Dismal customer service....

I've never dealt with such an unprofessional company before. I've been using this system for several years. I've never asked for technical help before. This is what I got when I finally asked:

*****************
Sylvain: Thank you for contacting us. Your Linden helper is probably talking to multiple people at the same time, so please describe your issue in detail while you wait for them to become available.
Trimming_Hedges: --------------------------- Error --------------------------- Second Life is unable to run because your video card drivers are out of date or unsupported. Please make sure you have the latest video card drivers installed. If you continue to receive this message, contact customer service. --------------------------- OK ---------------------------
Trimming_Hedges: I'm running Server2k3, NVidia 8800GTS, 158.22 drivers (most recent on the website)
Trimming_Hedges: this ran just fine in the last rev, it's something new in this revision.
Trimming_Hedges: Loki didn't answer me on Friday -- I opened a ticket before quitting time and he just closed me down. I found that pretty rude.
Sylvain: Hello
Trimming_Hedges: Both the regular and the First Look clients fail, btw.
Sylvain: Checking if there is any crash logs here that might help
Trimming_Hedges: It doesn't crash, it just refuses to run.
Trimming_Hedges: I've tried uninstalling completely and removing my user settings folder completely, it breaks on a clean install too.
Sylvain: Ok, sorry, I was trying to find out if someone here ever tested SL on Server2k3. I am afraid it is not the case and since that OS is not supported I really won't be able to help.
Trimming_Hedges: That's pure bullshit. I've been running for more than a year on this operating system.
Trimming_Hedges: It works just fine. Please contact someone I can escalate with. I'm a very, very old customer, and this has always worked.
Trimming_Hedges: it changed THIS revision.
Sylvain: We don't test on that OS so, it is not surprising that one day that something would have "broken"
Trimming_Hedges: then UNbreak it. It's something you did in the last week or so.
Sylvain: We would do it if it was something we support. I am sorry.
Trimming_Hedges: I would like to escalate, please.
Sylvain: Sorry, I won't be able to escalate. It is very clear on the web site what we support and we don't.
Trimming_Hedges: It has always worked.
Trimming_Hedges: It changed THIS week.
Trimming_Hedges: I'd like to talk to someone who has the ability to fix it, please.
Sylvain: Nobody has I am afraid. We do not test on this OS.
Trimming_Hedges: Then please connect me with your superior.
Sylvain: I am sorry, your system is not supported. The best way to resolve these problems is to visit our forums and see if someone with the same configuration as you made it works.
Trimming_Hedges: Please connect me with your superior.
[Session has been Closed by Operator.]

Welcome to Second Life

never say you run on an unsupported OS. XP/2K3 shouldn't matter which one you use.

Your post simultaneously covers BOTH of what I consider to be Second Life's biggest problems- namely poor stability and poor customer service/communication. I love SL and I have made a lot of money in it, but I fear that these two issues may be the death of SL if they get any serious competition. I hope they can turn things around. They have reached a point where customer frustration has stagnated overall SL population growth for quite a few months now. Despite getting a lot of publicity in the the press lately and a lot of new sign ups from that coverage, people are also getting fed up with these two issues and thus leaving in droves.

My personal experiences with customer service have varied widely over the years. At times it was good, at other times it has nearly driven me from the game. The general consensus of those I know is that it has gotten steadily worse- especially a few months back when the population was growing rapidly. They do appear to realize that their customer service is (was) failing miserably and I think some recent changes and proposed future changes may help. In the end, the drive for excellent customer service has to come from the top down. I think Philip knows improvements are needed.

I think the stability issues are a much more chronic problem that may avalanche out of control if LL doesn't continue to put 90% of their resources towards stopping the bleeding. SL has never been stable. Many would argue that it began unstable and has gotten worse ever since. I run SL on six machines (need to test the SL games I develop on a wide variety of platforms). Any given update often makes SL stop working on one or more of those systems. It amazes me that anyone can play SL using only one computer lol.

