MUST READ: How to get direct Virtuemart Support from the VM Team

[brentonking]

The short answer is you get support direct from the Virtuemart team by purchasing a 12 month "VirtueMart Supporter Membership": http://extensions.virtuemart.net/support/virtuemart-supporter-membership-detail

I then added "Max Milbers" on Skype. As soon as he was available he worked through my issues with me.
Don't expect them to drop everything, be patient.
I'm not sure if there are other ways to contact VM Support. Others might know?http://extensions.virtuemart.net/ticket

Like many people in the forum, I used to be one of the users screaming for the development team to make Virtuemart a Commercial product, so that development can progress faster, bugs can be fixed quicker and better support can be given. This is their answer! And I think it's a pretty good idea.

The different membership levels are Bronze, Silver & Gold.
Silver & Gold are essentially just extra donations for the VM team to put towards development. All will give you the same level of support, but when voting for bug fixes & new features the higher your membership the more say you get in the vote.

If we are willing to support VM like we all say we are, here's the opportunity.
Would recommend! Definitely worth it in my opinion.

If you've got a membership, let others know what you think here. They probably aren't going to decide off just one guys experience.

[jux]

Let's share my personal experience regarding VM
I have bought last week  the VirtueMart Supporter Membership and damn! Im very happy and please about it...

I got help from VM team quite easily and quickly now... and they are very pro for that (thank you Valérie and thank You Max)
If you are using Virtuemart for a while now , and you are please with it .. this is the best investment you can make !

If you would like to see VM keep growing with new features and better core then I think this is more than fair to support the project... and you get addons...
Don't forget, This is an "human project" that need fund in order to advance.

Lets spread the word to the community, your colleague and your friends

[Milbo]

Many thanks for your reviews.

Of course VM is work of voluenteers so no-one is to blame here.
Still this is the the reason we are now using a commercial component for the webshops we sell.

Hopefully people like him understand the idea of our offer. We dont want to have two different versions. We want to keep one public version for all.

[hotrod]

I for one didn't know this existed until last week...
So last week I purchased it,  Not for any other reason other than to support the VM team that has given me an eCommerce solution that has been doing very well for me and many of my clients.

I was having a little issue and without even asking for the help, They were there to help me fix it.  I can not thank this team enough.

Thanks MAX !

Plan on seeing my continued support.

Rod

[harrstar]

Hi,

love it, finally a solution. Just signed up.

Uwe

[mronayne]

This is a MUST for anyone using Virtuemart for a production environment!!!
Worth every single penny!!!
It also helps if you are willing to spend the time to detail your specific issue in a step-by-step clear way. I spent quite a bit of time detailing my specific "use cases" where there were discrepancies and when I did this I found that I received almost instantaneous, and very accurate, response...
Thanks Max for all your help!
Regards,
Mike

[dhatzi]

Hello guys,

a couple of days before I just purchased a new membership, i tried to contact Max through Skype as suggested but still have no response. Is there any other way to reach Support Guys? I need their help that's why i did the purchase of bronze membership.

Advise as well.

Thank you

[jenkinhill]

It is holiday time at the moment.  You could also try a PM through the forum to Milbo,  http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?action=profile;u=33216

[aftertaf]

damn good idea. Done the same and now the difficulty is for me to find time to go thru the few issues i have with Max.
Glad to be able to contribute back!

[sabastina]

Having a paltry start-up budget of $200 to invest in a cart for my shop, the problem I ran into was getting something that could/would bridge with smf, Joomla! (with paid templates), and moodle.  Though Virtuemart did not have the highest rating on Joomla, I have noticed that it has become a "thing" for those seeking a solution.  So, I decided to download it and check it out (because I want a WORKING product for my $200 investment--I really don't think that is too much to ask for).  Honestly, I have been with Zencart since the mid 2000's and would go with that if they were more hospitable to bridging their cart.

I really do not want other people touching my websites, even if it means I have to pay for help in learning how to USE said software.  I feel if no one else TOUCHES it, then no one else is responsible for it.  Anyhow...so I read through the instructions, read the reviews, checked out the links, blah, blah, blah...So, I download the virtuemart package from Joomla's extension section and set about installing it.

