We have a project that are using some commerical products from other venders to integrate with our system. Problem is that the particular vendor is very uncoorperative. Wanting to charge us mandays hours for email replies or even to the extent of phonecalls.
How do we deal with this kind of vendor. Problem is that it is a requirement that we have to use that product for our system. So we have to get their support.
Else i would have likely turn to open source products
Why not just publish your testimonials, completed with their company names and products on your blogs, or even here? This would wake them up to the real world.
Why is it a requirement to use their product in your system? They don't want you to use it, so who made the decision that it must be used? Can you renegotiate with whoever it was that laid that requirement on you?
I'd suggest trying to return the software with a request for a full refund - with the message sent to the president of the company. Explain candidly but without rancour why you are doing this, explaining that you tried to get support on it, but the help needed was not forthcoming.
Unless the company is too big to care (in which case, why are you using its product, again?), that should get some attention.
@Jonathan: I am not sure about the request for a refund-- I have dealt with a few software vendors and it seems that money back guarantee isn't terribly in vogue.
You should really consider having a service level agreement (SLA) when working with 3rd party suppliers, especially if you're doing this at the behest of a customer. If you ask for an SLA up front, the 3rd party then can tell you their charges up front or will probably ask you to pay for a support contract. The cost of that support contract (or at least part of it) can be put in the original customers bill.
An SLA doesn't guarantee good service but does give you something to point to if you are having supplier problems, and enables you to more easily change them.
This is unfortunately an unpleasant situation to be with. You usually have two options:
Play it rough. They charge you for emails? Do the same for them - track everything they do, document all conversations, make sure they keep all of their promises. If they are uncooperative they are either really bad - in which case you could go to your management with the facts about their failings or they are (unlikely but could happen) really good - in which case you might actually save money playing by their rules - at the end of the day even if they charge you too much but deliver a top-notch service you're saving money as compared to friendly but clumsy vendor with lots of problems with the service they're offering.
Try to find a way to 'cease the hostilities'. Talk to their managers and explain that you're uncomfortable with the situation. If the manager you're currently working with is uncooperative escallate to his manager. Sometimes going to their account manager or the sales guy helps - they never want to loose your as a customer and they will try to resolve the situation from their end. You could attempt establishing a good working relationship with their developers/support - these guys could help you informally which would be great.
If both approaches don't work - run :)
As a product vendor myself, I gotta point out that support isn't cheap. If you are paying $300-$400 for a product, the vendor could end up losing his shirt on the sale if you expect open ended support without cost. The average tech support person that we have hired costs in the neighborhood of $15-$20/hr and that is to start. Add in benefits and overhead costs, you are now up to the $30/hr area.
Clients expecting 10+ hours of free support are living in a dreamworld when a certain percentage of the product's price has to be routed back into covering accrued initial development costs, on-going development costs, and don't forget that evil word called profit.
We offer 30 days of free technical support by email. After that we expect clients to pony up the per-hour costs if they want help customizing the product. Oh and we do offer a money back guarantee on our product.