Black, Alain wrote:

Link to the SUSE LINUX Hardware Database:

http://cdb.suse.de/?LANG=en_UK

Support Overview: http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/support/support_overvie w.html

Hope this helps a little with the problems.

-Alain.

-----Original Message----- From: Marshall Kiam-Laine [mailto:kamanism@ntlworld.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 12:47 PM To: Suse 64 newsList Subject: [suse-amd64] A warning to anyone expecting "support" from suse.com

***splendid piece of WRIGGLING time-wasting Sandra ! i can see you are highly-trained in wriggling and TIME WASTING, and you think you can "speak english" ! so get your dictionary out then and look up "wriggling" and "time-wasting" please.

...

Hartmut Meyer and me, Sandra Wiegratz located in Bremen

To Novell HQ usa. ________________

...

***dear sirs, i would like to lodge a very strong complaint about the "service / support" NOT being given by suse.com after i bought your Professional 9.2 version in UK.

...

***the box clearly says "free installation support" yet those guys REFUSE to help with almost everything i have asked

them.

...

my previous ver 9.0 was running ok, but when replaced with 9.2, it would not connect to the internet, even tho Yast showed the onboard ethernet (and wireless) "already configured ok".

...

we do not cover network configuration and configuration of wlan cards.

***basic network config should be AUTOMATIC, as it was with ver 9.0 the cable modem FIRMWARE is ALREADY programmed, and the Router Setup is ALREADY done, and WLAN is *not* being used at the moment. SO (still with me sandra ?), that ONLY leaves the signal from the Router on a RJ45 into the mobo ethernet socket. Do you call that PPP or PPPoE ? SO that should be detected automatically by DHCP ?

...

We regret that we can not help with this issues for free.

***and your colleague ALSO said that "even if i pay him - he cant guarantee to get it working" !

...

I've already tried to explain why we can not cover everything

***nobody asks for "everything", just get the BASIC FUNCTIONS working, and it is totally basic that an OS cant control a mobo, unless the DRIVERS etc are working. i already KNOW that the NICS work, since the same machine is ok on XPro.

...

If you have questions on this nevertheless, please don't hesitate to

ask. ***well i AM "asking" : does 9.2 support the ONBOARD ethernet of ABIT KV8PRO ? if not, that could be the problem couldnt it ?

...

***some of those personnel have thick spanish accents and can hardly be understood for one thing, but the main problem is they think that "installation" only means telling you how to put the CD in the slot and switch on - are they complete idiots ?

...

I don't see a reason that hinders a person doesn't speaking native

english,

...

to provide technical support in english language.

***well here is "the reason" then Sandra - are you reading carefully ? if i (or anyonelse) CANNOT understand the words that your colleagues are babbling on the phone, - then how can we respond ? Obviously many foreigners can WRITE better than they pronounce, but as far as the PHONE is concerned, you had better put people on the switchboard who have much better Accents - or else you are just WASTING TIME arent you ? do you study "Logic" in Bremen as well ?

...

if you buy a car and the dealer sends it round your house, but it wont even start, what would you say ? if he replied "ah but we only said we would show you where to put the ignition key, but NOT that it would work ! what would you say ?

if you then spent HOURS on the phone trying to get some response out of the car company - what would you say ?

...

This is something different, since you get a guarantee for this whole

car by the dealer.

...

We as distributor don't offer such a functionality guarantee,

***seems to me you dont offer ANYTHING beyond "please look for the CD slot - stick it in, and dont bother calling us again" ! that is NOT called "installation" in english language sandra.

if you were distributing for no charge, then ok - nothing for me to complain about, but i BOUGHT the program as a FUNCTIONAL ITEM under english "Sale of Goods Act". and dont forget, i am NOT saying it should "ALL work perfectly", only that its basic installation should be supported, and internet IS as "basic" as one can get isnt it

***so we are not dealing just with foreign "accents" but also with mis-interpretation of the words. "free installation support" MEANS (in english) that the program should AT LEAST be got "up and running", if it cant even get on the net, then it cant download Patches and fixes can it.

...

***i have seen comments from other buyers on the net saying the same thing that suse.com "support" is next to useless. In UK that behaviour is illegal : a product must perform as sold, and "free installation support" means JUST THAT.

...

Legality has been checked,

***you are LYING. you have not checked the Sale of Good Act.

...

there is no problem known with our support offer.

***yes there is - you are reading one right NOW - but your EGO wont admit it. ok with that word "ego" ?

...

The restriction of this support offer is printed on the right hand side

of the box. ***the leaflet in the box clearly says "free installation support" in BIG LETTERS. and "setup of internet access on a dsl-based PPP supported NIC So as i explained above in "topology", there *IS* a PPP ethernet stream going into Abit KV8pro and Linux - but 9.2 is not handling it properly. Maybe needs a driver ? and dont bother babbling to me about "modems and routers" again, they are ALREADY setup (by XP) and the PPPoE *is* going into the rj45.

...

connection to internet is FUNDAMENTAL to "installation" and not to be regarded as anything "special" nor "complicated" requiring "additional paid support"

...

If you would use a PCI card, then help to getting online would be

covered by free installation support. ***there is NO functional difference between a pci chip and an onboard chip. you seem to have a big problem understanding that ?

...

i couldnt even get Root control over Permissions until a "repair" install had been done, and suse.com didnt even think that was anything to do with them ! the mobo may need a different driver from that provided in Suse, but they wont say how that is supposed to be loaded either.

...

***please make sure they get reminded of their obligations under UK law, and that they must at least be able to speak english, thank you :)

...

I don't know of any engineers on the UK or US installation support

phone line,

...

that doesn't know any english.

***there you go AGAIN sandra STRUGGLING to MIS-INTERPRET i didnt say they dont "know" any english, i said if they cant pronounce their words clearly enough to be understood, then they are WASTING TIME speaking arent they ? This is not a rhetorical question - answer it please.

...

Finally, I'd like to thank you for your feedback.

***and when am i going to be able to thank you for providing basic support ?

...

Yours sincerely, Sandra Wiegratz, Assistant Manager Support Center Bremen, Germany

***since you are "sincere", then go back thru this mail and answer more accurately please :) and one day if you ever come to Oxford University, i may give you a "pass" in english !

Phone: +44 845 025 0010 +1 800 796 3700 WWW: http://www.suse.de/en/private/support/inst_support Mail: Support SUSE LINUX GmbH International advanced support offers available at: http://www.suse.de/en/private/support/private_support

One thing you can do if you've not already done so, remove the power plug to the cable modem for a few seconds, then plug it back in. I've had to do this both in the USA when using my brother's cable modem and in the UK when messing with different firewalls. It seems to need it, especially if it's been talking to a different mac address previously. A good test is to http://192.168.100.1 and see if you get anything back from the cable modem, you should get a nice screen with the Configuration Manager, it's a good tool also for dealing with your ISP when he tells you rubbish that it's your Linux box, but when the cable modem is telling you the line levels are all shot. You can also run ethereal or tcpdump to see what's going out and what responses you recieve. At times Support desks are lacking in real world experience, after all, it's only a job and you are dealing usually with the lower levels of support, the guys who really know their stuff are hidden from the customer's problems. Regards Sid. -- Sid Boyce .... Hamradio G3VBV and keen Flyer =====LINUX ONLY USED HERE=====