cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Backup Exec Support = Garbage

MASIV
Level 4

I don't contact support for Backup Exec very often, but every time I do it's a terrible experience.  From worthless technicians to no call back, it has to be the worst support of any technical product.

I currently have a trouble call that was opened as a critical problem and have yet to speak to a technician.  I opened the ticket last Tuesday and it's now the following Thursday with no support provided yet.  I received one call, but it was well after normal working hours.  I'm Eastern time and every single time the call comes in at about 9PM.

I have called the 800 number multiple times without ever actually getting to a human being.  Sat on hold for a total of over 3 hours total for 3 calls.

We are investigating new backup softwar options mainly because of this problem.  We cannot afford to put our faith in the support provided by Symantec for Backup Exec.

On the other hand, I have had numerous calls open with Enterprise Vault support and I cannot complain a bit about the communication and support standards they maintain.  They make contact within an hour or so and do a very good job of providing support.

OK, the venting is done
 

17 REPLIES 17

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
Weird...this isn't the first time a similar complaint has come in.
From my side, I don't ever have an issue (I live in South Africa), and get through to India where the techs help me if I need it.
What happens if you make your call a "production affected" call?
I'll also hit the escalate button on this for you...

MASIV
Level 4
I guess I figured that setting the case as "critical" would mean that production is affected.

The more frustrating part is that they always call after working hours and they are very slow to communicate the initial contact.

I have really only had trouble since upgrading to BE2010. 

I finally spoke to someone (an operator, not a tech)  and requested that the case be escalated to a 2nd level or advanced level support tech.  I received an email from a duty manager requesting vxgather logs.  So i'm on that now. 

I guess it's just frustrating that the support is so good with Enterprise Vault.  Probably because they have not ousource the support yet. :)

AmolB
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

FYI... In case if  your production is afftected then you should open 1d case, your call will be answered within 10 mins.

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
Hi there,

Unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, I always open my cases as P2 or P1 (production down). It does work.
Symantec probably have follow-the-sun support...wherever the sun is up, that is where the support comes from.
I have received a call at 7PM before from the US, which I pushed out till the next day.
That said, this is the BackuP Exec Support forum...post your issues here, and you MIGHT get helped quicker =)

Craig

MASIV
Level 4

Do I have to create a p1 or p2 ticket via phone call or is there an option when opening online? 

When opening a ticket online the only options are
2 (critical)
3 (major)
4 (minor)

I created the ticket as 2 (critical)

 

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
Hi,

I'd call them back. You have the option of stating it is a current case. When you speak to someone, tell them it is production down...you need to speak to someone urgently.

AmolB
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified
If its a non-critical issue  log a case online, If its a production down issue then call the cutomer service and  create a 1d case.

midlandruss
Level 3
<rant>

I don't know what's happened as I never used to have these kind of issues prior to 2010, but my experience has been exactly the same as the OP.  It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother with Tier 1 support because they're:

A)  Useless for 95% of my issues
B)  Rarely call back the same day, and when they do it's off hours
C)  Are nearly impossible to understand

I've also waited in the queue over an hour for a dispatcher.  I'm reluctant to log cases online because, again, you rarely get a callback.

My question is this:  What is going on at Symantec?  I agree that the EV support is fantastic, so why can't the BE support be the same?  Even when I get through to the Tier 2 (and the Tier 3 engineers, even), I'm constantly sending diag logs to these guys without ever getting a resolution.  So many of the issues are due to bugs that haven't had hotfixes released (or are caused by a hotfix).  How long did it take between 12.5 SP3 and the 2010 hotfix that solved the Exchange CCR enumeration issue?  9 months?  

We pay $10k+ a year for SUPPORT, Symantec.  Backups are a critical system; sometimes the most critical system for a business.  We simply cannot afford to run such a buggy product with shoddy support.  You may think you're saving money by outsourcing American jobs to India, but keep in mind that you're losing a level of quality, as well.

My point here is that we shouldn't have to ask for a duty manager.  We shouldn't have to escalate our case.  We shouldn't have to wait hours on end for a barely competent script-reader to contact us.  Support is the #1 area where Symantec can differentiate it from all the other by-the-numbers software manufacturers.  It's time for Symantec to step up and address our concerns.

</rant>

-Russ

MASIV
Level 4
So, to bring this rant 360 degrees, I was finally escalated to another tech (funny since I never ever spoke to the first tech) and the next level was just as bad.  He only communicated via email, never picked up the phone once.  Sent me BS requests to verify rollup packages matched on the mail server and media server, blah, blah, blah.  Never once offered a fix.

So I kept plugging away and the craziest thing fixed the problem.

To outline the problem:  Exchange 2007 SP2, BE2010, both on Windows Server 2008.  Backups were working fine then one day the system could not see the Exchange information stores.  Tried everything to fix it.

