Ok acer really got me pissed off... and apparently that message board thing will go down soon, so i copied everything to a txt doc. Posting it here again for all to see in its glory.
02/14/07 1:16:00 AM CST
pileot@hotmail.com Upgraded to vista, drivers / software wont work Reply Top
Product: Aspire 9800
SerialNo:
OS: Windows Vista
Purchased:
I have recently purchased Vista, and to my dismay i cant seem to load any of the E-programs. I am especially concerned with the power utility that allowed me to determine the speed of my processor to conserve battery power. I have looked on the website for drivers for Vista, however there are none.
Is there anywhere that i can download the drivers for my laptop that will work with Vista? the default drivers work, but dont provide the additional support that i am looking for.
02/23/07 3:24:00 PM CST RE:Upgraded to vista, drivers / software wont work Reply Top
Dear Jon ,
Thank you for contacting Acer America. I apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry. How did you obtain your copy of Windows Vista? Did you purchase it from a store or get it as an upgrade from an authorized fulfillment center?
Regards,
Acer Online Support Team
03/09/07 2:12:00 AM CST
pileot@hotmail.com RE:Upgraded to vista, drivers / software wont work Reply Top
I bought the copy of vista from a store.
Here is a link to the vista drivers (most of em anyways) it would have been nice if you would have supplied me with that instead of asking silly questions... It doesnt matter where i got the CD... these are the specific drivers for my laptop, they shouldnt be any different than ones i would get on an acer CD...
http://secure2.tx.acer.com/VistaDownloads/AcerSeries.aspx (Remember this... *I* give acer this link... note the date...)If i had a CD or upgrade from ACER i would most likely have the drivers im asking for already, and therefore not be asking this question. It could have served me, the customer, a lot better by providing me a link to what i obviously know i need. Apparently i know what im looking for, but at the time was unable to find it.
03/09/07 2:44:00 AM CST
pileot@hotmail.com RE:RE:Upgraded to vista, drivers / software wont work Reply Top
This is going to be one long rant.
Acer tech support sucks. It has been my experience in multiple instances that acer technitians have no idea how to effectively do their jobs. They dont seem to be able to use deductive reasoning, for instance connecting the fact that im asking for drivers to the probability that i did not buy vista from acer) nor are they able to answer the problem asked about.
If somone asks for drivers, dont start asking where they got their OS from... dear lord. Find the drivers for the client, send em along on their merry way, and that is the end of it. One question, one answer. The answer i got in no way answers my question.
First i have to wait over a week for a reply, and then when i get a reply it is completely useless. What sort of support are you providing? A much better way would be more like HP's support.
www.hp.com. look it up. I will continue this rant in a successive message.
03/09/07 2:49:00 AM CST
pileot@hotmail.com continued from last message Reply Top
Continued from previous message.
If you want an example of what a good website is, go to
www.hp.com. The main page provides a link for drivers and support. Clicking that brings a page where you can search for your product by name/number.
for instance, a presario V2000 laptop. Search for anything similar to that and you can still find it. No need to be exact. With the results from that search you can easially find the one that fits what you have. in this case, Compaq Presario V2000 CTO Notebook PC. Follow the links and you have a complete list to all the drivers. That was 5 web pages, easially navigated. Took maybe 5 minutes.
It is similarly easy to get online support. Talking one on one is infinately better than waiting a week for useless "support" via e-mail. I can go online, and within an hour have my problem completely solved. Acer would do good to adopt this sort of customer support. An easy website to navigate, and a simple setup to find drivers are greatly needed.
03/09/07 2:56:00 AM CST
pileot@hotmail.com Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
Continued again
As a customer, i am nearly completely fed up with such support, or rather lack thereof, that i recieve from Acer. Phone support is just as bad. Three times i have called in, and three times i have been given less than par service. Several times i have been sadly dissapointed.
