CoolSoft ripoff This company is refusing me technical support because one of their folks accused me of making tactless threats Internet
I bought CoolSoft's SpeakToText 2.0 speech recognition software. Their documentation did not address the installation problems that I encountered, specifically, incompatibility with Word 2002, and graphical distortion of the entire Windows GUI. There was also the issue that, after installing the Microsoft SAPI SDK 5.1 (Speech Application Programming Interface, a requirement). CoolSoft, however, gave me only the ditributable version, causing me to have to uninstall it and then download the SAPI SDK 5.1 from Microsoft's website.
I did write a couple of strong letters to them, and their primary contact, a Ms. Tania Lavoratore, wrote and told me to "keep your tactless threats (complaints) to a minimum." Her reply also included other subtle insults, in the manner of a refractory juvenile. I wrote back that it wasn't within the realm of my conscience to be bothered by such immaturity and lack of proper business decorum.
Now I have a major technical problem with the software and they have refused to reply to my email requests for technical support. I have submitted three requests for as many days and have heard nothing from them.
Note: This product causes severe VGA incompatibility whether or not you are using a customized Windows skin. You cannot see hotspots until the mouse passes over them. The entire interface is graphically distorted and streaked in bright neon pink and green colors, regardless of which application you're using when SpeakToText is loaded. When you unload SpeakToText, everything is hunky-dorey again.
They have no documentation that addresses compatibility issues and speech recognition interface problems with Microsoft Word 2002. I had to trouble-shoot that on my own. The program also doesn't work particularly well with its translation from speech to text, regardless of the training you do for your own speech profile.
That's not my major complaint. The problem is that their technical support team consists of punitive, unprofessional and neglectful air-heads. They are refusing to assist me with a major technical issue, and I am the customer, not them.
Robert
Pasadena, Texas
U.S.A.