Tech support

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

How do you get tech support to reply? What is the phone number for Ala Mode tech support? I have had questions sent to them for days and weeks and still don't get any response. I had to switch to Ala Mode from Day One because they were the only software that would transfer my data base. I hate it!!!!!! It is very cumbersome, difficult to work with, does not retain information, etc, etc, etc.

Since their tech support won't talk to me, maybe somebody else can help me.

I add pdf documents to a report. When I add a second or third pdf document, the first document gets over written. Eventually I will get two pdf documents to "stick" and stay in the report. So then I add the third pdf document and all of a sudden I have two copies of an assessor's map instead of one assessor's map and one legal description or vice versa. And around and around we go. Finally after adding pdf documents six to ten times I will have the documents I need in a report.

How do I shut off the automatic calculations in the cost approach? I have clicked and unclicked every option I can find and all sorts of weird calculations occur.

I sure wish Day One was still in business! After six months of fighting Ala Mode Aurora I am ready to go back to Day One and stumble along without tech support--at least I can function in Day One by re-downloading the latest version (except it doesn't have a 1004MC). Ala Mode Aurora is non-functional!

 

[evelynwheeler]

1-800-alamode Your ID number is usually your phone number.
Have you tried the "add" button at the top of the page? It will ask if you want to add something from your files or from a scanner, etc. Neat gadget. You can even give the page a title. I'm not too tecky so don't ask me much more.
I like the ala mode tech support. Just be calm and listen. They put things into simple terms. Plus they speak English.

 

[Hondo]

Go to this web site; http://www.alamode.com/ click on support, then appraisers and you will see a list of phone numbers for your service tier (silver, gold, etc). Call the number for your service tier and the techs will help you, I have silver and call maybe twice a year and they have always solved my problem, one tech stayed an hour over their quitting time to solve my problem.

Good luck

 

[VegasWayne]

I've had the same problem with pdf's being overwritten. It seems to have a problem if too many are added. I lock the field for the total on the cost approach so it won't put the site value there when that is all I am using.

 

[Joyce Potts]

Go to start, all programs, WinTotal, tech support assistant.

I think you're simply undergoing a learning curve. I find their tech support to be stellar. I have no complaints on their support whatsoever.

 

[Vegan702]

Tech support is usually very good, however lately the hold times have been pretty ridiculous. I had to call in the other day because my website/their x-site had been pointed to an entirely different website. I had to wait on hold for 30 minutes to tell them to fix their screw up. Don't know why they would be in their changing the settings as I haven't done anything to my website/x-site since I set it up. The bad part is I don't go to my website everyday so who knows how long it has been displaying the wrong website? Could have been a day or weeks, who knows. I guess I have to actually check that my website is indeed my website everyday now with Alamode.

I always get a good response with the support tickets. I don't have to wait on hold and they call to help you.

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

The first several months I had the program, tech support would call back the same day or next day after I sent an email. But they haven't answered an email in about two months. Eventually I finally beat the program into submission so I can get the report out the door. But this problem with the add pdf document is driving me up the wall. I spend three hours writing a report and six hours attempting to get the exhibits to sit still and be the right ones in the right place. I now have scanned the document instead of transferring over a pdf to the add function. Still doesn't work, my second exhibit overrides my first exhibit whether it has been scanned or from a pdf file and there I have two assessor's maps and no legal description, etc, etc. I was very sick with the flu for about seven days last week and I just don't have the energy to fight the silliness that happens when I am working on a file. Click on one blank and four or five turn black and I can't enter any thing in any blank. Finally get it to click on one blank so I can type in that specific blank. Then when I go to other blanks something transfer over from a different blank some place else in the report. So then I do the lock transfer in each blank. Next time I enter that blank some thing strange has transferred in again from some place else even though the blank is locked. This is the skitterish program I have ever encountered. I never know what is going to be where. Then it gets stuck in calculations where there doesn't need to be calculations and I start throwing things at the wall again. I am going to have to start screaming on the phone--maybe some body will finally answer my questions since they won't email me.

 

[John Fisher]

I wish I had read this thread before creating my own thread about .pdf files. Part of the problem is that it enlarges the files to over 20 times their actual size. For example, adding a 23 Kb .pdf file results in the file being almost 700 Kb in the report. Add a few of those, and next thing you know, you have double or tripled the size of your report. At that point, it starts making all kinds of things in the report go wonky. I used to think it was my computer, but I have a quad core with 4 gigs or RAM. While WinTotal is an insane resource hog, if that's not enough computing power to run it properly, something is wrong. So I'm guessing that it's something not written well within the program.

I don't have any solutions for you, I'm just commiserating. I don't see it getting fixed, since soon they'll tell you that if you upgrade to their new program, you won't have these problems.

I will say that other than the drain on computing power and this .pdf issue, Aurora works really well for me and looks nice.

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

Yes, I have discovered that whenever an Ala Mode update is downloaded to my computer, my computer speed slows way down. So then I go to Start, all programs, acessories, disk clean up and there will be a huge amount of temporary internet files and several other categories that weren't there prior to the download. So then I do a disk cleanup, those files get deleted and my computer is humming again. Beating my head against the monitor prior to calling Ala Mode this morning--hopefully my disk clean up that I just did will help with my exhibits.

For a small file to send the client--after creating my pdf file, proofreading it and I am completely satisfied the file is exactly the way I want it--I go into Adobe Writer, file, reduce file size, save then I apply my security settings. That cuts a 2,000 KB file down to less than 1,000 KB file to email the client.

 

[Wendy]

Not real happy with Alamode right now either.

I was fine until my computer crashed & I had to re-install. Since re-install I've had many issues. On one the tech just told me to ignore the problem & work around it. Vault has not worked right since then either.

Not sure if I'm even going to renew right now. What's the point?