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Open letter regarding the support ?
Hi all
I think that this is a critical time, when collectively we just might be able to help plot the course that Matrox now takes. I don't expect, or even want for that matter everyone to agree with me, but i would like to try and broaden our thinking. I would like to try and get enough people, existing Matrox customers, to agree just enough so that we might present a more united front that Matrox can appreciate.
This approach I think will benefit everyone. If you are loyal to Matrox, anything that makes the company stronger, including more customers, is in your favor. If they are experiencing or experimenting with a policy shift, it will be of more direct benefit.
On the other hand, if a Matrox poster is hanging on your wall punctured by a good many darts, getting some of what you want can't hurt. Even if you've just replaced everything bearing their name, please think of us folks that just plain ol' can't. If you're feeling really, REALLY spiteful, then just please consider that anything they give us at all will cost them something.
If we want more from Matrox, they need to see just what's in it for them. They need to see the irate customers as well as those more understanding, and as a whole, I think our best chances exist if Matrox perceives that it's customers are both united, and willing to accept some sort of compromise -- a compromise where yeah, we won't get everything we wanted, but then again, Matrox will give us more then they are planning to now. It's in Matrox's interest to both salvage customers, & keep any from becoming irate (few satisfied customers say anything, but a dissatisfied customer will tell a dozen, or more).
For any sort of united appearance to happen, I think we all need to be a little bit more tolerant of each other's views. There are a lot of customers who for all sorts of reasons feel (or will feel) they've gotten the short end of the stick, some feeling pretty betrayed. If you personally feel that their views, their feelings are wrong, invalid, that alone does not make their perceptions go away. Whether you're coming from psychology or biz or CR, doesn't matter, these folks will express their views and only after that be open to any sort of compromise.
Efforts to stifle that expression will do 2 things, at least... It will make some more determined (you push & I'll push back). It will drive some away, hurting any chances of presenting a united body of customers, hurting the forum, and perhaps hurting Matrox. Please remember that many people read these posts without ever posting themselves.
What about those who still love Matrox? Those views are just as important, no matter how angry they might make some of us, myself often enough included. When you post anti-Matrox, you are talking about a company, a business entity. There's nothing personal about it in intent, but I think a lot of the pro Matrox folks do indeed take it personally -- it can be taken I imagine as an affront to their beliefs, a questioning of their judgement &/or perceptions perhaps.
They get riled, and I suppose it's understandable that they want to strike back, sometimes with a lapse in otherwise excellent judgement. Two posts come to mind where I here openly apologize as necessary for my comments which were posted in both anger and frustration. One was in response to an open challenge combined with somewhat arrogant attitudes. Frustration (& all sorts of things) likely led to the original post -- I should have been more tolerant myself and let it slide perhaps.
The other post I regret was actually sparked by something I read that to me made no sense -- a really pet peeve. The title of the thread was asking about a rebate -- a nice attempt at compromise promoting something that is Very standard business practice. No matter, it degraded towards pros and cons, resulting in someone posting to keep things on topic, followed next line (same post) by what I took as an *in your face* pro-Matrox jeer.
We've got to quit the in fighting folks -- we shouldn't all agree, EVER, but this does no one any good. Let's all try not to become offended, and in turn try not to post things that can be taken as a personal assault. If you're feeling pro-Matrox, cool.. just please realize that the opposite view is not a direct & personal challenge just begging you to drop to the personal level. You can say the same things, but in terms of your own experience and perceptions. Everyone, please accept that no matter your personal background &/or experience, there are people who will disagree with you -- it's their right and the world would be a pretty dull place otherwise.
That all being said, with much thanks for your patience, everyone should be able to agree on these very basics.
The first interpretation is that Matrox screwed up... that their intent was not to have a bunch of unhappy customers.
Now the cause may have been some group trying too hard to come up with working code, wanting it so badly that upper management wasn't fully aware, was not appraised that this code might not make it out the door on schedule. Just as easily this snafu could have resulted from upper management decisions. Probably a combination though I doubt we'll ever really know -- even if Matrox did an internal enquiry, it would not be good business to release the results publicly. People, whether customers or part of the competition, will keep guessing and second guessing.
