ATI, the worst support on the planet!

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jpscfl

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Jul 22, 2002
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I can't help but laugh at all of the dopes standing in line, waiting to give ATI their hard-earned money after reading one benchmark! Just wait until they need support! Sure, ATI will answer their phone, but don't be surprised if your P4, 2.8ghz PC runs a bit slow. ATI will most likely tell you that you have a resource problem with your PC!

I have been fighting a problem for over 2 months now with my RADEON AIW7500. My main complaint is the dolby sound goes out of sync with the video. But now, after trying the rest of the "features," the list keeps growing! I can't use the option to name a program when using the digital VCR option (always defaults to channel number/date), the remote control mouse is as accurate as typing with boxing gloves on, and recording to mpeg2 changes to that useless "ATIPlayer."

ATI convinced me to buy a new driver CD. The first order was lost (they tried to blame it on FedEx, but could not produce a tracking number), the second arrived cracked, the third was incorrect (they sent a CD for a Rage 128), and the 4th one worked as well as the original one! They told me they would cancel the FedEx charges (since I waited 2 weeks for express delivery), but guess what appeared on my credit card statement?

All I hear from the ATI freaks is "just wait for the new drivers," but on previous posts, the same people say "the problem with ATI drivers is ancient history." Either ATI is full of crap or 2 weeks actually is "ancient history."

Well, I'm still waiting for these magical drivers! And now that ATI will soon focus on fixing the drivers for that 9700, my request will go to the "we hope you go away" pile.

All I wanted was a reliable Home Theatre PC and wound up with the most aggravating piece of junk that I've ever wasted my time on. Let the dummies toss away their dollars on a 9700 for a few more FPS. We all know the phrase: A fool and his money are soon ______.
 
Wow! You sound like you got the raw end of the stick. ATI is about making money, so you are probably correct about the attention they will be providing for the 9700, but persist on requesting support, who knows maybe they will follow through on their commitment of support. However, <A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MzEy" target="_new">Catalyst</A> is suppose to change things for the better, but I was'nt that impressed with Catalyst v.2.2. So, regardless the amount of press ATI gets on their 9700, they better make a bug fix for Catalyst v.2.2 or else the 9700 will become a bitter taste in their mouth. Drivers are the catalyst of what makes for a good graphic card, so we will see what the outcome will be. As for me I'll wait until the dust settles on the hoop-la.

<font color=purple><b>Listen twice as much as you Speak. Better yet, Think twice. :wink: </font color=purple></b>
 
I hear ya man. Go in the graphics section and look a few months ago how many times I blew my top. First off a freind of mine who was 100% Ati fan suddenly became NV all the way when his Ati vid card stopped working w/ xp and ati did jack sh!t about it. Then my freinds who live down the block have ati cards in both their comps and their system is unstable as hell. I spent so much time doing so many things, and got so pissed cause it was the vid cards' fault. Hell, even cs wouldn't run right!

My frog asked me for a straw...dunno what happened his ass all over the place 😱
 
I ranted on about ATI and how they SUCK for months over a year ago. I hate them with a passion. I will never ever purchase an ATI product again. NIGHTMARE!

Balls, said the Queen if I had them I would be king!
 
ATi has been nice to me. My 8500DV card died, so I filled out an RMA form and the next day they sent me an email with my RMA number and I shipped my dead card back. Within a week and a half, I got a new card. They seem to have nice support when it comes to RMA support.
 
I haven't had any experience, good or bad, with ATI but I do know that there are horror stories to every company's support and that is what goes around. How often do you hear someone saying, "Oh look, they just replaced my *whatever* with a newer version."

I know people who this has happened to but you never hear those stories. Bad news travels fast.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. 😱
 
Geezes christ I can't get them to do ANYTHING.

I'm am absolutely SURE that they do NOT look at online e-mails too. All they do is send you a link to the FAQs that you've just been reading.

