I am working Tech support too. i have been working since 2004.
I use a lots of AV programs (kaspersky,nod23,antivir,avast, etc.ca e trust)
I have been seen very much problems with them.
Ofcourse Symantec will some problems. Microsoft the world's biggest company about software but they have very much problems too.
1-Symantec AV is not a reliable product.
 i trust CA E trust before. it have internet explorer interface. and if ie take a virus, CA e trust cannot work. !!! what a interesting for me :|
we used nod32. its realy fast but it cannot detect downadup. thats why we lost very much pc. you can read my history in  here
2- because very much problem is corrupt install or wrong install ( i know it to myself)

3- I don't think so. every Symantec employees or people write here (as like me) want to help people.
everything works better when everything works together !

4- have you ever write any code? i try it 5 years ago. I choice delphi. And believe me its realy hard a create a program or fix. Did you know any company have Symantec and lost data or another problem (if it not do big mistake like dont install updates etc)

But thank you for your idea.
I just want to say I am happy because i trust this produce. and i saw what it can do.
have a nice day.

Having worked with AV/security since the late 80s, part of that in a HUGE corproate environment........ some with government, some as a manager right below the president and ceo of the company (I guess we call that 20 years experience with AV, security and support?!)

Here we go:
----------------

Having worked in Tech Support and viewed this site for about 2 months (and used SAV), i have come to the following conclusions:
(my experience - 20 years overall, since about 1992 with Symantec/Norton products, started with CPAV, then NAV, then NAV CE, then SAV, etc.)

1) Symantec AV is not a reliable product.
(I disagree - when I worked at PFG, handling AV on 16,000 workstations and 1,200 servers, we had to annually review all products, including AV - SAV was consistantly on top! I reviewed and checked McAfee, Trend, others. They used Trend on the email and I can't count the times SAV caught things coming through email that were missed by several other AV. Of course it goes both ways, there were weeks when Trend was 1 to 2 hours ahead of SAV, too. HOWEVER, Symantec's support was considered to be second to no other AV company.)

2) Advisors tend to suggest a quick fix option of un-install and re-install for most of the problems.
(There are times that is the BEST fix! Do you spend 2 hours troubleshooting obscure issues, DLL conflicts, corrupted files or installs, messed up registries, or do you simply blow it away and start over? In the real world, the corporate world, the rule we've had in TWO organizations was this - "spend 60 minutes, if after that it's not resolved, re-image the computer". Isn't that the same? And that was corporate policy! Spend 60 minutes, then ghost the computer if not fixed! IT's the same where I work now - spend 60 minutes, then reghost the computer. For SEP/SAV, spend about 30 minutes, if it doesn't work, uninstall and reinstall. That's the reality of tech support in the world. Been that way for at least 10 years I can remember.)

3) Some advisors make suggestions without thinking about them.
(Well wit that I agree and Symantec IS reviewing all of that now as I type! Honest! I'm even one who has mentioned it - and others have agreed, so it's being looked at!)

4) Symantec take a long while to come back with a fix (if ever)
(They have to be able to reproduce the issue. Can't fix what they can't find. Sometimes it's hard because there are as many computer configurations and combinations as there are computers. Seriously and literally. Sometimes the issues are compounded by some folks have certain service packs and others not having them. They have to reproduce the conditions, then the issue - and if folks are not DETAILED with ALL OF THE INFO up front - how can they do that? Give exact versions and builds of the OS and of SEP, AND include ALL SOFTWARE on that computer-  and versions of said software. How many custmers do that? How many times does someone have to ask "what VERSION of SEP are you asking about"? Then there's the coding process, QA, ALPHA testing, BETA testing, etc. takes time. Do you want the solution tested? If so, for how long - a week? HA! A week is nothing and often wont' show squat becasue not all things happen in a single week that the OS and SEP or SAV will run into. So they have to have large beta times, large numbers, otherwise, the fix could be worse than the issue it's supposed to solve. I've worked in electronics and software development.......... it's a long tedious process. Even in the old days when printer companies hired contractors to write printer drivers, the process would take weeks while the coder was locked in a closet with a case of Mountain Dew and Snickers bars to stay awake......  Bottom line, if you have an issue - then tell Symantec EXACT details! computer type and model, OS, version, SP level, which patches have been applied, then SAV or SEP version, build, patch level, the definitions version, what software is installed and all conditions that might touch that computer or network.  Otherwise it's like calling the doctor and saying "doc, I don't feel well, what's wrong" and not giving him any info at all otherwise.)
 
I suggest Symantec look at making some improvements
(They are working on it - there are discussions going on now aimed at improving this very site and forums)

My company renewed our contract with Symantec earlier this year after evaluating seven different products.  I spent a lot of time on Symantec's competitor's forums (if they had one) to get a feel for the various products and customer satisfaction levels.

With the time I spent on all of those forums I think I can honestly say that you can say the same four things about all the vendors I evaluated.

But this is the best place to be in...

I would totally disagree with the first opinion...Symantec AV ( SAV or SEP ) is the most stable and reliable ENTERPRISE product  available.

Advisors tend to give a quick resolution..however its you who can always ask for explaination..normally people rather than going for a resolution look for a WorkAround...so first approach is always to give ( speedy) workaround.

1) Symantec AV is not a reliable product. -

1. Totally disagree with this, I tried to work on other AV Systems, and there seems to be no activity on the reports.
2. Symantec has always been on the top rankings when it comes to Virus Protection.
3. Symatec has the most active community for AV support.

2) Advisors tend to suggest a quick fix option of un-install and re-install for most of the problems. - Most of the initial posted suggestions are basic, and then these suggestions helps other users, techsupports on how the software reacts (logs). And then making the solution from the results.

3) Some advisors make suggestions without thinking about them. - Advisors have been very helpful to this community since from the start. Before they got the advisor title they have proven it by making numerous solutions from all over the Symantec Community. If there's a chance that their posts is not related I believe they correct or edit the post.

4) Symantec take a long while to come back with a fix (if ever) - If there's a problem, I am sure that Symantec has protocols when it deals with fixes and patches. I believe that they carefully tests these fixes (to make sure it will not produce more problems) before they release them to the market