DELL's Customer Service Manual (based on the problem I reported):
In order to provide customer support:
1. Don't answer customer e-mails. Chances are the problem will fix itself.
2. Refer the customer to Customer Advocacy Programme e-mail support. Make
sure that no one answers those e-mails too.
3. Don't bother looking into a problem unless it is escalated to a
supervisor.
4. Be polite when having no idea about software or computers - it may just
do the trick.
5. Refer the client to Microsoft despite a notice that OEM software and
hardware are supported by the hardware vendor.
6. Delay the solution for a month and see if the problem goes away.
7. Don't worry to understand what the problem is. First advice solution:
reformat the hard disk - it solves all the problems.
8. Avoid contacting the client regarding the problem resolution. Send a
Satisfaction Survey instead.
9. Ring the customer well after hours on his mobile phone and let him know
that someone who knows something would ring him the next day. Make sure that
no one rings the customer for a week.
10. If it doesn't help, send a technician to change the CPU and memory -
again, don't worry to understand what the problem is. Simply ignore the
customer's insight that the problem is with video card driver. The
technician understands the nature of the problem, but he changes the CPU and
memory "to cover his butt".
11. Escalate the software issue to the sales guy that sold the PC in the
first place. Get him to ring the client to tell him that he has no clue
about the problem and has no understanding of software in general.
Reported by: Pawel Achtel
www.24x7.com.au
Pawel Achtel said:
Hi Alvin,
I've always been told that dell support is one of the best.
Crikey, we're in Australia, mate ;-)
Don't sit and take that BS from some front desk rookie.
Yeh, it looks like he has already closed the case because "It's Dell policy
to not support any software problems, just hardware". The fact that
there
is
a problem with video card driver and it is manifested in OWCx Spreadsheet
(installed as OEM from DELL) doesn't matter.
It is remarkable that software supplied by OEMs is not supported by anyone:
Microsoft says it is supported by OEMs and DELL says that they do not
support software.
Have you tried to talk to a supervisor or higher up person.
Yep, I was told he was on holidays ;-)
I have escalated further to Customer Advocacy, but I had no response
so
far.
I'll let you know the outcome.
Cheers,
Pawel Achtel
Snr Consultant
www.24x7.com.au
message I've always been told that dell support is one of the best.
Well, it's good to have hard experience from people going thru the
motions.
Have you tried to talk to a supervisor or higher up person. Don't
sit
and
take that BS from some front desk rookie.
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Hi Alvin,
Well, DELL responded and advised me to re-format hard drive and
re-install
the operating system. That is, of course without even trying to
understand
the problem, or reproducing it or knowing the solution. Sometimes I
wonder,
where do they find these people? There is an evident problem in their
video
card or/and driver and they refuse to address it or acknowledge that
Microsoft and us have established the reason. Of course they also refuse
to
pay $279 for Microsoft Professional Support. They also refuse to
fix
the
problem because "it is not in the company's policy" - I think it doesn't
get
better than this ;-)
Pawel Achtel
Snr Consultant
www.24x7.com.au
in
message hmmm,
I'm running a dell laptop C-640, Ati mobility radeon 7500 graphics
card -
no
problems. I guess you got a lemon
regards
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Hi Alvin,
We tried on different PC (Sony Vaio) and Microsoft Professional
Services
tried it on another system: no problem! Then, I tried on the DELL
machine
running in Safe Mode (VGA): no problem. This is using Microsoft
default
driver. However, there are serious problems on the regular video
driver
for
ATI RAGE 128 Ultra that is shipped with DELL. I even tried the
latest
driver
(ATI RAGE 128 Ultra 16Mb, v 6.60, XWP, Ao5, 12/17/2001), but I got
same
problems.
I still had not have answer from DELL. But, esentially it
looks
like
the
OWC9, OWC10 and OWC11 Spreadsheet components are UNUSABLE on DELL
PCs
unless
you run them in VGA mode (640x480, 16 colours)!
It is not the first software that doesn't run on DELLs. My 3D Graph
Control
(see
www.24x7.com.au/3d.htm ) also does not run on many DELL PCs
(acctually
it runs, it is just that it causes Blue Screen of death if you
instantiate
more than 1 instance of the control).
