An Open Letter to TimeTrax and Its Customers

[kingsman]

An Open Letter to TimeTrax and Its Customers

Things happen often which are beyond our control. Perhaps TimeTrax was having supply problems and or capital problems. Maybe they were not able to generate the profits they needed to stay in business. It's also possible that something as simple as a marital breakup resulted in the bank account being looted. Or, employee embezzlement. Or, that something even less arcane happened. Whatever it was, it has taken down a company that sparked the imagination and provided its users the ability to timeshift programs and to maximize the usefulness of our satellite radios.

My suggestion is that we all cool it on the anti-TimeTrax rhetoric and hope that either the management or former employees might decide they will reach out to their customers and provide them with an upgrade of the program that doesn't have to contact the mothership and which allows their customers to retain the value from the program they sold us. Let's face it: TimeTrax worked hard to give us this program. They meant for it to benefit us all for a long, long time.

That gesture by TimeTrax and its employees would be monumental and earn them the gratitude and respect of their customer base. Why not leave your customers with an operating program and a chance for the future.

Things happen in business. Most startups don't make it. TimeTrax took on the world and there is no shame for not winning all the battles ... no doubt they did more than most could ever have acheived.

If TimeTrax could see it their way to make the source code an open project then that would be a gift to the world which would ensure the survival of the project and dreams they had and it would ensure them the respect and honor they were hoping to get when they launched this venture.

If you are the owner of TimeTrax or if you are a former employee, how about reaching out to your customers through this thread and discuss what you are able to do to rectify the mess facing each of us? I think you will get more than good karma for your efforts. Perhaps there are some lingering bills and other obligations and you might consider offering a final upgrade and make it available to customers.

If you are a fellow customer, I would ask if you would commit yourself to support anyone who steps forward from TimeTrax in this thread and agree not to dredge up the problems of the past but rather to work with them to leave a legacy for the TimeTrax program that will allow it to break new ground.

This is a good will gesture that I will commit myself to support in any way I can. Hopefully others will join the effort.

Tony

 

[awillc]

Well said Tony. Waaaaay back when it was promised that if something like this happened the program would no longer require checking with homebase. Maybe someone from TT could "leak" such a version - or provide some inside info / source code to a friendly hacker.

 

[spt72]

Yes, youre right, its like... but on a smaller scale.... the California power customers should have understood when energy visionary Ken Lay and Enron abandoned their customer base. Maybe Mr. Lay was having marital problems and HAD to be seedy in his dealings and maybe he HAD to break promises to his base. The customers should have "been the better man" and should have given them a break.

Companies have a responsibility. WE pay THEM for a service... no one was paying us to take TimeTrax.

I may not have been as harsh had ONE.... JUST ONE... version of Timetrax FULLY worked properly. Or if posts werent deleted when critcal questions were asked. Again, we "loved" TimeTrax because it was the ONLY option on the market. But, tell me this, how many items have you bought that have NEVER completely worked? And if you have one, did you feel like a satisfied customer?

The guys --- or, actually, PAID or PAYING CUSTOMERS - have every right to say what they want here. For the first time, they can be critical. Ive read absolutely zero posts that have ONLY been emotional and without thought. Even the most harsh critics are still (after theyve been abandoned) coming at this intellectually trying to figure out IP addresses, how to block the XM site, etc... they arent just name calling.

So, no disrespect to you, but the CUSTOMERS here should NOT cool it. They are finally able to openly discuss the product they PAID FOR.

Again, no disrespect to you, but Im not going to go back grovelling to TimeTrax just to throw us a bone so that software we've already paid for to work indefinitely can continue to work. They OWE it to us.

They also OWE customers they encouraged the last few weeks in business to buy software and equipment... and then they never got the equipment. But, oh, you bet their credit card was charged.

If, as you said, "They meant for it to benefit us all for a long, long time" was true, out machiens wouldnt attempt to link to anything. How can you possibly know they MEANT this when the evidence says otherwise? How?

This feels like youre trying to talk down a guy with a weapon.... "Cmon, youre a good person TT... just put the gun down and come back with us... youre always welcomed here... we'll work something out... just put it down. People here love you and we know things go bad sometimes.. but you cant be blamed for that. Its society. It happens to everyone. But come back with us... youll be safe... We'll all hang out and have picnics together."

No, TimeTrax isnt a friend, its software.

Sorry for the rant