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Zyanite
join:2000-12-05
Santa Clarita, CA
| Re: Zyan is pure evil
Yes, my handle clearly shows me as biased, but let me point out to you the vast number of ISPs that are in the same (or worse) situation than Zyan. It seems like every few days another DSL provider is reaching the WTF moment (for lack of a better term) when they realize that the dream, or the vision, or the business plan -- whatever you want to call it -- isn't working, and given current market conditions, isn't going to start working any time soon.
No one at Zyan is Evil. In the same way, no one at Flashcom/PSN/Sunfast/Whatever.com is evil either. Every business owner in this space started a DSL company because A) there's a demand for broadband B) they thought they could do it, and make some money doing it too.
The employees who remain at Zyan are working their buns off, each carrying the workload of 3-5 employees and trying their best to meet the needs of all of their customers. But they're also trying to simply survive in a time which, as this report points out plainly, is increasingly difficult.
I don't know where you work, or what industry you're in, but I know that no one at Zyan hopes your company fails. And I wouldn't hold out too much hope that Northpoint moves you to another ISP. They're all in as much trouble as Zyan, and Northpoint... well, they're not too far behind as well.
For myself, I hope Zyan survives, or at least finds a solution that allows their customers to not lose their DSL. I also hope that somehow some sense and reasonability emerges from this chaos-ridden market. I also hope that Wall Street eases up on the screws a little, and realizes how badly they're mangling this industry.
Boy, wouldn't that be a great Christmas present! | |
Anon | For the most part I agree with your synopsis of the DSL environment, particularly the issue stating that Zyan is not evil. But many of their business practices are HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE. I was one of the top producing sales people at Zyan, (so perhaps I suffer from your bias also). I saw some red-flag warning signs which gave me enough time to bail out months before the Black Monday layoff. There is no question the industry is in an economic downturn. However, I disagree with Zyan's maltreatment of their CUSTOMERS and EMPLOYEES (both existing and former)!
1) CUSTOMERS: Many customers I signed up were based on the RESELLER relationships I built in the 2 years I was with Zyan, I am proud to say many resellers became friends and as friends we shared in the expectation of providing profitable broadband services to their customers. So what went wrong, you ask? There were many contributing factors so here are just a few:
(a) Billing – Zyan attempted to graduate from the elementary Quickbooks over-the-counter shrink-wrap to the elaborate Great Plains Accounting Software (not only a huge capital investment, but also an implementation debacle). The accounting software took 3 months to implement and in the mean time many resellers did not receive bills, then when they did one quarter later they were dumped with a huge lump sum full of errors, including; non-repaired disconnection fees, discounts not applied, etc. All in all, Zyan has never recovered from this initial Accounting Department disaster and it’s been uphill (wrong!) ever since. These repetitive incorrect monthly bills created tension with many resellers – and Zyan arrogantly still maintained no errors or wrongdoing. I know firsthand that several resellers were getting billed for gear despite “Free” equipment clauses per their contract over several months. Yet, Management/Accounting chose to ignore my complaints! Even, though I come from the school that says you should always pay your bill, this philosophy is difficult if your bill is continuously wrong. If resellers don’t pay their bills, Zyan cannot pay Covad/Npoint, thus the vicious cycle.
(b) Technical Support (English as a second language) – If you have 18,000 or so customers one would believe that Management would ramp up that department to support the demand, did this happen? Uh- uh! Resellers were given a hotline, yet their hold times were longer than the general public’s. As I sat in a meeting with a Reseller I cringed when we called Zyan’s Tech Support only to wait 1 hour (the length of the whole meeting) on hold. Again, I complained to management only to be told that I was probably exaggerating? The audacity and arrogance should become apparent to you now. Which is to say that reseller fired Zyan (me) as a vendor (big shocker?)
2) EMPLOYEES – the lifeblood of any company. I’ve been silent about this issue for quite some time, but let me say that certain Zyan managers looked me and other employees in the eye and blatantly lied to us. We were told that we could no longer provision Covad circuits because we had a backlog of orders. The truth was because Covad actually cut Zyan off. We were told we would be reimbursed for travel expenses. Yet, many former Zyanites now have to file post bankruptcy petitions to recover any owed monies.
