SDL and its support again

Yesterday we ran into a problem. Our main platform for translation at the moment is SDL Trados 2007. And we don't have premium support agreement because when we started using it there were no such agreements at all, and their support was very responsive and helpful (one of the main reasons why we opted for SDL). Then we haven't had any serious problems for many years, and even if we had some, we always had some opportunity to ask a question or to find an answer in their knowledge base (still open to registered customers, wow!).

So, eventually we ran into a problem. We apparently checked everything we could, ended up with that it is not any setting problem, and decided to contact SDL support, to show them where the problem is and to ask if it can be solved.

So, we went to http://www.sdl.com/en/support. It said: go to My Account, and everything is going to be fine. OK. My Account apparently directs me to My Support. Happy to do so. My Support offers me to review my Primary Services Agreement (which I apparently don't have) or go to SDL Trados Knowledge Base. OK again. Knowledge Base is good. But I don't find answers to my question there. I remember there was a link to ask a question. Not any longer. Or it's just so well hidden that I failed to find it.

It's not too often I disturb their support, but if I do it I really need it. Now there's no way. OK, we'll develop a solution; at least they use XML for the bilingual files, so we can easily parse them without Trados.

But I really like the trick. SDL lost their main advantage (for us, of course), but they translated it into another one, into becoming so deeply integrated into our and our clients' processes during the Good Support Era that it's really impossible just to switch to another tool. And on the other hand, we already developed a lot of proprietary utilities to do this and that in Trados files... maybe we can easily translate it into our own TM system? :)