In conclusion I am fairly confident that their customer service will improve. I am less optimistic with respect to stability. I give that 50/50 odds. I have pondered making a full time living in SL but I need to see improvements on both of these issues before I am willing to bet the farm on SL. I hope they are successful. The stagnation of population growth (though bad for SL businesses in the short term) may give SL the time it needs to get its technology (both hardware and software) up to more acceptable levels of performance and stability. Most reasonable people give SL some slack as it is a very novel development and is a very complex platform. However, at four years old now, SL needs to eventually abandon the beta version methodology and focus on stability over new features. They claim they are doing so. I hope this is the case.

You were an ass to the tech support person and I'd have hung up the first time you said "bullshit". If an update broke your client and you demand the shmuck on the support line FIX YOUR DAMNED INTERWEB NOW! you aren't gonna get too far. The support number you called is a separate company contracted by LL to handle the endless ... "I can't log on" support calls. Their goal is to get you off the line as fast as possible and if you tell them you are on an OS they don't support then bam, end of call. Running a 8800 on ServerW2k is likely to have a lot of problems as the drivers are rather poor at the moment for the relatively new cards and frankly I wonder it works at all on Server W2k. Like running Doom3 on FreeBSD but what do I know.

The OP's problem is evidence of very poor training on LL's part. It doesn't matter how unkind the customer is........you do not loose your cool. A customer support rep does not have to take personal abuse but must take abuse directed at the company......that's part of the job. And when asked by the customer for a supervisor, the CSR is obligated to get that person for the customer. Being a customer support or service representative is not an easy job. You do not have the luxury of getting pissed off.....not openly anyway.

Well all my points are assuming a good customer support system is in place............guess that's an inaccurate assumption.

With Mondays update that borders on the ridiculous with more crashes than a demolition derby combined with this mornings frustratingly slow logins, I must downgrade my above mentioned odds of SL reaching reasonable levels of stability and performance before a future competitor runs them out of business from 50/50 to 49/51. hehe (Laughs to conceal my sadness as I really do want SL to be successful.)

I have worked at internet and ebay call centers before, it is their "job" to ask you what OS you use right away to blatently make sure it is supported by their system. If it is not all they will tell you is to contact the OEM Manufacturer since regardless of whether it worked with their program before, they cannot be held responsible if it does not work now. It's not the agents fault, they could have and should have put you through to their "supervisor" since if someone asks for one at a call center it is their responsibility to do so since you are a "paying" customer, but being rude and lashing out at an agent won't get you far and they do have the right to hang up on you or end the call at that point.

Added: Don't worry, I can't even download the update.. I'm an internet tech and I do not have "any" firewalls turned on in my system. I have the same problem as most. They will however lose most likely 1/2 of their customer base if they do not clear this up because at least a good 20-25% run on a Win XP system.

Added: I went to the main website and downloaded the client from there, it does update the program and let me in, however if i attempt to go to set something out and go into edit on it to move it i crash.

Added: I searched the blog to find the answers. So if you are having client crashes due to editing an item, here is their response and where to go back to get the previous viewer until the internal issue is updated in tomorrows release. If the links do not pop up for you, it is listed on the front page of the blog. Hope it helps everyone!

[Update 12:47 PDT] As has been noted in the comments and on the Public JIRA site for this issue, this bug has now been fixed internally. The fix will be included in tomorrow’s viewer release. Until then, please use the 1.17.0 version links below if you need to edit an inworld object. Thank you.

We have received reports through our Public JIRA system that Residents are experiencing intermittent crashes with the 1.17.1 viewer released yesterday. The viewer will sometimes crash when a Resident selects an object and then selects “Edit” from the Pie Menu. You can see more information on the Public JIRA site. Our developers are actively working on correcting this issue and I will be posting updates here.

If you want to return to the previous version of the viewer, you may download the PC version here and the Mac version here.