The Latest Daz "Improvement"
twalling
Posts: 241
Well, I've long noticed that if you have a problem with an order or need a refund, you can either turn in a support ticket and wait a week or so, or you can make a call and get it taken care of immediately.
Somebody at Daz must have noticed that something was accidentally convenient, because now they've removed the phone number from the site. If you call the number (800-267-5170 for those interested in history) they will cheerfully offer to issue you a support ticket.
Way to go, Daz! Who needed to talk to a human being for customer service, anyways?
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Comments
I would think that DAZ isn't big enough to have a huge phone support department. They're not a large company like calling AT&T, so most times you may get a busy signal rather than a human... so it's probably more efficient for the support staff to work on a list of support tickets, rather than have a bunch of people queued up on the phone waiting to talk to one or two people.
So it sounds like entering the support ticket is the way to go, since your efforts on the phone lead you to the same spot.
Yes, evidently it is. Gone are the days of getting customer support in a timely manner.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/12763/
Personally, I don't mind submitting support tickets.. I usually have a good turn around time, and it makes sense they'd need a ticket. They want a record of the request and since they are dealing with money, having a record of the refund, and the pertinent credit card and paypal info....is a good idea.
Where I work, we don't do anything without a request/workorder either. Even if someone calls, workorders must be submitted.
I had two support tickets recently and both were resolved fairly quickly...
Huh. Well, I just called Daz about 3 hours ago, and it used to be that one could get their situation taken care of immediately. (Except on the weekends, of course.)
Now you have to wait for this "support ticket" thing. Even though I was on the phone and talking to a human being who had the ability to take care of the situation 3 hours ago.
While I've always called the few times over the years I needed to get a refund, this time I needed to take out a support ticket, and I'm pleased I received the resolution I wanted within 3 days. I don't think that's too shabby at all.
That said, of course, I've been lucky and not had any actual tech support issues, but can certainly imagine those taking longer to resolve.
I did not look to see if DAZ's home number is listed elsewhere on the site, but usually when I've wanted to call them, I have scrolled to the bottom of my screen to the dark grey bar at the bottom, it is still there next to DAZ's address.
Not to say I'm satisfied with the use a "support ticket instead" idea... but I just wanted to point out the number is not completely removed from the site.
Yet... ?
And as I said in another thread about this, the phone number is only useful to a percentage of DAZ 3D customers, whereas the support tickets are available for all and support tickets are dealt with in rotation, regardless of where in the world the customer happens to live.
While it's annoying not to be able to get an immediate resolution, it seems to me that it's fairer to have everyone go through the ticket system, rather than allowing someone to "cut to the head of the line" by calling. People in other countries or who can't call during work hours shouldn't be penalized for that.
To me, a work request system is a fairer way to handle a return request, because the priority is not dictated by method in which a customer contacts daz, but by the time in which the order is recieved.
It is posisble only a few people are authorized to process returns and those folks require work requests in order to do it. this is not uncommon in the industry.
That's weird... yeah, it's back, but I swear it was missing this morning.
Agreed!
i have purchased quite a bit from DAZ over the years and have yet to have a need for support, let alone use the phone for it. Then again, I bet some here really abuse the refund policy, another thing I rarely use. I have only used it once (defective). I purchase quite a bit of addons for this community and other gaming communities and know of no others that have a phone option.
I wasn't "abusing" the return policy. I bought the Millenium Horse 2 pretty much sight unseen, then I saw that the "Pro" Bundle was actually pretty cool, and contained stuff I couldn't get unless I got the bundle. So I decided, knowing that Daz would refund the first purchase of the Horse 2, to buy the "Pro" bundle, which already contained the horse that I just bought. I called--don't know what else one would do--to arrange that.
I do apologize to anybody that I might have offended by calling instead of waiting for the support tickets. I was more dismayed that they removed the phone number from the site than anything, though it's been restored.
I've only called a couple of times - to point out they'd messed up a coupon or voucher discount to their dis-advantage. Can't remember specifics, but one was 50% off an item that actually took 50% off the entire order. What I *did* get, from Jason, IIRC was that IF the call rolled over to voice mail it wasn't a user or department voice mail. It was the Corporate voice mail. I don't know if this has changed now that they're in the new offices.
But I've never had a time issue with trouble-ticket requests; most get handled within 24 hours which is good enough for me.
I have noticed (and this is a generalization) that as a society we've gone from the "me" generation (I want it NOW) to the MTV generation (I want it RIGHT now!) to the Internet generation (Gimme!) over the past 20-odd years (some odder than others :coolsmile:).
>sigh<
Well, I guess I got a bad impression of the ticket thing back when DS4 pro came out, I had to do a ticket back then, and it look longer than a week, possibly 2 to hear from them. On the other hand, I never had a problem with delays dealing with Daz on the phone. Perhaps I got spoiled on that, calling up and taking care of the stuff when I was on the phone with them, though I will say that I waited about a week to make that call, since Utah time is different from my own, so I don't count myself in the "I want it right now" sort of mentality, but thanks for sharing.
