Synchro WARNING!

[Viscott]

I would like to give everyone a fair warning the the support directly from Miva with Synchro is horrendous.

The support staff in India know absolutely nothing about the product and lack the ability to analyze and provide ANY kind of support.

And of course you find this out after they have taken your $100.00.

Utter incompetence and support.

[wcw]

The normal response would be "go to the user lists as there are dozens of very helpful people there and they don't charge anything and you get an answer very quickly."

Unfortunately, the user lists are closed and most long time mivascript professionals are not monitoring this forum. I believe Miva said they would frequent these forums and provide support if a question was not being answered. So this looks like an excellent opportunity to belly-up to the bar. Don't pay the $100 and see if you get effective Miva Corp support in these forums. That is what the forums are for, ie official support of Miva products. Or did I miss the purpose of these forums?

[Viscott]

Sounds great in theory Bill, but unfortunately no-one responds to problems about Synchro and these issues long occurred before the forums. So I don't need to be chastised about what the normal way to resolve this would be.

And basically the issue is that Synchro 1.64 cannot connect to a Synchro 1.63 module. The ability to test it for a client requires that you have a 2nd license and a copy of QuickBooks to see if you can troubleshoot it on another computer. It's pretty straight forward.

So the normal response has been check the setting of the module by Miva and there are no settings in the store. The module is passive. It just a connector module. So when the issue needs to be escalated to the company who makes it and they themselves know nothing about how the product works and your client know more then they do I think it is quite fair to warn people about their inability to diagnose and solve a problem. Hmmmmmm it's a very quirky little application that they charge a lot for that has many problems.

So what is the purpose of the forums again. I am a little slow this morning :)

[wcw]

You know it is hardly worth responding to anything anymore.

Chastise (webster's)
1 : to inflict punishment on (as by whipping)
2 : to censure severely

I fail to see how i chastised you. I am trying to encourage open support on these forums directly from the company who said they would monitor these forums closely and provide support. The proof is in the pudding. If they are asked the question directly in the forum, perhaps they will provide support. They may even find that there is an issue that needs to be elevated to engineering, etc. But until we try this new support venue and the "old list experts" stay silent and wait for the "company" response, we will never know if these forums are going to be a good thing or a bad thing.

The purpose of the forums is stated in James' intro post.

[Viscott]

Bill,

Your points are well taken and I am all for this forum. Unfortunately people will only make their way here when they have the time to go through and read what they find important or something that they can respond and help others out with.

The ability to simply browse through your special Miva filtered folder in Outlook to see what you can learn from and help others out with defiantly gets lost here though, but not completely if you come and spend some time reading through the posts. And the same goes with many other development and company forums.

If I did not believe in making these forums work I would have not posted in the other forums about a recent discovery with OPT and Subscribe2.

The forum format is nice but now everyone has to make quite a bit of extra effort to read the forums and filter in/out what they want.

But ultimately if you use the forums or Miva directly for support you should get your issues resolved. The problem is not the $100.00, the problem is not getting the problem fixed and being told to configure the MM module that cannot be configured or told to read the docs.

I always speak with my hosting partners and others directly before hitting the list/forums to get answers.

Now were way off-topic.

[wcw]

I too believe the email lists were easier and more efficient. Since Miva Corp employees rarely answered questions on them they have no frame of reference. Now that they have stated they will be much more involved with the public support in these forums, they will have a better feel for what is efficient and what is not. As the "outsiders" will only stop by casually, it will be left for Miva employees to belly-up.

As for the support, if you get a reply to configure the module and there is no configuration, the thread will heat up quite quickly. I would suspect that the replies will be done by a higher level of support (loosely interpreting James' post), so maybe the answer will be useful. If there is no answer, then multiple unanswered threads in a public forum will not be a great advertisement for the company or products.

My sincere hope is that the support will be strong and the multitude of volunteers over these past years will no longer be needed. Where's my t-shirt!

[Viscott]

That leads to the next question:

If you pay $100.00 to speak with someone in India and it takes utter torture to communicate with them, as they go down their checklist only to get nowhere. You end up wasting hours on the phone with them and being told they need diag.mvc on the server to check your perfectly configured server by a very reputable Miva Host. And you still end-up with nothing resolved after a few hours what kind of support is this? $100 support on a $300 software package, where's the logic in that?

