VisorCentral.com - Warranty replacements now cost $. PDA's break too often!

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-- Warranty replacements now cost $. PDA's break too often! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=19520)

Posted by heberman on 11-09-2001 01:32 AM:

Warranty replacements now cost $. PDA's break too often!

(begin rant)

I'm sick of my PDA breaking. I take good care of mine, but something seems to always go wrong. I had 3 Palm V's (1 power button broken; 1 fatal crash); 2 Visor Deluxes (1 fatal crash); 4 Prisms (1 paint and processor probelm, 1 broken screen (oops!) and 1 fatal crash).

If I bang my Prism around and abuse the screen or bang it around, I can understand it breaking. But I just had my 5th PDA break for reasons I think are manufacturing defects. These defects didn't bother me before because a replacement was always free (except for the broken screen) with free shipping.

But now, I just had to fork over $25 to Handspring for a warranty repair. It's the new warranty repair policy. Sheesh! I had the option to send my Prism into Handspring first (about $15 shipping which I would have had to pay for) and wait for days to get a replacement. I chose to pay the $25 and they shipped me a replacement in 2 days. They pay for shipping.

I paid the $25, but I'm not happy about it. I paid a lot of money for my Prism, and if it breaks under warranty, Handspring ought to fix the problem without charging me.

(end rant. I feel much better )

Posted by dick-richardson on 11-09-2001 02:19 AM:

That's incredible. I understand needing to make money, but they're shooting themselves in the foot. They're going to make less by pissing off their customer base. Given HS's reputation for putting units out the door with poor QC (the first wave were shoddy, the prism & plat had paint wear, the prism also had a piss poor digitizer and shimmer which were able to be patched, I don't believe they've ever intentionally made a decent edge, etc.), they have the gall to charge $25 for their f-up's? Wow. I'm staying away from HS until I see whether or not they're at least shipping quality - which would help in justifying the cost.

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Posted by yardie on 11-09-2001 01:12 PM:

Hmmm

Handspring is not doing anything unusual. I am sure that there very generous replacement system was causing them a load a cash. They have to reach profitability soon and this is one of the ways that they can reach there. I think the fact that they are charging for 'fast" replacement will force them to release products with less defects. Otherwise, they are going to have a revolt on their hands.

Posted by septimus on 11-09-2001 01:38 PM:

The only thing holding me to handspring now is my investment in accessories and springboards. Were I not a po' gradschool student, I'm thinking I would have switch already.

They better get the Treo out as soon as humanly possible.

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Posted by usonian2001 on 11-09-2001 06:48 PM:

Re: Hmmm

quote:
Originally posted by yardie
Handspring is not doing anything unusual. I am sure that there very generous replacement system was causing them a load a cash.

Well, there are warranties and then there are warranties; Handspring was very generous with their replacements early on, when there were problems with stylii causing scratches and before they had repair facilities up and running for things like replacing broken screens... no doubt that cost them some $$$.

But in my experience a warranty usually means that, if something goes wrong with product x that you didn't cause through dropping or misuse, and it happens within the first n days/months/years as stated by the warranty, company y will repair or replace the unit for you at no cost. (you might be out a few $$$ shipping, but that's no biggie)

If a warranty repair that I can only claim within the first year is going to cost me $25, why wouldn't I just get the Best Buy/Staples/CompUSA extended warranty for about the same price that covers everything for three years?

I hope Handspring knows what they're doing, but every week it seems more doubtful.

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Posted by dtplink on 11-09-2001 10:46 PM:

Quality Control is a relative term

In the current Wired Magazine there is an article about outsourcing of manufacturing. Handspring makes none of their own products and it seems doesn't actually design them either. Flextronics makes Visors and probably Visorphones in plants around the world. Visors are probably made in Mexico. Flextronics has a big influence in the design (I think Ideo does design for some of them). Flextronics makes the XBox, HP printers, and Nokia cellphones. They crank them out at low cost and high speed. We get to do the quality control. Handspring is a marketing, sales and cusotmer service organization. If they fail at customer service they will be banta poodoo. I've so far been happy with my treatment.

Posted by MarkEagle on 11-10-2001 12:13 AM:

This is confusing...

Handspring's warranty doesn't say anything about a $25.00 charge. However, they do seem to be charging for their Advanced Replacement exchange program (get a new/refurb and then send back the old one). The standard exchange (return your unit before they ship a replacement) is still free.

@%))

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Posted by dick-richardson on 11-10-2001 03:54 AM:

As I said, if HS's reputation for quality could even be considered marginal, I might understand. But shipping out crap units and then making the customer wait for...what, 2 weeks (depending on what your willing to spend on shipping) without a pda or pay $25...

Not interested, thanks.

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

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