My Digital VCR disappeared when I installed Multimeda Center 7.7 (I have an AIW 8500DV). I mean what the F*** is that??? I paid for that freaking stuff!! That's half the reason you get a video card with a TV tuner!!! My manual shows all the nice uses of Digital VCR which I can't use because IT"S NOT THERE.

And of course there was the issue of a broken CD. THe online FAQ says that you are ENTITLED to a free installation CD if you have damage to yours. BUt no. THey wanted me to buy one.

If there's one thing I've learened:

NEVER BUY ANOTHER ATI PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!!!!


-Kallenin
 
True.. a company is only judged by the experiences of it's customers. I have NEVER had a problem or issue with any of ATi's products... and I was very pleased with the original Radeon card when it was released as well as my newer 8500. When I can afford it, I plan on upgrading to the 9700 Pro or whatever comes out after it.

I'm sure you can go and read tons of horror stories about ANY company. I'm not saying go and buy another ATi product if you've been unhappy with yours... all I'm saying is that your experience doesn't equate with a bad company. I will continue to use their products as long as I don't have any bad experiences.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
Excuse me, but isn't the title of this forum "BAD SUPPORT?"
I'm sure ATI needs all the fanboys they can get, but this forum is for BAD SUPPORT / Hotlines!

But now that you've managed to throw some fresh sh!t on the fan... Here's an update:

For those of you that read my posts during the past months, you probably know that I'm STILL waiting fot the fix ATI promised. However, we all know, that fix will never arrive.

But WinXP SP1 did arrive! So, since my ATI-powered HTPC (right...) is a P.O.S. anyway, I thought I'd load sp1 anyway, just to see what happens.

Much to my surprise, it actually worked and my frame rates increased also. But 2 weeks later, I could no longer capture live video. The capture button was grayed-out. Well, since this was a new ATI problem, I decided to live dangerously and called ATI support. They told me the problem HAS to be with sp1 and removing it will bring back the video capture. I told them it was working for 2 weeks, so how could sp1 be at fault? They said....ready for this? TRUST ME! Just uninstall sp1. If it does not work, just call us back.

So, I uninstalled sp1 and much to my surprise (yeah...right...), video capture still did not work.

I called ATI back and they told me:

"I'm sorry, your card is out of the 30 day warranty and you have to call our 900# for $1.95 per min.

Now let's see...I paid more for long distance phone calls than I did for my Radeon card. Now, they want an extra $1.95/min?

So, Mr Zoron, just because you are happy with your Radeon's email capabilities and watching Britney's boobs vary in size on realplayer... does not make a good video card.

If you want to save your allowance for the next 2 years and blow it on a 9700, be my guest. But if you want to play 3d-intensive games, use nvidia. If you want to do decent video editing, use pinnacle. If you want to ruin your mental health and bank account at the same time, buy ATI.
 
Like I said, I'm happy with the product I have, so I'll continue using it until I am UNHAPPY.

I see no need for the insults either. Did it even occur to you that your problem may be the exception, rather than the rule? Yes, this forum is for Bad Support/Hotlines. Does this mean that you can't post something positive about a company? I think not.

I don't doubt you are having trouble getting your card to work with your config. ATi may not be doing much to help you... but to insult me for simply stating I have had no problems with my card is a little low. Trust me, I understand your frustration... just direct it where it belongs. I fix computers for a living, have been doing it for over 7 years... so I'm not simply a fanboy. I'm a satisfied customer. There's a huge difference.

Video capture worked just fine with my original Radeon card. I have not had a chance to work with the AIW 8500. I do know someone that has one... and to my knowledge he's never had an issue. I will have to check with him again to see if SP1 has changed anything.

I didn't flame you in my post, so I would ask that you refrain from doing the same. I don't grease squeaky wheels... I replace them.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
Did it even occur to you that your problem may be the exception, rather than the rule?
******************************************************
Yeah right... I am the ONLY one that experienced problems with ATI products and their 'support.' BUSTED!! I admit it!!
All of the MBs of ATI complaints on this board were made by one person...me! Unlike your Guiness record-breaking, 7 year career (I'll bet Bill Gates is scouring the planet to grab your experience), I have nothing better to do than use 500 different "pen names" and create false accusations about ATI.

