Computers outsold television sets in 1994, marking them as a true consumer
product. By 1996, 35% of American households had computers. By the end
of 1995, computers and software ranked #8 in the Top 10 list for complaints
to the Better Business Bureau, outdoing used car dealers. As sales increased,
complaints increased. In 1996, computer-related complaints rose to #7 on
the list.
There are a lot of customer complaints and the cost
of handling complaints and requests for help is skyrocketing. Over the
past seven years, the ratio of support to total employees in hardware and
software companies has grown from 1 in 12 to 1 in 6.
In 1996, there were 200 million calls for technical support.
At an average of about $23 per call, the industry spent about $4.6 billion
on these calls.
The industry left these callers on hold for about 3 billion
minutes.
The software industry has been one of the worst for leaving
callers on hold. A small study by Service Management International indicated
that software companies leave callers on hold longer than any other industry
studied, worse than government agencies, computer hardware companies, airlines,
banks, utility companies, and others.
Software publishers ship products with known bugs (defects),
often LOTS of known bugs. The odds are pretty good that when you run into
a serious bug, the publisher knew about it at the time that you bought
the product.
Software publishing is a business, a large, important industry in the United
States. Like other businesses, software publishers make trade-offs between
your satisfaction and their costs. Unfortunately, software is also mysterious
to the non-expert. It's easy for a software seller or support technician
to tell you that you've misused the program, or that the problem is that
there's something wrong with your frammistan (a mythical device that unscrupulous
car mechanics would charge customers hundreds of dollars to repair.) Some
people are getting badly ripped off, and it's not doing the industry or
the customers any good.
If you buy bad software, this book will help you get the support you
need for it, or a refund, or additional money to repay you for losses that
this product cost you (such as trashing your hard disk).
The articles at this web site are not legal advice. They do not establish
a lawyer/client relationship between me and you. I took care to ensure
that they were well researched at the time that I wrote them, but the law
changes quickly. By the time you read this material, it may be out of date.
Also, the laws of the different States are not the same. These discussions
might not apply to your circumstances. Please do not take legal action
on the basis of what you read here, without consulting your own attorney.
Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to Cem
Kaner, , P.O.
Box 1200, Santa Clara, CA 95052.