Upgrading to 17

Question asked by Todd Hunter - 3/7/2019 at 9:41 AM

Unanswered

We have been using SmarterMail Enterprise Unlimited for 10+ years and been very pleased with it. We always purchase our renewals on time and we rarely use our support tickets. In all respects, we are the ideal client.

We are running SmarterMail v15 for obvious reasons related to the stability of v16 and v17.

This morning I contacted SmarterTools to get a license for v17 to run concurrently with v15 and migrate domains as we felt comfortable. This will not be a quick process and will take months so I was requesting and extended use license.

I realize that what I am asking for is out of the ordinary. What I was surprised at is the attitude and response from the girl who took the call. Not only would she not assist me, she refused to put me in touch with anyone else who I might discuss it with. She would not put me in touch with a manager and she would not transfer me to someone who might be able to help. Her only response was - if I did not like her resolution I might send an email to sales.

She told me we could install a 30 day trial license to test and then pointed out that we would not be able to roll back. Or to run a single domain. When I asked her if SmarterTools beta tests their product on a single server with a single domain she was unresponsive.

I understand as businesses grow they need to become more standardized and efficient – ie rigid.

What I do not understand is the total unwillingness to assist long time customers when they know there are issues with their product.

Todd

3 Replies

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Anne Campbell Replied

3/7/2019 at 9:48 AM

Recommend staying with V15 v 17 has been a nightmare and samrtermail are not helping at all with issues we have encountered

MattyT Replied

3/7/2019 at 7:18 PM

I, too, am a 10+ year SmarterTools customer currently running v15. Although when I do upgrade to v17 I believe I'll do it just like any previous version upgrade with the typical uninstall/upgrade install, I see your concern and your request isn't really that far fetched. ST could easily, I'm sure, give you an extended trial key. The fact that a customer who's given ST untold thousands of dollars over the years gets little more than a shrug over a request is disheartening. I treat my clients as I would want to be treated and go overboard for my clients as a rule.

As as aside, I've been going to the same independent auto mechanic for years and years. Recently, my car was going to be up on the lift longer than expected and I had a meeting to attend, if possible. Owner of the shop offered to let me take his own car which I declined although he was earnest in his offer. That's service. Now, the kid who pumps gas can't offer the boss's car but he could ask his manager...

Don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill but I get your point.

Matt

Todd Hunter Replied

3/13/2019 at 9:22 AM

We have certain clients that are interested in the features of 17. But we do not want to risk our whole deployment. We thought we could move the clients which need the features and leave the rest until 17 stabilizes.

Smartertools response leaves a bad taste. For the first time in 10+ years we have to choose between running a stable email platform vs full features.

We also have a client with on premise Exchange that we are looking to move to our hosting. It would be a good piece of business. But without the ability to offer the newer features it leaves something on the table.

Buiness is hard enough to come by. Sometimes a little help from a long time vendor can go a long ways. Not so in this case.

Todd

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