When you know they are really not hearing you

When you know they are not actually hearing what you say:

Maybe you read my previous post about my frustration trying to get Office 365 Premium to work.  I even resorted to getting into a conversation on their Tech Community Forum.

Here is what I said:

The booking app is essentially useless to me unless it will integrate with my regular calendar.  I read on one of your pages that there was an option to connect a staff personal calendar to the booking app, but that option is not available when I edit my staff in the booking app.

Maybe I am not understanding what you intended this app to do, but it seems like basic functionality that you would not double book appointments based on items that were already on my calendar outside of the booking calendar.

Here is the response:

Hello Wray Rives,

You have received a private message in the Microsoft Tech Community community.

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Subject: Congratulations! You have a new rank in Microsoft Tech Community 
From: Michael Holste 
Date: 02-22-2017 08:25 AM 

Congratulations, Wray Rives!

As the result of your contributions to the community, you have earned a new rank. Your new rank is New Contributor.

We appreciate your efforts and hope you will continue to be an active member of the community.

Thanks!

The Microsoft Tech Community Team

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So basically I say your product does not work as promised but you congratulate me for being a new contributor.  They did not hear a word I said.

So it reminds me of my experience with IBM back in the 80's, when I first started working for Pappas Restaurants.  They wanted a new computer system in house.  PC's were not there yet, so you were looking at some small scale main frame like an IBM System 36.

I called IBM and made an appointment and the next day two guys from IBM come out to our office to discuss our computing needs.  This is in Houston Texas and Pappas Restaurants are pretty well known there, so it was not uncommon for companies to be very responsive when the Pappas's were thinking about doing business with you. 

I met with these two for about two hours discussing what we wanted to do with a computer system.  We covered our basic requirements and software and hardware needs.  They left to come up with a proposal and a week later made an appointment to come back and go over the specifications and get clarification on some needs and wants with a promise to come back the next week with their proposal.

Next week as promised the same two guys from IBM show up and the first thing they tell me is "you are in the restaurant business and we only do systems for distribution companies, so we are going to turn you over to our restaurant people". 

WTF? When I called to make an appointment I said I was with Pappas RESTAURANTS.  There is a big sign on the front of the building that says PAPPAS RESTAURANTS.  You guys walked past that sign four times twice coming and twice going and you just now realize we are in the restaurant business.  

Like they say, sometimes you can't see the forest because all those trees get in the way.