Re: Smarthome Insteon Defective Switchlinc Replacement Program (Re: I think they've done it again)

["BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Dan Lanciani wrote:
> In article <rjned2ld4l526lsupma5qol40jog7as8hb@xxxxxxx>,
> MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Marc_F_Hult) writes:
>> On 5 Aug 2006 21:09:07 GMT, ddl@danlan.*com (Dan Lanciani) wrote in
>> message <1331963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>
>>> In article <pkj9d2htptus4l3h66i4usavor5ul7qomf@xxxxxxx>,
>> MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Marc_F_Hult) writes:
>>>
>>>> (FWIW,  I think some folks have an inflated view of the impact of
>>>> comp.home.automation. This is jist my impression because I don't
>>>> actually have any data. I am particularly skeptical of _post hoc
>>>> ergo propter hoc_causal relations that I often read about in this
>>>> newsgroup.
>>>
>>> I don't know.  Back when I was trying to use the original SwitchLinc
>> product and SmartLinc was stonewalling with the usual ``your wiring
>> is too
>>> noisy'' line, a posting to comp.home.automation with some
>>> speculation on the nature of the bugs actually provoked a phone
>>> call from someone claiming to be in the development department at
>>> SmartLinc.  Granted it turned out that their real motivation was to
>>> prevent (or at least delay) me from posting a more complete
>>> description of the problems, but they certainly reacted.
>>>
>>> Similarly, years earlier a posting in comp.dcom.telecom about bugs
>>> in
>>> a Vive caller ID box provoked a response from (IIRC) the president
>>> after it was somehow brought to the company's attention.  Of
>>> course, the purpose of the response was mainly to attempt to
>>> deflect the criticism and confuse the issue.
>>>
>>> Hmm, maybe these examples support your thesis that there isn't much
>>> impact. :)  But it may be a good way to get the attention of
>>> otherwise unresponsive companies, and the availability of archives
>>> has made it
>>> much more difficult for those companies to use the, ``nobody else is
>>> having that problem'' excuse...
>>>
>>
>> I have no doubt that SmartHome and others are smart enough to get
>> free tech help and head off problems by reading this newsgroup from
>> time to time. And that you and Dave and others with obvious
>> technical expertise are heard and have an incremental impact on
>> decisions. And if you actually "closed the loop" by having a
>> conversation with them, the data would seem to be pertain directly
>> to causality.
>
> Yes, they specifically mentioned reading my posting, so I know that's
> why
> they called.  Curiously, they had no record at all of my prior calls
> and
> email about the problem.  So perhaps they pay more attention to the
> net
> than to direct customer contact. :)  I just remembered another call I
> received in response to a posting, this time about about Enerzone:
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.home.automation/msg/a5789ad266c5b1ea?hl=en&;
>
> In this case they actually read my posting to me over the phone.
>
>> That is not what I was referring to. I was trying to agree with the
>> part of Dave's comment in the paragraph above the one you (Dan)
>> quote that indicated that comp.home.automation was not important in
>> creating the mass _market_ for INSTEON.
>
> I think that the nature of USENET (and of people in general) makes it
> more
> important to _destroying_ a mass market than to creating one. :)
> USENET is
> not a very good advertising medium (yet) but it's a great way to
> spread
> the word about negative experiences...
>
> Dan Lanciani
> ddl@danlan.*com

Related to our being heard here, about 4 years ago I posted about
problems I was having with a KSUless phone system from TMC. Although
their tech support initially told me there was nothing they could do,
the owner of the company read my posts here and not only got the problem
fixed but added other features on my wish list and sent me new firmware
for all the phones.  Since then the phones are serving me well, have no
problems at all and I've recommended them to others.  A win-win for me
and the manufacturer.