Check your Workplace Services Express Entitlement

Okay, I’m not above giving IBM some shit when they deserve it too. You see, last week, I got my new behemoth server in to run Workplace Services Express. Big dual-Xeon box, 4 GB of RAM, this thing smokes. Anyway, once our windows admin guy set up Windows 2003 server and got her all patched, it was mine for the taking. I headed to the Passport site to download WSE, but it wasn’t there.

That’s wierd, it was there back in March when I got the free entitlement. So, I looked through my email and found the PDF with the entitlement in it. But I noticed something. It said my entitlement was for March 21, 2005 though March 31, 2005. Yup, the entitlement was for 10 days. Okay, so it was a slip-up. A quick call to eCustomer Care should do take care of it…

So I call, sit on hold for awhile, and then get an Indian gentleman with a VERY thick accent. I want to re-iterate something I said back in my Comcast post. I can understand accents and dialects fairly well. I normally do not have problems understanding someone with an accent. But, once again, this guy’s accent was so thick that I could barely understand him at all. It was absolutely painful to talk to.

That being said, I had to explain to this guy that I got the 20 free licenses and that the entitlement no longer showed up, and the software wasn’t in the download list.

HIM: Did you click on the download software list?
ME: Yes. I clicked there and the software is no longer in the list. It was there last month.
HIM: So it’s not in the list?
ME: No, that’s why I’m calling you.
HIM: Okay, click on Entitlements on the left side of the page.
ME: Did that already, it’s not even showing up there.
HIM: Just please click on it, do a search on the date.
ME: Fine, I’ll search again *much frustrated typing* It’s not there.
HIM: You searched for the dates and it’s not there?
ME: No. Like I already told you.
HIM: Okay, on your entitlement form, there is a number, go back to the entitlement page and search by that.
ME: Already did that as well.
HIM: Can you please do it again?
ME: *grumble* *type* *search* Nope, it still didn’t magically appear.
HIM: Okay, can you hold for approximately three minutes?
ME: Fine.

Okay, he did this put me on hold thing at least three times. At least he asked me each time, but each time it WAS several minutes.

HIM: Did you pay for the software?
ME: No, it was part of a free promotion you guys are doing concerning WSE. In fact, the promotion is still on your site.
HIM: Okay, can you hold for approximately three minutes?
ME: Fine.

Then he comes back and tells me that he can’t take care of me and has to transfer my information over to someone at the Workplace Services Express team. The above dialog was paraphrased, the next stuff is pretty much verbatim.

HIM: I’ll send this to the Workplace team and someone will get back to you.
ME: They will contact me?
HIM: Yes
ME: When can I expect to hear anything?
HIM: Soon
ME: So you can’t give me a timeframe?
HIM: No, I’m sorry sir I cannot guarantee anything.
ME: *heavy frustrated sigh* Fine, thanks.

So this call happened in the morning. I checked that afternoon before I left work and still no entitlement. The next day I was waiting around for a phonecall or an email or something. None came. After lunch I decided to check the software download page, and lo-and-behold, Workplace Services Express was back on the list. Of course no one TOLD ME. It’s a weekend and a day later and still I haven’t heard anything. At least I’ve got the software…. Grrrrrrr.

If I were you I would check your entitlements if you have already taken part in this promotion. Just make sure they didn’t screw you up as well. Hopefully the software will be much better than the “customer care.”