ESS SIMS 3 Year Contracts

[garbage46]

So, have we gone from "3 years good! 1 year never" to "how does six months sound?" Edited January 13, 2022 by garbage46

[DrCheese]

Not "We hate you and if we're forced to we'll deliver the money in 1p coins to your front desk?"

 

well if I was able to...

 

Just had the email through here - Gives some breathing room. There's a difference between setting up and running a new system in april vs buying a new system/having a few months implementation time

[paulkerton]

"Three years or nothing. Three years is the standard. You'll never get one year."

"Well, ok for you one year..."

"Please don't go, we'll let you renew for six months - PLEASE. PLEASE. Let us at least keep 6 months money plus 8 months interest! PLEASE!"

 

ESS/Parent Pay are putting out more red flags than a bullfight convention.

[enjay]

We've not had that email (or at least, it hasn't made it to me if we have), we're direct with ESS for licensing but LA for support. If the break clause is available to us too, I'd be very interested.

[mthomas08]

We did get the letter dated 29th Dec telling us that the 31st wasn't the cut off date (even after the SIMs specialist said it was).

 

I wonder if we will get the email, after we've already handed our notice in. No sympathy really.

 

They said forcing a 3 year contract is the norm but all 3 companies we spoke said they haven't done this for their customers. Yes, no one wants to go through another tender process within a few years after signing up to a new MIS because of the installation process + training + 1st year costs (if any). I don't see our new provider enforcing this let alone anyone else due to the backlash thanks to ESS.

 

So I guess one good thing has come out of this.

[pete]

Haven't spotted the break clause email yet, but aware it should arrive.

 

For those that have seen it, is it:

 

• 3 Year contract that either party can terminate with 6 months notice
  
• 3 Year contract that can be terminated within 6 months of starting the contract?
  
• Some other variation?
  

[garbage46]

The email

 

[Jace58]

We've not had that email (or at least, it hasn't made it to me if we have), we're direct with ESS for licensing but LA for support. If the break clause is available to us too, I'd be very interested.

 

Enjay - we're also direct with ESS for licensing but not for support, and we still got the email - at the email address we use for the renewals portal, which is also the one from which I'd previously sent notice of cancellation in December.

[enjay]

Enjay - we're also direct with ESS for licensing but not for support, and we still got the email - at the email address we use for the renewals portal, which is also the one from which I'd previously sent notice of cancellation in December.

 

I've got the email. It was in the junk folder - even my mailbox won't tolerate their nonsense any more!

[Sylv3r]

I've not seen that e-mail come through to me yet and I am the person that received the 44 e-mails with regards to renewing our SIMS schools via the portal !

[Giblets2]

LOL... "remains"! (in the scanned document above from ESS)

[Wubbalubbadub]

Seriously poor ethics shown by ESS! The cheek of saying they need to pay in full too.. it is disgusting behaviour. Not that it will mean much from me.. but to all of you who put in the effort and extra hours to make sure your trust or school is moving away from ESS.. well done & thank you! I'm not one to usually say this (my amazon history proves it) but It seems that voting with our feet is making a big impact to a big company. Again.. good work all!

 

I know some of you would have wanted to move, but were just logistically unable to, hopefully you will use the next three years to get a roadmap away!

 

What is also good, is the more schools who move, the easier and more confident those who were nervous this time around will start to feel.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Wubbalubbadub

[pete]

The gall to sit there on Zoom and say "It was a surprise that Capita Education development was in such a poor state, hence we need 3 year contracts for cash flow reasons" when a basic level of due diligence would have turned that up pre-purchase.

[DrCheese]

The gall to sit there on Zoom and say "It was a surprise that Capita Education development was in such a poor state, hence we need 3 year contracts for cash flow reasons" when a basic level of due diligence would have turned that up pre-purchase.

 

Where'd they say that?

[enjay]

a basic level of due diligence would have turned that up pre-purchase.

