caveat emptor: logitech mac support

[janey]

I'm in the middle of this unusually long email conversation with Logitech email support right now over my 4 month old MX Revolution not working.

After waiting 5 days, I finally got a response (after sending the second email, of course). Here's some choice quotes after the first few emails of standard "troubleshooting" procedure that obviously went nowhere.

Try using the mouse on Windows XP PC and see if the problem still exists. If it does, you might have a defective product and we can consider replacing it.

If it works fine, then we can try other troubleshooting steps on the Mac.

I'm really curious as to whether or not you ask Windows users to try their mice on Mac/Linux before sending them a replacement.... I do not have access to windows at the moment, but the same thing happens in linux.

The reason I am asking you to try it on Windows is to determine whether the problem is related to the mouse itself or the OS and the software in your Macs. Also, if you have any other third party mouse and related software installed in your Macs, please try removing them and see if it helps the situation.

Please try the steps above and let me know of the results. I hope it will resolve your problem.

I'm assuming we glossed over the part where this mouse worked without problems until recently. And that we're assuming software on Windows is flawless (which it's far from being). I have clean (erase and) installs of both Tiger and Leopard on my MacBook thanks to defcon and developer builds and the problem is showing up on both OSs.

Is Logitech willing to send me a copy of Windows so I can try this in Windows, which I still fail to comprehend the need for?

Thank you for your reply and for trying out the troubleshooting steps that I have given you.

Jane, looking at the issue, it appears that the issue could be related to the device itself. Your mouse might be defective and needs to be replaced. We have tried the following troubleshooting steps and none of them solved your problem:

1. Tried using the mouse without LCC.
2. Reconnect the mouse to the Mac.
3. Updating the LCC software for your mouse.
4. Tried using the mouse on other Macs.

In order to proceed with the replacement process, please provide me with the following information....

Gotta love the crap companies try to pull on customers who may not know any better...I was being a dick because I didn't want to restart my PC..well, I didn't even want to drag it out so I could plug in a new mouse. And obviously if I was using vmware fusion (hate dualbooting), then it would most likely have been unacceptable. The above conversation also happened in just over half an hour. Sigh.

 

[kwood]

Ok so you refused to do a troubleshooting step the person asked you to do because it involved a Windows Based PC? Even though it worked up until recently doesn't mean it's not software. I don't know what the problem was with your mouse, but it did seem like a valid step. Even testing on another OS on the same computer is not necessarily a good idea because it may be a problem with the USB port on the computer.

Again you did not describe what the actual problem was. But the steps provided by the Logitech agent were valid and I don't know why you put up a fight about doing them.

 

[welshy1812]

Ok so you refused to do a troubleshooting step the person asked you to do because it involved a Windows Based PC?

I think it's a disgrace that they asked you to test it on XP, as you said, would they expect an XP user to go and test it on OSX? It's clearly just a case of them trying to be awkward and not understanding that OSX is indeed a real OS rather than some sort of 'pretend' OS that nobody really uses.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Ok so you refused to do a troubleshooting step the person asked you to do because it involved a Windows Based PC? Even though it worked up until recently doesn't mean it's not software. I don't know what the problem was with your mouse, but it did seem like a valid step. Even testing on another OS on the same computer is not necessarily a good idea because it may be a problem with the USB port on the computer.

Again you did not describe what the actual problem was. But the steps provided by the Logitech agent were valid and I don't know why you put up a fight about doing them.

how is that a valid request for troubleshooting? not everyone has a PC with Windows XP around too you know. i haven't touched or really used windows in four years, let alone have a PC.

 

[kwood]

It is the testing on another computer that I am talking about. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Windows PC, but another computer in general. Testing on another computer is a valid step as it ensures that it is not the computer's hardware or software that is causing the problem.

The OP never mentioned what the problem with the mouse was. As far as we know it very well could have been a problem with the computer and not he mouse.

 

[shipdestroyer]

I think you were a bit unnecessarily irritated with him. Phone/email support isn't very fun, rewarding or particularly easy to do well, and the guy is likely required to go through all these steps before issuing a replacement.

So he asked you to try Windows. Instead of getting defensive, a simple "I don't have access to a Windows machine" probably would have sufficed.

 

[janey]

Ok so you refused to do a troubleshooting step the person asked you to do because it involved a Windows Based PC?

It is the testing on another computer that I am talking about.

Someone didn't read the original post. I'm not retarded, I would never refuse to test hardware on another computer with good reason. Another OS is not one of the good reasons.

4. Tried using the mouse on other Macs.

It's a problem best seen and not described..in effect, clicking and dragging don't work, and if they do, it does something unexpected (e.g. doubleclick for what was supposed to be a single click or the drag just acting like you let go midway when you didn't). It renders my mouse completely useless, nevermind all the Logitech driver software pile of **** that crashes half my apps regularly, until I use voiceover to finish what I was doing, or I plug in a new mouse. I've gotten so exhausted with the mouse failing to work 9 out of 10 times that I've ditched it for another one until I get the new one in the mail.

I didn't want to post the entire huge conversation here, but I had tested this on two separate Macs. Both worked exactly the same across 4 different OS installs, both pre- and post- problem. All I have that's remotely related to Windows on either one was windows installs in vmware fusion.

You have to understand I was getting a bit short on temper when this guy kept ignoring what I was writing (like not having LCC even installed on a fresh install of OS X) and linked me to all the troubleshooting FAQs on the logitech site that I already mentioned I had tried.

Even then, Logitech has NEVER asked me to try my mouse on Windows for an RMA request, this would probably be my 3rd in the past year or so (all different hardware). And even so, why Windows? It's not like Logitech asks Windows users to go elsewhere to test their mouse, Logitech would be satisfied with the same OS on a different computer. What, did Apple suddenly change something in 10.4.10/ 10.5 9a499/9a500n that makes my specific mx revolution stop working correctly?

And if it's truly some retarded and new but valid troubleshooting step, why'd he so hurriedly jump to finishing up the RMA request instead of insisting I use windows some more?


Let me make it EXPLICITLY clear I had tried this on multiple computers before I even contacted support. I did it again just to amuse him. I even took video footage of it. I had made it clear from the start I had tried this on two different computers that formerly worked just fine with the mouse, but that now if I use the mouse with either one in any OS, I was able to reproduce the problem easily, with or without LCC (the logitech mouse software), fresh and not fresh OS installs. Personally, I am wondering why he explicitly stated I needed to use this on a Windows PC. Not just any computer, but explicitly one with Windows. Have you EVER heard of a hardware problem that is reproducible across three OSs (10.4.10, 10.5 betas*2 and gentoo linux) on two computers that wouldn't be in another OS on the same or different computer? Or wait, did Apple actually update mouse software in 10.4 and 10.5 at the same time while both my Macs have faulty USB ports that worked just fine and still works just fine...yeeeeah.

I think you were a bit unnecessarily irritated with him. Phone/email support isn't very fun, rewarding or particularly easy to do well, and the guy is likely required to go through all these steps before issuing a replacement.

So he asked you to try Windows. Instead of getting defensive, a simple "I don't have access to a Windows machine" probably would have sufficed.

Please, I had sent a dozen replies to this guy all entirely repeating my original support email until the end. This was only AFTER having waited five days for a response that was supposed to be within 24 hours but was virtually ignored until I sent a second email (after which I only waited 24 hours for a response). When you waste a few days in total trying to get across the point that you already did everything he told you to do, you'd be ****ing irritated too.

 

[dammitjanet@gma]

bugger, ive just ordered one of these, went round a few shops looking for a decent shape to fit my hand, this was the best one.