Resolution:   I removed all of the installed licenses and reinstalled them.  BINGO!  Backups are working again.  Can't even tell you why I tried removing the licenses, but after almost 3 full weeks with zero help provided on a critical case, I was reaching for anything to fix it.

We are evaluating our backup solutions at the end of the year and Symantec is definitely last on the list of software that will be used.

Thanks for the lack of support.  Keep sending jobs overseas to save a few bucks.  


Dev_T
Level 6

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/s-company-i-would-do-business

Dev_T
Level 6
Hello,

Keep sending jobs overseas to save a few bucks.  

No company will send the jobs overseas only for the MONEY sake, Technical Expertise & patience is the MAJOR reason why jobs are comming to INDIA..................................................................

MASIV
Level 4
Not from my experience.  Not to say it is the fault of technicians in India, but the system that Symantec has in place has not been a pleasant experience for me.

I made the mistake of giving my cell number for a critical call when I was out of the office.  Now, every time I am contacted by Backup Exec support (only BE support, never Enterprise Vault support) it is on my cell.  I could open a call at 7AM Eastern time and without fail support will call my cell first and it will be long after business hours, usually around 8PM.  I also asked them to note in my profile that I am in the Eastern time zone.

I have had them put my office number 1st in my profile, but it doesn't matter.

In this case, I did not receive first contact until 3 days after the ticket was opened.  Of course it was after hours on a Friday.  I emailed back on Monday and didn't receive the next contact until Wednesday.  I called and was in the queue for 75 minutes before I gave up.  I updated the ticket in the MySupport portal and asked for the case to be escalated.  A duty manager called me two days later and then the next day a tech emailed me.  Never once in the almost 3 weeks that this ticket was opened did I speak to a technician on the phone.

On the other hand:  If I open a ticket with Enterprise Vault support I will usually receive a call within an hour or so and it will be a knowledgeable tech that works through the problem until complete.  They call during normal working hours and will even offer a telephone number if the case will take more than a day to complete.  The first thing they want to do is set up a webex session so they can see what is happening.

Whoever is managing the support program for BE needs to turn it over to someone who cares about the customer

teiva-boy
Level 6
BackupExec is one of the most widely sold applications in the world for data protection.  It's almost the defacto standard for most small businesses and mid-sized businesses.  With each new release of BE, the phone lines are hammered with folks upgrading.  It doesnt help that they are now requiring 64bit OS's now for dedupe, exch07/2010 backups..  thus customers need to upgrade and migrate settings.

There really isnt an excuse, staffing should be increased during the rollout of a new version, and reduced to normal levels as needed.  That doesnt seem to be happening here.

That said, there is no real fix for better support, short of paying for Business Critical, where you are pretty much assured a person within 15min, or asking for a duty manager within a day if you are not getting a quick call back.


Dev_T
Level 6

As far as my experience goes people are moved (promoted) from Backup Exec to Enterprise Vault, so EV support is quiet experienced, knowledgable and robust than Backup Exec.......

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
...that is kind of strange that they keep calling you on your cell. When you log a call, do you ask the call logger to get them to call you on a land line? I have 3 numbers that they can call me on...I normally use my cell as the last, and give them the office number I am at.
Interestingly...where do you come out at when logging the call?

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
This is quite an interesting topic...should have been a blog.
Anyways, while I don't experience poor support with Backup Exec, I DO experience poor support from CA for ARCserve 12.2 that we use in our data center (and that I am hoping I have pushed enough to have replaced at the end of the year).
We had a call open for 5 months. This was after an upgrade from 11.5 --> 12.2. The supposed silver bullet. Short story shorter...our backups of multiple 4TB+ SAP DBs dropped significantly. Backups were taking 15 hours, and now took 25!!!!
In that time, we had our tape library blamed (HP said it wasn't their library causing the issues); our firmware levels; ARCserve 12.2 (after being assured the upgrade would be good). Anyways, they finally admitted that 12.2 was to blame. We would have weeks with no communications.
Pity that it all happens, but I reckon that enough people bring this forward, Symantec will take note. Maybe it is time for someone who has experienced bad service to open a blog and allow them to see the complaints.

MASIV
Level 4
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread. 

I have requested that my office phone be the primary number in my profile.  I guess I can try putting this number in the ticket and requesting callback on that number.  It seems as if everything gets "reset" after a ticket is closed.  It's not the biggest problem I have, I was just throwing everything on the fire.

I am wondering if NetBackup is better for what I am trying to do than BackupExec.  But maybe that should be another thread....

Thanks for all the input.  It really is appreciated.  This is a great forum with much knowledge and I really do appreciate all the time that people put in here. 

Chris