what's your experience with support for scripts?
 

After having been scolded an "asshole" for demanding reasonable (as far as I thought) support for a script I bought I'm starting to wonder what is the general impression about after-sales support for scripts used for adult sites...

Just like everything else, there are some places with great support, and some with shitty support.

If the script isn't encoded and cheap I never bother the programmer. If the script has some copyright rules that I can't alter it and the author won't change fix it I find another script and never give a recommendation about that company (person).

:)

What scripts are you talking about?. Trade, thumbs or?

Basically any script squarely aimed for adult websites - I just want to get a general impression of the 'quality' of support!

And if you're using them, then for the functioning of your site both, trade and tgp script, are almost equally important.

I haven't used a single commercial script. I make my own :thumbsup

He is talking about this one:

http://www.tgpxs.com/


:)

I write my own scripts so no need for support on my side.

I write my own scripts, and do programming for others as well.

The problem with scripts is that no matter how much support you give, there's always gonna be some lame idiot that fucks up regardless, and there's always gonna be some whiny bitch that keeps complaining as long as the site doesn't run itself completely and doesn't get at least 25 million hits a day.

Example: I wrote a custom script for some guy, he said he knew a lot about computers and software and such, so there was no need for me to make it very userfriendly. I finish it, a day later he contacts me and says it isn't working. After a LONG time of searching, I finally find out that the moron has been messing with the insides of the script, and somewhere replaced the value of a variable (without any apparent reason whatsoever) with "thirty", not "30", but "thirty". :ak47: (edit: and yes, the script was expecting an integer there)

Example #2: Some guy had me custom make a small toplist script. I made it, finished it, it did it's job perfectly. Next thing you know, he starts complaining... because the bloody thing doesn't have a "TGP function"!
The bloody idiot actually had the nerve to offer me $25 (yes, 25 USD) for adding that tgp "function" - in his opinion, a simple matter of adding some minor details, like a gallery-checking bot, automatic thumbnail creation, support for submitter accounts, and some other "small things".

No - actually I wasn't necessarily thinking this narrow! I think it's interesting to know what users think of support in general!

Of course it was triggered by the previous threads since 'dangerdave' and some others jumped in bashing me - so I wanted to get a better idea if my expectations are really over the top (in the case of tgpxs: no fix of missing features after very close to 2 months)...

seriously george, get over yourself already. offering any type of support to you is impossible. you were offered a solution and again, you denied. The ONLY legitimate gripe you have is your corrupted database (which of course YOU are the ONLY person this has ever happened to) and you were offered a solution to this problem and declined. You were also previously offered a refund of which you also declined.

Again, I'll point out the fact that 300$ does not buy you a personal programmer for all the little features you want added, which had you read my email, some of those requests will be added as addons at a later date since the scripts performance isn't effected with these bonus features added.

So tell me how I can further give you any support? I've offered a fix, you said no, I've addressed your whining about having extra shit added to the script that has absolutely 0 effect on the scripts functionality, again just added features to make shit more convenient for you which are the least of my concerns at this point.

I've exhausted all avenues with you, and here you sit, still crying about it. Get over it, move on and come to the realization that there is NO helping you to your satisfaction. Everyone else who has come to me has had their issue addressed in less then 24 hours, I wonder why I'm nice enough to help everyone else without complaint or issue but I randomly picked you out of everyone to pick on you right? I have better things to do with my time then have a piss with an inherited tumor. You were offered a fix, either accept it or shut the fuck up already.

and again, to address your missing features, they have nothing to do with the script performance, and as you know this is the 2nd version of the script, sometimes shit gets written out to make room for newer and better features. I don't think having the ability to list # of galleries per category is a "pressing" issue as you called it and doesn't need to be written in right this second to satisfy you. Again, you didn't pay for a personal programmer did you?

Your whining about "trusted submitters not having settings" did you bother to go into trusted and edit the individuals settings? probably not, since the features you're crying about ALREADY EXIST

Can't you calm down, XxXotic?

Have a look at the top of this post: I didn't refer to you or your program at all - tried my best to keep this completely neutral and only replied to surefire mentioning your script name, again I kept it 'low-profile' with CALM DOWN! and rather spend your time reading the points I made (and evidence I sent) re. malfunctions or missing functions... :Graucho

ps: a friend told me last nite on ICQ about your reply - but I didn't had the energy...

bump:Graucho

My experience is pretty well documented here

However, I really have a problem thinking you are having a similar experience with TGPXS, and even though I don't know what xXxotic's affiliation with them is now, I do know the guy that wrote it, and although he does have a very hairy ass, he gave me the impression that he was quite proud of this program, and would be eager to please when it came to customer service. And would even take care of issues right then and there if possible.

Of course, I am only guessing that you are talking about TGPXS since it was mentioned earlier. If not, never mind, except v still has a hairy ass.

"(in the case of tgpxs: no fix of missing features after very close to 2 months)..."

you're right, you didn't bring me into it. idiot.

Nuclei over at www.perlcoders.com is awesome. Even if we have the dumbest question, he answers right away and never makes you feel like an idiot. For the most part his scripts run perfect, unless tampered with by...well, one of us that shouldn't be messing with it in the first place :) Thanks Nuc....your the best !

Gee - that one goes on foreverandeverandever = I couldn't read it all (would never get any work done)

I agree completely:

· Chris vXS is a nice guy and for a long time showed that he "would be eager to please when it came to customer service".
I can't say if I overextended my 'welcome', or if my inital impression was right
Anyhow, this impression pretty much hit the nail on the head: Chris vXS has enough and two weeks later 'passed the script on'; the new owner is XxXotic, who, to put it politely, has a totally different idea about 'customer relations'.

· tgpXS still contains lots of ideas and functions which are very well perceived, and it could be one of the best scripts on the market, but only
- if some missing functions (in my version, all listed under it's current features) are fixed, and
- if a lot more work is done on developing functions which a good tgp tool should contain,
* like an in-depth gallery checker for all galleries in the database to expose cheaters (something the Germes' Brownie does so well)
* more statistics about listings in the database, average rating for each webmaster, etc. (Brownie has the option to reward webmasters points and higher submitter status)

...it'll be too exhausting to list it all!
I just wonder if further developement will ever happen, with Chris vXS of board, and the new owner confessing of not having any programming skills...
Anyhow: the gallery checker is a clear must, otherwise you might as well buy Autogallery Pro with thumb-feature for a fifth of the price (or there about)...