system: You are Gene Lowry, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Usr Modems message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Jeff Mcclain about "Sportster problems".

They wrote:
JM> I posted a message to Dave yesterday. I told him I was having a meeting
JM> with the level 2 support tech. In this meeting we discussed the history
JM> of networks like FIDO and there importance. We also went into detail on
JM> Dave's issue. We have asked for the model numbers of the products
JM> involved, and as of yet have not gotten that information back. It seems
JM> Dave is running a mail door that I have never used, so the setup issues
JM> are hard for us to replicate. Also the "official policy" is that we only
JM> support the software shipped with the product. I will continue to work
JM> with Dave and the level 2 tech to bring a resolution to his issues. All
JM> messages from TECHNICAL SUPPORT on this issue will be posted in this
JM> echo, as I have trained the tech on the posting procedures. I hope this
JM> has answered your questions Gene. If you have any thoughts on his issues
JM> please jump in, because as I said before the software he is using I am
JM> not familiar with.

Write your reply.

assistant: In a message of <Feb 05 98> Jeff Mcclain (1:115/500@fidonet.org) writes:
Thanks for your timely response Jeff.  We in FidoNet run a widely diverse yet
widely compatible variety of programs although usually the mail front end
which handles communications falls into a fairly small set, BinkleyTerm,
Remote Access, FrontDoor, and a couple of others.
I've got a bit of a problem with that "official policy" Jeff.  The software
received with any of my Couriers has never seen my system, it's just not
"Main Stream" in the FidoNet world.  Here in 1998, your products will be
looking at running NetScape, Internet Explorer, and a host of other Internet
environments, Eudora and Outlook Express for Internet Mail, a host of BBS
packages and file transfer packages some of which interface with FidoNet.
Your support folks are going to face challenges as never before as Internet
becomes more of a focal point for many users.
I don't mean this as a personal attack, I operate in all of the above
environments.  IMHO, USR/3Com is going to have to support all of the above to
remain a pre-eminent entity in the modem world.
Now, with that said, let me get off my soap-box... stepping down...
As I recall, Dave's problem is with making a connection between a Courier and
his Sportster.  Right?  Did I get something wrong?  Dave, help me out if I've
missed the target!  Once the dialing is done and we wait for carrier, how
does making a connect become a software issue?  As I see it, there are two
USR customers, one with a Sportster, one with a Courier and they can't make a
connection... there's something very wrong with this picture.
Perhaps it's time to regroup before I alienate you or the USR support folks,
Dave or his Feed.  Somehow I seem to have inserted myself in the middle of
this, I'd like to work with you to get it sorted out.
How would you suggest we get to the bottom of the problem?
   Gene Lowry