Stay away from overGrive and its developer (The Fan Club) if you value customer service

Hi all,

This is my first post on the new forums and my first in quite some time. I’m pretty much a Manjaro newbie; I run the Gnome edition of 20.2 Nibia.

I had to reinstall my system a while back, and this time, I had difficulty getting overGrive, developed by The Fan Club, to work. I’d had a couple email exchanges during my initial go with Manjaro (version 19) with the developer, Christiaan Diedericks, and he was brief but helpful, and my issues were solved easily.

Not so this go round. I emailed Christiaan again, and this time, he simply sent a link to the installation instructions. I wrote back and said, “No offense, but that reply was not helpful,” and pointed out that I’d made sure to read (and follow) the installation instructions before reaching out.

He wrote back and said that overGrive should work with a fresh install of Manjaro, that they offer limited customer support, and “if that’s not good enough, to [sic] bad.”

Unbelievable. Though there were many choice words going through my head after reading this, I chose to not reply. Instead, I am posting here, and I’ll also post on Linux Forums and Ubuntu Forums, two other sites where I have an account.

Granted, overGrive is a 5 USD software, and it worked quite well for me in Manjaro 19. But to treat a paying customer this way is, for me, unfathomable. I am a (small) business owner, and I cannot imagine saying “too bad” (or “to bad,” to use Diedericks’s poor spelling) to one of my valued customers. Needless to say, I have uninstalled overGrive and will access my Google Drive files through Nautilus moving forward. It’s not as pretty, but it works.

To sum up, if you value customer service like I do, and especially service for products and/or services for which you’ve shelled out your hard-earned money, stay away from The Fan Club.

These are my two cents. Your mileage may vary.

Best regards,
Aaron

Hello,

I was about to unlist this and close it, but then i thought you might interpret it as hostile. Instead i will write this short feedback opinion:
Based on the fact that you said you had good email exchanges previously with the developer, and was helpful, and only now was expeditive … maybe better to take it as a bad day. We can never know exactly what is in someone mind and soul, what gives to make them seem dismissive and give us the nerves.
Everyone deserves more than one chance.

Maybe there is a way to get to the bottom of the issue, and you will reply back to him with a solution that will make him feel better. :wink:

2 Likes

Hello bogdancovaciu,

I appreciate your democratic spirit, but it appears that my post already HAS been unlisted. Though I don’t view this as hostile, I do find it somewhat draconian (if I’m mistaken, my apologies—I’m seeing "unlisted 19 hours ago” and an icon with an eye with a diagonal line through it). Here’s why: (1) I was not rude in my posting, and stuck to the facts; (2) this is not pertaining to a FOSS project, but a paid app; and (3) in my opinion, I did not break forum rules in my post, though I may have tested them a bit. Since I am a paying customer, I have the right to state my opinion (provided I do so politely) for the benefit of other potential customers. Indeed, I appreciate the input by reviewers of products and services and definitely use their thoughts before making a purchase.

Back to point number 2 above: if this were an open-source software project, I would be much more patient and would not have even bothered posting. I am grateful for Linux and FOSS and am as quick to thank developers (and donate to their efforts) as I am to point out a short-coming. But this was not the case here: I paid for the software, and the developer deserves a chance to improve by my being able to share my experience, provided that I stay civil.

Please know that I am not trying to be antagonistic here, but I have a question for you: are you a business owner, or have you ever been one? If so, then you know very well that your customers are your greatest asset, and should be treated as such. Do I put 100 per cent credence in the saying, “the customer is always right”? No. But I do believe that the words “too bad” should never, ever be used in a communication with a customer. Moreover, if I make a mistake as a business owner, a) I want to know about it, and b) I want a chance to make things right for the dissatisfied customer. This is a big part of the reason that I do not think my post should be unlisted: it deprives a business owner of a chance to improve his game (pardon the pun).

To your point on maybe it was a bad day, I will grant you that, but only to an extent. But be you employee or an employer, you put your personal feelings aside during the work day and commit yourself to quality and service; that’s all there is to it, really. There’s a cheesy American advertisement from the 80s (or 90s) for shampoo that says “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The Fan Club would do well to bring that idea to their business model.

Maybe you’d be willing to meet me halfway by changing the wording of the title of my post from “Stay away” to “Reconsider,” or “A word of caution”…?

Though it appears we’ll probably need to agree to disagree on this one, I appreciate your feedback, and please know that I’m not trying to be snarky or combative. Consumer advocacy is extremely important, and I feel that sharing a less than positive experience with others (and the ability to do so) is even more important.

Best regards,
Aaron

1 Like

I hear you and understand you, but also understand the other moderators decision …
Cheers!

The manjaro forums are not for product reviews or personal drama.
Thats why its unlisted.

Fair enough, though I don’t appreciate the use of the term “drama.”

Signing off.

spat, disagreement, dirty laundry, personal derision, et al.
I think ‘drama’ fits well enough without necessarily carrying judgment.
Love is dramatic, hate is dramatic, tension is dramatic, and so on.
Especially when talking about the experiences or perceptions of a relationship between persons.

But feel free to pick any synonym you prefer.