Let's take a vote. If we see a negative post, should we waste time and space telling everyone "Hey, this product works for me" TWO MONTHS after the original posting?

You obviously have no experience dealing with KY HO or Jay Marsden (Duh...who are they?) so your generic posts contribute nothing to this board.

So go replace your squeaky wheels, unless these are ATI wheels...Which means a Wheel-update is on the way (by the time you get that update, you WILL have a record-breaking career timeline), unless of course the ATIwheel is more than 30 days old, which means you have to call them for $1.95 per min, per wheel. But after a new ATIwheel is released, you are SUPPOSED to have problems with it, because it's a NEW product. Any Questions? Just call
905.882.2626, and have your GOLD card ready when they tell
you to call their OTHER number ($$$$$).
 
Did you buy an OEM card? If so, that's why you got a 30-day warranty.

I could go into a whole list of reasons of why you should avoid OEM hardware, but I'm willing to bet you know most of them already. In fact, you're now witnessing a reason you don't buy OEM hardware. You get NO SUPPORT from the card manufacturer... you have to go to your PC manufacturer.

Now, as for this magical fix you're waiting for... have you completely dumped all ATi software/drivers and tried updating to the latest software/drivers? Instead of listening to someone on a support line that you say is no help anyway... why not try something that they didn't suggest?

Again with the insults. You know what? Go to hell. I hope ATi charges your ass out the freakin' ying yang. You obviously don't know enough to help yourself, so ya gotta freak out on a company that can't help you because you're too stupid to help yourself.

If you rant on and on and on without telling me what you've tried (other than what ATi told you to try) you'll get no sympathy from me. I've heard as many horror stories about other companies and their support... but there are also a lot of positive stories... you just never hear about those since they usually aren't very interesting.

Hopefully you've learned your lesson about purchasing OEM hardware. In many cases it's not held up to the same QA as the retail product... and you certainly won't get the level of support you will with a retail product. Just try phoning AMD if you have an OEM processor if it's more than 15-30 days after the date of purchase. They certainly won't help you for free... they will tell you to go to your PC manufacturer for help.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
I think the point is really that more people have problems with ATI than they should. It seems to me that it's just crappy drivers, and I hope it is, but until they fix them a potential customer like myself won't buy their product.

<font color=red>I'd like to dedicate this post to all my friends, family, and fans. Without them this post would never have been possible. Thank you!</font color=red>
 
That point I can agree with you on. I suppose that perhaps I'm fortunate I haven't had any issues.

I just took exception to being insulted. I merely stated that I had positive experiences with ATi... and I'm immediately jumped on by this other idiot and flamed all to hell. Like I said, I understand the frustration of a product that clearly doesn't perform as it should, but please direct that frustration at those who are responsible. I enjoy helping people when they have problems, but those that immediately come and start flinging insults earn nothing but my contempt.

I didn't always like ATi. The first card I purchased that was an ATi card (Can't remember the make, it was so long ago) didn't play MPEGs properly in Windows 3.1/95. That's when I switched to Matrox/3Dfx. I purchased the original Radeon card because it finally looked as if ATi had a promising product... and to me it was a great card. It didn't have the frame rates of nVidia's hardware at the time, but it did the job, and it did it well. I purchased my 8500 based on that experience; and again I have not been disappointed. I'm not saying that everyone's experience is going to be as positive as mine, but I am saying that the products aren't necessarily bad. I can't speak to OEM ATi cards, as I only buy retail.

You're right about the driver issues though. ATi has had many problems delivering drivers to fix problems that people reported. The situation has improved somewhat, though. I know you said you weren't impressed with Catalyst 2.2, but have you tried 2.3? Don't know if you're running Windows XP or not... but 2.3 was designed specifically for Service Pack 1. I'm happy to report that I haven't had any issues, but again, I'm not saying that my experience will be shared by all.

