Is your question listed under "my support"? Recently in reporting a tech bug my request didn't get transmitted; had to do it again. I understand (from past experience) that requests for support are first filtered by "lesser" tech heads who pass it up only when they are convinced it requires serious attention. The filterers probably rely on scanning the knowledge base and hand out responses that might answer the problem (e.g. re-install Vegas). If you hear nothing then you should add prompts to your request.

Seems ~1 month to get a human response, then it's all the time.

You would get faster results by asking other users for assistance.

Hell, the one time I actually took the time to send in a ticket, I NEVER got a response. If we don't get a 10f that impresses and cleans up some of this mess...

Well we're here? Why not ask the many users here?

And btw ScottQ, how about posting your system specs? Maybe if we knew you were sharing your system specs them that would indicate to us and SONY support you were looking for a solution for your system.

I see you've signed up for this forum only today. Hiwever, you've said you've used the products for years, with no need for support? Wow, that's a first!

Share your specs and ask your question.

Grazie

"Well we're here? Why not ask the many users here? "

Grazie as you know, I've posted here and gotten many fine answers before. That is not the point. Frankly, I feel we've all thrown in the towel on the type of service we should be getting. When you pay hundreds of dollars for any product you should be able to pick up the phone and talk to someone for help for FREE!

OMG! FREE???? Why would a company waste all that money on hiring people to try and help their customers?????? That is so wasteful of company resources! We couldn't possibly stay in business if we did that!!!

BS!!! All of it and we are the ones who are suckers who believe that crap. The really successful companies of the future will be the ones who not only have a good product but work hard to please their customers.

How in the world does Zappos compete? Surely, they are going broke with their hell bent attitude on caring for customers.

I've grown to detest the poor support that the majority of computer hardware and software vendors provide. Any good marketer knows that folks don't buy products, they buy the benefits of using a product, and if we don't receive the benefit that we paid for, we're not satisfied.

But lately, especially in the realm of pro level software, I've adjusted my attitude...

Sony has given us the opportunity to choose what we pay for Vegas:
- Higher price with priority phone support
- Lower price for low-priority e-mail support

Which option we choose depends on our needs. I've opted to save some money and contribute/receive support on this forum.

Guy

I'm not dissapointed for the support I receive on a $150 piece of software (upgrade price). If I wanted to spend $1k a year I could buy priority support. They give me the option instead. Odds are they've payed the couple people who have handled my support issues more $$ over the years then I've spent with them in software.

yep it sucks,, has for years...however the software hasn't.. well now
the support sucks and..... well let me just say v10 certainly needs support

It's not free - one is actually paying for the primary level of support as part of the purchase price.

geoff

@Grazie

I have been a user since the first Vegas program from Sonic Foundry - always buying their PRO products at just about every update (and have purchased many other products by them - all pro versions). I have never needed to get support other than an occasional call in to Sony.

I am shocked at the lack of customer care and support by Sony now. It's all about profit margins and if they can't provide ANY free support period or include it when you buy the products, I think they are moving in the wrong direction.

ScottQ

ScottQ I understand.

Now, what do you want from us?

Grazie

My own experiences with SCS support has certainly been mixed, but this week I sent them a non-trivial question, received a prompt and effective response, added a followup to the question, and got a second, detailed response within 24hrs.

In both cases the person immediately understood what I was asking, seemed knowledgeable about the subject, and gave me the info I needed. Nice!

I'm not dissapointed for the support I receive on a $150 piece of software (upgrade price). If I wanted to spend $1k a year I could buy priority support. They give me the option instead. Odds are they've payed the couple people who have handled my support issues more $$ over the years then I've spent with them in software.

I'm inclined to agree with this. I've only needed support a few times over the years, but on the whole their response time didn't fall short of about what I expected. Would it be nice if it were a bit faster? Sure, that's true of pretty much anything. But personally, I don't necessarily think it's reasonable to expect this level of support for the purchase price. Vegas isn't cheap, but nor is it incredibly expensive; particularly not the upgrade path, for which you'll be perpetually eligible after spending the full purchase price once.

It's a very expensive proposition to provide the kind dedicated, lifetime support that some seem to expect to be built into the purchase price; many would argue a losing proposition for the company, ultimately. Which is why you can purchase support plans separately. IMO, if you frequently need support, $150 for 180 days of access to Sony's toll-free telephone support isn't a bad deal; and I imagine e-mails from those who've paid for a support plan are prioritized ahead of the rest of us, as well. It's less than a dollar a day; much less than most probably spend daily on coffee or cigarettes alone, and of much better value for those who need it.

.............................. IMO, if you frequently need support, $150 for 180 days of access to Sony's toll-free telephone support isn't a bad deal;

the problem is paid support can't do a thing about bugs....or perceived bugs, but I agree, for general support its a fair price

Well, no, it can't do anything about bugs. But who can? For that, you'd need a direct line to the development team; and no customer support will ever include that. Those people aren't customer support agents; they're software developers, and probably too busy trying to work out these bugs to talk to people about them on the phone. In that case, all you can do is report the bugs and trust that it's communicated to the team.

If the problem is the user rather than a bug, then this forum quickly sorts that. Really it is only the bugs that we need SCS to look after.

Hey Scott, why not post your query here?
This is the doorway to a huge knowledge base.
Some really smart folks scan the questions and are an unseflfish, sharing lot.
I can almost guarentee somebody will nail the answer.
My experience is the forum family doesn't suck, or bite.
It's kind of like a community, where we help each other.
For me, it's like having free access to another 30 points on my IQ.
Bringing me up to "normal" range.

Dan, I've asked twice and invited our colleague to post his system specs too. ScottQ is stating that SONY support is below his expectations, not the Forum here.

The rest is silence.

Grazie