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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Dunedin, New Zealand
    Posts
    533

    Unhappy Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    I seek guidance and views on the following. Perhaps i have a lack of understanding.
    I would prefer if replyies focused on what is required for a timely order system rather than my own negative experience.

    I expect to be able to visit a potential customer and if they like what they see and being a registered developer:

    1. Register the appropriate client licenses via the internet while at the client site similar to purchasing any other product or license via the internet.
    2. When payment has been processed - receive an email back with the license details to complete the installation, while on site.
    3. Sometimes that process may be completed via the clients email system, rather than say the developers laptop.
    4. I expect that license process to take less than 1 hour.
    5. I expect that process to be available 24/7.
    6. I expect an annual reminder to reregister.
    Living in New Zealand the experience is somewhat different. I seems we must order through DAW Asia Pacific.

    Annual reminders ceased years ago. I have asked for these to be reinstated but to no avail.

    The Asia Pacific web site for ordering is confusing. Although there is an instant reply confirming an order is placed there can be no license details received for several days. I believe that is unacceptable business practice. It appears the australia region suffers from time differences.

    I have recently had a bad experience when placing an order on Wednesday this week for an important infrastucture client in a badly damaged earthquake city. client stress levels are high and delays could cost this client large amounts of money.

    I can deliver on the spot but it was not until Friday that i received a query back saying i had ordered incorrectly and the license would not be supplied. I believe the confusion arose because i have personally held a developers license back to about version 2.3, but in later years market my product through a company owned by myself and two others. I still develop personally. I have twice asked the Asia Paficic rep at training courses if i needed to change the developers license to our marketing company name and was told not to. although i logged on to the local ordering site personally from a fellow directors computer to place the order using his credit card rather than my own, i ordered in our company name. I cannot recall in the website having to enter the order site to enter my developers registration no.

    As a developer i log onto the order site with credentials i thought must have been specific to me. I now have doubts that is correct and great confusion has arisen as to who placed the order.

    As a developer of over 20 years i suggest that the level of service i set out above is the minimum we should expect.

    The experience has soured a whole local maritime community against Visual dataflex and, quite frankly, Data Access Asia Pacific ability to deliver in a timely fashion is under the microscope.

    If i did make a mistake ordering through the confusing web site then i would expect that to be advised to me within an hour. Not on Friday and not after i had to send an inquiring email when i was left wondering why no license details were received.

    The current experience is now known by the Minister in Charge of Earthquake recovery because of the importance of the infrastructure client. Not a good look for Visual Dataflex. There are some very important eyes viewing the length of time it will take to have this client running.

    I inquire if there is any procedure to obtain a license for my client immediately as we expect to be running by 8am Monday Morning. New Zealand time with up to 10 users.

    Personally i would like an international ordering system that complies with the points listed above.

    Am i missing some simple method?

    Simply i need to know how to obtain a new 10 user Client License by 8am Monday time. Daw Asia Pacific already have the Credit Card details for the order.

    As a second issue:

    I also inquired how to order licensing for a new Client running on citrix who will have one server running three separate databases workspaces to be accessed from three physical sites. Two in one city and the third in another city. There was no response at all from Daw Asia Pacific about that query. Just the rejection of the order mentioned above. Again i find that unacceptable business practice. There are other clients in the queue and they all know each other and are viewing DAW Asia Pacific ability to deliver in a tiemely fashion.

    Lastly to end on a positive note -

    I am very happy with all aspects of the Visual Dataflex Product and the support via the support groups is exceptional. It is the contrast of the Local supply issues above to this international level of excellence that concerns me.

    Daw is losing money because of this.

    I would appreciate any guidance whatsover on a method to obtain what i want on time and delivered in an efficient time frame.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in Vermont, USA - unless I'm not
    Posts
    11,085

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    I cannot speak directly to anything with DAW - Asia Pacific.