I'm glad someone can post a difference of opinion on this board without resorting to insults.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
I'm not perfect, but everything basically does boil down to the drivers imop. I don't think we're talking about a quality control issue like with ECS for example.

I'm going to buy a new card shortly and hope that the driver issue improves by then. I'm kind of eager to try out an ATI card if I can.

We'll see...

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America</font color=red>
 
I just took exception to being insulted. I merely stated that I had positive experiences with ATi... and I'm immediately jumped on by this other idiot and flamed all to hell. Like I said, I understand the frustration of a product that clearly doesn't perform as it should, but please direct that frustration at those who are responsible. I enjoy helping people when they have problems, but those that immediately come and start flinging insults earn nothing but my contempt.
************************************************
Well, pardon me for ruffling the feathers of the GOD of computers! MR Bigshot with his 7 years (Guiness, where are you?) of 'experience.'

This pompous ass obviously missed the point. I listed SPECIFIC issues and he gets "upset" when he replies to my post with a generic, useless reply. "My card works just fine."

Well, Zoron, before you put the RADEON on your know-it-all pedestal...
Do you use Dolby 5.1? NO
Do you know what Dolby 5.1 is? I'm guessing NO
Have you ever captured mpeg2 for more than one hour? NO
Did you ever deal with the head of ATI's tech support? NO
Did you ever try to contact their home office? NO

"But my card works."

I apologize for wasting everybody's time on this board for repeating myself, but I did not see the words "experimental" on the box when I purchased it from ATI. I also did not buy this card to waste months of my life trying to get it to work using ATI's suggestions or other suggestions from everyone else. Incidently, I did receive lots of good tips I would not have previously considered (thanks!), but they did not fix the problems.

Over the years, I've had many components go bad. BFD...Stuff breaks. I've experienced failures of Athlons, P2s, P3s and P4s, I even cooked some due to CHOSEN circumstances (overclocking, carelessness, etc). But I guess 7 years is not enough experience to realize the difference between hardware failures and poor driver design, eh?

My major complaint with ATI is misrepresentation, (for you "newbies with less than 7 years," that means LIES). Now that crosses the line.

So Zoron, don't get your panty hose in a bunch...Otherwise, you will be grey-haired before you hit the big 2-5 (at least the cost of insuring on your camaro will drop...). Your ego will undoublty demands you get the last word, so go ahead. I'm not about to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Thanks for all of your helpful input.

"My card works just fine."

Maybe I'll see those words of wisdom on a dollar bill someday.
 
Could have been a much more civil discussion had you not started flinging the insults. Again, you resort to them and sarcasm to try to get your point across.

Newflash here for you: if you want your opinion to be respected, post in a respectful manner. Otherwise you get crapped on.

I don't use Dolby 5.1 for my computer.
I know what Dolby 5.1 is.
I don't capture video enough to make it worthwhile for me to have the capability.
I haven't dealt with ATi's tech support because I haven't had to.
I haven't contancted their home office, because again, I haven't had to.

My card works 😛 That's exactly why I haven't had to contact ATi.

Your assumptions aren't helping your case either. You assume you know things about me that you do not. Now before you make another post filled with sarcasm, insults and assumptions please stop and think for a minute. This whole mud-flinging mess could have been avoided... but you took it upon yourself to try and degrade me for stating my opinion. Just because mine differs from yours is NO REASON to go off in the fashion you did. I'm willing to be civil if you are.

I wasn't trying to be 'superior' by stating my experience in the PC tech field. If you took it that way then I do apologize. I felt the need to validate my opinion since you automatically assume I know nothing of what I talk about.

I agree with the fact that you got a shitty deal. What I was suggesting is that not everyone gets a shitty deal. If you've had this many problems with ATi... then by all means... do NOT buy their products. But please, don't insult me for having a difference of opinion. That's all I really ask.

