Can you believe Rockwell now sell software "AS IS"? A warranty is longer offered unless you purchase support. Two emails to support that claim:

>Hello Ian,
>Effective April 2003, Rockwell Automation no
>longer offers support with new purchases unless
>you have never purchased any automation control >programming software from our company in the
>past.
>
>Please contact your local distributor to
>discuss a TechConnect contract.
>
>Regards
>Sarah Slaughter
>Rockwell Automation
>Contract Services


and this one that was tagged with a Read Receipt request

>Rockwell Automation no longer offers support
>with new purchases.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ian Phillips >>
[mailto:[email protected]]
>Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 1:39 PM
>To: Support Services
>Subject: Re: RSLogix 5000

Ian Phillips
flomation Engineering

 

Hi Ian

I find it incredible that they ever did offer a warranty. If you actually _read_ all the EULAs and licenses you are legally bound by, you will find nothing is guaranteed and you have no rights in this regard. You will also find many other very distateful and one sided clauses. This, I suspect, is why so few actually read them and go on assuming they have someone to hold responsible. If people
read them, they might think much more carefully about staking their business on them. IANAL, but I think you should read them, before they are binding, if possible.

Regards

cww

 

There is a difference between a warranty and software support. Most "problem reports" from users of the software are really because the user did not understand the documentation, or made some mistake. But there should be a channel to resolve true bugs in the software in a way that allows the supplier (Rockwell) to recover the costs in case it is not really a bug. Are you willing to put up some money in case your "problem report" is not their fault after all?

Robert Scott
Real-Time Specialties
Embedded Systems Consulting

 

Oh, it's true. It's appalling, but true. I can't imagine what they were thinking--it sure doesn't encourage me to buy Rockwell Software products.

Maybe it was the same "genius" that established the "zero day warranty period" policy who eliminated theautomationbookstore.com, which was, repeat was, the best literature site going. But it has been replaced by
a vastly inferior "literature library".

Woe and dread,
Eric M. Klintworth

 

Ian

Earlier Tech Support was considered as necessity, now it is business profits, as curt has rightly recommended to go through this contract.

As a matter of policy, we ask them to include 1 year AMC/upgrades/support as part of basic offer. At least during competition they would be more logical in price, than E.T [extra terrestrial] attitude latter on after order.

 

The actual issue is anomolies in Ver 13.00 that are corrected in Ver 13.01, I am not entitled to, as we were unaware we also had to purchase TechConnect to get updates.

I managed to get Ver 13.01 from our distributor because we complained so much, and there was some 20+ anomolies, some fatal, that were corrected in ver 13.01 over 13.00. Point being, how can it be right that you pay for software and you are not entitled to fixes within a standard warranty period?

Ian Phillips
flomation engineering

 

Yeah, I haven't been very impressed with the new manuals site, either. And it's such a shame too, as TheAutomationBookstore.com was very good.

--
Steve Myres, PE
Automation Solutions
(480) 813-1145

 

Seems that Rockwell is so in bed with Microsoft that they are following their 'support' systems as well.

A phone support call to usoft is 150 bucks US (I'm canadian so it hurts more) per incident, regardless of the nature of the call. You cant even get to speak with anyone b4 paying up.

If Rockwell REALLY wanted to be a good corporate vendor, certain releases would be free since it soves many problems that should have been let go in the testing procedure in the first place.

Features are different. Guess you could also charge them with non-deliverance. It is supposed to work isn't it?

Cheers from: Jeremy Pollard, CET The Crazy Canuckian!
Integration and Automation Training, Consulting, and Software
http://www.tsuonline.com