What Miva is saying is pay $100.00 and get nothing from a call center in India or use this FREE forum and get support from knowledgeable staff from our headquarters here in San Diego.

$100.00 gets you wasted time and FREE gets you an answer? Seems to me their is something wrong with the equation.

I just want to add that this support experience is ONLY specific to Synchro. I would have had an answer and the problem resolved or another solution suggest by my host or any of the third party developers who write the modules I buy.

This is just illustrating what is wrong with Miva support currently and why I avoid any communication directly with Miva if I have to.

As we all know based on the past if it was not for the group on the list many would have abandoned Miva Merchant long ago.

So my issue is only with Synchro and the lack of Miva to resolve the issue quickly.

[Jimmy Cooper]

Hi Jon,

I've been following this thread and will bring up with our Operations Manager some of the issues you mentioned about our Support Team. But let's bring this thread back on topic...

Do you have a specific problem with MIVA Synchro that you need some help with? If so, post it here and we'll see if we can get you some assistance.

Thanks.

[Viscott]

While attempting to synchronize this month, I went through the drill as usual, but when the dialog box popped up to synchronize, it appears for a few moments with "initializing" and then disappears without doing anything. We haven't changed any settings on Quickbooks or Miva Synchro, so can't figure out what the problem could be.

He tried again, disabling all spyware blockers and firewalls and virus protection programs...no luck. Here is a screen shot of the error message that pops up (see attachement)

Back in Miva, the Miva tech took him to the utilities screen, and ran into a roadblock because he couldn't find the Miva tab next to Modules on the right hand side of the screen. All other boxes checked on that screen have tabs, but not Miva. Clicking on that tab would take us to an extra screen with more information. So apparently there is some problem between the server and Miva. Or at least, that's what the tech said.

There are no setting for the Synchro connector it's a passive module.

Bottom line Synchro cannot coonect to the Merchant store so he can re-setup the Synchro application and connect to the store.

Synchro 1.64
Synchro Connector 1.63

Miva Merchant 4.24
Empressa VM 4.1400
OpenUI 4.956

[Jimmy Cooper]

Hi Jon,

Well, the error message you show in the screenshot means that MIVA Synchro is having a problem installing the connector module in your store. Here's a little background...

When you run the "Add Store" wizard in MIVA Synchro, you provide the URL to your MIVA Merchant admin, your login info, the path to your QuickBooks company file, and some other settings. While it is finishing up the wizard, MIVA Synchro takes the admin URL and login information and remotely connects to your admin to install the MIVA Synchro connector module. It uploads the module from your desktop and into your store.

Sometimes this process fails, which would display the error you are seeing. So, all it means is that you need to login to your MIVA Merchant admin and jsut install the connector module manually. You can do this under the "Add Module" section of your admin. The module should be located on your PC in the MIVA Synchro files. It is called synchro.mvc. Just add this module to your store through the "Add Module" screen.

Once the module is installed, you need to activate it for your store. To do this, browse down to the "Utilities" menu in your admin. When you click on "Utilities", to the right, you should see the MIVA Synchro connector module listed. Just check-in the box next to it and click update. That will activate the module. Then from here, you can start setting up MIVA Synchro with all of your account specifics for QuickBooks and synchronize your data.

[Viscott]

Jimmy,

The module is installed and appears in the Store Utility section, you enable the module and that's it. There is nothing to configure, right?

This module was installed 6 months ago and had not used Synchro in a while. They recently discovered it was not connecting thus the problem.

[Jimmy Cooper]

Hi Jon,

Correct, there is nothig to configure for the MIVA Synchro connector module other than activating it.

So, when you open up MIVA Synchro on your desktop, is the list of stores empty? If so, you will need to run through that "Add Store" wizard. If an error about the module does come up, you can ignore it as it does not apply.

[Viscott]

I just solved the problem.

It was as simple as making sure the user account was an administrator.

In the Synchro KB I would add that if a customer cannot connect and they are getting the module connection error they should check to see if in Merchant Admin they have administrator rights.

