Message to Matrox Marketing Department (Video Tools Bug)

[T-rex]

This is the message that as suggested by Chris (and with his help) i Will send to Matrox Marketing Dept.

"There is a well known bug (bug that here I call simply "RRICMEXT bug") in the latest set of Video Tools for the Marvel G-400 and RR-G series cards that prevent a lot of your customers to use these boards for their real purpose: Video Editing.
With this message i do not want to complain to Matrox, because i just know that the technical support is hardly working on the problem.
The main reason of this mail is to point out that, as i know, there is no mention of this bug in your web site (correct me if wrong), and even some technical support center do not know of it; and so obviously there are no indications for temporary workaround, and neither a list of components (Mother Board , Power Supply etc.) that cause the problem.
A lot of people now are buying these products. Someone now is experiencing this problem. Probably he (not well-informed...) will call technical support (in some cases , also not well-informed).
Probably he will complain to Matrox.... Probably the next time this user will not buy a Matrox product.... Probably a lot of customers lost....
I know, as your customer for long time, that Matrox will solve (i hope soon..) this problem, but as I stated before, my main purpose, is to report this situation that, as i think, do no suit to a company like Matrox."

I think that is better than stay here only waiting (and complaining).
I hope that someone else will do the same (I hope also with a better English than mine :-) )

[Questor]

Same bug... add my name to the list.

[coolfish]

I'll re-write it for you There's one line where you kinda say "Matrox is hardly working on this problem" where it looks like you meant to say "Matrox is working hard to fix this problem". Am I correct? (I know Haig or Olliver would argue with you on this ).

Below, my version of the letter to Matrox's Marketing Dept. It's a bit longer

Dear Sirs and Madams,

I'm writing regarding a well known bug in the video tools
for the Marvel G400 and RR-G series cards. This serious bug
in the RRICMEXT file prevents many users from utilizing the main
feature of the card -- hardware MJPG encoding, used for
video capture and editing. I know that Matrox's driver
team is working hard to fix this problem, ensuring that their
solution will work on the many different types of computer
components available. As such, this letter is not to complain
about the bug itself, but the way Matrox has failed to make
this bug public. The following indicates Matrox's failures
to ensure that the buyer is aware of the current bugs in the
software:

1) There is no mention of the bug on the Matrox web
site, or any possible workarounds (for example,
using software encoding).

2) The (pre)sales staff and even some of the technical
support staff are not aware of the problem.

Matrox's reputation for excellent quality continues to bring
them many new customers. However, upon purchasing the above
products, they might be in for a surprise. The customer might
go to the Matrox web site, only to find no references to their
problem. They might call technical support, which in some
cases might be futile as I myself have experienced instances
where the technical support personnel were not aware of this
bug. In the end, the customer will feel that Matrox failed
to provide a satisifactory product. This will result in a loss
of revenues, and bad public relations. This bug must be addressed
on the web site. The sales staff should be informed of it, and
should inform buyers that until a fix has been produced, their
new product may not perform as it should. Finally, all technical
staff should be informed of this problem and should be trained
to help the end-users install a work-around (for example, the
Morgan Multimedia software codec). This might result in many
new customers delaying their purchase of the RR-G and Marvel
cards. However, I feel that this is much less damaging to Matrox's
interests than to continue to sell a product with which users will
not be 100% satisfied.

On another note, the technical and sales staff at Matrox should
also be made aware of another requirement for the RR-G cards. Many
users, myself included, have experienced severe difficulties
in attempting to get their RR-G cards to even install properly. It often turns
out to be the fault of the user's power supply. The RR-G requires
a minimum of 0.5 Amperes at -5 and -12 volts. This requirement
is not in the manual, box, and even many of the technical support
staff at Matrox were not aware of this issue. I refer you to www.murc.ws for more information on this topic -- search
the Desktop Video forum and you'll find many instances of users
who required a new power supply.

As an avid Matrox supporter, I hope that Matrox addresses these
issues in order to continue to bring excellence in quality
and service to its customers, both new and returning.

Sincerely,

yada yada.



[This message has been edited by coolfish (edited 27 January 2000).]

[T-rex]

Yes... I think it's a lot better than mine

What do you think if, with the help of Chris (or Haig, or Olliver or Ant), we send your message to Matrox Marketing Dept.
with all our names, i hope not only mine, your, or Questor's one? (a petiton in other words).


[This message has been edited by T-rex (edited 28 January 2000).]

[coolfish]

well, if they have anything to edit or add in order to make it better, i'd sure appreciate their feedback...

[Fogduck]

Coolfish: good job. I wonder how many of our hardware problems would finally get serious action if more technical people would get off their asses and figure out how to write like professionals -- instead of writing bitchy, whining, pissed-off-punk letters which only validate support some personnel's initial instinct to question the integrity of the source of the complaint, before actually considering the complaint itself.