It has been a while since I used Cake's email support but I always got an answer. Maybe not the next day, but within a couple. And I did call once or twice with some "iffy" questions. Always got put through.

Maybe things have dropped off, lately, and getting updates etc. has gotten harder with more prophylatic protection against crackers, but that is hardly Cake's fault. Coming to the forum is a good way to let them know your problem - that is the only way they'll know there is one.

Hello,

I've been using Cakewalk software since 1993 but I didn't register for this forum until December 2003 and I didn't post until around a year later. The number of users on the forum is miniscule compared to users who never visit this forum. The members here represent a very vocal minority. The issue of forum membership should not be a prerequiste to obtain help here.

Regards,
George

ORIGINAL: pattste

ORIGINAL: krizrox

Actually Cakewalk has what I think is one of the best customer support teams/solutions of almost any software company I've seen. I've called them on more than a few occasions - always got a real live human being within a few seconds and they've always provided a quick solution. I don't understand why people (at least people here in the US) have such a problem with picking up the phone and calling. I've made overseas phone calls to software companies too (a little trickier I agree but not outside the realm of human understanding).

Larry,

In 2006 email is a legitimate form of communication. For many people, myself included, it is the preferred form of communication. The problem here is that (quite often it seems) Cakewalk doesn't answer emails. They offer a way to contact them through email but then they ignore you. If they don't have the resources to support customers through email, they should hire more people or they should discontinue this form of support. There's nothing more discouraging than having a problem installing, registering or even buying the software, emailing support and getting no reply.

OK - I can't argue with you there. If a company offers the option it should mean something. If it takes longer than 48 hours to get a response back, then that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I agree.

However, anyone that's been involved with software for even a short period of time knows that email is probably the worst way to get support - from any company. Period. Email is a legitimate form of communication but not necessarily when it comes to product support. I'm just curious - if your car had a problem would you contact your dealer via email to resolve the issue? I doubt it. You'd pick up the phone and call them. If I was having a problem getting a serial number or activating my software, I wouldn't even think about it. I'd pick up the phone and call and get it resolved immediately. Email might be ok for something minor but not for a "show stopper" scenario. I admit I haven't called Cakewalk lately. And I've probably not called them during new product roll out season. I can tell you I've been through this with other companies. You want to hear some customer support horror stories? Boy have you come to the right place. Cakewalk is like the gold standard as far as I'm concerned - having been through hell with other companies. I'm not suggesting they are without sin. All I'm saying is that compared to a lot of other players, they are better than most.

Again - I hope you can resolve your issues quickly. Good luck!

At 617-423-9004 i get harrassed by an answering machine , that's basically a labyrinth of crossreferenced dead ends.

At 617-423-9021 (direct number to technical support available nowhere but kindly posted by Dave Horch) there's a message:

"Thank you for calling Cakewalk technical support department. We're currently closed. Technical support agents are available monday through friday 10AM - 6PM. (DUH??) For immediate assistance visit our knowledge base on the web. You can also reach technical support without long distance calls or waiting on hold. Try our email support: support@cakewalk.com."

I might have missed a sentence here and there, but you get the point. No support yet. I will try again later.

About Cakewalk's dedication to users; I've also thought many times that it's cool that cakewalk guys are reading the forum, and they seem to listen to some extent what people have to say about the product. There's a fine line though between a company putting an active user community into good use and letting the end user do the beta testing. This is not only cakewalk's problem, although they seem to put out a new version surprisingly often. It's a bit sad but it seems that money is better invested in marketing than development nowadays.

ORIGINAL: dj xl garcia
I might have missed a sentence here and there, but you get the point. No support yet. I will try again later.

Today's a holiday, I doubt the office is open...

Since you're outside the U.S. Today is Labor day and every thing is closed...that's why you got voice mail...

Ok.. Cool, thanks for the info!

Tomorrow then..

Maybe some of you have just never had problems and that's great... but cakewalk does not have excellent customer service.

I recently had issues with an order, and over the course of a week spoke to most of their customer service reps... one of them was pretty helpful.

but that aside, they seem to have no system in place to escalate concerns to a manager within any reasonable time frame... i found that my problem simply wasn't being dealt with. things weren't being forwarded to someone who could actually deal with the issue... and trying to get ahold of a manager was also extremely difficult...

the only reason my issue was resolved was because i called relentlessly and I forced them to keep looking at my issue, and persistently tried to get through to a superviser. if I hadn't called, things would have stalled out for much longer than they did


give this guy some slack. it probably takes a lot more energy to pore over his posting/browsing history to find out if he deserves to be talked to than to just answer his question.

ORIGINAL: krizrox

However, anyone that's been involved with software for even a short period of time knows that email is probably the worst way to get support - from any company. Period.

I don't agree that that needs to be the case.

Email can be an incredibly efficient means of communication. My web-hosting company uses primarily email support. I send in a ticket, and they always get back to me within a few hours... and soon after that it's fixed.

And I have used email support from some software I have purchased online, things like u-edit, and n-tracks, and others... and have always had prompt replies back.

I think email is a lot more efficient than telephone. It can often take about 20 seconds to scan through an email and see what someone wants... As a phone call, that would probably take the customer 30 minutes on hold, then chat for a few minutes...

The thing about email, is someone has to read them, and bother answering.

ORIGINAL: krizrox

ORIGINAL: pattste

ORIGINAL: krizrox

Actually Cakewalk has what I think is one of the best customer support teams/solutions of almost any software company I've seen. I've called them on more than a few occasions - always got a real live human being within a few seconds and they've always provided a quick solution. I don't understand why people (at least people here in the US) have such a problem with picking up the phone and calling. I've made overseas phone calls to software companies too (a little trickier I agree but not outside the realm of human understanding).

Larry,

In 2006 email is a legitimate form of communication. For many people, myself included, it is the preferred form of communication. The problem here is that (quite often it seems) Cakewalk doesn't answer emails. They offer a way to contact them through email but then they ignore you. If they don't have the resources to support customers through email, they should hire more people or they should discontinue this form of support. There's nothing more discouraging than having a problem installing, registering or even buying the software, emailing support and getting no reply.

OK - I can't argue with you there. If a company offers the option it should mean something. If it takes longer than 48 hours to get a response back, then that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I agree.

However, anyone that's been involved with software for even a short period of time knows that email is probably the worst way to get support - from any company. Period. Email is a legitimate form of communication but not necessarily when it comes to product support. I'm just curious - if your car had a problem would you contact your dealer via email to resolve the issue? I doubt it. ....


Again - I hope you can resolve your issues quickly. Good luck!

Larry,

I'm guessing you've only bought software made in the good ole U.S. of A.?

Cakewalk's overseas customers or anyone who's purchased software developed in a country other than the U.S. would be thinking exactly the opposite as you. I've bought a number of programs developed overseas. If I were to have to call every developer in his home country for tech support over the years, I'd have gone bankrupt a long time ago. Take a look at KVR-VST forum, for example. Spend a little time there, and you'd see that email is the expected form of contact by most developers, largely because their customer base is so scattered.

Given that you've seem to have forgotten Cakewalk is an international company, why don't you take a quick poll here of their customers from outside of the U.S. and ask them their preference -- email or phone customer service?

Of course, your argument makes sense for domestic customers (except the car dealer analogy which I find ridiculous, sorry) , but applying it to those folks abroad... "just picking up the phone and calling" is an expensive undertaking, not to mention the logistics of having to allow for the (sometimes huge) time difference. For them, e-mail is not only a "viable" form of communication, but a critical one. To dismiss it as "okay for something minor"... well, demonstrates an attitude that is parochial and behind the times.


JD