If you do that much video capture work, I'd suggest going with a dedicated card. I think you'll be much happier in the long run. Perhaps consider getting into firewire. The All-In-Wonder cards have been merely 'toys' to me... what they do is nice, but it's never meant for more than just playing with. I realize you want the card you paid for to work as advertised... and you should keep after ATi to do just that... but don't sit around waiting for them. Buy another product and let them know exactly why you bought another product. Sell that card you have, I'm sure there are many out there that would buy it even if they don't use all the 'features'.

I'm not trying to get the last word. I was trying to defend myself from being insulted. However, if that's all you want to do... then this will be my last post on this subject. I didn't mean to insult or offend you in any way with my initial posts and I apologize if you took it as such. No matter how knowlegdable a person may be, there is still the ability to learn something new. I learn new things on an almost daily basis. One thing I do know from experience though... trading insults rarely gets the initial problem fixed.



<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
trading insults rarely gets the initial problem fixed.
************************************************
Yes, you are correct. I apologize for the short fuse, but if you are really bored someday, dig into the graphics boards...back around July/Aug, you will see what started the entire messy story. To avoid wasting any more of your time, here are the 100 posts compressed in a few lines:

ATI card does not work
Try these drivers
I tried them all, still don't work
ATI sucks...should have bought nVidia
nVidia sucks, ATI eventually solves all customer issues
I agree with jpscfl, ATI sucks
Bullsh!t, ATI is great, that a-hole, jpscfl sucks
jpscfl thanks everyone and gives up, vowing to never buy ATI again!
jpscfl gets promoted to newbie
HTPC now equivalent to boat anchor

So this PC is sitting here as...a conversation piece.
I sometimes use it to watch TV, play DVDs and capture things to email as mpeg or mpg2 files...but it is never reliable. Fortunately, I have many PCs in my residence, so this is not keeping me out of business (although some of you on these boards may not be too pleased to hear this...)

I simply wanted a HTPC that does everything a TV can handle. Sure, it's more of a pain in the ass to do this instead of buying a $100 DVD player, but that's what us computer geeks do.

I solved the DVD-Dolby problem by purchasing WinDVD, thanks to the responses from these boards. Previously, I did not realize the full version of the player offers Dolby 5.1

The remote wonder is still flakey, the capture works sometimes, the TV works sometimes... MMC usually crashes and prevents a soft reboot. I believe I tried every option, including replacing the entire PC...because ATI told me it was lack of CPU horsepower.

I've heard lots of stories and had plenty of experience with rotten support. But I have never experienced anything as bad as ATI. Even motherboard manufacturers have been more helpful to me than ATI has.

When I saw the posts about bad support with HP, I was quite surprised, since I swear by HP printers. But since mine work fine, I had nothing to offer, so I just did the "STFU."

So, sorry about the flames. I thought I was was being snuck up on by an "Give me ATI or give me death" person.
 
"So, sorry about the flames. I thought I was was being snuck up on by an "Give me ATI or give me death" person."
_________________________________________________________

I'm far from it. The ONLY reason I've stuck with ATi is because of my experiences. Believe me, if I don't like a product, I'm one of the first ones to condemn it.

I heard about the remotes... and you're right, they are crap. I've avoided the AIW cards simply because I never really had the cash to shell out for one and also because I'm primarily a gamer. I heard the AIW cards were underpowered when compared to their regular counterparts, so I also avoided them for that reason.

You sound like you're very serious about video capturing/editing. Going with a dedicated card in your situation would be a very good idea. I know you've already spent money on a card that doesn't work the way it was intended; but unfortunately that's all you can do. Just make sure you let ATi know exactly what product you purchased and why. Nothing is as powerful as the dollars in your pocket.

Hopefully you can put something together to suit your needs. I wish you luck in that endeavor. I'll keep my ears peeled to see if anyone else experiences problems. I know that I've sold at least one AIW 7500.


<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>
 
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