Has support really slid this far?

[TLarvenz]

I emailed tech support about a problem with installation on March 20th and got a response back today. TODAY! Just one month later. Is this how support is now or is this just a fluke? I haven't needed support up until I installed PT 8 and hadn't used it since Protools 5... They used to be great and really quick. I'm hoping it's just a ticket that fell through the cracks.

[Drew Mazurek]

Avid has restructured

[BigEvil]

Originally Posted by BigEvil

from

Marketwatch.com

in an article about AVID's 08 year heading into 09' (they own digi)


"For the year ended December 31, 2008, we incurred a net loss of $198.2 million, compared to a net loss of $8.0 million for 2007. "

I wouldn't hold my breath on any R&D expenses or completely unnecessary product launches anytime soon. They need to focus on surviving the next 12 months first.

let me affix Customer Service to that list as well...

[Shan]

Originally Posted by dmazurek

Avid has restructured

They also merged everything as one big company today so I wouldnt be surprised if we some new cheesey brand names like "AVID Pro Tools".

Shane

[Bentley Ferrari]

I'd say your long wait was a fluke. If you do a search for Titles containing the word "support" you won't find any other indications of Digi being AWOL. Sorry about your experience, though.

Ignore the post above regarding the loss Avid posted in 2008. Someone who can't interpret financial statements and has an axe to grind apparently. Digidesign will do more than survive the next 12 months, to say the least. Anyone who has serious doubts about that shouldn't be wasting their time cutting and pasting their own posts on the DUC. They'd do better to waste time shopping for new DAWs.

[Vaphoron]

I don't think it was a fluke at all. I sent a message to customer service about 3 weeks ago and after 15 days of not hearing anything I finally called because I couldn't wait any longer. I have also in the past sent at least two messages that were never even responded to.

[Howardk]

Originally Posted by TLarvenz

I emailed tech support about a problem with installation on March 20th and got a response back today. TODAY! Just one month later. Is this how support is now or is this just a fluke? I haven't needed support up until I installed PT 8 and hadn't used it since Protools 5... They used to be great and really quick. I'm hoping it's just a ticket that fell through the cracks.

The good news is they have a process in place that ensured they actually got back to you, albeit way late. They certainly do need to step up their game because that is not acceptable. The ticket web tool they have, with the ability to view and add info after the initial request, seems pretty good, and at least your request didn't fall between the cracks forever. Sounds link resources are short but at least they get thru the cue sooner or later. I wonder what the cost is for the priority support from Digidesign? . . . . . .

Avid's losses are scaring me. . . A world leader in pro recording and video editing products and they are loosing that kinda cash. . . things are not going to get easier for Avid/Digidesign from here, with computers getting more powerful etc. . . I wonder which division is contributing versus loosing the $?

I have had excellent support from Waves in the last couple years. It is usually less than 24 hours, and the answers are generally concise and do the trick first time.

[IO Composer]

I would argue that Digi's phone support has been nothing short of STELLAR, the few times I've had to call over the last month.

That said, the fact that I went 10 years without ever needing to call and have had to call 3 times in the last month because of PT8's flakiness is another story entirely.

-Jamey

[Jantzen]

at least they replied, last year I sent a few email to them and they never replied until I posted here, that was 2 months after I sent the last email.

I'm in Hong Kong, their support is slow and pathetic. Their service? Local dealers have accepted they are the slowest moving animal on earth. Took me more than a month from order to actually have my HD1 crossgrade in hand.

Jantzen

[Bentley Ferrari]

Originally Posted by Howardk

Avid's losses are scaring me. . . A world leader in pro recording and video editing products and they are loosing that kinda cash. . . things are not going to get easier for Avid/Digidesign from here, with computers getting more powerful etc. . . I wonder which division is contributing versus loosing the $?

Posting a big loss is not a good thing, but it's not necessarily (or even usually) a sign of impending doom. It's definitely not the same thing as "loosing...cash." I know that sounds odd, but that's business. Companies post losses, large ones, year after year without going under. In fact, they do this while they are growing. Amazon was in business for years before they turned a profit. Cash flow and profit/loss are two entirely different things.

Avid's financial info is publicly available online. You can get their filings with the SEC with a few mouse clicks. Looking at their recent filings, I can tell you that most of their posted losses the last three years had to do with merger and acquisition activity, and the subsequent divestment of consumer products that were not doing well. They took charges for impairment of capital and that caused their 2008 loss to balloon on paper. Their "real world" actual dollar loss for 2008 was more like $14million.

Digidesign and M-Audio look like they're the healthiest part of Avid.

It may lessen your concerns to know that over 300 mutual funds and institutional investors either started buying or have added to their existing shares of Avid stock in the last three months.

Let me put a prediction in writing. Avid stock will be selling for at least $45/share by 2012. Minimum. (It closed at $10.63 yesterday-- 4/20/2009). Start buying it now and you'll be able to afford all the priority tech support you want in a couple of years.