On September 24, 2005 08:22 am, Andrew Fisk wrote: > Obviously I have a vested intrest in commercial support for open > source software, someone who posts a request for immediate support > and phone # is asking for more direct help, and I think that offering > services for money is within the realm of user support (although a > phone call might have been more effective than a reply to the > list!)-- it's not like the guy was spamming the list with flashing > neon html, just offering another user support option. > > > > Andy > Spitfire Computer Services > 441 Beaver Street > Suite 202 > Sewickley, PA 15143 > Phone (412) 749-0162 > Fax: (412) 749-0203 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.spitcomp.com > > On Sep 23, 2005, at 6:39 PM, James White wrote: > > On September 23, 2005 06:29 pm, Mark Herring wrote: > >> Not sure that advertising one's services is the appropriate use of > >> this > >> site.....anyone know the official policy? > >> > >> James White wrote: > >>> On September 22, 2005 02:03 pm, Kumar, Amba Jane wrote: > >>>> i can't seem to get open office to open my (important) project > >>>> that i > >>>> spent hours creating in scalc. i think i may need to uninstall/ > >>>> install. > >>>> please contact me immediately via email or phone: 831-460-9923. > >>> > >>> Am I to assume that you are a "Paying Customer"? > >>> > >>> If so, then my Canadian company, Resolution I.T., inc. , will be > >>> pleased > >>> to have a representative contact you immediately for an hourly-based > >>> consultation on your problem. Emergency non-contract rates are > >>> $75.00CDN/hour (of course our volunteer time is free - but you > >>> get it when > >>> we have the time away from paying clients). > >>> > >>> It is seldom required to uninstall OpenOffice to solve a problem. > >>> > >>> If this truly is an emergency situation such as described above, > >>> please > >>> forward the document to myself via email. We offer 24/7 service for > >>> problems just like yours and look forward to hearing from you. > >>> > >>> If security is an issue at ALL, please use my public key (below) to > >>> encrypt your document: > >> > >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > I am not sure that it is appropriate either - and I have never done > > so in the > > past. I am here purely to volunteer. > > > > Having said that - when someone sounds like a paying customer who > > expects > > their answer "now" and "by phone" - I am conditioned like Pavlov's > > fabled > > dog to jump up and salute. Heck, I have to pay for this beautiful > > home > > somehow! > > > > If I have broken a rule here, then I apologize humbly - and further > > add my > > agreement to the rule that we are all volunteers here working from > > only the > > goodness of our souls. > > > > And sometimes volunteers don't jump and salute for free. ;-) > > > > -- > > James White > > GpP: DB56 8EF6 > > > > If this helped you, please take the time to rate the value of this > > information: > > http://rate.affero.net/frozenJim/ResolutionIT.ca/ > > Thanks
I thank you sir, for you comment on my behalf. It is a rather important issue I think and I would be pleased to see it resolved. Perhaps the OpenSource world needs a well-understood method for letting a user in distress say "HELP ME!!! I WILL PAY! JUST PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HELP ME" (I only ever accept messages in SHOUTING CAPS from paying clients ;-) ). Many use OpenSource because it is GOOD and SAFE and OpenSource - not because it is cheap. No corporate environment - having a question at a critical time - can afford to wait around for answers. Friday evenings are prime time for office managers to begin to panic because all support is gone home for the weekend and the problem needs to be resolved BEFORE they return to work on Monday morning. Sometimes people do not have the time to wait for free help. In those cases they wish to pay for the professionals to just get the job done as quickly as possible. Money is nothing when the report is due Monday morning - but you can't finish it because of problems with the software. When someone seems obviously distressed and supplies telephone information over the internet, I feel it only decent to allow her the OPTION of paying for immediate "I-shall-drop-everything-and-work-all-night-if-need-be" support. It is to this situation that I had presented myself. Were one to read the message closely, one would see that I did re-iterate the fact that I am pleased to answer questions for free. But I CAN BE BOUGHT! You can pay to put me on an aircraft to Zimbabwe tonight - I will bring you Canadian bacon, some Canadian beers and a Touque - and I, or one of my technicians, will be there in the morning to work on your problems for so long as you can afford my company's services. One further note: If you look at the link I include in my signature - it also asks for money - but not for myself. If I have helped someone with my volunteer time, I am always pleased if they make a donation to the two charities listed there. It is a neat program (check it out!) for support personnell in our new world of OpenSource and Volunteerism. In short: I am not HERE for the money - but this IS what I do for a living. -- James White GpP: DB56 8EF6 If this helped you, please take the time to rate the value of this information: http://rate.affero.net/frozenJim/ResolutionIT.ca/
