Disappointment..
MADMANMIKE
Posts: 407
I have to say, back in December when I was nearly killed in an accident, I spent two weeks in the hospital without my computer. One of the things I missed most was my daily visits to DAZ and the message boards. I was always inspired to throw a render together and share here with my fellow artists.
Unfortunately, I haven't spent much time here at all in the past two months. I cannot fathom why a company dedicated to art and facilitating creative endeavors would trash a perfectly functional message board system AND store and put such dysfunctional and ugly pages in their place. I don't think I've been here once in the past two weeks, and I'm on my computer all day every day, while I continue Physical Therapy recovering from my accident...
I'm close to finishing my first two commercial projects, Paper Miniatures for sale on DriveThruRPG.com for my Publisher Palladium® Books; I'm using D|S 2.3, the most recent version that will work on my computer, and my vast library of purchased models, largely from DAZ. I should be excited. But the loss of my daily fix here has tainted my success. I miss what used to be here. I do not enjoy what is here now.
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Comments
Can't say I am encouraged by much I see here either lately.
Sorry to hear about your accident and hope you have a speedy(ier) recovery.
Thanks. After only 68 hours of work in four days, I fell asleep at the wheel an hour from home, rear ending a semi at God knows what speed. When I woke up I could reach out and touch the trailers tail lights. Pinned, I had six broken ribs on my left side, dislocated my right hip and broke the socket, broke my knee cap, my ankle, and all of the toes on my right.
I've got two screws in my ankle, two plates in my hip, and arthritis in my big toe. The limp isn't as pronounced as it used to be, but I'll never run again. Five more PT sessions and I go back to the doctor. I'm afraid I'll get released for work, go back for a few weeks, and then get fired because I move too slow. That will free up workers comp and leave me with nothing...
Ironically, the last thing I remember before I fell asleep was driving through the town of Sleeper, Missouri...
That's horrible! I hope things go better for you than you are imagining!
Dana
Gracious, it's a blessing you were able to survive that! We lost one of the teens that way, too much work and falling asleep on the way the next day. If you're too slow in the end and this is comp related, there should be a disability rating because that would mean you're not 100% - which is registered and forever covered medically. Check w/ your comp attorney and see if that rating qualifies you for protection as a worker with a disability. May be a shot in the dark, but might be worth a try. Best wishes for a productive recovery and for all to work out! ::hugz::
Know what you mean about the site being a bummer, too. A lot of joy went down the drain with the changes, unfortunately.
: ( Maybe the "Art Studio" will help make you feel a little better as a place of encouragement and display.
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/categories/2/
Thanks, I don't have a comp attorney. The representative that was assigned to me was removed by the company a couple of months ago, now my only contact is the woman who cuts the checks. The first rep said at the beginning if I was eventually deemed too injured to go back to my old job they would get me trained to do something else, but that was a verbal statement over the phone seven months ago and I have no more detail than that. I am the living embodiment of Murphy's Law, so I don't generally gather much hope for something to go my way, makes it easier to roll with the punches when they don't.
The site may have been great and perfectly functional to us, the consumers. but keep it so was literally a 24 hour job for the site team to manage and keep stable. DAZ wanted to make improvements and add more features to enhance customer experience. This new "out of the box" site has these forums and because of that, the two departments are very close together.
So while it is a messy transition for everyone, especially the DAZ Web Team, in the long run the site and these forums will much better than it ever was with the old one.
You know, I've always loathed the term 'drinking the koolaid', but that's what comes to mind whenever I see someone post this. The message board system that was here before showed no signs of instability, and was the same as a dozen other sites I frequent that have no issues.
I don't know what new features they wanted to add to the store, but I don't see any that impress me, and the loss of the features I enjoyed (both on the boards and the store) have tainted my interactions with DAZ. For me, DAZ has become Wal-Mart. I only go there because it's the only way I can get what I want or need, but it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Greetings,
Amusingly I spent some time recently wandering through the forum archives while testing my browser fixes to make the archives more pleasant to browse, and it's amazing how many of the current complaints are echoed in complaints about the old system. Getting logged out while writing a forum post, download issues, purchasing issues, crappy search, etc... Folks attribute it to the 'new system', but the old store was just as problematic, but (according to DAZ reps) it was having even worse trouble behind the scenes.
Things are often more golden in our memories than they were in reality.
-- Morgan
You can say that all you like, but I never had any of those problems. I was never logged out (as I am all the time now), my downloads always worked fine, never had a problem making or processing a purchase, and the search always worked (unlike now; when I put my name in to search the topics I participate in, THIS thread doesn't come up...).
Of course, I've always used Firefox on a Mac, so I rarely have any troubles anywhere I go... until this fiasco...
