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]