SAS really is amazingly supportive and helpful. Over the years, I have had numerous, in-depth exchanges with technical staff looking into all sorts of solutions to unique problems with me. I am amazed at the level of detail and communication SAS allows. While many companies would just respond with boilerplate like "It doesn't do that, and we're not looking to implement that at this time." SAS actually dives into the problem, gives workarounds, hotfixes, better alternatives, and, if needed, scheduling the item for future development.

At one time, Base SAS was at the top of customer service. Now it is impossible to get anybody on the phone to make a purchase or ask for help. What happened?