Enough of this

I joined this forum a few months back to try to sort out problems with the media server. During the months here, I’ve got a lot of help and learned a lot about how to make the MyCloud work better. I’ve now got it to the stage where it’s working, and the Twonky Media server is working robustly. I documented my findings with an FAQ that the mods were kind enough to pin.

The trouble is, I like helping people, but it’s got to the stage where I’m spending too much time here, answering customer support questions for free. The same questions come up time and time again, but the forum lacks the obvious sticky posts:

  • Have you read the manual [link]?

  • Have you read the FAQ [link]?

Not that there is an FAQ…

I’m frustrated by WD’s poor customer support, lack of transparency over security issues, lack of response to legitimate user concerns, and the poor setup instructions. I’m not going to do their job any more; I’ve got other things to do with my life.

I’m sure I’ll drop in now and then to check to see if anything has improved, but, until then, I’m off.

Thanks to all for their help, and I hope I have managed to return the karma by helping others in some minor way.

Good luck…

4 Likes

I fully agree with you.

I did the same thing and I disappeared for few months and then I see some poor soul with a problem that can be easily solved if the faqs are available, pinned, adequate search etc. Support totally lacking in this regard as you mentioned.

In my company we have dedicated customer support whose job is to help forum users, after all they have insider knowledge and thousands of cases solved and unsolved. They also learn from the users themselves.

For transperancy i am afraid to say even in my company we never disclose anything in forums. FACT. Each company has its reasons and can be frustrating. This is not the place to discuss it. Forums are read by customers and competitors.

I think taking a break is a good thing, but come back later :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Well stated both of you.

I’m relatively new to this forum and IMO it could be a whole lot better!

I’ve answered a few queries that actually helped! I’d like to see the moderators pin some of the obvious topics such as a link to the Manual.

1 Like

I have to agree … I took time off earlier last year and really came back because I got a 2nd My Cloud for Christmas. I would always look in from time to time but not be as active.

I have all but given up on the My Cloud and WD in general. My Wife and I are saving for an alternate route to take. As cpt_paranoia mentioned there is no real forum structure or WD participation … just a place for us to go. I know a lot of companies use this approach to start off with until either their products or company recieve a bad name and then try to fix their approach. Usually by then it’s almost too late for recovery.

All the best cpt_paranoia :wink:

2 Likes

Perhaps the Ubuntu forumin which I regularly participate could serve as an example of a more productive example.

generally:

  • 1 topic per thread
  • No run-on topics where multiple users add on to the ‘complaint’
  • Old / stale topics are locked

I agree it is frustating and I am spending less time on this all the time

If people would at least try themself it would be better. there seem to be more posts where, "I have a problem, I won’t provide details and don’t tell me to read the manual. "

1 Like

larryg0 wrote:

I agree it is frustating and I am spending less time on this all the time

 

If people would at least try themself it would be better. there seem to be more posts where, "I have a problem, I won’t provide details and don’t tell me to read the manual. "

I agree with you … But part of the stickies should be:

  1. “My Cloud User Manual” for easy to find reference.

  2. Known fixes … i.e. "Before posting a problem please try “sytem only restore” with a hot link to the page in the manual. “Try a Reboot of the My Cloud”. etc.

  3. Known issues with … lets say “Twonky”, “Cloud Access with mobile devices”, “Safepoints”, etc.

  4. WD firmware “In the Making” kinda thread that, at least, lets the users know what is or is not being worked on.

Most other forums have these kinds of stickies not only to help the users but to limit threads with the same “over all” topic but the thread name is different so it appears the same possible solutions are posted many times.

1 Like

This is WD “Community”.  That name n itself means Users and very little input if any from WD. 

but we wrote about the creation of FAQs months ago… :smiley:

and about bugs. and feature requests. many feature requests…

oh my iphone finshed uploading new photos and files automatically, by using  geofenching. :wink:

this was also a request…and this did not change the original file names or dates.