Why would Zyan treat their customers and employees this way? I have no idea, don’t get me wrong I’m not bitter, instead I am rather grateful to Zyan for giving me the opportunity to earn a six-figure income and to gain experience in the tech/telecom space, but when I started to question the company’s motives and integrity I knew it was time to leave for a far greener pasture. I just feel bad for my many friends, former co-workers and customers that were put behind the Zyan 8-ball.
Also, as a former Wall Street employee, I’ve learned many lessons --- Wall St. has no mercy. Wall St. is not mangling this industry as you put it. Poor execution is hurting this space. Every industry is cyclical. Analysts base their projections on leading indicators, earnings estimates, and profitability. If Zyan can’t provide a quality service at a profit, then Zyan deserves to go bankrupt. Now I’ve heard that certain executives are selling their homes and Chapter 11 will be replaced by Chapter 7 (total liquidation). Good Luck and Sorry for being the Grinch, but reality sometimes hurts…
Bud Fox
PS. Gekko says short sell COVD, it can only go to ZERO! | |
Anon |  reply to Zyanite
I’ve waited a very long time to post anything here, probably too long. Here is the bottom line with Zyan. The management is Evil. Flat out. They lie, they renege on their contracts, they “try” to use scare tactics and they are just slimy people to deal with. Zyan consistently makes errors in billing into the 10’s of thousands of dollars and then try’s to collect it using “scare” tactics. God forbid you try and doubt them. They bill me for lines that do not exist, no exaggeration, the honestly are not existing customers. They billed me cancellation charges for customers who didn’t fulfill 1 years worth of service even though the reason they didn’t fulfill the 1 year contract is because they were rejected and were not eligible for DSL. What??? Now I have to pay a cancellation fee for every customer who attempts to get DSL. Believe me, I am not perfect, if this happened one time I would understand. Twice I still understand, but Zyan billed me over $4,000.00 worth of these bogus charges. They billed me for hardware twice.
It like talking to someone and knowing that every other word that comes out of their mouth is a lie.
I worked with Zyan for a very long time. I dealt with some techs who were completely clueless. I blame this on Zyan management. They hired unqualified techs and didn’t properly train them leaving me having to explain in many cases how to remedy basic problems. The Zyan employee were not bad. I am sad because I met many very cool Zyan people, people who were both cool and tried to get things right. Funny they are gone yet the management people are still their. It should be against the law for what many of these so-called managers are doing and it may be….I’m looking into that now. And no I am not one of those disgruntled ISP’s who didn’t pay their bill. I paid Zyan money in the past. I can and will pay more bills in the future BUT ONLY IF ZYAN STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND STOPS LIEING ABOUT EVERYTHING! Look…..I know how business is, you get into a money crunch and the bottom line is you need money. But treating customers like shit isn’t the answer. Why can’t Zyan’s management just grow up and face the music instead of playing these petty games? I have a real business to run and I will do it with or without Zyan, but if Zyan wants my money I demand honesty and integrity, both of which Zyan management has not displayed.
I’m sure some Zyan advocate will read this and rip me apart as I have seen on many other postings and that’s fine, I don’t really care. I’m not writing this to be spiteful. I am writing this because I am into this up to my ears and have the right to express the truth. | |
Kangaroo8
join:2000-08-11
Peoria, AZ
clubs:
| reply to Zyanite
I work for a 35 year-old technology leech. Your company and its treatment of its customers is/was inexcusable. You, and your company deserve your fate. No one forced your hand. Along with many others I've seen come and go. Hide behing the people at Zyan? That's weak. They can get jobs. The only ones left are vested or silly. Your company is done, give up.
Try to defend the management of such a bleeder. In the vernacular: Your SH*T IS WEAK.
ZYAN, DEC, DIGITAL RESEARCH, KAYPRO, and many other dumbasses. | |
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