db ·´¯`·.¸. said:<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
lockmi said:Hi. I just joined this community to give you my experience with
ShopArhive.
I purchased Vista Ultimate (x86) and Microsoft Office 2007 Professional
about 18 months or so ago. The purchase took about 24 hours to come
through and, with no feedback of any kind, I reacted by sending a very
tersely worded email to all addresses I could find for the company. The
company's reaction was both apologetic and indignant - basically saying
"What the Hell!! It's only been 24 hours!!". The keys and download
links arrived a few hours after their e-mail response and downloaded
just fine. Vista installation had some difficulty (my fault as it
turned out), but their tech-support got me on track. Office
installation went very smoothly.
So far so good.
I then purchased a new laptop and transferred Office 2007 to this
machine. Installation went fine on the new machine using the keys
provided, but the package refused to activate citing an invalid product
key. I went back to ShopArhive for help and was told quite
categorically that ShopArhive is simply a sales channel and has no
obligation beyond the initial delivery and installation. After a lot of
cajoling, argument and outright lambasting the short answer remained: my
problem, not theirs. To top it all off, I was told that I could get
another key by buying another copy of the product. Marvellous.
The problem is, as pissed as I was at the lack of support (not to
mention the "just buy another" response), I can see ShopArhive's point
of view. Technical problems tend to remain with the OEM for support and
service. How many people have had cell/mobile telephone handset
problems fixed by the network that sold then the bundled
handset/subscription? At least in Australia, any problems with the
machinery get referred back to the OEM. As far as ShopArhive was
concerned Microsoft's registration/activation process's failure to
accept my product key (especially after the installation had succeeded,
remember) was a technical product problem and resolution belonged to the
OEM - Microsoft.
So I went to Microsoft and told them the whole story. Predictably, the
call centre's response was "Vendor issue, not OEM", backed up by "that's
what you get when you buy bodgy junk over the 'net" - not those words,
but certainly that message. More marvellous. So I tried to escalate
the problem using the twin arguments of:
- it was registration/activation, not installation, that failed;
and
- the whole handset/network vs OEM paradigm.
I finally got to speak to a senior help-desk/tech guy who admitted the
logic of my argument but said that:
- this has never happened before (I think that line's in the
call-centre script...)
- Microsoft didn't have a policy on this (ditto); and
- he would have to promote this and get back to me (double ditto).
I gave the guy all the details of the transaction (receipts, keys,
links, the lot), managed to get his direct contact details, and then
badgered him every couple of days for about two weeks. We went through
a number of bug-fix attempts, all of which ultimately involved
re-installation, but nothing worked. I was nearing the end of my
allotted non-activated launches and getting pretty seriously frustrated.
Hat's off to the tech-guy though - he remained calm, polite and
understanding all the way through. Then, after about three weeks of
to-and-fro, the tech-guy (who's name, I'm embarrassed to say, I can't
remember but I sure hope he's a VP in customer service now) called me
and said that:
- Microsoft had contacted ShopArhive about this issue;
- had confirmed my allegations re purchase and support;
- had argued my case on my behalf; and
- had been refused on exactly the same grounds as I had.
THE RESULT?[/B] THE TECH GUY GOT AUTHORISATION TO ISSUE ME WITH A NEW
KEY AND, EVEN TWO LAPTOPS LATER, IT'S BEEN HAPPY DAYS EVER SINCE.
NOW I'M STILL PRETTY IMPRESSED THAT MICROSOFT FOLLOWED UP SHOPARHIVE AT
ALL, LET ALONE ARGUED MY CASE FOR ME OR ACTUALLY CHOSE TO MAKE ME WHOLE,
SO I'M FRANKLY PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH THEM.
CONCLUSIONS?
- ShopArhive's policy is no different to any other OEM/sales
channel/end user relationship as far as I can see. The primary
difference to my mind is that the
way-distant-offshore-in-chicken-plucking-Latvia makes them a little
more arrogant re their nil after-care policy than they might be if
they lived in the same country as their clients.
