Zinio's First Class Service

Last week I downloaded Zinio Reader, the page-turning software that brings current popular magazines right to your desktop. I've been using the program on my Windows machines for years, now, but I was trying it on a Macintosh for the first time. Zinio had just released a new version, 2.0, but unfortunately I encountered errors.

After troubleshooting the issue for about an hour, I gave up and e-mailed Zinio's customer service department. I didn't really expect to hear much back. However, I received a detailed e-mail message pretty quickly recommending several steps I take to try resolving the issue.

Unfortunately, the proposed solution didn't work. So I responded to the customer service message I received, noting the recommendations didn't get me up and running. I quickly received another message directing me to a more stable release (1.4). I followed those instructions and was able to install the Zinio Reader and Zinio Download Manager without trouble.

It's refreshing, in the Internet age when so many e-mail messages seem to enter black holes never to return (particularly customer service messages), to find a techcnology company that doesn't just respond with canned autoreplies, but instead takes the time to review a customer's question and help identify a solution.

Was I slowed down by Zinio's technical issues with its Mac release? Yes. Did they help me solve the problem? Yes. Will I continue using Zinio? More than ever. And, if you haven't checked the software out, give it a try. Free sample magazines are available and it's an excellent way to pack an archive of information on just a few sectors of your hard drive.