Re: IBM Supportline Woes!

Jeff -
I have to agree with Dean, to a degree.  I used to have to watch the Support
Line bills that came into my organization closely....sometimes the bean
counters lost track of their beans, but more often they were provided with
inaccurate information.  When I noted a discrepancy it was always researched
and corrected as necessary.

If you place a call with Support Line, and are recommended a specific PTF that
is a known fix for your problem, then you should not have to pay for that
call.  Keep track of your problems/PTFs, and if that is the case and you are
billed in error, just contact the customer service person listed on your bill
and explain the situation. Be aware, though, that a Support Line rep will
sometimes recommend a PTF as a preventive measure  (e.g.  a list of PTF's that
might not apply to your specific problem, but are recommended to prevent other
known problems before they occur), and to the best of my knowledge this is not
considered a defect resolution nor is it grounds for the call being a non-bill.

Having said all that, be aware that that is MY understanding of things and
couldwell be wrong.

Hope this helps...

Laura Ausel  -  Keane, Inc., Service Partner
"Do something.  Lead, follow, or get out of the way."




owner-midrange-l@midrange.com on 03-28-98 11:07:20 PM
Please respond to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
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Subject: Re: IBM Supportline Woes!


Jeff,

In a message dated 98-03-26 15:06:53 EST, you write:

> Wow!  Did I just get blasted by IBM Supportline!
>
>  I've been on an hourly supportline contract for probably 18 mos. or so.
>  During all that time, every problem I reported resulted in 1 or more
>  PTFs meaning I wasn't billed.  Or so I thought.  Today I got the
>  following 7 (!) invoices, all dated March 23, 1998:
<<snip>>

Unlike other problems, which are recent occurrences (and most of which have
been fixed), IBM's billing department has had problems since the company's
inception.  OK, perhaps _THAT's_ a little much.  AFAIK, Billing has only had a
problem since 1978, when I first started working with the S/3 M10.  DO NOT PAY
this bill!  It will probably take you a decade or more (again, a _slight_
exaggeration) to straighten it out, but get your documentation together and
keep calling until you _FINALLY_ find someone that can resolve this at
headquarters -- when he answers, tell Lou I said hello ;-).  IMO, _every
single_ invoice from IBM is suspect, and should be regarded with the same
consideration you'd give someone that "sent you the information you requested"
over the Internet.  IBM is _far_ too comfortable with people paying their
bills just because of the name on them, and frequently mis-bills, double-
bills, or sometimes even triple-bills their customers.  Keep track of what
charges you incurred, and what you have already paid.  Double-payment refunds
usually come only to those accounts that ask for them.  I think that they must
be using their own old versions of either MAPICS or DMAS to track A/R...

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"Happiness is biting your bird back." -- Anonymous
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