YDL Support, Mailing Lists, and Returns/Exchanges


Subject: YDL Support, Mailing Lists, and Returns/Exchanges
From: Kai Staats (kstaats@terrasoftsolutions.com)
Date: Thu Nov 29 2001 - 20:40:18 MST


TO YDL USERS
It has come to our attention that one or more of you are experiencing frustration in your effort to contact us concerning your YDL product. To this, and a few other points (as initiated by a proactive YDL owner) I offer the following:

PAT WROTE
>I've noticed a lot of griping about customer service recently on the list. A
>lot of it stems from people's misunderstanding of several things:
>
>o What exactly they are buying when they pay $29.95 for your CDs

You are purchasing 3 CDs: Install, Tasty, & Source, and a printed Guide to Installation. There is no support included with this base package. For an additional $30, you may receive a username and passwd for Installation Support (http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/products/faq/install.shtml), which persists for 60 days from the day of first use. This takes you to root access, and if you are polite, a bit beyond. Our new book (which hit the printers ink today) will assist with using YDL beyond installation.

>o That the yellowdog lists are not there as a mechanism for YDL to deliver
>customer support, and that you have an e-mail address and phone that's
>separate.

The General Mailing list is for you to interact with your fellow YDL users and when you really get stuck, one of our staff will do our best to assist you. But to be perfectly honest, we have intentionally weaned ourselves of this list because the YDL userbase is large, intelligent, and quite self-capable (this makes us proud). We learn as much from you as you do from us, thank you.

However, the GM list is not a means by which you may return product. Our Shipping/Returns department does *not* monitor lists. There are specific email addresses (http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/ydl_contact.shtml) you may use to request a product return. You will find that our response time is quite good if you use the correct address and demonstrate respect in working with us. Ranting and raving will get our attention no faster than just letting us know what is up and a good sense of humor goes a long way ...

>o That "supported models" does not mean that YDL created the programming that
>supports them.

http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/support/hardware/

This means that we feel comfortable in stating that YDL will function on these machines. We have experienced first-hand a functional YDL install on these systems or we have been given a thumbs-up by industry associates who assist us during YDL development. Keep in mind, however, that it is physically impossible for us to have tested every combination of brand, size, speed, and flavor of RAM, drives, video/SCSI/USB cards and processor upgrades. Some of you are very creative and try things we have never considered :)

[If you become involved in the mailing lists, and request to assist us, this can be a very rewarding (and time consuming) experience. I have found that it is often very misunderstood what is involved in open-source OS development--but I will let Dan share his experience as I cannot begin to explain the depth of his understanding and involvement with the code.]

We will assist you, as a paid Installation Support customer, if you have one of these machines, and we will exchange or refund your product, if by some slim chance, we cannot cuase YDL to function properly. I am proud to state that aside from product returns to retail stores (which is out of our control) and the bad run of YDL 2.0 Install CDs earlier this summer (what a nightmare!) we have refunded less than a dozen packages due to inability to install in nearly 3 years and a few ten thousand customers. Not a bad ratio ...

99.999% of the time (and don't take this personally) it is user error or the most human tendency of them all--skipping the instructions. Most often, we just repeat what the Guide says and suddenly all is good in the world again.

I hope this clarifies some of these issues.

Sincerely,
Kai Staats, co-founder & CEO



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