Annual Reminder: How To Ask For Help

[Richard Kreiss]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On
> Behalf Of Mike Schwartz
> Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 3:51 PM
> To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: RE: Annual Reminder: How To Ask For Help
> 
> > My favorite bug report is the following statement:
> >
> > "A filepro error has occurred"
> >
> > For some reason, the reporter never thinks anything else on the screen
> > is important or helpful.
> >
> > Nancy
> 
>       For years I've prefaced many of my error messages with, "Please
write
> down the following error and notify Mike Schwartz:\n".
> 
>       And, yes, I've pre-paid for 50 years of service to the phone that
I'm going
> to have buried with me.
> 
>      I wouldn't mind it at all if our wish-list showed:  Change "A filePro
error has
> occurred..." to "Please hardcopy or write down the following filePro
error...".
> 
>       Not that that would probably do any good...
> 
> Mike

Mike,

I have had client's call telling me the errorbox is up.  When I ask them if
there is an <H> to hardcopy and I ask them to hardcopy it, they say "no I
don't need to do that because I wrote down the whole message"  I ask them to
Fax it to me,  and when they do, it is unreadable or missing values.

I am sure you have had clients call about an error message and when you ask
what it says, they tell you they pressed <enter> and didn't write it down
and don't remember.

I had one client who kept copious records about support calls.  She would
write down her question on a page in a notebook; she would then write down
the solution to the problem.  She always checked her book before calling me
with a problem. 

 She also printed out those error messages which she could and would write
down what she was doing prior to the message coming up.  In fact she did
this for any error message.  It made it easier to duplicate the problem
creating the error.

Wish all clients were like that.

Richard Kreiss

PS: Wishing all of you a safe holiday