My @photosync_app Experience or How Not to Provide Customer Service

So, this just happened at getsatisfaction.com... well, it happened over the last couple of days, but it just finished.  PhotoSync is an iPhone/iPad/Touch app that allows you to sync your photos with various devices.  It worked well for me... until I tried to sync it with Box.net.  Here's how this mini-debacle started, with a post by me, on the getsatisfaction page for the PhotoSync app from the company, Touchbyte:

I’m annoyed
thepete 1 day ago

Can't sync with Box.net at all. Error msg insists login info wrong or dir missing.

I keep getting an error trying to sync with box.net. I have the correct login info and the destination directory does exist, despite the error message insisting the opposite. What's going on?

Seems straightforward enough, right?  Let's see how they do!  First, Helmut replies:

EMPLOYEE
Helmut Schottmüller (Official Rep) 1 day ago
Hi Pete,

I can only assume that this is a temporary problem with box.com
I just connected to box, created a folder, selected this folder as destination and transferred some photos. All worked fine for me.

Could you try to log out and log in to box again in the PhotoSync settings and try again? Maybe there is a problem with your login session.

If the error still exists can you provide us with the error message and the exact thing you're doing? (are you on Wi-Fi / Cell Transfer?, is a folder selected?, what is the error message?). Knowing this would be helpful to try to reproduce your issue.

Best regards,
Helmut

Kinda reminded me of that joke from "The IT Crowd" about how the first thing they say when someone calls is "did you try turning off and back on again."  Being a tech-head, of course, I did.

thepete 1 day ago

Well, this has been happening for months--since the CameraSync app first had Box support. Every time the app is updated I try again with the same results. Whether I pick a directory or not. I've unlinked my account and relinked it. My iPad is wifi only. See my earlier post for the error message. The only thing I can think of is that Box only lets paid accounts sync from 3rd party apps (or that it's some other condition my Box.net account doesn't meet). The strangest thing is that when I select a directory in my Box account while trying to sync photos, I get the same error message but I also find that inside the directory, there is now another directory with the same name. So, it's obvious my login info is fine and Camerasync can access the correct directory (and that it exists).

Strangely, the next reply I got wasn't from Helmut, but from another fellow named Hendrik who was listed with GS only as "EMPLOYEE" but luckily signed his reply with his name.  Here's how he replied:

EMPLOYEE
touchbyte GmbH (Customer) 20 hours ago

Hi,

are you sure you are requesting support for the right app. We are the developers of PhotoSync, not CameraSync:)

Cheers,

Hendrik

What a DOUCHE... ok, I don't blame him for assuming I may not be the brightest pixel in the display, but come on--couch your terms a bit, man! As someone with a bit of CSR experience, I felt obligated to dig into him and point out how paying customers should be treated--well, any customers, really. I mean, shouldn't you be concerned with the reputation of your company beyond the opinion of your customers? I mean, you want other customers, right? After all, this is THEIR app that I can't get to work and the Box.net sync has NEVER worked for me. Anyway, so here's how I replied:

thepete 19 hours ago
Um, yeah, it's not my fault you chose a name for your app that is so incredibly generic I can never remember it. Being jerky doesn't make me any happier that I paid for your app which doesn't work as advertised.

A little douchey? Sure, but he started it by assuming a typo on my part was the same thing as being so moronic as to not make sure I was complaining to the right people. Come on--don't assume (at least not out loud) that your customers are rock stupid.  You have to admit "PhotoSync" is a pretty damn generic name.  How about using some imagination for your app name.  You know, actually try and come up with something memorable.

Of course, if he had apologized, maybe by saying "sorry, I apologize if you thought I was being rude." I wouldn't be posting this blog post right now. Instead, here's what he says:

EMPLOYEE
touchbyte GmbH (Customer) 19 hours ago
Hi,

I was not jerky. There is in fact an app called CameraSync (that also has box.net support)-thats why I asked.
I just tested with a paid and unpaid box.net account and could transfer in both cases without any issues.
So I suppose there must be an issue with your acocunt (or a setting).
If you are unhappy, we always offer a refund. Please send us your mail-address to holtmann@touchbyte.com.

Cheers,

Hendrik

Nice, so offer the refund in the hopes that I'll go away and you won't have to actually try to fix my problem. What a weaselly thing to do. But not surprising. Of course, I don't just let it lie:

thepete 18 hours ago
When you ask a customer if they're even asking for support on the right product, the non-jerky thing to do is to preface your question by saying: "I don't mean to ask a silly question, but...." Without that you run the risk of your customer thinking he's being assumed a fool. Not generally the way customers like to feel (even if they are actually fools).