    Here in the states, I know that I can call DAW in Miami from roughly 9-5 Eastern time. If I don't get directly to Fern, I get a call back in way under an hour - usually 10 or 15 minutes. I can then give him the client info, CC # & I have a license code within the hour. To me, that is excellent service & I'm good with it.

    One can get a 30 day eval license - but I don't know what (if any) user restrictions there are on that.

    I can say that I have heard stories similar to yours (& worse) from other developers in your part of the world. It seems that the "down under" VDF situation is very different from what we have here in the states.
    Garret

    Time for an oldie but goodie:

    "If it ain't broke, you're not trying." - Red Green

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Dunedin, New Zealand
    Posts
    533

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    I am astounded at the difference - I agree that is service which is hard to beat.

    If we could get the same level of service downunder I would be extremely happy.
    It appears the USA sector is very efficient.

    We have to order through the web site as far as i know to get some special pricing.

    Thanks for the excellent feedback Garret.

    I could be wrong but it seems that despite the web site system the process behind it is still manual.
    It is an impediment to doing business.

    If we had a web site that recognized us as individual developers that would also help. Because i logged on from a fellow directors laptop to place the order Asia Pacific basically they are saying they had no idea who we were. I log on with credentials i always thought were mine hence there would be no confusion but i now suspect they are generic credentials. No one ever explained that to me.

    I am quite determined that we need a vast improvement down under to achieve a level of service that is even half acceptable.

    Again thanks for the helpful comments.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Richmond, VA
    Posts
    5,854

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    Garret,

    The eval mode on the Client license is unlimited users.
    Best regards,

    -SWM-

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in Vermont, USA - unless I'm not
    Posts
    11,085

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    Good to know - thank you sir.
    Garret

    Time for an oldie but goodie:

    "If it ain't broke, you're not trying." - Red Green

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    SW Connecticut/NY area
    Posts
    9,181

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    Russell, I went through a similar experience a year ago with DAW Asia Pacific and ultimately DAW in Miami had to straighten it out. I have no idea why they continue to put up with the attitude and lackadaisical attitude from DAW Asia Pacific. I've heard from old DF customers down there that DAW is losing market share because of a lack of developers and this certainly can't help. That customer I was working with ultimately chucked DF and went to some other technology -- Micro$oft from what I could tell from here.
    Bob Worsley
    203-249-2633
    rlworsley at gmail.com

    Do or do not. There is no try. — Yoda

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Miami, Florida U.S.A.
    Posts
    347

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    Russell -

    First let me apologize to you and your client for the delay in processing your order and any resulting inconvenience.

    I confirm that your order has been processed in Miami and that a 10-user Visual DataFlex Client License registration code for "LPC City Depot" has been dispatched to Data Access Asia Pacific. We will coordinate from here to ensure that it is delivered to you by Monday morning, NZ time.

    Order handling...
    Other than Asia-Pacific, Visual DataFlex orders are handled via direct contact with the regional office (Europe, Latin America & North America). Whether contact occurs by phone, email or fax, Garrett describes the typical process well. Given the scope of our products, number of revisions, connectivity components, etc., there is a currently "human" validation on all orders and registrations in Miami so, depending on location, registration code delivery can vary a from few minutes to (unfortunately) a full day in Asia Pacific if there is a worst-case gap created when the order receipt does not align well with business hours in Florida vs. Auckland, Melbourne, Perth, etc.

    Citrix...
    Your question about use of Visual DataFlex with Citrix sounds like an interesting one that might be encountered by others. Would you post the details here in the forum? We'll ensure that you get a prompt reply which will make the reply information available to others as well.

    We appreciate your long-standing use of our products.
    Regards,

    Chip Casanave
    Data Access Worldwide - Miami, FL USA
    Business software for a changing world

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    New Prague, Minnesota USA
    Posts
    1,130

    Default Re: Best way to purchase VDF Products?

    An answer from the President of the company ... within 24 hours. Top that with Micro$oft!
    Larry R Pint
    SOFT-STAR, Inc.
    New Prague, MN

    "What is that unforgettable line?” Samuel Beckett

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