Pat, It made me smile when I read my reply to your message.  
Guess I'll just go out and howl at the moon if I can figure out 
where tiss using my light probe.  Maybe I will check the weather 
site to see when the moon is supposed to rise tonight.  73, Jim 
WA6EKS
 ----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Gammon <[log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 20:29:46 -0700
Subject: Re: Blind date??

Ok, ok, Pat just settle down.  I'm not of that persuasion let's
keep it simple and blame it on the moon! 73, Jim WA6EKS

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Pat Byrne <[log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 21:59:48 -0500
Subject: Re: Blind date??

Hopefully in September I will be 75 so you're safe - be robbing
the
cradle!!  Besides my wife would never understand!!!  Nor would
I!!
Be well Jim.
patAt 09:38 PM 4/11/2015, you wrote:
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]