All that aside, you really should test your app a bit more thoroughly. Try it with other types of box.net accounts, not just yours. It's your responsibility to make sure that, when you say your app works with Box.net, it actually does. If it doesn't work for all types of accounts, then you should say so in the app description, preferably mentioning which account types it works with. If you think it's a setting that I need to change, find out what it is and tell me. Don't just leave me to figure out how to make your product work the way you say it should.

Abrasive? Yes. Inaccurate? No. Sure, he tried it with one other kind of account, but there are others.  And besides that, I am so sick of companies thinking they are entitled to my money and/or my patronage. It's their job to be nice to me, not vice versa. I'm being nice by using their product--they should be thankful I'm willing to. Instead, most companies these days treat the customer as though THEY are lucky the product or service even exists. Let me tell ya, if it weren't for your customers, your product or service couldn't continue to exist.

But, as I was tired of dealing with this douchebag from Deutschland, I decided to check out this other app he mentioned (the one I accidentally referred to) called "CameraSync."

thepete less than a minute ago
Heh--and wouldn't you know it--I tried out CameraSync and it works great. Links up with my Box.net account like it was nothing. Thanks!

Yep, CameraSync worked like a charm! It does cost a dollar more than PhotoSync and has a couple less features, but at least it doesn't tell me it's compatible with Box.net when it really isn't. In fact, it's a much easier app to use over all. PhotoSync does do a few more things (like sync to your computer or other iOS devices) but it's also a bit harder to use and is less intuitive. The CameraSync app only requires that you open the app and let it go, once you've got the login credentials entered. And the missing PC-sync is no big deal since it also supports Dropbox. So I can sync to that and voila! My pics appear on my PC.

So, let this be a lesson to customer service departments everywhere:

BE NICE. Take on the burden of being an idiot so your customer doesn't have to. They'll be much more likely to not talk shit about you.  Or not and you might lose a customer or worse.

Another annoying iThingy app ad that takes over my iThingy's entire browser. Thanks #Fandango: you're lame.

Another annoying iThingy app ad that takes over my iThingy's entire browser. Thanks #Fandango: you're lame., a photo by thepetecom on Flickr.

Why do they think this is a good idea? I'm on their site, looking for info, if I wanted to download their app, I'd already have done it. This kind of ad only makes me want to never visit Fandango again.  Website designers: please discourage your clients from wanting this kind of ad! Thank you!

I know Amazon wants us to buy their new flaming thing but can't they support iThingies a bit better than this?

I know Amazon wants us to buy their new flaming thing but can't they support iThingies a bit better than this?, a photo by thepetecom on Flickr.

I snapped this last night while trying to buy the awesome score for the brilliant UK show "Misfits" last night. Amazon's cloud player will work but the media gallery does what you see below. I can stream mp3s via Safari but playing in the background is super flakey. I wish they would just do an app. In the end I did buy the "Misfits" score but had to use my MacBook Pro to download it. Could have DLed it on my Android phone, of course.

OSX Lion, oh... and other Apple (un)impressions

Wow.

Well, I’ve glanced over the headlines and read a bit about iLife ‘11, FaceTime for Mac, the new small(er) MacBook Air, and OSX Lion and as is often the case with Apple’s announcements, it’s kind of a big meh for me.

iLife ‘11

iLife ‘11 sounds like it might have some nice features in it—though, I can do with out big-brothery software recognizing faces in iMovie videos (I already have to tell iPhoto to stop scanning my photos for faces) and I can also do without a feature in Garageband that tells me if I’m off tempo (I have a wife for that). However, like an Engadget post on iLife noted, there’s an “effortless movie trailer maker” in iMovie that sounds somewhat intriguing.  However, if it makes trailers like Hollywood makes, they might have just called it “monkey makes a movie trailer software.”

But I digress.

Another nice touch for iMovie is the ability to output to 24fps. However, a SERIOUS flaw in iMovie—still no (apparent) support for AVCHD. Bastards.  What’s wrong with you, Apple?

In the end, I don’t think it’s worth the $50 to upgrade. I do think it’s lame that they’re not letting those of us who bought new Macs in the past 6 months get the upgrade for free, but, again, I digress.

