Software and computer companies are judged by the quality of their products. But I also judge a company on how well it supports its products. I write about my tech support winners and sinners and customer service experiences more often these days because I've realized the quality of support can go from great to awful practically overnight.
I just bought a MacBook Pro, which I like a lot. It's sleek and fast and its retina display is astonishing. The one I bought is an older model, sold by Apple in its refurbished store. It comes with two USB 3.0 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports, which are so yesterday _ Thunderbolt 3 is what new MacBooks have. I wanted to get an adapter for one of the Thunderbolt ports so that I could plug a USB hub into the port, allowing me to use more than the two USB ports on the computer. Yes, I know I could have cut to the chase and just bought a USB hub. But for reasons most people would fine odd, I wanted to make use of the Thunderbolt ports _ because they're there.
Now here's where tech support could result in a huzzah or a raspberry, depending on the tech.
I couldn't find what I was looking for on Amazon, so I called Apple, where a technician understood my madness and, being a kind soul, offered to help. The closest thing Apple had was a Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter, which I didn't need. For the next 20 minutes or so, she searched the Apple Store, Google and other Mac equipment stores, finally apologizing because she couldn't solve my dilemma.
Later in the week, I was having trouble with Boot Camp, which allows any Mac that has an Intel chip to run Windows on a separate partition on the hard drive. A senior adviser at Apple patiently, even enthusiastically, took me through the steps, but when all else failed, he asked me to give him some time to research the problem. After giving me his direct phone number and extension, he told me he would call me the next day, which he did. The problem was not Apple's; it was a Windows problem. He had done the research, told me what needed to be done and invited me to call him anytime. Huzzah times two for Apple.
I run Parallels on my iMac, which allows me to run Windows alongside the Mac operating system. I was having a miserable time installing Quicken 2017 on the Windows part of Parallels. I did some research about possible causes of the problem before I called. This was more or less a test for the unlucky bloke who would take my call.
A long hold time (more than 15 minutes), and I'm connected finally to a Quicken tech. My experience with Quicken support had been positive in the past. But this time my luck ran out.
The Quicken teach wasted my time going through steps I knew wouldn't solve the problem and finally advised me that it's a Windows problem. This took nearly 40 minutes. Quicken goes from a huzzah to a raspberry.
But wait _ there's more. I wondered if maybe it was a Parallels problem, so after calling Parallels and a short wait, I told the tech I thought it was a Windows problem. He did some research and confirmed my suspicions. And then he did what any self-respecting tech would do: He went the extra mile. He decided that even though it was a problem with Windows, and not with Parallels, he'd give me instructions on how to solve it. In a flash, I was running Quicken. Huzza for Parallels support.
In a separate episode, I had, using Acronis True Image, made a backup of the Windows partition of my old laptop and now wanted to install it on the Windows side of Parallels. After a short hold time, a tech sadly told me that it can't be done. I guess I wasn't happy with the answer, but his empathy for my disappointment was touching. I like Acronis and think its tech support is next to perfect. The techs know the product and are eager to share that knowledge. Huzzah to Acronis techs.
If my huzzahs seem repetitious _ I've given high marks to Apple, Parallels and Acronis in previous columns _ it's because the quality of tech support can change, witness Quicken's. If I can't find the answers to my many tech dilemmas, I know I can call the huzzahs in my life and not be disappointed.
