Re: DO NOT BUY FROM ZTGROUP!

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From: Peter Near (peter_at_thenears.com)
Date: 02/29/04 

Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 10:41:01 -0500

As an "old timer" in this newsgroup, I can confidently say that Phil has
been a positive contributor. He seems like a good guy who is interested in
MCE and happens to work for ATI. He has in the past attempted to steer us
in a direction that will politically motivate ATI, but he is not the
decision maker.

I think that you're preaching to the choir when you direct these complaints
to Phil. Direct them to ATI, and i'm sure Phil will be able to provide you
a few ideas on where your opinions will be best heard by the decision-makers
within the company.

Pete

"CrAzY" <_MCE_@MobStarz.Com> wrote in message
news:#cGXztm$DHA.2660@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Welcome the Newsgroups Philip - glad you can join us for conversations
that
> protect and promote your products.
>
> However, I do see how a company that has poor tech support can be related
to
> the only company to agree to use the ATI eHome Wonder cards - if the only
> company that will use them in an MCE has poor tech support - are you going
> to continue to promote that company? It's a shame that you have to come
here
> in attempts to do damage control for a company that is loosing end-user
> support in the MCE realm ... Oh wait, not only in MCE, but in the Home
> Theater PC realm all together. The inability to support simple requested
> features in driver releases has gone unheard, for way to long ...
>
> Again - the only company to use the eHome Wonder also has poor customer
> service ... you're obviously in some sort of public relations, and I'm
> certain you're familiar with marketing strategies - numbers can always be
> skewed to your advantage ... well -
>
> ZTGroup = Poor Tech Support
> ZTGroup = Only OEM to use ATI eHome Wonder
>
> I'll let people come to their own deductions for the rest ...
>
> I'm with Tom on this one and notice your only replies here thus far have
> been to combat any negative statements towards ATI ... what a shame ...
>
> --
> ============
> :: CrAzY ::
> ============
> "Phil Taylor" <ptaylor@private-citizen.com> wrote in message
> news:e7l4ozU$DHA.3536@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> > again, hard disk failures dont relate to capture or graphics cards.
> >
> > sorry the qa torqued you, I cant change that.
> >
> > "Tom" <tintruder@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:OmHVrcO$DHA.4060@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> > > Well, somebody a while back did proudly announce ZT Group was the only
> OEM
> > > customer ATI managed to land for the eHW card.....sounds like a good,
> > > competent group to associate the ATI name with.
> > >
> > > Nonetheless, I will continue to steer people away from ATI with
respect
> to
> > > MCE as the opportunity arises until you folks change your practices,
> > support
> > > users who spent a bundle for your products, and be honest for a change
> > about
> > > the topic and supporting facts.
> > >
> > > I even get flattering emails from people claiming to be ATI employees
> (and
> > > the originating IP Addresses suggest they may really be) who agree
> > > wholeheartedly that you folks made a bad decision and stuck with it
for
> > all
> > > the wrong reasons. They hate seeing their company get a bad rap for
> > > something so easily fixed, but realize that if internal common-sense
> won't
> > > solve the problem, perhaps external bad PR will.
> > >
> > > The Q&A your folks authored for TheGreenButton.com was so incredibly
> > > condescending and disrespectful that it probably did more to sour
people
> > on
> > > ATI than anything I could say.
> > >
> > > Any other big OEM sales with those eHWs?
> > > Seriously, I'm glad you are selling some, but you'd take away the
> > > "grey-market" smell if you'd support customers with drivers on the
> website
> > > and maybe even a little discussion of the card from a technical
> > perspective
> > > rather than just the marketing fluff.
> > >
> > > MCE etc. isn't going away, and if you guys would pull your heads out,
it
> > > would only take a few genuine, helpful, positive gestures to the MCE
> > > enthusiast community to start mending your reputation and earn back
some
> > of
> > > the trust (and revenue) that has been needlessly squandered.
> > >
> > > Phil, there's too much stuff changing in the market. Too many
competing
> > > technologies and emergent choices. You guys need to offer consumers a
> > better
> > > roadmap because too many of ATIs efforts seem to be reinventing the
> wheel
> > > and moving away from the mainstream.
> > >
> > > We know you have good hardware. No argument. But the rest of your
> > > cometitors, even those with headquarters 8000 miles away in Asia,
> instead
> > of