The snag I hit was rather surprising given Virtuemart "reputation"  (reputation= how often I hear about the software, WHERE I hear about the software, WHAT I hear about the software, plus reviews, and seeing actual interactions between the devs and their consumers...all that saves me time and hassle until I am ready to finalized by my own experience with the software and those who are developing it.)  Honestly, I'd rather pay a good dev more money for so-so software, than pay a crappy, mean dev top dollar for great software...weird, but that's how I feel.

The snag I hit was that the com_tcpdf_1.0.4.zip file is empty.  I've downloaded it several times, and each time that file is 0.  And will not install.  I have searched joomla!'s site, here, the internet in general, NOTHING about this problem.  Now, I once bought a oxy pulse meter and the box was empty when I got it home.  The business had a no open policy for checking products before you buy them, and since this is a local business, and I know the owner personally I did not check when I got in the car.  You can't tell me I have to buy something sight unseen and then refuse to help me when it turns out that someone "shoplifted" the product from the box you wouldn't let me check...so, I stopped that relationship completely.  Anyhow, so I come here to see what I can find to help myself get this file that I apparently need (or do I even need it?  I mean, could something this big be overlooked by such a highly trained team?)

What I found is that this product goes beyond pay to play.  It goes beyond purchasing a product, or paying for a "pro" service.  I feel as though my website has been taken hostage by shady developers selling a shady product.  Now, I am fairly certain that the product is not shady, and that the devs are not "shady" but to refuse any and all help to customers (because free or paid, we ARE customers) unless they pay is really a bad business policy unless you don't care anymore.  I doubt that is it, because it seems that a lot has gone into the development of this software over time.

So, I decide to continue searching the forums here to see if I can find some direction (I mean, anyone using the software should be able to find direction at the very least --even on a pay to win software.)  What I found is affirmation that not only do I have to pay to have any hope of possibly being helped with my issue (that is directly caused by the individual who uploaded the package to Joomla!, so far as I can tell), but I have to pay my entire budget just to HOPE that I MIGHT get help, if I sign up for the all invasive Skype.  Listen, I did not use Skype to talk to my brother when he was stationed overseas in the military, I'm NOT installing it for some ecommerce software...just not happening.

So, my final impression is this:  I'm just going to find another cart to invest my time and cash in.  If I am going to sink 1000 bucks into a cart over a year or two, I am going to have a cart that does what I need it to do, without having to wait and worry about meeting my deadlines.  WITHOUT hiring someone else to do the work that I want to do.  I'm very firm on this because self reliance is key to success - EVERY developer knows that...

I know that no one here cares about my opinions, nor my comment here...from what I have read here, that is a given.  So, I'm going to just leave this right here and hope that this team at the VERY LEAST will ensure that those who PAY for customer service (because that is really all your "subscription is"), GETS that customer service within a suitable time frame...as in right away because they have PAID YOU FOR THAT.  Good luck, but a score of 84, on what seems to be outdated software, being handled by someone who does not know how to upload a file to the repository (which makes me fear that the lack of help is not a scam, just a reflection of the lack of knowledge on the part of the people handing customer service for the product), is simply not going to urge me to risk my budget here. 

No one cares, but I'm saying it anyhow.

[jenkinhill]

@sabastina that is a long message, but I wonder why you simply did not ask in the forum about your tcpdf issue instead of just making unfounded assumptions? Support here is completely free so you would not have to pay any of your hard earned $200. It would have saved a lot of your time and effort.

You won't find any previous mention of the VM tcpdf package being empty as, AFAIK, yours is the very first!  I wonder where you downloaded it from? In each package of VirtueMart for installation is a copy of com_tcpdf in zip format - and the file size is 1.46Mb. See image below for the content of the current VM, com_virtuemart.3.2.12.9708_extract_first package, and also the content of the actual com_tcpdf

[Jörgen]

@sabastina

You just moan and make bad remarks, as Kelvyn said this is a forum with free support from volonteres, You can also get paid support, but that is usually for more demanding things. Just downloading and starting a shop with VM is usually very quickly done. You seem to call Your self a professional, then act like one. Then this is probably a cinch for You.

If You have a professional template, talk to the profesional template designer that made Your package and get more help from there.

regards

Jörgen @ Kreativ Fotografi

[MAD King]

Funny, I just opened a thread about that

http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=143358.0

until I saw this thread.