Orchid Dialler Discount

Garret

NOTE: If you are thinking of buying an Orchid product but don't want to read the long argument below, just skip down to HOW TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT AN ORCHID PRODUCT which is near the bottom.



Hi everybody, me again. I haven't posted recently because I've been a little busy. I'm not a business rival or a troll just one lone customer that has not been able to put the Orchid gadgets to the use they were intended.

Orchid Tech Support said:

"Your advice to state in big bold type not to buy any of our products is we feel totally unfair"

You have quoted me out of context. I didn't say not to buy the products at all, I said not to buy them until they've made the manual easier to follow. People who've got Orchid products to work seem to like them. I'm pointing out that they are not easy to make work.

Orchid then said"
"… and your experience of our product (not substantiated) is not representative of the vast majority of our customers who've recommended our products to friends, family and colleagues and thanked us for our excellent customer service."

Do Orchid really expect us to believe that they have actually polled 'the vast majority' of their customers to find this out? I must have been one of the unlucky ones that didn't get asked then. Unless I see some evidence that 'the vast majority' were personally contacted some time after buying the gadget I'm afraid I must conclude that the person from Orchid was exaggerating wildly.

Given that the message was from the Tech Support department it is extremely user unfriendly to say to a customer that their experience is unsubstantiated and that everyone else managed okay. I'm hardly likely to phone an 0870 line to be told that the product is fine, it is me that is the problem.

An example of their lack of understanding of the non-techie is in the post itself. The Tech Support agent from Orchid keeps referring to the 'QSUG' without saying what it is. Many people won't be able or won't be bothered to work out what that means, especially people on this board who aren't even customers, let alone disgruntled or even fully gruntled ones. (It's the Quick Start User Guide, although it is currently 22 pages long, so quick is another exaggeration.)

HOW TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT AN ORCHID PRODUCT:

The manual is available on line (you don't get a paper copy which is a small frustration in itself for us non-techies) here:

http://www.orchid-electronics.com/QuickStartUserGuide.pdf

You cannot use the product without referring to the manual. So, for people thinking of buying one of these products:

1. Go to the link above

2. Read the manual making sure you understand it properly (don't skim - read all 22 pages thoroughly)

3. Ask yourself "Do I understand this well enough to be able to programme my phone or dialler" You'll need to get the grip of carrier codes, routing codes, 'attributes', 'management platforms' and several other techie things.

4. If you answer 'Yes' then buy, if 'No', don't.

Be careful, if you have ever made a mistake while programming your video, you'll find an Orchid product hard to use. They are much much MUCH harder to programme than videos.

The test is for people thinking of buying an Orchid product, not for people who've already got one to work so don't write in saying you've got one and found it easy, because I have one and don't find it easy. You may be much cleverer than me but just pointing that out is neither helpful nor edifying.

As to where I got stuck, the manual has changed since I first posted about this and I'm having trouble even finding the point at which I came unstuck. I'll have to go through it again form scratch, but a quick glance at it gives me the heebie jeebies when I get to section 4 'List Your Product Population'. What's that supposed to mean? Are these things alive, and should I put them down on the form the next time there's a census? Why can't manuals come in plain English? It is a popular language where I live, here in plain England.

As for calling the 0870 number, I just have, and it is an answering machine!

I find Orchid's repeated reference to my claims being 'unsubstantiated' rather rude for someone running a help line. Do they really find it hard to believe that someone might have trouble using their products? How would they like me to substantiate my claims? Most products work straight out of the box and you can pretty much work out how to use them with barely any reference to the manual, but with the dialler even Orchid admit you have to 'carefully' (and they put the word in bold and underline it for emphasis) read a 22 page document before you can get going. I'm sorry, but that itself shows the product isn't easy to programme and people should know that BEFORE they do what I did and that is buy a product that now only gathers dust.

TTFN

Garret

Edinburghlass_2

Now that Garret too has had his say, can we move this thread on please rather than turn it into an arguement.