The other obvious interpretation is that Matrox's intent was/is to scale back support, with unhappy customers an unfortunate but accepted side effect. There is some controversy today in the biz world, regarding the importance of Customer Service etc., and there are those who would think this move both necessary and wise. Matrox is privately held, so figures are less available, but considering what other companies are going through in both the graphics card & video capture/editing markets, things could indeed be tight.
In the first scenario, no one has to forgive anything -- from a biz management perspective the aftermath of such a mistake(s) should make Matrox a stronger, better run company. Mistakes should be expected, and it's also generally accepted in biz that the next immediate step in this situation is to recover as best possible from the consequences.
To a really great extent, we can influence if not determine some of the perceived costs and benefits to Matrox as they weigh alternatives. Matrox is going to be less inclined to devote any resources if they feel they've already lost the vast majority of RR & Marvel customers, then if they see us as a large group willing to tolerate and accept compromise.
At the same time, if we just roll over and play dead, what incentive is there for them to do anything? Worse, it might actually encourage, empower the mindset that they can reduce levels of service without penalty. Given current biz trends, this would likely have drastic impact on Matrox in the future.
OK, so what about the second option, if this was intended all along? Well, a biz is like a small village or maybe even a country, with all sorts of both good guys and bad guys. Here we'd have the good guys like Haig, who would love to find a solution that benefits customers and that's palatable to the higher ups. I propose we support him as much as possible, hopefully give him some things to work with, stuff he can shove uphill to the powers that be.
If those *higher ups* can be made to feel that they can minimize the fallout from their decisions, make the consequences less then imagined, you might just get their attention. And if you can do it at somewhat less cost then originally anticipated, in this case actually saving customers, so much the better. That's the carrot... the stick would be larger then anticipated defections, worse PR, the sort of thing that comes from unity.
At any rate, we've got little to lose, and a forum that just might persevere if we stick together here and now. It's everyone's call...
Thanks
mikie
I think that this is a critical time, when collectively we just might be able to help plot the course that Matrox now takes. I don't expect, or even want for that matter everyone to agree with me, but i would like to try and broaden our thinking. I would like to try and get enough people, existing Matrox customers, to agree just enough so that we might present a more united front that Matrox can appreciate.
This approach I think will benefit everyone. If you are loyal to Matrox, anything that makes the company stronger, including more customers, is in your favor. If they are experiencing or experimenting with a policy shift, it will be of more direct benefit.
On the other hand, if a Matrox poster is hanging on your wall punctured by a good many darts, getting some of what you want can't hurt. Even if you've just replaced everything bearing their name, please think of us folks that just plain ol' can't. If you're feeling really, REALLY spiteful, then just please consider that anything they give us at all will cost them something.
If we want more from Matrox, they need to see just what's in it for them. They need to see the irate customers as well as those more understanding, and as a whole, I think our best chances exist if Matrox perceives that it's customers are both united, and willing to accept some sort of compromise -- a compromise where yeah, we won't get everything we wanted, but then again, Matrox will give us more then they are planning to now. It's in Matrox's interest to both salvage customers, & keep any from becoming irate (few satisfied customers say anything, but a dissatisfied customer will tell a dozen, or more).
For any sort of united appearance to happen, I think we all need to be a little bit more tolerant of each other's views. There are a lot of customers who for all sorts of reasons feel (or will feel) they've gotten the short end of the stick, some feeling pretty betrayed. If you personally feel that their views, their feelings are wrong, invalid, that alone does not make their perceptions go away. Whether you're coming from psychology or biz or CR, doesn't matter, these folks will express their views and only after that be open to any sort of compromise.
Efforts to stifle that expression will do 2 things, at least... It will make some more determined (you push & I'll push back). It will drive some away, hurting any chances of presenting a united body of customers, hurting the forum, and perhaps hurting Matrox. Please remember that many people read these posts without ever posting themselves.
