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Thread ID: 79547	2007-05-23 08:00:00	Contacting Adobe?	Beemer (6956)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
552500	2007-05-23 08:00:00	As posted yesterday, I have lost Photoshop CS2 because of too many activations - most likely caused by the Vista 'issue' that kept prompting for registration every time I opened it until I found a cure for that! (And not helped by having three computers in the last year and not being aware I was meant to transfer the registration between computers each time - I just loaded the product each time.) I've tried the phone activation but it won't let me enter all the numbers before a voice cuts in and tells me I haven't entered enough numbers! I've tried it numerous times but get the same response. The technical and customer service phone number is 0800-447-414 and it says the hours are between 8am and 6pm, but I tried from 8am this morning and until I had to leave for work at 8.15am, I repeatedly got told I was calling outside their business hours. I got home from work just after 6pm and tried again, with the same result. I've emailed Adobe on aptechnician@adobesupport.com and also pacificservice@adobesupport.com but have had no response. I've just submitted a case file, but I'm not holding my breath for an answer. I can't ring during the day until Friday afternoon as I am working away from home (and you need the computer to be running in front of you when you call), but what if I can't get anyone then? I have been emailing them since 12.30pm yesterday with no response at all and I am desperate. I have two photographic jobs on this Friday and I need to be able to process the photos in high resolution - and also be able to open them later, which is why I want Photoshop up and running again pronto. Any suggestions for things I haven't tried yet? Does anyone know anyone in NZ who can help? I have no idea who the agents are even, I bought mine while at Massey.	Beemer (6956)
552501	2007-05-23 08:17:00	It might be an 0800 number in NZ, but maybe the hours are US hours ... 15-18 hours different from ours. ;) Or perhaps Australian ...	Graham L (2)
552502	2007-05-23 08:23:00	Try this number in OZ Adobe Systems Pty. Ltd. Level 4, 67 Albert Avenue Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia Tel: 1 800 504 971 except that it is currently 5.20pm	winmacguy (3367)
552503	2007-05-23 09:59:00	That's what I was wondering, what time zone it uses. However, if you choose NZ (as opposed to Australia, UK, USA, etc), then surely the hours of the call centre would correspond to local calling times? It doesn't say anywhere on the NZ site information that it is Pacific time, as it does on the US one. I'll try again later and keep trying at all different times of the day in the hope that I can get through to someone! I've even emailed the company I bought it off in case they have any ideas. Too late to try the Australian one. I'm certainly not impressed as I have been trying for over 30 hours to get some help - both by email and phone.	Beemer (6956)
552504	2007-05-23 20:28:00	I haven't tried ringing Australia yet as I'd have to do it late in our afternoon to ensure someone would be there, but I've tried the Adobe Asia-Pacific helpline number at 8am, just after 6pm, 9pm, 11.30pm and now at just after 7am and got the "the centre is currently closed" message each time. Considering its hours are 8am to 6pm (in god knows whose time zone), I have tried at different times during the past 24 hours and on at least one of those occasions I should have got someone on the end of the line as it would have been during whatever eight hours they ARE open! I certainly won't be lining up to buy any more Adobe products in the future if this is the level of customer support you get. Three emails, countless attempts at phone activation that haven't worked, countless attempts to contact the customer service (what a joke) and technical help lines, and a customer technical job request - and now I have even filled out a PR form in the hope that someone (it has been sent to Russell Brady, whoever he is!) will do something about this. What an appalling lack of service or solutions from a large international company.	Beemer (6956)
552505	2007-05-23 21:10:00	Last time I rang Adobe (Australia) I think, I spoke to a real person without too much trouble. The last package I bought was InDesign 2.0, PSD 7 and Illustrator 10 that was back in 2003. I have Adobe CS3 on order - despite reading a very mediocre report about Illustrator CS3 the other night. I am just waiting for a call to say that CS3(Mac) is in the country.	winmacguy (3367)