I guess this is something to keep in mind.
Cheers,
Pawel Achtel
Snr Consultant
www.24x7.com.au
"Alvin Bruney"
wrote
in
message How did they track that down? I'm really burning with curiousity
on
that.
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Alvin,
I think Microsoft Professional Support and I found the problem:
DELL
PC!!!!
It appears to be a hardware issue - most likely the video card
driver
or
hardware. Now, let's see if DELL pays my $279 Microsoft
Professional
Service
bill for finding the bug ;-)
Kind Regards,
Pawel
3D Software Development, Australia
www.24x7.com.au
"Alvin Bruney"
wrote
in> > > > > > > > > message try this link
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];oasoem
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Hi Alvin,
The problem is not in load time - this is fine. The problem
is
in
navigating
(changing the selected cell) using either mouse or cursor
keys.
If
the
cells
contain text, say 10 characters long each, 25 columns, 50
rows -
the
control
is unusable to navigate through.
I don't mind submitting this to Microsoft Tech
support.
What
is
the
best
contact?
Kind Regards,
Pawel
3D Software Development, Australia
www.24x7.com.au
"Alvin Bruney"
<vapordan_spam_me_not@hotmail_no_spamhotmail.com>
wrote
in
message I have the spreadsheet loading between 3 and 4000 records
at
full
screen.
And I must say, performance is quite snappy. You are using
this
outside
of
a
web setting? I have only stressed tested it in a web
setting.
I
agree
this
is an issue worth investigating further.
Would you mind submitting this to Microsoft Tech support?
This newsgroup isn't monitored by any excel spreadsheet
specialist
per
se
though the experts here are quite compitent but this bug
may
not
get
the
attention it deserves in here.
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Hi Alvin,
Thanks fo the message.
I've not seen it yet
with OWC11, but it is definitely there on OWC10.
I tried OWC9, OWC10 and OWC11 - same problem. The
navigation
is
extremely
slow when there is some text in the cells (say 50 rows
and
50
columns
full
screen).
How do you load the control?
I tried the following:
1. Inserting on a modeless dialog using ATL C++ (VC++
6.0
SP5)
2. Inserting on a single dialog application using MFC
C++
(VC++
6.0
SP5)
3. Inserting on a windows form using C# .NET (VS 2003)
4. ActiveX Test Container
I encounter the same problem in all of them.
Are you mucking with events?
No.
Before you load the control, set enableundo
events
to
false..
Tried that, no difference...
...AND set the spreadsheet to not fire events...
Tried this too, no change... ;-)
The problem appears in extremely inefficient
Repaint
of
text.
If
you
make
control window smaller: it redraws quicker, if you leave
the
cells
empty
it
also repaints quicker.
I can't believe there is such a fundamental problem,
which
is
essentially
a
version 11 of a commercial product and practically
it
is
unusable
for
most
business applications.
Kind Regards,
Pawel
3D Software Development, Australia
www.24x7.com.au
"Alvin Bruney"
<vapordan_spam_me_not@hotmail_no_spamhotmail.com>
wrote
in
message I think this is a bug in the underlying architecture.
I've
not
seen
it
yet
with OWC11, but it is definitely there on OWC10.
How do you load the control? Are you mucking with
events?
Possible workaround:
Before you load the control, set enableundo
events
to
false,
AND
set
the
spreadsheet to not fire events. AFTER the spreadsheet
is
loaded,
you can re-anable events but DO NOT reset the
enableundo
events
property.
See if this helps. Please let me know.
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message
Hello,
I am making assessment of OWC11 Spreadsheet to use
in
an
institutional
stockmarket trading application. Functionally it
seems
to
meet
most
of
the
criteria, but I found the performance to be
unacceptable
and
I
am
about
to
put a cross on it.
The Test:
1. populate a very moderate 25 columns and say 100
rows
2. Make the control full screen
3. Navigate through cells with a cursor
The CPU is at 100% and it takes several
seconds
(!)
for
the
control
to
catch
up the keyboard events.
Am I missing something or, Is the Spreadsheet
Control
well
and
truly
unusable?
Kind Regards,
Pawel Achtel
Snr Consultant
3D Software Development, Australia
www.24x7.com.au
