APC: Lack of attention to details & the customer

I am a firm believer in the use of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) devices for all of my computers. UPS devices provide clean, stable power to the computer and provides a normal, orderly shutdown of the computer in case of power failures.

The only UPS devices I use for my computers are APC (American Power Conversion Corporation) Back-UPS devices. Blackbird uses the Back-UPS XS 1500 with the extra battery pack and Nighthawk uses just the Back-UPS XS 1500.

Since installing Vista Ultimate x64 (RTM Build 6000), I have been patiently waiting for APC to release their PowerChute Personal Edition for Vista.

Yesterday, I noticed an announcement in APC's Support page (Knowledge Base) about the availability of PowerChute Personal Edition Version 2.1 for Windows Vista.

On the page is a URL for the page with the "latest versions of PowerChute Personal Edition." However, the published URL is not a link. If you want to go to the page, you'll have to copy and paste it into the browser address field.

How difficult would it had been for someone at APC to create the URL as an active link?

I copied and pasted the URL into the browser address line while muttering under my breath.

I guess my eyesight is starting to fail me because I did not see any sign of PowerChute Personal Edition Version 2.1 on the page. I put my reading glasses on just to make sure.

Yep. No sign of the mentioned Vista version.

Maybe it's on the "Free Download" page for Version 2.0, so I clicked on the button.

No sign of PowerChute Personal Edition Version 2.1 for Windows Vista on this page either. There's the version for Solaris, a couple of versions for the Mac OS X, and a couple more versions for Windows 2000 and Windows XP, one of which also works for Windows 98 or Windows ME.

I'm still hopeful of finding Version 2.1 and I click on the "Continue" button for Version 2.0 thinking that maybe Version 2.1 is not a major release, just a "dot" release not meriting its own page.

It brings me back full circle to the page which I have been checking almost daily for signs of a Vista version of the APC PowerChute Personal Edition software.

It makes one wonder is Version 2.1 actually even exists.

Did APC jump the gun in announcing its availability? Did APC provide the wrong URL? Did APC forget to post the new version?

It doesn't matter what the reason is. It demonstrates incompetence, at best. Hopefully, it doesn't demonstrate lack of customer focus and attention by APC.

I am appalled at the lack of customer service shown by the majority of companies today.