I just bought and installed the $180 upgrade to the latest version of Foxtrot Search, and it won't run. The index keeps failing to remain connected, and wont search, or produces error messages. I've rebooted a number of times. I can't contact customer service either, because the website doesn't accommodate people with licenses already (and I wrote 4 days ago, they still haven't replied), and the internal button to the software doesn't load a contact page or anything. So I am mute, shouting at the walls of a fortress. Running Foxtrot Version 8.0.3 Build 3020 (Apple Silicon), on a Ventura Macbook Pro
Sir, Your public accusation is improper. We answered you within a few hours of your request, and never heard back. See below: On Jul 29, 2024, at 11:01, ctm-info <ctm-info@ctmdev.com> wrote: Hello, We need to understand what is going on with the software before we can help. - Have you restarted your Mac first ? (important) - Have you trued an index rebuild from the Manage Indices window ? - When you say the menu is not linking to support, are you saying that Apple Mail doesn t open with a pre formatted support request ? You are nevertheless in touch with us as you can see. Please help us help you, thanks jean michel/ctm qa On Jul 29, 2024, at 07:16, FoxTrot-Search.com <ctm-services@ctmdev.com> wrote: ﻿Subject: Other Name: Michael Stanley-Baker Email: msb@ntu.edu.sg Message: Foxtrot search now doesn't search anything now that I've paid for this new update. And the support link within the software doesn't open anything in my browser. My work has been completely obstructed. I was hoping this would improve things, and I'm on a deadline. I need some contact.
I like Foxtrot as a product, but I agree with the original poster that customer support from Foxtrot is spotty and sometimes completely unresponsive. I've sent issues and questions via email and on this forum that sometimes go unanswered for weeks and even months. Sometimes I do get an answer within a few days, and I count my blessings in those situations, but that's not the norm. The norm I've been seeing from Foxtrot is that, on average, it will take a couple of weeks to get a reponse from Foxtrot and often only after you've proactively prod them for an answer. I understand that managing customer questions is difficult, especially since Foxtrot can be a pretty technical product, and it takes more time to answer technical questions. But what irks me is that I don't even get a response confirming or acknowledging that the issue has been received, leaving me to think that I've sent my message to the void. At least send back confirmation that you've received the message, and give a rough timeline of when the customer can get a more detailed response. If I have to give a rating to Foxtrot for customer support as a paid product, I would give it a rating of "poor". I have a tech stack of products that I pay to upgrade regularly (usually annually), and I'm happy to support these products because they are reliable partners that I can count on whenever I'm experiencing issues with their products. Foxtrot does not rank on my list of "reliable partners" in this way, and it is one reason why I've been delaying paying for more upgrades. Maybe Foxtrot is a very small team that runs on a shoestring budget, or maybe my experience is an outlier. I'm sure there could be a lot of good and valid explanations for my customer experience with Foxtrot. But this is my data point, and let me be clear that there are LOTS of happy Foxtrot customers, so this is not me telling people to not buy Foxtrot.
I have to agree with @atlas. Their "so-called" initial response email never entered my inbox. A search result for CTM Info's send address in my inbox is in the attached image. Second, they didn't bother to write to me directly, but only to this forum, which generates a "do-not-reply" email to my inbox. What a way to be accessible. I didn't even realise it was generated by the forum, only finding out with @atlas's reply. Third, responding to a concerned attempt to get an answer by chewing me out in public and insulting my request as "improper" is not the way to address a vulnerable customer who has paid money into the dark and cannot get a reply for four days. What kind of attitude is that? Does your supervisor read these posts? I initially replied to the "do-not reply" email by copying the "initial" CTM address, and kept my response private to avoid controversy. But this public dirty laundry doubles down on crappy service. When your customer has a problem, you help them out. You also understand that they shuold be frustrated when they cannot get a modicum of response. In the meantime, the problem resolved by re-indexing. I had rebooted multiple times. But, the Mac software does not generate a customer service response, just pops up the browser window but does nothing. Their website customer service directs paying customers to the non-working software. And their "service messages" dont get delivered. So it's reasonable that someone should feel the need to shout at the wall. Agree with @atlas. Good product, but poor service.