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DanaLinder
Aug 23, 2008, 02:59 PM
I've sung the praises of Astraware before, but it's time to do it again.

I bought Text Twist Turbo by RealNetworks from Handmark because Astraware doesn't have Text Twist for WMSP.

It hangs my Q regularly and repeats words VERY often. I wrote to RealNetworks to tell them. They said "We don't write games for that platform and we have no record of your order" (Seriously!). I wrote back saying that it said "RealNetworks" all over the screen and I bought it from Handmark, and that I was just writing to inform them of an issue. They responded with "We have no record of your order". I contacted Handmark, who contacted RealNetworks. Their response to Handmark..."We have no record of that order".

Handmark refunded my money, but the sad story doesn't end there.

I wrote a review on Handmark. They didn't post it. I asked why.
Their response, "Another department handles reviews". I told them the support forum was my only way to contact them, so what was I supposed to do. They then said, "Your review contained technical issues. We only post reviews that talk about functionality". My review mentioned the crashes and the repeating words. How can you write a bad review, telling things the game does wrong without any of the issues being considered technical? I can say "I hate the game", but I can't say "I hate the game because it constantly hangs my Q". How stupid is that? I wish there was a place on the web where I could publicize that dishonesty.

Now for the good news...
Many years ago I bought a game from Astraware. There was something about it I thought could be better (not a bug, just a comment). Their immediate response was "Thank you. How would you like to be a beta tester". This is an honest company that cares about its users and its products. The more I deal with other companies, the more I appreciate how Astraware works.

Thanks guys!

Aaron
Aug 26, 2008, 03:00 PM
Hi Dana,

I apologize for the manner in which your inquiry was handled. I have sent you a private message and am available to discuss this or any other Handmark related incident with you.

Regards,
Aaron

DanaLinder
Aug 26, 2008, 03:17 PM
Aaron and I did talk. He said he is working on moving Handmark into a customer-centric operation following Astraware's model.

The good is spreading.

I am happy.

It doesn't at all change the reason for the original post...

Astraware is a great company.

WauloK
Aug 26, 2008, 09:16 PM
Hooray for Astraware :)

rafez31
Sep 1, 2008, 05:39 PM
Hi Waulok.
I just wanted to ask you for some advice. I am self employed and business is really going down the pan with all this credit crunch. I am looking for a new career and would like help on which step to take to become a beta games tester.
Thanks and kind regards Tom.