I don't like the sound of this at all. Company doctor, company supplied attorney whom they removed at will. You need to get your own doctor and your own attorney. You have to have your rights protected. Those people were protecting the company, not you! It sounds like it was actually a conflict of interest. That's not even legal for an attorney, at least not ethical in my view. Don't just sit there and let them dictate these things, you have rights and you should pursue your rights. If you don't, then you have no one else to blame. I bet there are a lot of lawyers that would love to take your case, with these facts revealed. Don't let it go any longer than you have. You only have a certain amount of time to act on these kind of things. With the number of hours per week you were working, the company might even be liable for overworking you and causing that accident. That's a ridiculous number of hours to work. If you were a truck driver I don't even think that would be legal. Please get a lawyer to protect yourself!
Dana
This new site has done neither...it has removed features that the customers liked and not made their experience enhanced, it has made it a nightmare. As far as improvements...ha! They have been at it for almost 10 weeks (10 weeks tomorrow) and it's not quite back to what it was before, forget about improved!
Dana
Amusingly I spent some time recently wandering through the forum archives while testing my browser fixes to make the archives more pleasant to browse, and it's amazing how many of the current complaints are echoed in complaints about the old system. Getting logged out while writing a forum post, download issues, purchasing issues, crappy search, etc... Folks attribute it to the 'new system', but the old store was just as problematic, but (according to DAZ reps) it was having even worse trouble behind the scenes.
Things are often more golden in our memories than they were in reality.
-- Morgan
Sorry, but I never had the problems with the old store that I've had here. There are always people who have troubles. And of course, those who complain publicly get more notice than the majority that are satisfied. But many of the problems that some people had with the old store were due to browser choice often, but not always - I know. However, the majority of us never had the problems that this new store software has created. And there are many glaring omissions in the arena of customer-friendly features. While it may be true that the old software was a mess of spaghetti code, it did work. The "duct tape and bailing wire" was a result of bad programming practice and poor forward looking planning of the feature sets. With the crew at work, frantically, for ten weeks now, I think the code is probably looking a lot like the old system already...spaghetti.
Dana
You can say that all you like, but I never had any of those problems. I was never logged out (as I am all the time now), my downloads always worked fine, never had a problem making or processing a purchase, and the search always worked (unlike now; when I put my name in to search the topics I participate in, THIS thread doesn't come up...).
Of course, I've always used Firefox on a Mac, so I rarely have any troubles anywhere I go... until this fiasco...
I agree. The only time I had to log in again, beside the security check when accessing my Account, was when the site was down for maintenance...then I had to log in because as far as the system was concerned I was gone, everyone was gone. Other than that, I was logged in sometimes for months at a time. Even when I rebooted my computer, when I opened the forum page, it knew who I was, and the store also knew who I was and showed proper PC pricing, etc. Now I seem to have to log in every day. And the store issues have made me wary of spending money. I have, but not so often as I used to.
Dana
Oh my! What a horrible accident!
I agree about the forum.
It's just as easy to accuse someone of being a cynical pain in the rear too. If you have no clue what kinds of issues what was going on behind the scenes, don't accuse people of "drinking the kool aid" just because they don't consider the company or its people liars. I've run enough instances of the old forums myself to know it's flaws and how hard it was to maintain, particularly once you start hacking it to customize it to suit your own needs. So everything you said above is complete and utter bull.
I hate the functionality of the new site too, but I can hate the new site without accusing DAZ of lying or insulting the intelligence of those here who believe that the site was falling apart behind the scenes.
Mike
I am so sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you are mending and that you get better.
I have had the unfortunate situation of working two or three straight days and falling asleep at the wheel. That could have been me.
Scary.
Making me rethink a few things.
On the subject of the site.
This new site and forum is a disaster.
I thought it was terrible, but thought they would have it 100% by now.
The old site did log me out, but no worse than the new one.
I used to come to the forums everyday. Now, not nearly as much and I don't stay nearly as long.
At least I could find things and the old site warned me about repeat purchases.
The changes to the PC aren't very good either.
Oh well,
Best of luck!
OK, this is what I'm talking about. I tried to get today's freebie plus the Dynamic 1900s Maids Dress, which is a DAZ Original. I had to keep selecting the billing address. I put in the new coupon for today's celebration. It didn't reflect the savings, it still had the same price in the cart. I thought maybe it will show in the final step...but the final step went to PayPal, with the full price. I had to log out and then back in to get it to accept my removing the dress from the cart! This site is not better, friendlier, enhanced, or even stable!
I never had such problems with the old store...never!
Dana
By the way, before anyone asks, yes I am sure there were no leading or trailing spaces in the coupon code. In fact, the store said that it was applied!
Dana
And there are many that would agree that they did have problems. Each person has a different experience. Take this new store for instance. I know several people are having valid problems but I've yet to experience a single one. I've never had a problem using a coupn, never had the issues many are reporting with their wishlists, and not with placing things in my cart.
Same here. It's weird that different people are having different problems, and some people aren't having any problems at all.
Coldrake
Same here. It's weird that different people are having different problems, and some people aren't having any problems at all.