In all fairness to Daz, my issue got taken care of in the same day today. That is much faster than my previous experience with the support tickets.
I was also more dismayed at them going from a personable company you could call to one you'd have to submit a ticket to, as evidenced by the removal of their phone number from the page. It got replaced, though I see it's gone again at the moment. (EDIT: Could it be it's missing from the store page, and yet still visible on the forum page? I'm guessing it's an oversight here on the Forums.)
I myself enjoyed the personable way of dealing with certain problems that occurred on this site by way of telephone. I always had an pleasurable experience when speaking with a DAZ employee. To me it makes it seem like a mom and pop store and I thoroughly enjoyed that with DAZ. If I have to begin using support tickets, so be it, but it certainly takes away the enjoyment of speaking to Britney, Joanie or Craig. The higher ups are making my time with DAZ less and less agreeable. At least Renderosity still answers the phone and takes care of situations immediately.
Yeah, I'll have to say Joanie did a great job dealing with me today.
ANd I toatly agree with your sentiments!
Agreed!
i have purchased quite a bit from DAZ over the years and have yet to have a need for support, let alone use the phone for it. Then again, I bet some here really abuse the refund policy, another thing I rarely use. I have only used it once (defective). I purchase quite a bit of addons for this community and other gaming communities and know of no others that have a phone option.I knew what you mean't and it wasn't directed at anyone in particular. Anyway I am the same, 3 times in over 3 years I have needed the support and everytime fixed within days.
Didn't offend me. I hate the support ticket process. Even though I usually prefer a quick email over a phone call. But, it takes me longer to fill out the support ticket then it ever did for me to call and ask for a refund.
Even worse, it takes days for them to process the refund through the support ticket process when it was a matter of minutes for them to process the request by phone.
Now I tend not to purchase a product if I think I might need to return it ... even though I only ever returned a handful of products in the six years I've shopped here.
Unfortunately, with the way DAZ is now bouncing prices all over the map on a product during sales, I've had to use that annoying support ticket process several times in the last few months to request refunds for differences in price. Two refunds because of sale prices changing were almost $20. So now I'm even more reluctant to purchase a product when the price may be substantially less just by waiting a few days.
Sure, I can understand how inconvenient customer support can be for a small company. But customer service was the one area DAZ used to consistently excel in ... at least for those of us who were able to call and talk to a person.
I return products and have no qualms about doing so , I don't think it is abusive to do either. =-)
Sometimes, you just can't tell from the tiny screenshot, the documentation, or the provided info, how the item is going to work for you until it is downloaded and you try it.
Daz gets a lot of money from me, regardless.
Cheers.
To all the people moaning about lack of phone numbers. Couldn't you see this coming?
To all the people moaning about support ticket nuisances. It's better than nothing.
To all the people who haven't yet gotten a refund for the next store screw up they will encounter, don't worry, both will happen "soon".
(*slinks off into my hole to suck more lemons *)
A few things to keep in mind about Support. It is great talking to the CS Staff personally. We get to ask how things are going, do the quick small talk thing etc....get our issue resolved "quickly". The next thing you know, it has been 10-30+ minutes on the phone - depending on how technical the issue is, or how much hand-holding we need.....for one (usually) US based customer. I know not all calls are that long, some are about 5 min or so, but keep in mind.....
Usually only US customers use the phone number, thus pushing the time of the non-US customers, or those who for other reasons can't get through to the CS team directly, further and further back. Each day that CS spends answering a limited number of calls is another day tickets get pushed. This snowball effect means tickets build up, and we see thread upon thread pop up about how support sucks because they "never" answer tickets.
I have done CS off and on for over 20 years, and personal touches are wonderful, but are very inefficient for the company. I used to LOVE the days the phones were down because I could actually get work done.
My guess is that by going to a support ticket system, DAZ is actually attempting to provide better support across the board and the oceans. :) Once they catch up- they can spend time answering tickets instead of speaking to a very limited number of people in a day and pushing the tickets on to the back shelf day after day.
I know it is great being able to call and have our issue fixed at a moments notice when it is convenient for us to call etc....But in the long run, I think the company has probably thought long and hard trying to improve their service and are not thinking of how they can avoid it all together.
I know this makes things a bit more difficult for folks in the USA, but - believe it or not - this is a case of DAZ3D doing something right. Assuming that somebody reviews the support tickets on a regular basis, that is.
With all of the issues being listed in one place (the support ticket system), the programmers can read through a week's or a month's worth of reports and see exactly what isn't working for a large number of people, and what isn't working for only one or two people. They can then focus their efforts on fixing things that are truly broken, and look later at things that work for almost everyone.
And people in the USA can still call in their issues. Now, the calls are being tracked.
This is good business practice - it's how ISO20000 / ITILv3 says one should run a help desk. (Again, assuming that somebody reviews the support tickets on a regular basis.) Yes, it's less convenient for the few people who are used to having the ear of the programmers, but it's better for everybody in the long run.
(And now I have to stop reading the forums and go back to studying for my ITIL certification course... Who came up with the idea of holding it right before Christmas, anyway?)