552506	2007-05-24 06:01:00	I still haven't heard a single thing from Adobe despite three emails, an online technical support request, countless unanswered phone calls to a number that is obviously incorrect (more on that later) despite being listed on their website, and I even sent a feedback form to their PR/media people! I had an offer of help from a member here, but in the meantime I had contacted the company I bought the product from. The guy there said contacting Adobe was my best bet and he gave me a different freephone number - 0800-444-735 - and blow me down with a feather, it worked! I was instantly offered options to talk to customer service or technical staff - and a REAL PERSON answered the phone! And she could help! I gave her my serial number and the latest activation number shown on screen when I tried to open Photoshop and she gave me an activation code which I entered in onscreen. And guess what? IT WORKED!!!! So I now have a working version of Photoshop again, yahoo! It's a bit of a trap for novice computer users like myself though - I know it's illegal to copy software and stuff like that, but I had no idea I was meant to transfer the licence from one computer to another or it would suddenly stop working. You learn something new every day. But I think I will write to Adobe and let them know that their level of customer support was far below what I expect of an international company. What's InDesign like, winmacguy? I am hoping to do a publishing course later this year and that is one piece of software we have to buy and use.	Beemer (6956)
552507	2007-05-24 06:11:00	I still haven't heard a single thing from Adobe despite three emails, an online technical support request, countless unanswered phone calls to a number that is obviously incorrect (more on that later) despite being listed on their website, and I even sent a feedback form to their PR/media people! I had an offer of help from a member here, but in the meantime I had contacted the company I bought the product from. The guy there said contacting Adobe was my best bet and he gave me a different freephone number - 0800-444-735 - and blow me down with a feather, it worked! I was instantly offered options to talk to customer service or technical staff - and a REAL PERSON answered the phone! And she could help! I gave her my serial number and the latest activation number shown on screen when I tried to open Photoshop and she gave me an activation code which I entered in onscreen. And guess what? IT WORKED!!!! So I now have a working version of Photoshop again, yahoo! It's a bit of a trap for novice computer users like myself though - I know it's illegal to copy software and stuff like that, but I had no idea I was meant to transfer the licence from one computer to another or it would suddenly stop working. You learn something new every day. But I think I will write to Adobe and let them know that their level of customer support was far below what I expect of an international company. What's InDesign like, winmacguy? I am hoping to do a publishing course later this year and that is one piece of software we have to buy and use. That is the problem with these activation systems, they penalise the legitimate user. Did you buy the software locally, because if you did you can go to the retailer and demand that they put this right, otherwise you want a refund under the CGA and/or the sale of goods act.	rogerp (6864)
552508	2007-05-24 07:04:00	That is the problem with these activation systems, they penalise the legitimate user. Did you buy the software locally, because if you did you can go to the retailer and demand that they put this right, otherwise you want a refund under the CGA and/or the sale of goods act. I got it through Massey from a licensed reseller in Auckland and as he was the guy who gave me the local helpline number (the one that actually worked!), I am certainly not going to give him a blast! But I am very disappointed that buyers are not made aware of this when they buy software. I only ever use products I buy for my own use and would never let anyone else use them on their computer and I was completely unaware that this could occur. I have no problem with activating it again as they should be able to tell I am a legitimate user, but their phone activation didn't work and until I emailed the reseller for help, the only number I could find for Adobe was the one on their website (you choose your country and the appropriate list of contact details is shown) and I kept being told I was calling outside business hours. Emailing them was a total waste of time. I'm a journalist and I am not sure if this topic has been covered before, but if not, maybe it's time I wrote something for other novices like me so they don't fall into the same trap.	Beemer (6956)
552509	2007-05-24 07:14:00	I soppose the web site is a US one, and the country-specific stuff like time zones must be a challenge. Imagine the fun involved as countries change their "daylight saving" dates. The Us has recently done this, so there have been many complaints about things being two hours out (because one "fix" has been done manually, because MS hadn't fixed the automatic one in time, then the automatic one "corrected" the time on the old date). NZ might be changing the dates. There's a strong argument for making all times UTC, but the huge majority of the Web population would go: "UTC what? :horrified ".	Graham L (2)
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