ColdrakeI third that. I only had one hiccup on the very first PC free monthly item. Nothing before or after store wise.
I've been a customer of DAZ for 13 years. I've been a member of the Platinum Club for 9. I've never been a complainer here. I don't think I've had three encounters with trolls on this message board.
I don't brag about post count. I don't complain about non-issues like failing reminder-bots (those have never worked anywhere). I have a legitimate beef. This message board is absolutely UGLY.
Isn't DAZ supposed to be short for Digital ART Zone? Where's the fricken' ART?! Why can't we link images from other galleries like before? Why must we stare at a bland gray screen to discuss our use of their products? This isn't an upgrade folks, it's a downgrade...
I defy anyone to read this entire post and reasonably take offense from it...
Thanks. It's been a life changing experience to be sure. I have three kids and have been home with them every day since the accident for the first time in their lives. Since my oldest was two years old I've worked a minimum of 60 hours a week and often more than 80. For the record, I'm not a truck driver; the jobs I've had are delivery and sales jobs that only have me driving part of the time. Still, 16 to 18 hours a day is 16 to 18 hours a day, whether the entire time is behind a wheel or not.
I wasn't belittling the hours you spend because you're not a truck driver. It's crazy hours no matter what! I was just saying that it's illegal for a truck driver to put in that many hours in that short period of days.
I couldn't put in that many hours on a job, especially if I also had a commute to tack on to it. Working from my desk at home, well, that might be a different story. NO, even then it would be too much!
Dana
This new site has done neither...it has removed features that the customers liked and not made their experience enhanced, it has made it a nightmare. As far as improvements...ha! They have been at it for almost 10 weeks (10 weeks tomorrow) and it's not quite back to what it was before, forget about improved!
Dana
Because they need to re-add the ones we lost first BEFORE they proceed with the plans to add more.
I don't mean to sound snarky, but this is why you might want to get in the habit of looking at the site update announcement.
DanaTA, I wasn't suggesting that you were belittling it, and if they hadn't trashed the useful forums, I'd have a decent smiley here to show my good nature without having to leave the page or allow some stupid pop-up.
I'm well aware of Department Of Transportation regulations. In my previous job, I was a driver-sales person, meaning I was legally allowed 14 hours a day on the clock, as long as no more than 50% of them were driving. The sad fact is, the drive time meeter only runs when the truck is in gear, and on many trucks doesn't work at all. Likewise, in most jobs like that one, it's common practice to come in and do paperwork and the like for an hour or two before clocking in, and to clock out after 14 hours, job done or not.
It's disgusting, and my accident shows how dangerous, but it's also a fact of life. As I've said, I have three kids. A mortgage and a van payment on top of that are enough to make me work as long as it takes to make the money. I have no formal education because my Asperger's Syndrome made it too difficult. So it's been school of hard knocks all the way. I'm 38 and I've put in enough hours working to be pushing 50.
Yesterday I was telling my wife about the freebie sample page I'm putting together to advertise the Paper Miniatures packages I'll be putting out in another month, and my mother-in-law (who lives in my house and is retired) interrupted to ask when I would get a paycheck for that. When I started to answer she cut me off with another snide comment, and my wife defended her. It was then that it hit me; they have no understanding of what it is to be creative, so they don't appreciate how important it is to me. Worse, they'd rather I was driving 80 hours a week than be at home doing art.
And that's where it all swirled into a terrible reailzation. 20 years ago I told the girl I thought I'd marry, the one that inspired me to do poetry, that I'd write a book some day and dedicate it to her. Three months later she was killed when her car stalled on the freeway... by a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
Did I write a fricken' book? NO! I became the guy who killed the woman I loved!
Because they need to re-add the ones we lost first BEFORE they proceed with the plans to add more.
I don't mean to sound snarky, but this is why you might want to get in the habit of looking at the site update announcement.
That doesn't sound snarky, but it does belie an acceptance of an unreasonable standard of service.
There's 49 pages to that thread. I think the point wasn't about wanting new features, those are entirely the delusions of DAZ. The old features that worked fine for us haven't been fixed in 10 weeks.
Chrome? Just like the message boards, why fix something that isn't broken? Firefox has never been glitchy, or given me any problems. If the message board doesn't work for Firefox and does for Chrome, it's the message boards fault (and the geniuses that put it in place) not my browser choice..
Wow, that's a really sad story! I'm sorry to hear it all, more sorry that it happened to you.
I understand about needing to put food on the table and all that...but I think they'd be worse off without you because you worked too many hours and had one of these accidents that didn't turn out quite as well as this one. Not that it was good, of course, but you know what I mean.
I'd rather not be misunderstood, so I think I'll stop my comments before there's another misunderstanding. I hope you can get things sorted in your favor very soon. But still, I think you should seek your own lawyer...who will be there to fight for you, and your children, not for the company.
Dana