Dis-service such as this has lead me to advice everyone i know to avoid buying acer products. I am not unhappy with my product, in fact it has surpassed my expectations. But the lack of support i am able to get is a huge turnoff. If acer support does not take a huge step to improve service, they will find they are loosing more and more customers.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns about what i have written. This has not been an attack on any individuals, but rather an opinion derived from observations over the last few months.
My e-mail is
pileot@hotmail.comThanks
- Jon
* Jon_Deciple at this point i was severely pissed off... I thought this rant would have knocked some sense into them... but i was wrong. They came back, just as dumb as ever...
03/09/07 7:44:00 AM CST RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
Dear Jon,
I can appreciate your frustration over this matter however, the reason you were asked how you obtained your upgrade is because Acer does not support non-OEM operating systems. The drivers offered for Vista are for systems that ship with Vista installed or that qualified for the Express Upgrade offer from Microsoft. Acer can provide limited support for non-OEM operating systems as we do not test retail versions of Windows on our products. I hope this clarifies.
Regards,
Acer Online Support Team
* Jon_Deciple say what?!? they dont support anything other than what the product shipped as? You gotta be kidding me. They are SELLING VISTA FOR THIS LAPTOP and now they are telling me that they DONT SUPPORT IT??!?.... ya... it gets worse... read on...
03/09/07 12:29:00 PM CST
pileot@hotmail.com RE:RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
well that just shows the lack of willingness for Acer to support their customers. I have had various issues with an older HP laptop and every time i have asked the HP representitive did their very best to assist me, even if it wasnt fully supported.
Even though this laptop didnt come with vista, it claims to be "Vista ready". If you are going to put that brand on your products you should be sure that you are able to at least provide minimal support.
It astounds me that such a large company can offer such poor support. It seems to me you support only the most basic of operations. Anything more and its forign territory. For instance, i tried setting up RAID on this laptop, and when i called for support, i get "Oh we dont support that". Well what the heck is going on?!? you included raid drivers in the box, along with a (rather poorly written) manual. This further proovs how little Acer tries to help their customers.
03/12/07 6:41:00 AM CST RE:RE:RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
Dear Jon ,
Acer can provide support for the notebook as it was configured when it ships from the factory. The Windows Vista Capable sticker means the hardware is capable of running Windows Vista and the specifications of the system meet Microsoft's minimum requirement of the Windows Vista operating system. It does not indicate support for issues running this beta operating system. As Vista is not tested or qualified on this model, our support is limited to the OEM operating system that ships with the computer therefore we are unable to assist with this issue.
Regards,
Acer Online Support Team
03/12/07 6:06:00 PM CST
pileot@hotmail.com RE:RE:RE:RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
But there were drivers *specifically designed for this laptop* to work for vista... which means that somewhere along the line somone intended to allow consumers to have vista on this modle of laptop.
Im not asking for a parade here... all that is asked is that at least some effort is made to serve the customer. I can contact HP with problems related to their products, and even if what im trying to do is nowhere near what that product is intended for, the representitive is more than willing to try to help with the problem.
In this case it would have been easy to supply the link to the drivers, and then say that support with Vista is not provided, so if problems arise in using these drivers or in getting Vista to function, i would be on my own. That would have been more than acceptable. But instead you say that its not supported and therefore your not even going to try.
Well i can tell you this... Im never buying Acer again. The lack of support is unacceptable.
03/13/07 6:21:00 AM CST RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
Jon,
You can access the only drivers we have for Windows Vista at
http://secure2.tx.acer.com/VistaDownloads/AcerSeries.aspx. I hope this information is helpful. I apologize for the frustration this issue has caused.
Regards,
Acer America
Online Support
* Jon_Deciple *I* gave them that link.... remember? It all shows up a lot clearer on the form thing they had... but ya if they only used their brains they wouldnt need to give me that link its the SAME ONE!!!... gah... idoits...
03/13/07 7:25:00 PM CST
pileot@hotmail.com RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:Continued... (round three... ding) Reply Top
....
ya thanks for that... considering i *gave you that exact link like a week ago*... :/
Like i said a long time ago... that would have been nice the first time around...
i dont know what else to say. I am at a loss of words.
