Why is Backup Assistant so difficult to use?

[DarylSch]

Backup assistant is terrible.  Every once in a while it duplicates all of my entries.  The process of deleting them is long and tiring and made worse because if I let the page sit too long because I am busy selecting entries to delete it logs me out and I must start all over again.  I know I am not the only one having these problems but cannot seem to get any help from anyone at VZW about these issues.  My opinion is they just don't care to make it better. Because I know this question will be asked by VZW staff, I DO NOT use any other contact list backup and I backup daily.  I have about 2500 contacts on my list and I have gone through this horrible experience several times in the months I have been using it.

So what's the deal and why can't you people make a few minor improvements to this product???

[shutterbug07]

why dont you just back up your contacts to itunes or to the cloud?

[DarylSch]

Firstly, in my initial statement I did omit that I do backup everything to iCloud.  To answer your question shtterbug07, the individual items are not accessible that way except on the phone and there is no quick and easy way to delete large numbers of entries from the phone itself.  Backup Assistant does make it somewhat quicker and easier but it could be a whole lot better.  I'm answering this now because after I had just selected over a hundred entries to delete I got a popup telling me my session had timed out.  That was less than 3 minutes after I had deleted another group so the page was not idle for very long at all.

[vzw_customer_support]

Thank you for your feedback, DarylSch. It is always important that the products that we provide you are able to work without giving you an added headache. 2500 contacts is plenty to manage alone, so there is definitely no need for the application to duplicate these or delete them. I will lift up your concerns so we may see an update made to Backup Assistant in the future. Thank you.

AndreaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[DarylSch]

Thank you AndreaS and what about the site timing out so quickly while I'm selecting items to delete so i can clean up the mess that the Assistant caused?  Myverizon is certainly poorly constructed in many respects, this being just one area. Especially being that its from one of the largest communications companies in the world.  My personal opinion is that it is constructed to frustrate people so much that they won't use it much.  It certainly doesn't do anything to encourage people to use it.

[vzw_customer_support]

I'm sorry you feel that way DarylSch. It's difficult to say for sure why you would experience timing out issues. The number of contacts may have an impact depending on how many you are attempting to manage at the same time. We typically here great feedback about My Verizon and Backup Assistant Plus. I use it myself all the time without a problem, although for a smaller amount of contacts and data. Have you tried accessing it from a different computer?

JonathanK_VZW
VZW Support
Follow Us on Twitter@VZWSupport

[DarylSch]

Thank you Jonathan, but that brings up another question but first I will answer yours.  Different computers or different browsers.... doesn't matter.  Same result.  As for your use without problems..... perhaps you don't have 2500 entries and perhaps you are not trying to selectively delete thousands of entries duplicated by the Assistant while backing up which have caused there to be over 8000 entries.

Now for my additional question..... How come every time I have a serious problem with VZW (either service or support) it always seems that its the first time anyone at VZW has every heard such a complaint or problem?

The fact that you have never had a problem with Backup Assistant does NOT help my issue or make it less true so save me the sales pitch.  If you can't offer some real help go peddle your rhetoric to someone else.

Thank you

[Jakeman1]

DarylSch that is incorrect. With iTunes (and I would avoid any of the cloud based locations) you tell it where to get your contacts from so in all reality you would keep your contacts in Outlook or another phone book program on your computer. From here you can Delete multiple contacts at ones add multiple change multiple etc... then plug in your phone and sync telling iTunes to sync your contacts with outlook or any other contact management program on the computer.

Doing it this way you are then free from the substandard working (when it works) Backup Assistant and you have 100% control over your stuff.

[DarylSch]

thank you Jakeman1..... I don't use Outlook or a computer based phonebook program.  I only use web based email and the service keeps its own contacts list. (Gmail)  The only contacts that Backup Assistant is accessing is the iPhone contact list and as I said its a poor excuse for a service that is touted so loudly by VZW employees.  If it were mine I would be ashamed of it.

[Jakeman1]

I hear you on the poor excuse for a program part. I would have either removed it all together or completely re written it long ago and most likely with new programmers. That said, on the gmail contact list itself you can delete multiple contacts at a time as well. and I know you can export the list to a CSV or other file format is it can be imported by other programs but I am not sure if that supports Apple or not.