good :)
Post 29 made on Sunday August 23, 2020 at 09:25
highfigh
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I had a problem with a remote from a company that tells us that their database is the best in the industry and at one point, I asked the guy in tech support if he wanted me to send the configuration file to him, so he could check for errors and his response was "I don't know what good that would do". I was so stunned that I forgot to ask for his name. I went to a training session for this brand a couple of weeks later and told the trainer about this and I thought his head was going to spin off. I have asked questions when calling another brand's tech support and they not only told me why the remote from a TV was controlling a camera DVR, he told me the manufacturer of the IR control chips and how they're like a set of commands without names until the equipment manufacturer decides how they want to assign them. They have also taken the hex code files I sent and added them to their database on several occasions- something the first brand I alluded to has never done for me and I assume, for others.

ISP/cable providers seem to be the worst, but I have had contact with a few who really knew what they were doing. If only we could be assigned someone with a clue, to be called when we need them.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 30 made on Sunday August 23, 2020 at 09:54
goldenzrule
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On August 23, 2020 at 09:25, highfigh said...
I had a problem with a remote from a company that tells us that their database is the best in the industry and at one point, I asked the guy in tech support if he wanted me to send the configuration file to him, so he could check for errors and his response was "I don't know what good that would do". I was so stunned that I forgot to ask for his name. I went to a training session for this brand a couple of weeks later and told the trainer about this and I thought his head was going to spin off. I have asked questions when calling another brand's tech support and they not only told me why the remote from a TV was controlling a camera DVR, he told me the manufacturer of the IR control chips and how they're like a set of commands without names until the equipment manufacturer decides how they want to assign them. They have also taken the hex code files I sent and added them to their database on several occasions- something the first brand I alluded to has never done for me and I assume, for others.

ISP/cable providers seem to be the worst, but I have had contact with a few who really knew what they were doing. If only we could be assigned someone with a clue, to be called when we need them.

Without even asking, I can tell that the company you are referring to is the same one I posted about above.
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