HyperOffice Review – updated

We have just started to use hyperoffice again. Hyperoffice now has a self-publishing feature that needs to be marketed to the public because it is really quite amazing. I was able to competely revamp our hyperoffice menu and really make it easy to use.

This self publishing feature gives the user a freedom to get rid of all the menu buttons in hyperoffice which makes the interface confusing to the non techies. Using my background in bulletin boards, I was able to create an aol like feel. Sorry but it is a private network so cant be viewed privately.

Wow. I'm glad I found this blog. The other reviews I stumbled on were so old.
I had no idea that HyperOffice was even really in the game any more.
We were looking at WebOffice. Can anyone tell me how HyperOffice might
compare to WebOffice?

Wait a minute . . .

HyperOffice is not Mac compatible. Try to write an email and there is no way to change a font, underline, etc. without having to sync with Outlook. Oh, and by the way, it does not Sync with Entourage.

Do your homework!

Watch out fot the auto renewal. I was told that whatever portion of the service in months that I did not use after paying annualy would be refunded. Not so.

Don't know much about Weboffice, but I paid Hyperoffice in full for a five user license for a year, and then discovered later that day that my web server already came with a full office suite. Being that this was on a Friday I called them first thing the following Monday and now 7 weeks later after a big run around and a lot of doging they are refusing to give me a refund. I made a simple mistake, but these guys apparently couldn't care less. BAD BUSINESS.
BEWARE

I had a terrible time with HyperOffice. When I signed in the beginning of '08, I paid for a year in advance to get the "discount". Then, this year, they again billed me for a year in advance.

I cancelled the service right after the 1 year timeframe (before the charge hit my bill, but after they had processed it). I tried to get them to give me a refund (minus one month's fee), but they wouldn't even talk to me. I've now filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau, but I haven't heard from them yet.

In theory, the product is excellent. For me, the ability to pull my old e-mail in and link them to the individual clients was the main hook. The interface is much easier than with the other products that I investigated.

However, my e-mail really dragged when I started using the HyperOffice. Then when I got a new computer with Vista, I started having more issues. My e-mail started locking up. When I called the support guys at HyperOffice, I was told that it wasn't there product that was causing the problem. But, now that I no longer have the HyperOffice installed, my e-mail works great.

I will never again sign up for any product of this type without checking for customer reviews. I was stressed when I signed up for this because I had just partnered with another real estate agent. I wanted her to have access to my e-mail archive while I was out-of-town. Hyperoffice seemed like the perfect answer. Unfortunately, my partner never really used it, so in effect, we wasted the first year's fee as well.

I started using WebOffice back in 2005, when it was Intranets.com (before being purchased by cysco and then Webex) because of its online relational database tool.

After reading Database Design for Mere Mortals®: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design during a vacation trip to Greece, I returned to build databases to track all aspects of three small businesses I manage in healthcare and real estate sectors. The WebOffice database tool is top-notch, easy and has saved us $$$$ in IT investment and operation costs.

Hi,

I am Pankaj, and I represent HyperOffice, and would like to address some of Susan's complaints.

Dear Susan,

In our terms of service, it is clearly stated in bold (in fact that's the only part that is bolded)(http://www.hyperoffice.com/terms-of-use/), that there would be an automatic renewal in case the contract is not terminated. This is standard practice in the industry, and has been put in place because it would be tremendously ineffective for us to keep track of every account, considering the huge number of accounts we have to manage.

As far as the email issue is concerned, out product and plugins have been extensively tested over the close to 10 years we have gradually built it out. I realize it is natural for you to assume that the slowness of your email may have been caused by a new service you have subscribed for, but this is not a problem which has been encountered by thousands and thousands of others HyperOffice users, using the same system as you. Otherwise, it is only for our benefit that all bugs be repaired, as we earn business not by making a one time sale, but keeping our customers happy on an ongoing basis. We pride ourselves at the quality of our service, and rather than just our product, we consider the complete service/product package to be our strength.

Pankaj

I was not surprised to see the HyperOffice rep pop up here, and especially respond to customer criticism with quoting the HyperOffice bible. That's how the system works. They hype the product and tell you it has every feature you are looking for. If you don't see the feature, 'after our training you will understand'. Everything is a ploy to pull you along. Yes the auto renew is a scary feature (which nobody tells you about when you buy it, but of course it's there, buried in the terms section).

In short, I signed up for HyperBase, the HyperOffice database. It didn't work. Bugs popped up everywhere. Customer service just quoted the user manual. After a few days, I canceled my account (I didn't get any email confirmation of the cancellation, so I made sure to write to the billing department to get the proof and avoid the auto renew).

Only when I canceled did I start getting attention.
First response: We saw you encountered some bugs, don't worry because next week we have an upgraded version available that will address all these issues.

Really? How convenient. No thank you, I don't want to be strung along any further. I needed a database solution. During the entire review process prior to purchase I was presented and explained that this had all the features that I needed and worked like I expected. Was I assuming too much that it shouldn't be buggy.

I quickly found an alternative that works great. It doesn't have auto-renewal issues, has a full operational trial version, allows you to pay by the month (not a min. 1 year account), and has a great forum and Twitter access for support.

Avoid the headache and losses I went through, and skip HyperOffice.

Martin,

I did not respond to the post from the HyperOffice representative. It's just total BS, and not worthy of my time.

I would never have posted my comments, which I guess might be helpful for folks who consider this product in the future, if the Hyperoffice folks had just not charged me for a year in advance. Or, if they had been more response regarding this charge.

I would have just walked away and chalked this up to a poor purchase decision on my part. I've made them before and will likely make them again. In this case, I did do a LOT of research before I chose HyperOffice, so the whole experience was very costly in terms of my time.

I'm still searching for the right product. Did you find something else that works well for you?

Hi Susan,

I would never have expected you to respond to the rep.
I agree with everything you say. I also would not be posting comments here, if the Hyperoffice people had just accepted that their product didn't work, even though I gave it a fair chance, and just refunded my money (or even most of my money) when I canceled the account (which I did within a week).

I too would have just walked away like you. I also did a months of research and was in touch with Hyperoffice many times to confirm the feature set, and functionality. I understand and empathize to your experience.

After HyperOffice, I found another online database system which met our needs perfectly. It was very intuitive to use, and I had the database up and running while still on the TRIAL VERSION! The terms were just $40/month, pay as you go, and you can cancel ANYTIME. They have a great forum and are active on Twitter for support. This service is called Caspio (www.caspio.com).

Good luck with your search, and believe me, I really understand your experience.