> > > right next door, are kicking your *** with new products, tantalizing
> > > information, and damn good, highly responsive customer support.
> > >
> > > For instance, your new HDTV Wonder... you didn't do anything to
> > > differentiate it from the other HDTV cards that have been on the
market
> > for
> > > 2 years already. If it has an advantage, perhaps somebody ought to say
> so.
> > > What have we been waiting two more years for? OTA HDTV?
> > >
> > > And while you guys sure like to keep secrets, there must be some
"good"
> > > things about upcoming products you could tell us to create enough
> > excitement
> > > for us to wait for ATI rather than go buy competing products.
> > > Speaking of ATI secrets, you gotta do something to offset the
> ExtremeTech
> > > report that says the HDTVWonder app is not yet integrated into MMC and
> > there
> > > is no working dual-mode Guide yet....boy THAT was good press....get a
> $250
> > > HDTV card and have drivers that suck...how'd you manage to let that
> tidbit
> > > out?
> > >
> > > I guess the bottom line is that one pissed off customer has more
effect
> > than
> > > 100 satisfied customers, huh?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Philip Taylor [ATI]" <ptaylor@online.newsgroup-poster.ati.com> wrote
in
> > > message news:OqUKHnL$DHA.2316@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > > > Its hard to see there is any direct linkage between failures on disk
> and
> > > the
> > > > capture card.
> > > >
> > > > I think its a bit unfair to use this post to forward your agenda
Tom.
> > Its
> > > > unfortunate that your unhappiness over the AIW driver situation is
> > > clouding
> > > > your opinion of ATI, but be clear about thats whats driving your
> > repeated
> > > > comments here and in other forums.
> > > >
> > > > "Tom" <tintruder@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > > news:eyGchXI$DHA.3500@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > > > > Interestingly, ZT Group is one of the OEMs who has chosen to use
the
> > ATI
> > > > > eHomeWonder tuner.
> > > > >
> > > > > Everybody else uses Avermedia, Emuzed or Hauppague (except that
one
> > Dell
> > > > > using the customized AIW9000 and secret software).
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "ztgroupsucks" <junkmail1513@mail.NOSPAM.com> wrote in message
> > > > > news:%235ZHpGI$DHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> > > > > > I helped my brother configure and purchase a MCE computer
through
> ZT
> > > > > > Group. I figured they use name brand parts and simply assemble
the
> > > > > > computer so I had little concerns. WELL what a mistake that
was!!!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Besides several little problems that they could not resolve the
> > system
> > > > > > died one day. It was reporting a READ DISK ERROR on boot. OK
> sounds
> > > > > > like a Hard Drive failure, should not be a problem because this
> > > > > > system was configured with a MIRROR RAID (2x80GB drive
Mirrored).
> > > > > > Well I was wrong again.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > To make a very long story short we sent the computer back to be
> > fixed.
> > > > > > They could not retrieve ANY data from either hard drive
(remember
> > > > > > these were mirrored) and further more could not determine what
> > caused
> > > > > > the problem. The technician kept telling me that "computers are
> not
> > > > > > perfect" and a RAID MIRROR is not a guarantee of data
redundancy.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > After waiting almost a full week after it arrived at ZT Group
they
> > > > > > could not tell me what went wrong and kept stating "computers
are
> > not
> > > > > > perfect". They refused to refund my brothers money and would not
> > > > > > replace any hardware cause they could not find a problem.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Furthermore at least 5+ hours of our time was wasted trying to
> > > > > > troubleshoot the system over the phone. The tech support person
> > > > > > simply had no clue.. He tried to tell me that the data on one
hard
> > > > > > drive became corrupt and therefore "when mirrored" to the other
> disk
> > > > > > other disk was too corrupt. I explained that MIRRORED drives do
> not
> > > > > > copy from one disk to the other but the RAID controller simply
> > > > > > duplicates the data and sends it to each disk therefore each
disk
> is
> > > > > > independent of the others failure.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I WOULD NEVER EVER DO BUSINESS AGAIN WITH ZT GROUP!!!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > MCE User..
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Posted via http://www.xpMCE.com
> > > > > > Everything about Windows XP Media Center Edition
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

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