Younger guys?? Hey Pat, I'm 66, so hope you aren't looking for a 
blind date, smile! Jim WA6EKS

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Pat Byrne <[log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 20:45:38 -0500
Subject: Re: A Recent Interaction With HumanWare

And right you are Jim.  I need input from you younger guys to 
keep me
on the straight and narrow!!
patAt 07:09 PM 4/11/2015, you wrote:
Pat, don't get your nickers in a knot, remember, it's just the 
moon that is
influencing your thoughts and behavior.  Peace and 73, Jim WA6EKS

-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Byrne
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 1:29 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: OT: A Recent Interaction With HumanWare

Buddy,
Nice replacement for customer service.  And of course offering 
blind
folk pictures is a lot of crap.  Some years ago I was authorized 
to
have a replacement Stream within warranty but I haadn't sent the
crappy case or the CD that came with a new unit.  They refused to
replace my unit until I provided those parts.  I suggested they 
take
those parts from my replacement unit, but that wouldn't do.  By 
the
way we had moved and the missing pieces were packed away
somewhere.  Not sure if I ever found them!  I finally bypassed
Customer Service and the not-so-helpful desk and went up the
management scaale until I got satisfaction.  So there is perhaps 
a
history of B S service there.
Humanware is not alone; another manufacturer in the last year put 
out
a unit saying it would support NLS books.  I believe it was well 
more
than six months later before that support actually appeared.  So
perhaps other providers of equipment for the blind are okay with
putting out unsupported products and backing them up with 
half-assed
service.
Ain't it all grand!
Pat, K9JAUAt 11:40 AM 4/11/2015, you wrote:
Sorry for any stray nasty characters here.

Still haven't decided what I'll do about this.  Their response to 
my =
email will help determine that, perhaps.=20

Just posted to my personal blog at=20
http://buddy.brannan.name/blog/2015/04/what-to-do-about-humanware
/

What To Do About HumanWare?

Back in August, I purchased a second generation Victor Reader 
Streamfrom =
HumanWare at a promotional price.  While I thought that the 
included =
accessories were a bit stingy (a case with no belt clip and no SD 
card), =
I thought the device itself was well designed and well executed.  
The =
user interface was a worthy follow-up to the first generation.  
It has =
easy-to-use controls that are intuitive, and really, I liked mine 
so =
much that I often used it instead of other players I have around 
here, =
including ones on the iPhone.=20

Back in February, my Stream developed a problem.  Some important 
controls =
(play, fast forward, rewind, and the sleep timer button) started 
acting =
strangely.  They would either intermittently not work, or they 
would =
intermittently act as though multiple buttons were pressed at the 
same =
time, or one button was pressed multiple times.  Both hoping the 
problem =
was a fluke and would clear itself up, and also because I had 
more =
important things to deal with at the time, I put the player 
aside.  When, =
recently, I pulled it out again and the problem persisted, and my 
other =
irons in the fire were well into resolution, I called HumanWare 
tech =
support and sent my Stream off for repair.  They received it 
Tuesday, and =
I received the following Email from them today:

Recently you sent us equipment for repair.

After evaluation,  the technician found out that the damages 
caused to =
your unit cannot be repaired.
We will have to replace the unit.
He also found out that these damages are not manufacturing issue 
and so =
cannot be covered under warranty.  We took some pictures.  If you 
need =
copy of them, please let us know.

Please find attached a copy of the quotation for a replacement 
unit.  As =
soon as we receive your purchase order or payment we will proceed 
the =
order and the unit will be sent to you.

Please take note that after receiving this quote, if you do not 
wish to =
proceed with the replacement unit, HumanWare will return the 
unrepaired =
unit and freight will be at your expense or a diagnostic fee, if 
=
applicable.  In case you do not require the unrepaired unit back, 
=
HumanWare will dispose of it for you.  Failure to reply will lead 
to unit =
disposal after a period of 3 months following quote issuance.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the 
customer =
service department.

Sincerely,

Customer Service, HumanWare Inc.

My first reaction wasn=E2=80=99t disappointment over my problem 
not =
being covered under warranty.  (I did read the attached PDF and 
saw that =
I can get my out of warranty problem replaced for half the cost 
of a new =
unit.) No, my first reaction was to marvel at the sheer rudeness 
of the =
email.  The problem wasn=E2=80=99t a manufacturing problem, 
it=E2=80=99s =
your fault, and we=E2=80=99ve got pictures to prove it.  Rude and 
=
confrontational all on its own, but remember, this is a company 
whose =
primary audience includes people who are blind.  This specific =
product=E2=80=99s main users, and buyers, are people who are 
blind.  =
Those would be people who cannot see pictures, no matter how 
damning the =
evidence.=20

Of course, if this were merely an oversight, it might be excused, 
but =
it=E2=80=99s a pattern.  HumanWare has put out several marketing 
=
campaigns with product teasers that were purely visual in nature.  
Hey, =
look at the picture of our new product! We won=E2=80=99t tell you 
what =
it is, nor will we describe the picture, but you=E2=80=99ll love 
it! Oh, =
by the way, it=E2=80=99s a braille display, we find out later.  
Really?=20=


I should stress here that I don=E2=80=99t find fault with their =
conclusion necessarily.  After all, I could have accidentally 
done =
something or other to break the thing.  That sort of thing 
happens =
sometimes, in spite of our best intentions.  My problem is with 
their =
delivery, which struck me as abysmally bad customer service.  I 
therefore =
replied with the following:

Hello:

Thank you for your Email regarding my damaged Victor Reader 
Stream.  =
While I appreciate your telling m that the repair is not covered 
under =
warranty, not being a manufacturing defect, I can=E2=80=99t say I 
=
appreciate your delivery.  You have pictures and are happy to 
send them? =
Great! This would do me, as a blind person, and by the way one of 
your =
primary markets, any good, exactly how? Would it really have 
taken you =
that much more time to have explained, in plain language, what 
the =
problem was? =E2=80=9CUnfortunately, it looks as though your 
Stream got =
splashed with water.=E2=80=9D Or =E2=80=9CUnfortunately, we found 
=
foreign matter in your play button.=E2=80=9D Or perhaps, =
=E2=80=9CUnfortunately, a peanut butter sandwich will not fit in 
the SD =
card slot.=E2=80=9D? Really, an Email that says, =E2=80=9CSorry,
it=E2=80=99=
s your problem, and we have pictures to prove it=E2=80=9D is rude 
and =
confrontational, besides being terribly unhelpful to a blind 
person, who =
is, I may stress, part of one of your primary markets.  I would 
suggest =
that this is an unacceptably poor level of customer service.=20

Allow me, if I may, to craft an Email that you may use in future 
=
dealings of this nature.  I=E2=80=99ll even give this to you at =
absolutely no cost.  Feel free to use it in full or in part.  Do 
not, =
however, use the Email you sent me in future dealings of this 
nature.=20

=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94-Cut=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94-

Dear [Insert customer name here]:

We are writing to follow up with you regarding your recent repair 
=
request, with RMA #XXXXXX.=20

After inspecting your [product name], our technicians have 
determined =
that the damage cannot be repaired, and a full replacement of the 
unit =
will be required.  We found the following problems:

* There was foreign matter dropped into the controls.
* Liquid damage from [water, coffee, etc.] is apparent.
* A peanut butter sandwich will not fit in the SD card slot.  
Please do =
not attempt to put one there.
* A crack in the control board indicates a drop from a 
significant =
height.
[And so forth]

If you wish to inspect the damage as outlined above, we can 
provide =
photos upon request.=20

Unfortunately, this damage is not covered under the limited =
manufacturer=E2=80=99s warranty, as it is not a manufacturing 
defect.  =
Please see the full statement of warranty here: [insert URL to 
limited =
warranty]

Since your [product] was returned to us within the warranty 
period, we =
are prepared to offer you a non-warranty replacement at half 
retail =
price plus applicable shipping and tax.  Please reference 
[invoice =
number] when you phone if you would like to take advantage of 
this =
offer.  For your records, we have attached an accessible PDF with 
full =
offer details.  This offer is good for 90 days from today.

Alternatively, if you wish to have your damaged [product] back, 
we =
require that you pay return shipping charges.  If you do not wish 
to take =
advantage of our replacement offer and do not want your damaged =
[product] back, we will be happy to responsibly dispose of it for 
you at =
no additional charge.

If you have any questions or concerns, please phone or Email.  We 
are =
available weekdays from [range of hours], Eastern time.=20

We appreciate your business.  Thank you for being a HumanWare 
customer.=20=


Sincerely,
Joe Schmoe
HumanWare Customer Service

=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94-CUT=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94-

Let me stress here that I have no doubt that you really do have 
pictures =
of the damage.  I also have no problem believing that the problem 
is not =
covered under the warranty terms, not because I know what caused 
the =
problem (I don=E2=80=99t), but because, let=E2=80=99s face it, 
stuff =
happens, sometimes stuff even happens of which one is unaware.  
It would, =
therefore, be really helpful if you could tell me, in plain 
language, =
the nature of the problem, so that I know what caused the keys to 
do the =
strange things they were doing.  I would really appreciate this =
information.=20

I really love the Stream.  It=E2=80=99s a fantastic product.  It 
does what =
it does very, very well.  It is well designed and easy to use, 
and
I=E2=80=99=
ve found that I have started using it in favor of       other 
book =
players I have around here, including ones on the iPhone.  So, 
yes, it =
really is a great product for the tech savvy blind guy, too.  I 
would =
even like to get a second one for my wife, who has just lost all 
of her =
remaining vision, has very little feeling in her fingers, and is 
not at =
all technology friendly.  She has a first gen Stream and likes it 
a lot, =
and I know she=E2=80=99d like the new one even more.  
Unfortunately, due =
to the nature of your communication, I honestly don=E2=80=99t 
know what =
I want to do about either a replacement or a second unit.  How 
can I, in =
good conscience, support a company with so little regard for its 
target =
audience? After all, your Email is only one of several such 
instances; I =
reference the several years of product teasers (at least one of 
which =
was for a braille display) that were purely visual in nature.  
Can I, =
indeed *should* I, support a company who, essentially, thumbs its 
=
collective nose at the population it purports to serve?=20

Cordially,

Whether HumanWare was right or wrong in their determination 
isn=E2=80=99t =
really the point.  Well, I guess it kind of is, because I have no 
idea =
either way, having been given no information about it.  But even 
if they =
were correct in their assessment, their handling of how I was 
updated on =
my repair status left pretty much everything to be desired.  In 
short, =
their Email was a great example of how not to do customer 
relations.  If =
you do customer relations this way, stop it.  Please.  Just 
don=E2=80=99t.



--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: 814-860-3194=20
Mobile: 814-431-0962
Email: [log in to unmask]