Folks,

Please keep in mind that the WD Community was never meant to be a support forum.  We already have a full phone and email technical support group to personally help users.  The community is meant to be a place where you, users, can come and share and ask questions of other users.  Though we do consider the community critical for escalating product and user issues, and we, moderators, are monitoring it all the time for such issues, you will not find WD supplying full tech support here.  You will need to either call or email for that kind of support.

However, I have nothing against posting product aides for users that you can refer to for them to read and try.  We are already trying to do some of these things now.  But we are willing to go further with it.

SectorGZ, thank you for being very clear on what could be helpful to sticky.  I already have the moderators working on the specific things you brought up.  And should have something up soon, maybe even today.  We will also provide these recommendations for the other forums as well.  Anything we can do to help, we are open to trying.  And if you have other suggestions for the stickies, don’t hesitate to bring them up.

Bill_S

[edit]

I guess I shouldn’t leave out thanking cpt_paranoia for starting this topic.  After all, he got the ball rolling.  I know that you guys are at times very frustrated with the product, and with how you think we are handling the product, but we are doing our best to bring you good products, and we do appreciate the help that you are trying to bring the other users.

2 Likes

To Bill_S,

You are most welcomed and anything I can do to help please let me know … I’m sure this goes for other members also, as demonstrated in their activity.

I know you are doing the best you can … you have helped me many times and for that I am very grateful. It’s not your resposibility to fix the My Clouds and I’m sure everyone know that … or at least they do now … lol

As far as contacting WD Support … usually phone calls are answered, but I can assure you most emails are not … I know from personal experience. This only leaves Phone Calls, during your hours of business, -or- this forum. We, as users/owners, can not always call due to our work schedules or timing. This is why we try to email to either set something up or find a resolution to an issue. When emails are ignored we only have one assumption left … WD doesn’t care, especially after several emails.

Yes, we are frustrated. We receive no notices of what is being worked on as far as fixes. I know you can not always make this public knowledge as this forum can be read by anyone … and that is the point … anyone can read this forum and how does it appear when the same issues are being posted over and over with no fixes/acknowlegement/resolutions being posted. It makes WD appear complacent and unresponsive … and I know that is not the case. But potential customers or frustrated users do not.

I use to own and run a forum and one of the largest assets that can be brought to light is a way to access information quickly. People do NOT want to, or have the time to, search and search for what they might think a thread might be called to find a possible answer as it relates to their issue.

  1. My Cloud User Manual

  2. Tips and Tricks (although not tricks but Sub-Topics, but how to properly do a “System Only Restore”, “Reboot if that My Cloud appears frozen”, “Access the Dashboard”, etc.)

  3. Contact WD Support Links (Maybe a Sub-Topic of “Registration”)

  4. Twonky

  5. Safepoints

  6. Mobile Devices

  7. Cloud Access … what it is and what it is not

  8. etc.

For me I think these would go a long way in helping WD find issues and us users to resolve issues. At least they could be categorized. I know you can not create a sticky to things that WD does not support … like Downgrading, SSH’ing, Unbricking, etc… But these could be handled in a different fashion, such as, Unsupport or User knowledge type of thing.

All the Best Bill, and thanks to you for acknowledging this thread.  :wink:

1 Like

To Bill_S, I echo what SectorGZwrote so eloquently!

My additional  $.02 …

Please keep in mind that the WD Community was never meant to be a support forum…you will not find WD supplying full tech support here.  While I certainly understand this position it might be in WD’s best interest to leverage the momentum found here on USER based support. I don’t think that WD should supply official tech support via a forum!

I’d like to imagine though, that some of the expert, learned advice I’ve seen posted here might be incorporated in an online FAQ.

Hi Guys,

I’m sorry, I’ve been out.  In response to SectorGZ’s request, we’ve created a simple FAQ for the My Cloud users.  If you want to add links to it, you can just reply.

Gah… sucked back into it.

Step away from the forum, captain…