What about those who still love Matrox? Those views are just as important, no matter how angry they might make some of us, myself often enough included. When you post anti-Matrox, you are talking about a company, a business entity. There's nothing personal about it in intent, but I think a lot of the pro Matrox folks do indeed take it personally -- it can be taken I imagine as an affront to their beliefs, a questioning of their judgement &/or perceptions perhaps.
They get riled, and I suppose it's understandable that they want to strike back, sometimes with a lapse in otherwise excellent judgement. Two posts come to mind where I here openly apologize as necessary for my comments which were posted in both anger and frustration. One was in response to an open challenge combined with somewhat arrogant attitudes. Frustration (& all sorts of things) likely led to the original post -- I should have been more tolerant myself and let it slide perhaps.
The other post I regret was actually sparked by something I read that to me made no sense -- a really pet peeve. The title of the thread was asking about a rebate -- a nice attempt at compromise promoting something that is Very standard business practice. No matter, it degraded towards pros and cons, resulting in someone posting to keep things on topic, followed next line (same post) by what I took as an *in your face* pro-Matrox jeer.
We've got to quit the in fighting folks -- we shouldn't all agree, EVER, but this does no one any good. Let's all try not to become offended, and in turn try not to post things that can be taken as a personal assault. If you're feeling pro-Matrox, cool.. just please realize that the opposite view is not a direct & personal challenge just begging you to drop to the personal level. You can say the same things, but in terms of your own experience and perceptions. Everyone, please accept that no matter your personal background &/or experience, there are people who will disagree with you -- it's their right and the world would be a pretty dull place otherwise.
That all being said, with much thanks for your patience, everyone should be able to agree on these very basics.
The first interpretation is that Matrox screwed up... that their intent was not to have a bunch of unhappy customers.
Now the cause may have been some group trying too hard to come up with working code, wanting it so badly that upper management wasn't fully aware, was not appraised that this code might not make it out the door on schedule. Just as easily this snafu could have resulted from upper management decisions. Probably a combination though I doubt we'll ever really know -- even if Matrox did an internal enquiry, it would not be good business to release the results publicly. People, whether customers or part of the competition, will keep guessing and second guessing.
The other obvious interpretation is that Matrox's intent was/is to scale back support, with unhappy customers an unfortunate but accepted side effect. There is some controversy today in the biz world, regarding the importance of Customer Service etc., and there are those who would think this move both necessary and wise. Matrox is privately held, so figures are less available, but considering what other companies are going through in both the graphics card & video capture/editing markets, things could indeed be tight.
In the first scenario, no one has to forgive anything -- from a biz management perspective the aftermath of such a mistake(s) should make Matrox a stronger, better run company. Mistakes should be expected, and it's also generally accepted in biz that the next immediate step in this situation is to recover as best possible from the consequences.
To a really great extent, we can influence if not determine some of the perceived costs and benefits to Matrox as they weigh alternatives. Matrox is going to be less inclined to devote any resources if they feel they've already lost the vast majority of RR & Marvel customers, then if they see us as a large group willing to tolerate and accept compromise.
At the same time, if we just roll over and play dead, what incentive is there for them to do anything? Worse, it might actually encourage, empower the mindset that they can reduce levels of service without penalty. Given current biz trends, this would likely have drastic impact on Matrox in the future.
OK, so what about the second option, if this was intended all along? Well, a biz is like a small village or maybe even a country, with all sorts of both good guys and bad guys. Here we'd have the good guys like Haig, who would love to find a solution that benefits customers and that's palatable to the higher ups. I propose we support him as much as possible, hopefully give him some things to work with, stuff he can shove uphill to the powers that be.
If those *higher ups* can be made to feel that they can minimize the fallout from their decisions, make the consequences less then imagined, you might just get their attention. And if you can do it at somewhat less cost then originally anticipated, in this case actually saving customers, so much the better. That's the carrot... the stick would be larger then anticipated defections, worse PR, the sort of thing that comes from unity.
At any rate, we've got little to lose, and a forum that just might persevere if we stick together here and now. It's everyone's call...
Thanks
mikie
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