Month: June 2007

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Your questions: How do I get a Vista installation DVD if I purchased a Windows Anytime Upgrade?


Given Lance Ulanoff’s editorial this week (in the June 26th PC Magazine – I will include a link when I find it online) and a customer email who asked last week…



“How do I get an installation discs if I purchased a Windows Vista upgrade via Windows Anytime Upgrade if I have a problem with the install, or want to purchase a back-up DVD?”


We do have a process at Microsoft for getting installation discs to customers who purchase a Vista upgrade via Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU). Thanks to Lynn and Mike on the CSS team for sending the info so quickly:


If you place an order through the Windows Anytime Upgrade site (WAU) and would like a disc sent as well, you can either make that request during the initial purchase, or you can follow the steps below after you purchase:



1. Visit the Windows Anytime Upgrade FAQ page and expand question #6 and click on the “Click here to order disc”




WAU screen 1


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/windowsanytimeupgrade/faq.mspx



2. You will then see the Selection/Shipping/Billing page and may fill this out as appropriate to process your order.



WAU screen 2


Customers may also contact the Windows Anytime Upgrade Team with any follow-up questions through the following channels:



Phone (USA): 1-877-666-2296


Email: customerservice@na.windowsanytimeupgradestore.com

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Of interest: MSN Search on Internet taxes

This from the MSN’s popular searches (via Windows Live Search): Internet taxes, as I noted last week on the blog…







“The days of tax-free Internet shopping may be numbered as state and local governments lobby Congress for change.“


Of course, MSN also has these items as popular searches, too…




People




Hot Topics


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Good or bad customer service? Just tell Tom @ InfoWeek

This week Tom Smith of InfoWeek writes in his blog post Does Customer Service Still Exist? 


Sounds familiar. 😉



“In its June issue, Consumer Reports notes that, with the exception of Apple, Best Buy’s Geek Squad scored higher in PC problem resolution than the manufacturers of the PCs themselves. “Independent services trounced all Windows PC manufacturers, who solved a measly 59% of problems. … By contrast, independent tech support services affiliated with major retail chains … solved 84% of users’ problems with Windows-based PCs,” the report states.


“Think about that: The companies that make the PCs are able to solve customers’ problems with their own products fewer than six times out of 10, while independent services do so more than eight times out of 10. It raises the question: Is the tech industry at all capable of providing decent customer service?”


He asks for end users for the best (and worst) companies when it comes to providing customer service, and what works (or what doesn’t). Focused on the personal computer and technology space, particularly enterprise IT product companies. “I’m just as happy to report on standouts as laggards, but we can’t do so without your input.”


 Visit the blog and let Tom knw what you think. I’m compiling posts from my request to readers last week of your experiences with customer service agents and will post them on the blog later in the week.

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TBR Report: Gateway exceeds customer expectations, “higher perception of customer service”

Here’s something that may be a surprise: Gateway announced today that they are “the only PC maker fully meeting high expectations of its surveyed customer base,” as they are in the top position for the for corporate desktops in Technology Business Research’s Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Study for Corporate Desktops.



“TBR identified three competitive strengths for Gateway in the marketplace — ease of doing business, phone support and parts availability. According to TBR, Gateway is the only PC maker with no urgent challenges in customer satisfaction.


“In addition, the report shows that Gateway has consistently earned high marks in hardware quality, desktop value and overall satisfaction. Recent gains are reflected in Gateway’s rising customer loyalty positions and a substantial increase in hardware quality.”


TBR went on to say that Gateway exceeds customer expectations and a higher perception of customer service through high-quality telephone support.


Interesting, as the field in the the ACSI scores, Gateway follows Apple, Dell, HP, and is trailed by Compaq and IBM.(Each quarter, ACSI measures the satisfaction in many different market segments, including personal computers.) And in PC Magazine’s annual Customer Satisfaction study last summer, Apple also came out on top, but noted last summer that Gateway was gaining ground…



“Once again, Apple and Sony are Readers’ Choices, receiving some of the highest ratings for desktops. Once again, HP/Compaq and Lenovo/IBM receive some of the lowest. Of course, the similarities shine a particularly bright spotlight on the few things that did change. Both eMachines and its parent brand, Gateway, show significant improvement from last year, while Dell, despite some impressive individual scores, takes a slight statistical dip overall (emphasis there on slight).”


Tags: Microsoft, loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service.

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Friday Humour: a comparison of iTunes old and new audio formats

Ever wonder what you get for the additional 30 cents?


Gotta love Slate, and their article today “Sound to blow your mind” with a link to an in-depth audio analysis.



“This week, Apple’s iTunes Music Store began selling some songs in a new audio format that the company says has two advantages over its previous offerings: The tracks are free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, meaning you can play them on devices other than an iPod, and they have higher audio quality. The new iTunes Plus tracks also come at a premium: $1.29 compared with $0.99 for the old format.


“The excitement of the anti-DRM crowd was dampened when it came out that Apple is embedding personal information about the buyer, including name and e-mail address, in each purchased song. But the question we wanted to consider is this: Can you really hear a difference between tracks encoded at 128 kbps (Apple’s old format) and 256 kbps (the new format)? Watch, and listen to, this video by Scott Blaszak to find out.” 


Here’s a link to the video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid494808731/bclid490688512/bctid958471694.


Remember to listen closely. Audiophiles will no doubt appreciate the fidelity. 😉