Garret, Martin and Orchid suggested you post your particular problem and hopefully Orchid can help you solve it and maybe at the same time it might help other people.

Toxteth_OGrady

Toxteth_OGrady wrote:

Which bit are you struggling with?

Please don't say all of it.

Everybody's got to start somewhere.

If you post specifics there's lots of folks on here will willingly give their time to help you.

:cool:

TOG

@Garrett

Thanks for your last post, it gives a better perspective.

Gladly re-iterating my offer to assist.

Have you tried Orchid's videos here?

If Orchid had something like a Set-up Wizard in CW Client do you think that would help?

:cool:

TOG

andy88_2

Thanks for the info Garret. I am not an Orchid customer, so I might venture an independent opinion.

I have seen this product recommended in several places. For some people, it seems a bit tricky to think about setting it up, but my understanding is that there is ample support from the company itself and a community of its users, as we can see here. I haven't studied their website for how to program and download settings, but I believe the people who say they have done so.

Perhaps your difficulties are best discussed with the company itself, during its normal working hours, as they have requested. It is unfair of you to introduce irrelevant info here. Customers (including you) know what QSUG means and I guessed.

I'd recommend friends to look at Orchid, and have done this week to friends for business use. I've been trying to persuade them about 18866 and 1899, but I know they'd forget most of the time.

Personally, I'd save about £1 a month (on internet access). If I can persuade the rest of the family to use 18866 and 1899 for UK as well as foreign, it could be £3. The Orchid product removes that indecision and inertia. So I might get round to it.

Toxteth_OGrady

I actually save £35 per month with this dialler, using a combination of TT, 1899, 18866 etc., compared with what I was previously paying on BT Option 3.

So even if I couldn't set it up, and wanted to change my routing table every week (unlikely as I've only changed it once in 5 months), I'd be paying £8 per month to Orchid. My net savings would still be £27 per month, so I don't really see what the issue is.

:cool:

TOG

digp

can businesses take advantage of 188666?

Edinburghlass_2

Yes, I put my local pc guy onto 18866 and he uses it all the time

If you are with BT though, do check what business plan you are on as some require you to have a minimum spend on calls.

Garret

I'll answer points above in more detail later (pushed tor time as usual) but yes, a wizard for the software would be a brilliant idea and I think would solve the problem.

The videos are quite good (are they new since I bought my dialler?) but of course you want to watch a bit and then follow the instructions, which is easy with a paper manual, almost impossible when they're on the same screen. Is there some way I could print out the videos?

One particular problem I had with the "Quick" Start User Guide is that there is a code for all numbers starting with a zero. Does that include overseas numbers, which of course start with a zero, but then are followed by another zero? How a logical conflicts resolved (mobile numbers have a zero at the front too, but I'd want to route them seperately to landline numbers)?

Garret

Toxteth_OGrady

Garret wrote:

Is there some way I could print out the videos?

When you get to the frame of video u need to study/print, pause the video. Then press Alt-Print Screen on your keyboard.

Open an image editor e.g. MS Paint and then use Ctrl-V to paste. Select print form the file menu of the image editor.

:cool:

TOG

Toxteth_OGrady

Garret wrote:

One particular problem I had with the "Quick" Start User Guide is that there is a code for all numbers starting with a zero. Does that include overseas numbers, which of course start with a zero, but then are followed by another zero? How a logical conflicts resolved (mobile numbers have a zero at the front too, but I'd want to route them seperately to landline numbers)?Garret

Yes you are correct. If you only use routing code zero, then ALL numbers beginning with zero will be routed thru the carrier you have defined for that routing code. However there is no real need to use routing code zero.

If you select a line in the bottom right hand pane of the routing table and select the 'Edit' button at the bottom you will be able to scroll through the drop down menu of all the routing codes. You will see there are individual codes for most countries and mobile providers.

This is what part of my table looks like, it may help:


:cool:

TOG