The "duh" award for bad customer support...

My Suggestion for Microsoft OneNote written to Office Online:

Not all of us have tablet PC's that we can draw on. I want to use OneNote as a great whiteboarding application where I can share ideas and code with other programmers. But I need to be able to draw lines, simple shapes, highlight text using TEXT highlight and not just freeform highlight, etc. Right now trying to communicate is very difficult using a shared session.

My Answer from the "MVP":

"Unless you have a Tablet PC or at least a writing tablet you're going to be limited to what you can do with the mouse. That's true of all apps. "

So, apparently the intelligence quota isn't very high to become an MVP. I'm protecting the name of the incompetent who answered this just to keep it from turning personal. However, this is another in a classic case of either NOT reading what I wrote, or just adopting the "defend the product as it is" philosophy of customer support. I made a SUGGESTION, that a few of the simple drawing primitives found in EVERY drawing/diagramming package out there be added to OneNote to make it easier to use for non-tablet users. Instead of saying "hey good idea, I'll send that to the team for consideration" or any kind of acknowledgement that the above features would have made my experience better, I get a statement that is the support equivalent of saying "The earth is round. Thought that might help you." This guy is right out of the Dogbert Technical Support Department.

Apparently MVP at Microsoft now stands for "Most Vacuous People"


FOLLOW UP

Apparently, Microsoft MVP's run in packs. After complaining about the response I got, ANOTHER MVP chimes in with this comment

As you may have noted by reviewing the posts in this newsgroup (you did, didn't you?), the program currently doesn't have the abilities to do what you're asking. You can check the blogs of Microsoft's Chris Pratley for additional information...

Things aren't looking up for the MVP team. The button I clicked to enter my initial comment was "Send a Suggestion to Microsoft" and the top of my post has the topic "Suggestion for Microsoft". However, apparently, our gallant MVP's don't actually READ what they are sent, and are therefore incapable of distinguishing a request for help on what is IN the product, from a customer sincerely desiring something to be ADDED to the product.

Score: Common Sense: 2, MVP's: 0