- The initial purchase and installation was quite satisfactory, once
you accept the slow turnaround time, and their tech support was
willing, fluent English and, what's more important, correct.
- Microsoft acted reasonably and responsibly and have won my respect
for ever and a day.
- I will probably use ShopArhive again when the time comes to upgrade
to Office 20XX or Windows 7.0. The first installation worked without
complaint and at the discount you get you actually could afford to buy
two or three downloads before you've spent the same as an in-store
copy.
- Despite the hiccups, ShopArhive's model and industry position is
exactly what e-commerce is all about - geographically independent
non-support commodity distribution. The whole idea, if I remember the
late 90's correctly, was that the ability to have a virtual
distribution channel would enable the savings from non-investment in
infrastructure and logistics that ShopArhive seem to be offering. If
you want a physical CD/DVD, local presence and local enforcement when
things go wrong, pay the premium and but it from a shop. S-Commerce.
Give it a go.
Finally no one reading this should rely on my experience as comfort for
dealing with either ShopArhive or Microsoft. Specifically:
- I can't guarantee that anybody else will get the same level of
professional care and support from Microsoft that I enjoyed
- I can't guarantee that my problems will ever occur for anybody
else. ShopArhive could very easily be correct and the problems may
very well have been due to Microsoft and not ShopArhive's
responsibility in any way; and
- after all this time, I can't guarantee that Microsoft haven't
established a "we don't fix problems with products sold by bodgy
'net-based download-only vendors" policy.
Anyway - sorry to be so long winded, but I just thought that this might
help.
Cheers
MDL
--
lockmi
------------------------------------------------------------------------
lockmi's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/89235.htm
View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/ms-office-support/812527.htm
http://forums.techarena.in
Milly Staples - MVP Outlook said:Bottom line, if you buy from someone other than a reliable brick and
mortal or online RETAIL outlet, not OEM, the few dollars saved will cost
you later on.
--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
lockmi said:Hi. I just joined this community to give you my experience with
ShopArhive.
I purchased Vista Ultimate (x86) and Microsoft Office 2007 Professional
about 18 months or so ago. The purchase took about 24 hours to come
through and, with no feedback of any kind, I reacted by sending a very
tersely worded email to all addresses I could find for the company. The
company's reaction was both apologetic and indignant - basically saying
"What the Hell!! It's only been 24 hours!!". The keys and download
links arrived a few hours after their e-mail response and downloaded
just fine. Vista installation had some difficulty (my fault as it
turned out), but their tech-support got me on track. Office
installation went very smoothly.
So far so good.
I then purchased a new laptop and transferred Office 2007 to this
machine. Installation went fine on the new machine using the keys
provided, but the package refused to activate citing an invalid product
key. I went back to ShopArhive for help and was told quite
categorically that ShopArhive is simply a sales channel and has no
obligation beyond the initial delivery and installation. After a lot of
cajoling, argument and outright lambasting the short answer remained: my
problem, not theirs. To top it all off, I was told that I could get
another key by buying another copy of the product. Marvellous.
The problem is, as pissed as I was at the lack of support (not to
mention the "just buy another" response), I can see ShopArhive's point
of view. Technical problems tend to remain with the OEM for support and
service. How many people have had cell/mobile telephone handset
problems fixed by the network that sold then the bundled
handset/subscription? At least in Australia, any problems with the
machinery get referred back to the OEM. As far as ShopArhive was
concerned Microsoft's registration/activation process's failure to
accept my product key (especially after the installation had succeeded,
remember) was a technical product problem and resolution belonged to the
OEM - Microsoft.
So I went to Microsoft and told them the whole story. Predictably, the
call centre's response was "Vendor issue, not OEM", backed up by "that's
what you get when you buy bodgy junk over the 'net" - not those words,
but certainly that message. More marvellous. So I tried to escalate
the problem using the twin arguments of:
- it was registration/activation, not installation, that failed;
and
- the whole handset/network vs OEM paradigm.
I finally got to speak to a senior help-desk/tech guy who admitted the
logic of my argument but said that:
- this has never happened before (I think that line's in the
call-centre script...)
