• Registered: 2017-02-21
  • Posts: 1

Topic: System Requirements for new purchasers [Resolved]

It would seem that a software company would know how to write code that works before they unleash it on the public.  I filed a ticket after several attempts at trying to create a slideshow that cannot even upload photos that I enter, here is the "solution" I received from SmartSHOW's support department:

Me:  After uploading pictures (12) to the program and clicking Next, I get a static screen that says photos are loading and to wait, nothing happens, the program is locked in this mode.
I am running an upgraded Windows 10 Home Version 1607 64 bit system with an Intel Core Duo CPU T7500 at 2.20 ghz and 2.5 GB of memory on an older model Dell D630 laptop.
I do not know what graphics card is running on the machine (I think it is an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 135M).
Do you have a driver update that might solve the problem I am having of the program freezing when the photos are trying to load?

Support Rep:  Mary Moore , 2017-02-21 11:17
Dear Mr Davis,

If I get it right, you are using the Slideshow in 5 mins option.
In this case, which template are you choosing? Have you tried adding different photos?

Me:  Mary -
Yes, I was in 5 Minutes option because I could not get the program to do anything using the New Project option, the screen was unchanged. 5 Minutes option at least gave me a screen to go to the templates and then to add photos, but from there it stopped because it never got past the "Please wait, loading photos" message, it just didn't go any further.
Your reply seems strange to me, I waited several hours for some help from your company and the help I received was of no help. The template I used was Best Travel Pictures, why would you ask which template? Are your templates creating the problem? If so, why are they still available for download? You asked if I tried using different pictures, the answer is yes, with the same results, the screen just shows a box that it is uploading the photos and never changes from that, after which I try to exit the program but it is locked up and will not close. I have to reboot my computer and tell it to shut down in spite of the open SmartShow program, it is the only way to get it to go away. But changing the photos is not the solution because I paid for a program that would load the photos I want to use, not substitutes.
I don't know what they pay you to do, but solving your customer's problems isn't one of them. Please refer my request for help to a technician who understands something about computers and your own software, I have never had so much trouble with a software program on the first attempt to use it as this.
If there is something that purchasers need to be aware of pertaining to System Requirements, you certainly need to make those requirements known on your Home Page before anyone clicks the Purchase or Download links. If your software has this many problems you need to fire your developers and hire some people who know how to write valid code, and then you need to hire service personnel who can get your customers back up and running quickly, all you have done is insult may intelligence and tick me off for having to wait all night for your lame response.
While we are on the subject of undependable software, please provide me a link to your refund department so I will have it to fall back on if the next representative who tries to assist me is as incapable as you. I will give you 48 hours EST, USA to get me some information that will fix my problem before I go back to PayPal and initiate a complaint ticket and refund process. If you are able to fix my problem before they refund me I will cancel the complaint, if not I will look for a competitor of yours that can fill my needs satisfactorily and then I will do my best to see that no one else falls into the same hole you put me in as a brand new customer.
Mary, it's just a slideshow program, for goodness sake, you can't even produce a dependable slideshow program, for crying out loud.
48 hours from 7:06 EST, USA...

Recap:  I find it hard to believe that my supplied information about my problem could have been so misinterpreted that it never even got me a possible solution as to what I could do to fix the glitch.  Instead I got a bunch of general questions my 6 year old granddaughter could have asked me just as easily.  This is not a customer support department, they do not care about your time spent trying to get your project up and running before a deadline, they do not care about the time delay between filing a ticket and response, they do not care about getting you up and running quickly, they just do not care.  And now their lack of caring has rubbed off on me, so I am venting my frustrations for others to see what kind of service they, too, can expect down the road from this company.  This customer service rep obviously did not hear all my desperate cries for help coming from between the lines I wrote when I filed my ticket...

  • From: Travelling the world :)
  • Registered: 2014-01-24
  • Posts: 359

Re: System Requirements for new purchasers [Resolved]

We are very sorry for this situation and apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.
I've looked into your support ticket, and it's good to know that the problem has been resolved. As for the support rep's responses, they all correspond to our support guidelines. The support rep has to ask you certain questions in order to understand the circumstances before giving you any solutions. This is done to ensure that the given solution will work for you.
You also mention that it took you a while to get a response. Our support staff work from Monday to Friday, European business hours. They are always ready to help you and do their best to respond asap, but sometimes there can be a lot of requests, that's why you might have to wait to get a reply. In your case, though, I see that they responded 4 hours after your first request (as soon as they came to work that is), and then you got a response for your next messages 30 and 15 minutes later accordingly. So they obviously replied to you in a timely manner.
It is true that an up-to-date computer is recommended for working with SmartSHOW 3D - same is true for any multimedia application. But actually, SmartSHOW 3D will even work on a older machine running Windows XP provided that compatible drivers are installed. But it won't run on an older machine running Windows 10 for example, just because there are often no drivers for Windows 10 released by the hardware manufacturer. It's not really a limitation of SmartSHOW 3D as you see, it's a hardware limitation. Nevertheless, we'll forward your request regarding system requirements to our website manager - I hope it is possible to add these to the program website.