FaceTime for Mac

FaceTime for Mac is basically useless if, like me, you don’t have any friends iPhone 4s whom you want to video-chat with.  Sure, I guess it might work with friends who have Macs, but who cares when you’ve got Skype, Gchat and Yahoo to video conf with your close comrades? Why even bother downloading the beta that’s available.

The new, don’t you dare call it a netbook, 11.6 inch MacBook Air

Well, for starters, it’s too expensive to call it a netbook, coming in at $1000.  Second, it’s specs are too advanced to call it a netbook.  Third, the screen is 1.6 inches too big, assuming the general cut off size for netbooks is 10 (or so) inches.  Hell, 11.6 inches makes the new small(er) MacBook Air just slightly smaller than my old 12-inch aluminum PowerBook from 2004.  Of course, the PB is way thicker than the MBA, but at least with my PB, I wasn’t worried about the thing snapping in two inside my bag.

The nutshell is: the new 11.6 inch MacBook Air is too big/expensive/fast to be/treat like a netbook (though only JUST too big) and too small to take full advantage of it’s performance specs.  In the end, it’s a big “no, thanks”—I’d sooner buy an iPad (not that I’d ever buy an iPad).

OSX Lion, oh… oh really? Is that what it’s going to be?  You’re Lion—I mean—lyin!

So, this was surprising.  I recently read some opinion piece on a tech site make the claim that Apple is at it’s most innovative right now.  Well, Lion proves who ever said that wrong.  Why? Because Apple is “taking what they’ve learned from iOS” and are updating OSX with new/old features from their underpowered, underfeatured iDevices.

That, to me, sounds like the exact opposite of innovation.  Though somebody over at Gizmodo had a bit of a o-face for OSX Lion, I personally don’t get it.  They’re making it look and behave more like iOS.  As in, full-screen apps, the screen splitting open to show you folder contents and more.  Windows will (apparently) still be around, but… um, I’m not honestly sure why full-screen apps is a big deal since apps on actual Macs can be full-screen if you or the software maker wants.  The Gizmodo post I link to above makes a HUGE deal out of this—they call it “modal computing.”  I’m not even entirely sure what the word “modal” means but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t represent a big change from how most of us work already. I’ve recently started organizing my tasks using Spaces (a feature available for years with 3rd party apps or built-in on Linux).  One Space for browsing, another for Final Cut and another for running Windows in Parallels.  Like that.  Apparently, we need a “whole new (fake) paradigm” and go “modal” or use ONLY “full screen apps.”  Whatever.

Plus the idea of “full screen apps” sounds an awful lot like what M$ Windows has done forever.  So I’m not seeing the whizbangedness here.

The other thing that makes Lion more like iOS is the “Launchpad”.  It’s basically like Dashboard only with all of your application icons.  What’s bizarre about this “new” feature is that it’s already available on current Macs.  It’s called: putting application shortcuts in a folder/directory you stick in your dock.

W.T.F. Steve?

Then folders will work like they do on iOS—aka stupidly for a full-powered machine.  For an under-powered device with a small display, the way they work makes perfect sense. But having a full screen split open so you can view what’s inside?  That just feels cumbersome and ugly to me.

Then there’s the new App Store for Mac—ooooo, something Linux has had for years, basically, is now coming to Mac with the same absurd restrictions and profit-sharing model as the App Store for iDevices.  It’s like Apple’s own protection racket.

“Hey, you wanna sell more stuff? You woik wit us—we take care of yooz. But we get a take. I mean, shur you could sell the app on your own website, but, whooz gonna see it there, huh kid?”

Forget that we already have sites like Download.com that are effectively web-based app stores already.  No, Apple wants their own walled garden (again).

OCD, Apple or what?

What’s surprising is that this is a serious retooling of how OSX’s user interface functions on a fairly core level.  It’s such a drastic change, I’m surprised they’re not going to ditch the “X” and just call this “OS11” since they’re releasing it next summer, anyway.

There’s more stuff in Lion that I found kind of unnerving (an always visible dock? WHY?) but I need to stop typing now.

Suffice it to say that this is the first time I’ve seen upcoming changes to an OS I (love to) use every day and thought to myself: “Uhm, yeah, I don’t need to upgrade to that.”

In fact, I’d even say that I’d hesitate to by another Mac if 10.7 came with it.  It just seems that nonsensical to go backwards like Apple is doing.