- Microsoft didn't have a policy on this (ditto); and
- he would have to promote this and get back to me (double ditto).
I gave the guy all the details of the transaction (receipts, keys,
links, the lot), managed to get his direct contact details, and then
badgered him every couple of days for about two weeks. We went through
a number of bug-fix attempts, all of which ultimately involved
re-installation, but nothing worked. I was nearing the end of my
allotted non-activated launches and getting pretty seriously frustrated.
Hat's off to the tech-guy though - he remained calm, polite and
understanding all the way through. Then, after about three weeks of
to-and-fro, the tech-guy (who's name, I'm embarrassed to say, I can't
remember but I sure hope he's a VP in customer service now) called me
and said that:
- Microsoft had contacted ShopArhive about this issue;
- had confirmed my allegations re purchase and support;
- had argued my case on my behalf; and
- had been refused on exactly the same grounds as I had.
THE RESULT?[/B] THE TECH GUY GOT AUTHORISATION TO ISSUE ME WITH A NEW
KEY AND, EVEN TWO LAPTOPS LATER, IT'S BEEN HAPPY DAYS EVER SINCE.
NOW I'M STILL PRETTY IMPRESSED THAT MICROSOFT FOLLOWED UP SHOPARHIVE AT
ALL, LET ALONE ARGUED MY CASE FOR ME OR ACTUALLY CHOSE TO MAKE ME WHOLE,
SO I'M FRANKLY PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH THEM.
CONCLUSIONS?
- ShopArhive's policy is no different to any other OEM/sales
channel/end user relationship as far as I can see. The primary
difference to my mind is that the
way-distant-offshore-in-chicken-plucking-Latvia makes them a little
more arrogant re their nil after-care policy than they might be if
they lived in the same country as their clients.
- The initial purchase and installation was quite satisfactory, once
you accept the slow turnaround time, and their tech support was
willing, fluent English and, what's more important, correct.
- Microsoft acted reasonably and responsibly and have won my respect
for ever and a day.
- I will probably use ShopArhive again when the time comes to upgrade
to Office 20XX or Windows 7.0. The first installation worked without
complaint and at the discount you get you actually could afford to buy
two or three downloads before you've spent the same as an in-store
copy.
- Despite the hiccups, ShopArhive's model and industry position is
exactly what e-commerce is all about - geographically independent
non-support commodity distribution. The whole idea, if I remember the
late 90's correctly, was that the ability to have a virtual
distribution channel would enable the savings from non-investment in
infrastructure and logistics that ShopArhive seem to be offering. If
you want a physical CD/DVD, local presence and local enforcement when
things go wrong, pay the premium and but it from a shop. S-Commerce.
Give it a go.
Finally no one reading this should rely on my experience as comfort for
dealing with either ShopArhive or Microsoft. Specifically:
- I can't guarantee that anybody else will get the same level of
professional care and support from Microsoft that I enjoyed
- I can't guarantee that my problems will ever occur for anybody
else. ShopArhive could very easily be correct and the problems may
very well have been due to Microsoft and not ShopArhive's
responsibility in any way; and
- after all this time, I can't guarantee that Microsoft haven't
established a "we don't fix problems with products sold by bodgy
'net-based download-only vendors" policy.
Anyway - sorry to be so long winded, but I just thought that this might
help.
Cheers
MDL
--
lockmi
------------------------------------------------------------------------
lockmi's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/89235.htm
View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/ms-office-support/812527.htm
http://forums.techarena.in
Milly Staples said:Bottom line, if you buy from someone other than a reliable brick and mortal
kwyle said:Just purchased vista premium. Download completed in 2.5 hrs. Key
emailed within that time. Only hassle was typing in the key when vista
setup asks for it. I'm not that much of a typist.
Download is an ISO File. Burn to disc with ISO magic etc. Run vista
compatability check and do as you are told. Very simple really.
kwyle's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/108794.htm
View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/ms-office-support/812527.htm
http://forums.techarena.in
Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?
You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.