* Jon_Deciple it doesnt often happen that i am at a loss of words... i almost always have somthing to say... but in this case i thought everything that could have been said had been said, and checked the box that signified that the convo was over, the problem was resolved, dont bug me anymore... I get a message in my inbox from a REAL PERSON at acer to further discuss this.... No more "Acer Support Team" its a REAL DUDE!
Heres the message...
From : Blayn Scott <
Blayn_Scott@tx.acer.com>
(Yes thats his e-mail. Feel free to sign him up for porn in his inbox or whatever. Seriously, This is the best hes got?)Sent : March 16, 2007 11:39:44 AM
To :
pileot@hotmail.com Subject : Acer Technical Support Request-51526
Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for contacting Acer America. I apologize for the delay in
responding to your inquiry. Acer can provide support for the notebook as it
ships from the factory. If you are running a non-OEM version of Windows
Vista, please note Acer can provide limited support for non-OEM operating
systems as we do not test retail versions of Windows on our products. You
can download the latest Vista drivers, as they are posted, at
http://secure2.tx.acer.com/VistaDownloads/AcerSeries.aspx. I hope this
information helps.
Regards,
Acer America
Online Support
I thought i was finished with this... i apparently wasnt. Well this time i responded to him personally, and sent another rather unhappy letter... (Gee i hope i saved it...)
* Jon_Deciple digs through like 500 messages to look for the one he sent
ahh here it is...
Thanks, but its too little too late. I realize that Acer cant support non OEM operating systems, however the complete lack of service has brought me to seriously reconsider ever buying an acer product again. Be advised i am also refering my friends away from acer. Unless the service is boosted, and the website redesigned to be more user friendly, you will be losing a lot of customers.
On the topic of the website... it appears there is a new "hub" for each region of the world... america, europe, asia, etc. This makes it very hard to navigate the site(s) as each hub tries to be self sufficent. It really doesnt work. I suggest one main website, like HP does, and an easy search button to find drivers or support for specific products. And a live 2 way chat so you can get assistance relitively quickly. And support technitians that specifically know each different product. Every product is different in its own way, and if theres somone with a technical problem they should be able to get an answer, not a "let me get that product from the back.... holy cow this is a large laptop"... that shows that the technitian has never seen the product before... at that point i know this person knows less than me, and its worth hanging up, calling again, waiting an hour and a half, and play russian roulette to get a new technitian. many hours later i may have a solution. A web based chat offers the option of the technitian getting somone who actually knows the product to help.
If i know networks, and my friend knows hardware, it makes sense that if somone asks me a hardware question i get him, and if he gets asked a network question, he asks me. That idea seems to have been missed by Acer. Thats why i no longer call for tech support. Its not worth my time.
My main problem is not that i was unable to find the drivers, that is acceptable. Vista is a new OS and not everything can be supported. However, the time i had to spend looking for the drivers, waiting for replies, lack of phone support, and useless replies that didnt help my problem, well that was too much. And then when i find the link, post it, the support agent gives it to me a few days later as if they worked magic to find it... that really threw me off. If i had said "i cant find driver x" and the agent said "we dont support that, but you might find the driver you need here: <link> be advised if it causes your machine to malfunction, its your problem" i would have been fine with that. But instead i get the runaround.
Anyways, this is my last rant on how i really feel that acer support is sub par. All the major computer outlets i frequent, the many "geeks" i know, everyone, is going to be advised on my lack of service provided by acer.
I dont expect further communication, except a report as to what is being done to rectify the problem. If it takes a week, a month, a year, five years, i dont care. But when it happens i want to know. Other than that, i consider this case closed.
Thank you for your time.
- Jon
And thats it. Soo far i have not heard back from them. So spread the word. Every computer store, friend, foe, stranger on the bus, everyone. Dont buy acer. Their tech support is very bad. Go to HP or elsewhere. No acer. Acer = Bad.