It seems that the Synchro software should easily give an error: "The user account you have selected does not have administrator rights, please check the user in your Miva Merchant Store".

EOD!

[Julie Wilber]

Hi Jon,

I made a note of this and we'll add it to the Synchro docs.



Thanks!

[Julie Wilber]

Please have your customer contact our support department with their order number and issue so that we can investigate further. If the customer purchased MIVA Synchro and found their version of QuickBooks not compatible we will honor a refund for the software (MIVA Synchro) and (Service Fee). MIVA Synchro is a very complex product to support and it’s hard for the support technician to troubleshoot issues on a customer’s computer therefore requiring a longer process.

In the mean time, if you wish to offer comments or constructive criticism, please do so. We are forwarding threads and posts, especially those that are well-reasoned, and documenting every comment. Emotional outcries really don’t help anyone, and while we understand the frustration levels (we have all been there at one time or another), essentially they undermine the concrete complaints and criticism. By keeping focused on the real issues, we are able to focus on those as well.


Thank you.

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

My opinion...If you cannot support a product fully, do not sell it.

Its a poor reflection on the company and frustrating to end users.

The quality of MIVA's support has declined rapidly in the last few years, and continues to tumble.

I rarely have opportunity to call MIVA for support, however the last few times I have and the handling of the support tickets created is dreadful. I can only imagine what end users go through.

This doesnt apply just to Synchro, but to many modules MIVA now controls, as well as the Merchant product.

In addition, if documentation was better, more thorough, and contained more examples - I would theorize support requests would drop as well.

[Gene]

well lets see how long it takes for them to delete that post

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

Why?

It is very constructive criticism for them to pass along and hopefully grow from.

[Gene]

If you have not noticed posts complaining about miva support or the lack of just disappear. In seven years of reading the list and complaints about support I have never seen any improvement. This way they can just delete the complaints before too many people can read them and go on business as usual.

[Vic - WolfPaw Computers]

The forums were designed to express a new direction.

In order to truely head in a new direction, the company MUST be open to hearing things they do not want to hear and things they do no like.

Otherwise, they are destined to make the same mistakes and continue going in the same direction they have been.

Constructive criticism was asked for - and I'm quite sure they will get plenty. Now the trick is...do they actually respond to that criticism by burying it, or correcting defects in the system.

[Gene]

On this very thread four posts are missing. One person complained that support did not speak English and was worthless and they did not help her. I told her how to easily rectify the situation and we were both threatened with suspension for racism. I do not think you should have to learn a second language to get support from a company that operates in the United States.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

On this very thread four posts are missing. One person complained that support did not speak English and was worthless and they did not help her. I told her how to easily rectify the situation and we were both threatened with suspension for racism. I do not think you should have to learn a second language to get support from a company that operates in the United States.

If it was removed, it was indeed removed more for "tone" that content...witness, these posts are still here. Whether you or not your intention was inflammatory or not, they have the right and the corporate duty to make such judgments.

Also, while these posts may be accurate, I don't see how "publicly" flogging Miva continually does any more good then well reasoned private content. It has always worked effectively for me (with the understanding that just because I bitch doesn't mean anything will necessarily happen).

Personally, in just over the last week of this forum, I have a definite increase in the effectiveness of Miva support, precisely because its provided alongside the support of its "volunteer" community.

[Gene]

Synchro WARNING!
I would like to give everyone a fair warning the the support directly from Miva with Synchro is horrendous.

The support staff in India know absolutely nothing about the product and lack the ability to analyze and provide ANY kind of support.

And of course you find this out after they have taken your $100.00.

Utter incompetence and support.


That is how the thread started one customer complaining about Miva Support (Heard it to many times to count)

Along comes customer #2 also paid $100.00 for absoluley nothing but wasting time (and all posts removed) also complained that support could not converse in "English" a racist remark if I ever heard one. Also Miva Sales sold her the program to go with a version of quickbooks for which it was not designed (not to say that she for sure told them the version) but in my opinion they should ask.

Point is as has already been said numerous times they should not be selling software they can not support in a timely, professional manner, and in a language that the customer can understand.

[Julie Wilber]

This thread is being locked. If you have any questions in regards to moderation, please email msbmoderators@miva.com.