Ask HN: GitHub Community Advisors – Is GitHub Outsourcing Support?

3 points

6 years ago

Hi all,

I've been having problems with a Github Pages build failing on one of my repositories. I sent out a note (filled a form at https://support.github.com/contact) to Github support, and about 50 minutes later got a response:

  > From: GitHub <[email protected]>
  > Subject: XXXXXX answered your GitHub question "Github pages build failing"
  > XXXXXX is typing an answer right now for your question "Github pages build 
  > failing". Feel free to visit your conversation with ****** at any time by
  > opening the link below.
  >
  > XXXXXX said: "Hi xxxx, Your issue seems similar to a thread I recently read,
  > it might help......."
  >
  > View answer: https://github.directly.com/p/xxxx?xxxxxx

(I removed the last part of the link). Opening it brings me to https://rtm-github.mw-directly.com/:

  > You're now talking with a GitHub Community Advisor!
  > Community Advisors are NOT GitHub employees.
  > They are fellow GitHub users like you, who are very experienced and can provide
  > helpful, fast answers to most questions.
  > If at any time you need help from a GitHub Support employee, please let the
  > Community Advisor know that you'd like to speak to us and they will transfer you.

(BTW the linked page does not work in FireFox (the answer part does not appear)).

I've had contact with GitHub support a few times in the past and the experience was always professional and positive. Apparently now they are outsourcing their support to a company (directly.com) doing bots ("Bots Are Hard, We Make It Easy") who apparently masquerade as actual GitHub users, and pretend to be official Github representatives (look at the From header). Googling for "github community advisors" or "github directly" shows 0 relevant results. This seems disingenuous at best on GitHub's part...

Anybody else had that experience, or is this something new? Anyone from GitHub care to comment?

(edited for formatting)

> From: GitHub <[email protected]> > Subject: XXXXXX answered your GitHub question "Github pages build failing" > XXXXXX is typing an answer right now for your question "Github pages build > failing". Feel free to visit your conversation with ****** at any time by > opening the link below. > > XXXXXX said: "Hi xxxx, Your issue seems similar to a thread I recently read, > it might help......." > > View answer: https://github.directly.com/p/xxxx?xxxxxx

> You're now talking with a GitHub Community Advisor! > Community Advisors are NOT GitHub employees. > They are fellow GitHub users like you, who are very experienced and can provide > helpful, fast answers to most questions. > If at any time you need help from a GitHub Support employee, please let the > Community Advisor know that you'd like to speak to us and they will transfer you.