JetBrains

JetBrains 
Business: Programming & Web Development Software Tools
https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/

I've been using an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for developing software for years. For those that don't know - these the kinds of tools programmers use to write software, then debug (test) it to make sure it works right. That's the basic definition.

The IDE I used before was ok, but then I came across these folks and their product appeared to be more polished, more feature-full and priced better, so I thought I'd take them up on their generous 30-day free trial and see if it's as good as people claimed.

With anything new and feature-full - there's always a learning curve, which I don't mind a bit. But also, there are some key differences, to be more specific - the debugger, which is an essential part of any IDE, was using an open source 3rd party one (ie it wasn't built into their IDE) and thus required some tinkering.

After looking at videos, web sites etc. - it still wouldn't work right when it came to debugging. Keep in mind that JetBrains is NOT the company who makes the debugger, they simply interface with it, if it's set up and configured right. The debugger itself is provided and maintained by a totally different company/people.

I finished my trial period and was politely asked to submit a survey about the experience. I realize the debugger isn't theirs, but I couldn't get it to work right and thus indicated that it's an essential part of the development process & I couldn't get it to work - that's a deal breaker for me to use their product. I didn't reach out to them directly, I simply voiced my issues in JetBrains survey.

First, big kudos to JetBrains for actually reading the surveys. They immediately contacted me via email and thanked me for my sentiments and offered to help. Keep in mind - I have NOT agreed nor bought anything from them at this point.

What followed later was realization that these are Russian folks, located in a very different time zone (and continent) and I'd normally get email replies once in the morning, something they sent when I was asleep.

That nightly process lasted for about 2 weeks. Every day I'd get an email from them asking me to do something or look at some settings or send them screenshots etc. They were actively trying to help me get something working that wasn't even their product. They were trying to help me, someone who is NOT their customer, nor spent one red penny with them at that time.

After 2 weeks of very slow progress, and me realizing we're not really resolving the problem - I asked them if perhaps they'd want to come into my computer remotely and try to get things fixed that way, cause this single nightly email approach was taking way too long and I wanted something more immediate and functional instead. To my surprise (since most companies throw their support policy in my face and tell me they can't) - JetBrains folks did just what I asked and scheduled a time, convenient for me, to come in remotely.

They did exactly as they promised. The gentleman, Eugene Morozov, on the other end may have been Russian, but he spoke perfect English (we had all communications done in English), he quickly looked at things, changed a few settings and I had a working debugger in no time. he was very courteous, clearly very knowledgeable, and got things working very quickly.

So to recap, this company, JetBrains, spent significant time & effort to resolve a problem for a 3rd party piece of software, for someone who is NOT their customer nor spent any money with them so far.

You can't buy that kind of customer service or experience for any amount of money. HUGE KUDOS TO JETBRAINS! They totally deserve it. Am I still considering their product, you may wonder... After this experience - I would NOT consider any other product, even if it had more features or functionality. I'm DEFINITELY buying PhpStorm from JetBrains and will do my part to support them financially because they not only deliver a great product, but they have phenomenal, exceptional and totally trustworthy support that makes them one of the Extraordinary Companies, a company I'd highly recommend to do business with.
https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm