Supporting software when hardware breaks

Last Friday I was onsite doing training for a new client. I was suprised how many times I had to explain the difference between software errors and hardware errors. Now, granted, it's such a gray area, it's not even funny.

I have read many times the poor way consumers get treated by companies that sell computers, and it does not matter whether they bundle the OS with the system or not. People will still call the hardware company if their OS fails.

Imagine this scenario: A consumer's mouse is broken, so he thinks: "Oh, my mouse is not working, so it must be a hardware problem. Let me call Logitech, since they made the mouse". Then they call Logitech, and I bet you that the Logitech support will make it to be a USB port problem, and the consumer should call the computer manufacturer. And the computer manufacturer will tell the consumer that it's probably a driver error, which is a software problem, so the consumer should call

a) Logitech, if they installed the Logitech drivers
or
b) Microsoft, if they got a Windows OS, and let Windows pick a generic driver.

However, Microsoft will tell the consumer that they must pay $39.99 US before a tech person will even listen to the problem. And then we wonder that by the time the poor consumer gets to talk to a live human being, they are ready to yell and scream bloody murder.


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