 

Even just saying to all staff "hey, if anyone of you have friends who work in schools, ask them about SIMS" would have turned this up :-)

[mavhc]

They're not the kind of people who have friends, and if they do, not the kind of friends who work

[areanetworkmanager]

Having just caught up with the issues with ESS, 1-3 year contract which does not bother me to be honest, its the not answering the phone, not replying to messages as we are looking for further products to purchase, and the removal of the telephone numbers of their website overnight. YouTube comments turned off, no reply to twitter. That is what is concerning... But their contract portal works 100% and they expect us to hand over 10K but we cant speak to them? Not good ESS and you will push schools to look at other solutions.

[supportman]

Having just caught up with the issues with ESS, 1-3 year contract which does not bother me to be honest, its the not answering the phone, not replying to messages as we are looking for further products to purchase, and the removal of the telephone numbers of their website overnight. YouTube comments turned off, no reply to twitter. That is what is concerning... But their contract portal works 100% and they expect us to hand over 10K but we cant speak to them? Not good ESS and you will push schools to look at other solutions.

To be honest all the big private equity companies are doing this. IRIS is the same, its all about creating a single support hub for all the products under their ownership therefor reducing costs.

 

For info, both Arbor and Bromcom have direct support telephone numbers with well trained people on the line. There is another way

[mthomas08]

I prefer them to add functionality to their products, it's good for us and good for them.

 

Sign in to a single platform and get everything - great and we all win. Especially weird how 10 years ago there were tons of questions and arguments to stay away from such platforms plus their high costs.. now look at us.

 

BUT - forcing loyal customers in to a 3 year no flexibility contract and at the worst time of year and during Covid - terrible and not the norm.

Edited January 19, 2022 by mthomas08

[enjay]

the removal of the telephone numbers of their website overnight. YouTube comments turned off, no reply to twitter. That is what is concerning...

 

My team are hidden from the phone and email address books, staff are reminded (repeatedly) not to contact them directly, not to stop them in the corridor, etc. and instead to send all requests to our ticketing system so we can manage requests centrally. Isn't that the same thing?

[mthomas08]

My team are hidden from the phone and email address books, staff are reminded (repeatedly) not to contact them directly, not to stop them in the corridor, etc. and instead to send all requests to our ticketing system so we can manage requests centrally. Isn't that the same thing?

 

Did you do it in secret? or as you said - "staff are reminded".

 

I must have missed the email that said "please stop ringing/emailing and follow these other support routes that are setup".

 

Don't they use "technical support by phone/email etc" as one of the benefits to sign up to their product.

 

And ESS and all the other companies employ staff to directly sit on the other end of their phone and use their remote software to support us because we don't have an on site ESS technician.

[mavhc]

Do not talk to the IT techs, do not engage them, only communicate via the text interface, for that is their way.

 

It's rather crazy, turning a 5 second job into a 15 min job.

 

I'll send you an email with not enough info, then you'll call me, but I'll be teaching 90% of the day, so that won't work, then I'll start a new ticket because the system is confusing.

 

Tickets are for things that take >5 mins to do. Not for quick fixes or advice (how do I do X?)

 

If I'm paying an ongoing amount to a company and I can't phone them, that's a problem.

[enjay]

Tickets are for things that take >5 mins to do. Not for quick fixes or advice (how do I do X?)

 

Perhaps I fired off my post a bit quickly. For a company the size of ESS, I agree they should staff some phone lines for support. I stand by a ticketing system in schools, however, as we could spend all day answering quick questions and not get time to work on the more serious issues - who on this forum hasn't been stopped mid server-meltdown because someone wants to be shown how to mail merge?!

[mavhc]

But all you need to say is "Sorry, busy currently", or lock the door, or DND the phone.

 

Still can't get SIMS to do anything useful, like import assessment things, or auto logon with AD creds, or be better than a google spreadsheet for ordering dinners

[enjay]

But all you need to say is "Sorry, busy currently", or lock the door, or DND the phone.

 

In my experience, many IT technicians aren't comfortable with the confrontation that can cause. Anyway, we're off topic now.

 

Still can't get SIMS to do anything useful, like ... auto logon with AD creds

 

It definitely does that, or at least it did a few years ago.