An odd thing happened on the way to the customer.............

For any and all of you guys either using GE products or considering GE products a little story......and a word to be careful....

GE uses many outside sources for some of its technical support on at least some of its products.....some of these resources may not be apparent or even directly
indicated. When you talk or email GE Support, the records and/or emails can be available to these other sources....without either your consent, knowledge or authorization.
So, if you're an integrator and you email GE Support about a problem, don't be surprised if some other integrator or sales organization suddenly contacts your customer, forwards the email to them, and tells them you can't support the product, or aren't trained, or something similar. God forbid you're going around in circles with Tech support and have multiple emails or concerns. You may find that there is a direct conduit from GE to one or even several of your customers!!!!!! Better yet, if you're considering a proposal and request information what a surprise when your email ends up at the customer with a note that another company can better support their needs!!!! And certainly don't get annoyed with GE support because of problems.....yeah, that'll end up in your customers inbox also!!!!

Better and better yet....you contact GE support about a customers problem and lo and behold THEIR competitor suddenly has an email with what might be proprietary
information. Bet they'd love that...and be really pleased with you too!!!

Yup, its actually happened.....and its perfectly legal!!! and GE doesn't care. Really, they don't. Trust me...I've asked....they simply reply that it isn't THEM that passed along
the information. Forget about confidentiality or privacy....doesn't apply once they offload the information.

Hey, think you've developed something special and work it out with GE Support....guess what...some competitor suddenly has the email and the information!!!!

So be careful what you ask for.....even if you're not an integrator and work for someone.....how would you like it if you contacted GE Support with a problem and tomorrow
your boss calls you into his office to ask why you don't know how to use the product? If you're a contractor likewise.....

In other cases you may actually be aware of the other company. Perhaps you contact them directly for support but understand they are a competitor so you don't ask them
sensitive questions....you call GE directly with those....sorry, they get that information also. And often, the outside support has a vested interest in giving misleading or useless
information. If you fail, they can approach your customer. And offer their services instead!!! Sounds too good to be true!!!!

So a word to the wise.......I won't go the length and say don't use GE.....I continue to use their products, some are as good or better than something else...but I limit
my transactions with GE severely now. I quote based on extra time I would need to figure things out without contacting GE directly and I tell my customers to do the same.

The rumor mill appears to be alive and well, although one of the residents seems to be a bit paranoid.

I've heard similar rumors about some of the other big corporate entities using similar tactics to try to steer their end users to certain "preferred" integrators. Fortunately, I've never experienced it myself.

The simplest way to prevent something like that is to not divulge your customer's name to support.

If I had a boss who complained about my calling tech support to make sure I was properly applying the product, I'd seriously consider looking for a new boss.

I had never experienced it either until now....I don't think GE did it directly...they only support and encourage it Not sure if that's a big difference.
And yes, some of the policies from the other mfg's appear to be intended to eliminate the smaller companies by making it financially impossible to support
their product. This particular case was far worse than that.

Just out of curiosity, was the third party a certain entity in the Southeastern US whose name begins and ends with the same letter and who have a division that handles GE's obsolete products? Knowing some of the older GE gear you support, I expect you've had to deal with that particular company.

no company is in Eastern PA, and NE. Not sure where else. For all I know they could have access to this products questions nationally. Hey anyone in
Nebraska needing a quick exit from a company, feel free to contact GE. Don't forget to complain about something, anything. Lockups, loss of data, bad
help files. Sheesh, sounds like your compromising GE's ability to service your client. They'll need to have someone contact your customer directly and tell them so. Sounds like a job for a GE Solution Provider!!!! And offer their own services of course!!!!! Perhaps they can even offer your customer help in withholding payment to you....sounds like a good sales strategy to me!!!! Just imagine all the leads they can generate.

and I know of the outfit you're referring too. never had a problem with them but I don't often need support on those products only manuals occasionally......I might actually have to specify a B&R for my next project.

By the way...it also helps if your customer actually has the ethics of a mass murderer. Hopefully most people wouldn't be interested in receiving private emails forwarded for such a reason, and would actually be pretty leery in dealing with such a party. I can be pretty certain this particular client has a fairly good policy in not allowing that. Guess that doesn't apply to VP's. Ethics and policies don't apply to them. And maybe he can get some tickets or a fishing trip!!!! I'm sure they believe it was done for their best interests.....sure also they'd be pretty pissed off if GE forwarded some of their emails to someone else in that 'recipients' best interests.....

Silly thing....I never mentioned name of my client to either party. Never sent an email from the customers facility, only through my own companies email with our name, logo and confidentiality clause at the end of the document. Never called from their phone lines only my business cell.

The Outside support organization guessed because they sold the product. I neither denied or confirmed. It was easy for them at that point they simply
contacted the customer and sent all the emails directly to the VP of the company.

and yes you would look, but you wouldn't be happy about it. Would require your boss to be an idiot also. In my case the engineers I was working with were
very satisfied with the work. It was the VP who pulled the plug based on the forwarded emails, and their statement that I was compromising their direct support to his company (I can't fathom how). I think he (VP) wanted a fishing trip too and I'm to small an outfit to offer that kind of whoring.