Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 103

Well, it's official. Ms. Dubinsky has sent the final reply thus canceling my Visor. I miss it already (even though I never got it). The complete correspondence between Ms. Dubinsky and myself is pasted below. Thanks for all the info you guys provided and the fun you gave me reading these boards. I'll try to check in on you guys now and then, but if anybody needs anything that I might be able to help with, just let me know. Take care and enjoy your Visors!

BC

______________Email #1___________________
Ms. Dubinsky,
I apologize for writing you directly, but since all other channels have been
unsuccessful, I have no other option. I was one of the first people to
order a new Visor Deluxe (Ice) as soon as I knew they were available. I
ordered on 9/16. The reason I was an early adopter was the tremendous
possibilities with this amazing new product.
You see, I am a Systems Administrator for a small college. I have over 600
students using my network daily. There is an elite group of 30 - 50
students that are, in my opinion, cream of the crop in regards to
technologically savvy. What we were trying to do was incorporate our PDA's
into our existing network so that they could sync with their information on
their user folders instead of using floppies or bringing their laptops in
with them. The problem we were incurring was that out of 30+ users, we had
several different PDAs. Our solution? Everybody upgrade their PDA to a
single platform. New Problem, not everybody could afford a new PDA. Along
comes Handspring & the revolutionary Visor. With both the standard and
deluxe models available, almost everybody could afford to upgrade to this
new platform. The features were great and the Springboard capabilities were
a wonderful bonus. Several students have already started to work on ideas
to develop Springboard modules/applications.
What we decided to do then was order one VDx and see how it performed before
everybody ordered their own unit. However, since I placed my order, there
has been nothing but heartache and problems with trying to receive your
product. I've only called twice since placing the initial order. The first
call was to confirm my order after the news that there would be no
confirming emails. The second call was last week to find out the status of
my order.
Since my last call, I have found a very reasonable deal on some Palm
III/IIIx units, and also found out about their new server software and
cradles with network cables built in. We (the students and I) have a
meeting tomorrow morning (11/3), to discuss the change in plans to Palm
units and the new server software system.
This letter was not meant to be a Handspring bashing or ask for pity, but it
was meant just to let you know the kinds of benefits, research & free
advertising that your company has lost due to the incompetence's of your
Customer Service department. Good Luck in the future and maybe our paths
will cross again someday.

________________Email #2 (reply from Dubinsky)_________________
I appreciate your taking the time to write me this note. Believe me, I'm
not happy with our rocky start here! It's not been the fault of the
customer service organization, by the way. What happened was that some data
was corrupted as it was sent from the order entry system to the shipping
system. We have had an enormously difficulty sorting out the data, which
has made it hard for the order folks to see status. We've turned the
corner, and I believe we'll be able to fix the problems, as well as
implement a far better system in the future. We recognize that we have lost
some business along the way, and we're going to work hard to earn it back in
the future.

If there is anything I can do for you relative to your order, please let me
know. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.
________________Email #3 (BC's reply)______________

Thank you for your prompt reply. I understand the problems you have and
continue to face with the start of this company. I can't bring myself to
ask for special assistance with my order when so many are having problems,
but I do appreciate the offer. As for my student group, one of the members
was reading the letter I sent this morning and corrected me on the date.
Our meeting is 11/4 (Thursday) morning. I will present my letter and your
response to them at that time. I will leave it up to the voting population
as to what we decide next. Several have voiced their opinion to move toward
Palm, but almost as many have decided to stick with Handspring (mainly the
developers in the group that are so excited about the springboard). If you
would like, I can let you know what they decide tomorrow. If there is
anything you'd like to say to the group, just let me know and I'll make sure
they have all the information before making their decision.
Thank you again for your prompt reply and the personal attention that you
have given this matter.
____________Email #4 (Dubinsky's next reply)____________
I wish I could give you more definite info, but at this point, I'm not
making any promises unless I know I can deliver against them. All I can say
is that I am involved in this almost full time at this point, and I believe
we are making great progress.

Keep me posted!
_____________Email #5 (BC's last letter) ___________________
Ms. Dubinsky,

Thank you again for taking the time to read the messages. I know you are
extremely busy. I just wanted you to know what the group decided this
morning. 23 of the students made it in time for the vote. I gave them all
copies of our correspondence yesterday. The results of the vote were 12
votes to go with Palm, and 9 to stick with Handspring. The weirdest thing I
noticed was that 5 of the 7 students that were so interested in developing
springboard technology voted for Palm. I still haven't figured that one
out.
I would now like to take you up on your offer to help me with my order. As
much as I would love to have a Visor (and think it would change several
minds & probably change the vote), I can not afford to purchase both a Visor
and a new Palm unit. As much as I hate to do this, could you please help me
cancel my order (my information is below)? I apologize for the way this has
happened, but I have no control over the group as far as decision making.
Good Luck to you and your company. Maybe one day we will be able to
implement Visors in our network to replace the upcoming Palms. Thank you
for all your assistance.
_____________Email #6 (Dubinsky's last reply)____________
Thanks for the update, and I appreciate the situation. I've copied our
customer relations staff to ask them to cancel your order.

Thanks again to VisorCentral's Staff for a great site, and to all the members for the information and good times. Take care!


------------------
BC

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Marietta, Ohio USA
Posts: 92

It really is very sad, isnt it ?
I have cancelled as well... (I hope, I think)
I never heard anything back sent I sent the
cancellation email. My new Palm IIIx is
here now.