Visual Basic Support Service Letter, BL0356; Phone Policies

ID Number: Q72264

1.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

Below is the letter that Microsoft sends in response to customers who

want to know what Microsoft support services are available for Visual

Basic and/or Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic.

This form letter is sent out from Microsoft Product Support Services

(PSS) as the following application note:

BL0356 "Visual Basic Support Service Letter"

This information applies to Microsoft Visual Basic version 1.0

programming system for Windows, and to Microsoft Professional Toolkit

for Visual Basic for Windows.

More Information:

Note: Page 1 of 2 is shown below for this reply letter. Page 2 of 2,

the "Product Assistance Checklist," is shown in a separate article,

which can be found by querying in the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the

the following words:

product and assistance and checklist

BL0356 "Visual Basic Support Service Letter"

---------------------------------------------

Dear Visual Basic and Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic Customer:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Microsoft Visual Basic

programming system for Windows. Although we are unable to respond to

technical questions by letter (unless solicited by Microsoft), we will

forward your questions to our development team. This procedure

provides our developers with customer feedback, which will make

Microsoft's products even better.

For answers to your technical questions, you can contact Microsoft

directly through the following support services:

1. Microsoft Visual Basic startup service: (206) 646-5105

6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday - Friday (except holidays)

Microsoft is committed to getting you "up and running" with Visual

Basic. On this phone line, a technician will assist you with setup

and installation questions, and provide information on system

requirements, product functionality, and navigating the Visual

Basic environment. Product suggestions and problem reports are

also welcome on this line. This service is free (but normal

long-distance charges are billed by your phone company).

2. Microsoft OnCallÔ for Visual Basic: (900) 896-9876 or (206) 646-5106

6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday - Friday (except holidays)

Microsoft offers a fee-based "how-to" programming service called

OnCall for Visual Basic, which is available by calling (900)

896-9876. The cost is $2 per minute (billed by your phone company).

On this line, technicians answer questions about writing and

debugging code, fine-tuning programs, trapping and handling errors,

creating custom controls, and calling the Windows application

programming interface (API) from Visual Basic. Hold time will be

minimal and you will not be charged until you reach a technician.

If you are blocked from dialing our 900 phone number, call (206)

646-5106, where we charge a flat-rate fee of $20 per call. Only

MasterCard, VISA, and American Express credit cards are accepted.

3. Microsoft AutoAnswer for Visual Basic: (206) 646-5107

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

The AutoAnswer automated voice system provides prerecorded answers

to the most commonly asked questions about Visual Basic.

AutoAnswer also provides a voice mail system that allows you to

leave comments about Visual Basic or about Microsoft Product

Support Services. The AutoAnswer service is free (but normal

long-distance charges are billed by your phone company). The

AutoAnswer system is periodically updated.

4. CompuServe Information Service: MSBasic Forum and the

Microsoft Knowledge Base

User feedback and Microsoft technical support are available on the

Microsoft Forum on CompuServe Information Service (CIS), an

independent electronic information service that provides a medium

for public discussion of Microsoft products. CompuServe also

provides access to the Microsoft Knowledge Base, which contains

information about known problems and answers to commonly asked

questions. For additional information about CompuServe, call (800)

848-8199.

5. More information on comprehensive fee-based technical

support options available from Microsoft: (800) 443-4672

Microsoft's customer support services for this product are subject to

Microsoft's current price, terms, and conditions.

Thank you for using Microsoft Visual Basic,

Microsoft Product Support Services BL0356, 4/22/92