20 minutes on the phone?
OMG! I know people do that but why? Here's my workflow:
1) I call
2) They answer
3) I explain my problem. (30 seconds)
4) They think for a moment (10 seconds)
5) They tell me they refund my money (5 seconds)
6) I thank them profusely (7 seconds)
7) We say good bye (3 seconds)
8) I hang up. (Total time on phone less than a minute)
I hate talking on the phone. If you call me I'll answer but after a minute I'm biting my tongue and thinking "say what you have to say and get off my f'n phone".
Why do people think they have a right to chit chat with people at work?. Is their time less imporant?
Yes it was convenient to call DAZ and get an immediate human response and resolution, and have a name to blame if things muck up further, but the DAZ we knew and loved is gone. A victim of economic realities and their own success. Sorry.
Actually I find that computer chat is better than phone and less frustrating and uncertain as trouble tickets. You get personal service and you have a record of what was said and promised. Too bad DAZ didn't use that approach. One chat person can handle several customers at the same time. Whereas filling out trouble tickets is like having conversations by sending messages in a bottle. :-(
Wow what??? Is this is where we are in life that we are willing to deal with 3-4 days to get something resolved and think that is cool and acceptable???!!! I actually make money here and there with DAZ and can't wait three to four days to get an issue resolved. So, in order to be fair to someone in Australia, I need to let my business go down the drain??? That is stupid beyond words. Some issues are time sensitive--for example--if I have a gas leak I don't need to wait three to four days to reach a human and get the issue looked at. I think prompt service and response to an issue is the height of customer service--I deserve that as do all of you. I don't think the original poster needed to apologize AT ALL for using the phone system. I rarely ask for refunds or use the phone for that matter--but when something does not work ( or I accidentally bought something for Cararra and not Daz) I have always been met with happy and immediate service from very nice people and never had an issue via telephone and I refuse to feel bad for that. I am not going to apologize for using a service the way it was set up to be used. That would like saying I shouldn't eat because others starve. There is a solution--help the needy--but continue to eat. I find it sad that we are living in society that not only accept mediocre and sloppy customer service that this should be okay in a busy world where time is money and some people need immediate help and can't be put off ( and are made to feel bad if they have this need and express it. How can a person be in the wrong for expecting top notch, quality treatment--esp from a company that you may spend tens of thousands of dollars a year with?) Also--I have had it happen on occasion that an issue took weeks to resolve becomes something kept getting lost in email translation, a situation that could have been mastered quickly with a single phone call... with deadlines that is unacceptable *sigh* I use the phone, will continue to when I have need, and I don't see a problem with it. If you can wait 3-4 days bully for you!
Though I could make free calls to US I prefer the help tickets. On the whole, DAZ answers within two days, and the quality of the informations is good. But as a hobbyist, I am not pressed for time. I think professionals who are under deadline pressure need the phone service.
I do a difference-refund, or duplicate purchase one from time to time. And one buyer's-remorse.
Had to email, once, to get my reusable vault coupon back. Don't remember why I didn't try calling. Maybe I wouldn't have the chance, the next day.
Once, I had to return a couple of purchases to the credit card, after a surprise expense. A phone call saved me an extra charge.
(I found a better way to avoid fees & interest, since).
I take it for granted that I can't call up an overseas business, but I look for that option when they're in the country.
On the other hand, I don't do this volume of business with anyone else, overseas (or otherwise).
An instant refund means I get to buy that thing that's on sale today. Refund situations tend to crop up during lots-of-short-sales periods.
The phone calls were almost always quick, and a refund was there within seconds or minutes. And they're so dang cheerful.
Gets rid of a headache, right there.
Once there was a situation that took a fair amount of clicking and typing for Craig, when neither of us was quite awake yet. I tried the chit-chat thing, but whatever I came up with sounded like I was fishing for information. (The early Genesis days).
He'd start to say something, and realize what I'd simultaneously realize. Bit awkward. :roll:
In general, devoting staff to typing is likely more efficient.
1) Except in those cases where support misunderstands, the customer isn't clear, support reads it too quick and gives a canned response. (We've all seen the threads).
Then there's an email chain. The antithesis of efficient.
The worst would be the customer who you have to play 20-questions with, for every be-danged point. (And we've all seen those threads).
And/or the one who doesn't get the terminology, yet. On the phone it's "You mean xxxx?" "What do you mean yyyyy?".
Live, it takes a few seconds to get things straight. And some things get kinda complicated.
2) If I had that job, I would look forward to switching between typing and talking, during the day.
3) And they're just so danged cheerfully helpful (did I mention that?). In print its all business-y and boilerplate.
As for having a written record, for every refund situation... well... I don't have an answer for that one. :raspberry smiley we don't have:
I much prefer using email than talking on the phone. And it's nothing to do with having to apologize for using a service if it's provided, it's the fact that this thread was started on the basis of a knee jerk reaction that proved to be both inaccurate and unfair. DAZ already gets criticized enough as it is. We hardly need people inventing issues that just aren't true.