Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Thanks, Microsoft......for, uh, nothing?


Recently (last Saturday evening, to be exact), I was working on a lovely video project for Red River's song, Ghost Town. I used Windows Moviemaker, because, well, that was really the only option available to me.

Everything was going well, until Windows Moviemaker froze up my system.

I had no choice but to shut my PC off, wait the requisite 60 seconds, then turn it back on again.

Which I did.

I got back into good old Moviemaker and continued to edit my project (it was turning out extremely well, by the way.)

But alas. It froze up my system again!

I repeated the previous steps, hoping that I could finish editing two simple frames and be done with it, never to click on the Moviemaker icon again.

This time, however, my PC told me that it needed to "check my disc for instability". Okay. Go ahead. I waited, and waited. I went downstairs, fixed a snack, ate it. Came back. Still checking my disc!

After what seemed like the turn of the seasons, it finished checking. However, now my PC told me that it was shutting down (not fatally ~ at least it didn't tell me it was fatal). Just that it was shutting down, because "something" was definitely wrong.

Well, I guess! I could never boot up windows again! Aha! So, it was fatal! I think my PC was trying to let me down gently.

After a long day Sunday of sitting around flipping through the channels on my TV, since I had nothing else to do, I packed up the stupid PC and lugged it into work with me Monday morning, because there is an IT guy who fixes computers (PC's, no doubt) on the side.

That was five days ago. I'm still waiting. He tells me that my disc is corrupted. Hey, I was kind of anticipating that! He may or may not be able to back up my files. My tens of thousands of precious files (I know; I know ~ back up your files! Oh, like we all do it every day. We don't.)

Either way, I need a new hard drive.

So, from work, I thought, hey, why not contact Microsoft and provide them with some feedback regarding their lovely, high-performing Moviemaker software?

Herewith is my communications log with Microsoft:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject : Windows Moviemaker


Message: Hi, I'm wondering if you are doing anything to make this product more stable. It managed to freeze up my computer twice in one day, and eventually led to not being able to boot my computer at all. I downloaded it from your site, so it should have been safe. Hopefully, my computer is fixable and it doesn't break the bank to pay for the repairs, but I'm really disappointed in the whole experience. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.

I am sorry that your experience with Windows Movie Maker was less than acceptable.

I appreciate you providing us the feedback. It will be instrumental in helping us to improve our products and services. Microsoft is committed to listening to its customers and improving its products and services based upon customer feedback.

However, for further assistance I request you to contact a Microsoft Support Professional via e-mail, telephone or chat by visiting the following web link and selecting the appropriate edition of Windows XP to resolve your issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/select/default.aspx?target=assistance&c1=509&

Please note that the support for Windows Movie maker is tied with Windows.

I hope the above information is helpful.

Thank you,
Karabi
Microsoft Customer Service Representative
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HERE IS WHERE THE LINK TOOK ME:

$59.00
Chat
Monday - Friday 5:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Saturday - Sunday 6:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.

$59.00
E-mail
Always
Up to 8 hours

$59.00
Call Microsoft
Monday - Friday 5:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Saturday - Sunday 6:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject : Windows Moviemaker

Hi and thank you for responding to my complaint regarding the instability of Windows Movie Maker, and the way it caused my computer to crash, resulting in, I am assuming, several dollars out of my pocket to repair my PC, if it is even possible to fix at this point.

My quibble is that the link you provided in your response shows that I actually have to PAY to obtain assistance from you regarding one of YOUR software applications. I really think that Microsoft should stand behind its products, and not expect the buyer to pay for what is essentially YOUR issue. I have read several internet comments regarding the instability of Movie Maker, so it obviously is not just me.

I don't expect anything from you at this point, but I think the issue that I raise is valid. Thank you. I'll be going with a Mac next time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Michelle,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.

I apologize that you are not satisfied with your experience with Microsoft.

Your feedback is very important to us. Microsoft is committed to customer satisfaction, and it is only with the help of our valued customers that we can achieve this goal.

Thank you,
Anil
Microsoft Customer Service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may think the above communications are worthless. I, however, learned some very valuable facts:

First of all, Karabi isn't the friendliest guy in the world. Note how he just said, "Hello". No personalized greeting for Karabi. Karabi is too busy reprimanding people for not using the correct link. He's also busy stating the obvious; "Moviemaker is tied with Windows". No sh*t, Sherlock! I was wondering why they both contained the word, "windows"!

Karabi also hopes that the information he provided was helpful. But I know he doesn't really mean that. Karabi is just putting in his 20-hour workday, saving up his Rupees, and hoping to one day emigrate to the US, where he can get another Customer Service job, in which hostility and high-handedness is the expected norm.

Anil, on the other hand, is a friendly sort. "Hello Michelle". Now that's more like it. I like Anil better. Unfortunately, Anil has just washed his hands of the whole matter, and doesn't even try to offer a solution. He just apologizes and reiterates Karabi's lie about Microsoft being committed to its customers. In what way? I'm sensing a real lack of commitment, personally.

And really. $59.00 to call them? What are they going to say if/when I finally get someone on the line? "Microsoft is very committed to its customers"? Uh, thanks?

$59.00 for an email response? Hey, I got two email responses in two days for free, and they were as helpful, I'm sure, as my $59.00 payout would be.

And finally, I learned more about Microsoft than I already unfortunately knew. Microsoft doesn't care about its customers. And it sure doesn't care about the buggy software it "invents". In fact, I'm wondering if the "developers" sit around laughing, saying, "Hey, wait 'til people try to use this!"

If they're truly committed to their customers, then how about offering to pay the cost of fixing my computer? I'm currently hooked up to an old (and I do mean old) PC that's running Windows ME, for pete's sake. And the fonts and displays are GIANT SIZED, which is really messing with my head. I have to scroll up to actually see what I've written above. Because it doesn't all fit on my screen.

And they get paid really well!

I, on the other hand, don't. Thus, I can hardly afford to get my computer fixed. But I will. That's just how they suck you in.

~~~

No comments: