Avid Screws Me Again - Support Contract

[rus5]

I've had two S6's (different models) and had to have the Master Module replaced in both of them (I've had 4 now, and 3 Automation Modules); fortunately while still under the included first year support plan. I keep hoping against hope that software development will finally pick up again. For those two reasons I have updated my support contract twice. The first time was a disaster. There was no web based method, no designated person to contact, no "You're about to expire, click this link" email from Avid, nothing. When I finally connected with someone at Avid who claimed that handling updates was their job, that person didn't even know what the price options were. Eventually they figured it out and did it.

This time after deciding on one more try I clicked the new link in my Avid account and got sent to la la land. And after trying various other things, posted a question about how to do it here on the DUC. This was WELL before the current one expired. An Avid person responded and told me I needed to do it though my dealer (what about the useless links? - nothing). I contacted my dealer and that day they contacted Avid about it. About two weeks later, the expiration date is approaching and nothing. I contact my dealer, they've been trying to reach their Avid contact person and he hasn't responded. They bug him again and finally he responds that he's been sick and will take care of it (can you get sick at your work for two weeks and not back up your job functions? I would last about 1 hour before I was canned).

More time goes by, the expiration date has arrived, it's still not updated, and I contact my dealer again who by this time is exasperated. They contact the person again - nothing - again - nothing, and this goes on for about another month. During this time, I have no coverage. If s/w is finally released, I have no license to get it. If another Master Module or Automation Module fails, I'm screwed. I've done everything I can to get this thing in place and Avid can NOT figure out how to even take my money.

FINALLY, over a month later, Avid figures out how to restart the support contract. BUT THEY PRE DATE IT TO THE ORIGINAL EXPIRATION DATE which is over a month of no coverage past. So I end up paying for more than a month of coverage that Avid was incapable of figuring out how to provide through what is quite literally STUNNING incompetence (you know, the same kind of incompetence that allows relentless -9173 errors to remain unfixed in Pro Tools for five straight years).

I contact my dealer and ask them to tell Avid to set my coverage start date to when Avid actually started it. Avid says, no. Just - no. No explanation, no excuses, no sense of responsibility, no understanding of how incompetent they are, no recognition of how dishonest that is and how famous they are across the planet for their dishonesty, nothing. Just "no". My dealer says, it's hopeless. They've been down this road with Avid before and that I just have to eat it. Avid is simply dishonest and that's that. Eat Avid screwing me YET again.