Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Posts: 32

Let's play the game "I never recieved any email from Handspring"....

I WIN!
(among many others)

-charley

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: okc, ok, usa
Posts: 1

I've implemented a number of order entry systems from small to large and it seems rather wasteful to be taking orders by "hand" with no ability to track and update even on a small scale. It I believe in the future will show that it is impossible for them to track our orders beyond the first order many of us placed. I ordered one and then called back and ordered another color under the same deal. I think these guys are already going down the wrong track and a ship date beyond october 31 is very likely. Whoever put together their order entry system was very inexperienced or very stupid and whoever chose to take one order without a database should be toast!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Pittsford,NY,USA
Posts: 223

We shall see. Rumor has it that the new system will be in place Monday. (Let's hope that is true.)

-Eric

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Urbana IL
Posts: 144

When I put my order in yesterday I was told that the orders would be shipped incrementally in the order recieved, and that the first batch might go out as soon as next week (think ~ the first). However, the salesman cautioned that it might also be 2-3 weeks (~ mid Oct). They also said that production outstripped the current inflow of orders, so that once the initial backlog of orders is churned through, the delay times will decrease rapidly. (given a relatively constant demand of course)

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

There is no evidence that Handspring is "misleading" their customers in any way, shape, or form. People are reading all sorts of things into all-too-easily misunderstood statements of not-much-more-than-minimum-wage employees, and getting all worked up about it. It's silly.

So is comparing Handspring *now* to Amazon.Com in *1998* (BTW, Amazon.Com *did* have some problems in 1998, despite being in business since 1996, and yes, they had *lots* of problems when they started.) As a furthur elaboration of the apples-and-oranges nature of this comparison, Amazon.Com is *only* an online business. Handspring is developing products, and trying to coordinate with other product developers. Amazon just sells other people's products. Handspring is no doubt trying to work out deals with retailers, large and small, online and real-world. Amazon.Com is one retailer. Amazon,Coms online business *is* their business. For Handspring, the online stuff is probably almost more of a distraction than it's worth, no matter how personally important it seems to you and I.

Oh yeah, and while Amazon.Com is "worth" lots of money by mentally questionable Wall Street values, they've so far managed to lose over 100 million US$. Not exactly a good choice for a comparison.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 72

Handspring, acting through their call center, has mislead many people on this board. Start reading the posts and see how many different conflicting answers people have received.

Amazon.com is only an online business that does not develop products? You might want to check again. They are in drugs - drugstore.com, pets, movie databases - imdb.com, shopping comparsions - junglee.com, purchase circles, etc, etc, etc... Amazon is developing products. Maybe software products....

My point with Amazon is they deliver their product with excellent customer service. That is important for ANY company. Dell delivers $30 million a day of their products ordered through the Internet with excellent customer service.

How can the online portion be a distraction to Handspring? If they don't use the Internet, Handspring will never be able to compete with Palm and others. How do you think Handspring is marketing their products right now? How are they going to receive orders for their products in the future? What is the single most important resource for any company right now? The Internet is definetely Handspring's bread and butter to success.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Endicott, NY USA
Posts: 60

Is it just me, or does the idea of Amazon.com producing their own pharmacuticals send shivers up your spine?

[This message has been edited by Wizard22 (edited 09-26-1999).]

Yes... thank you for offering to teach "Stating the Obvious 101", HipHop. I was referring to the post above mine.

[This message has been edited by Wizard22 (edited 09-27-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 200

Amazone does not produce anything.

Its just a retailer, not a printer, leave allone a scientific company.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

Handspring, acting through their call center, has mislead many people on this board. Start reading the posts and see how many different conflicting answers people have received.


"Mislead", to me, heavily implies intent. I doubt very much that Handspring is trying to mislead anyone. The "conflicting answers" are very likely all natural misunderstandings of (a) the mostly non-tech CSRs and (b) over-excited customers.


Amazon.com is only an online business that does not develop products? You might want to check again. They are in drugs - drugstore.com, pets, movie databases - imdb.com, shopping comparsions - junglee.com, purchase circles, etc, etc, etc... Amazon is developing products.


No. Amazon.Com is *selling* products that others have developed. Big difference. Not even the software on which it runs is a product, 'cause they're not selling that software. Amazon.Com is a retailer, not a developer.


My point with Amazon is they deliver their product with excellent customer service. That is important for ANY company.


Their customer service is not excellent, it's adequate. Sometimes barely adequate. They've had lots of problems, especially when they were starting up, like Handspring is now.


How can the online portion be a distraction to Handspring? If they don't use the Internet, ...


You are confusing "using the internet" with having online sales. Of course they need to use the internet these days, but the *direct* online sales part of that will in the long run be a very small part of their sales. For a brief period, it's the only way to order Visors, but that's just an introductory thing -- a way of artificially limiting sales during the manufacturing (and marketing) ramp-up period.

I don't know Palm's sales numbers, but I'd be very surprised if *total* online sales account for a majority of their product sales. And I'd be astonished if *direct* online sales -- sales from the Palm website itself -- are more than a few percent of their overall sales.

Handspring will probably have the same experience, in the long run. The only difference is this introductory period, which yes, is almost certainly a distraction -- albeit a tactically reasonable one -- from all the other things they're doing.

Perspective -- use it or lose it. It's nice to think we're somehow really important to Handspring, but ultimately we're just another couple of credit card numbers. As long as their ordering system performs reasonably well for most people through this initial phase, it's just not going to be all that important to them if a few people get all confused and bent out of shape about misunderstandings and mixed signals.


[This message has been edited by bearpaw (edited 09-27-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 72

I too agree that Handspring's CSR's are not intentionally misleading their customers. However, this does not change the fact that they have mislead their customers. Mislead to me does not imply intent - note the definition below. Hey, Clinton didn't intend to mislead the public did he?
---
mislead v 1: lead someone in the wrong direction [syn: misguide, lead astray] 2: give false or misleading information to [syn: misinform]
Source: WordNet � 1.6, � 1997 Princeton University
---

Amazon is a retailer and more. Their revenues primarily consist of selling products. However, they do develop software/products. Check out purchase circles, or imdb.com. These software products are services/products that people use.

Hopefully, Handspring will not only use the internet but fully embrace it for online sales, inventory mgmt, supply chain mgmt, customer service, etc. Lets take a look at Dell. They're selling $30 million a day which is about 50% of their revenue a day through the Internet. Michael Dell's goal has been to increase internet sales relative to phone sales every quarter. The reason is that the internet offers more efficiency, better service, lower overhead costs, etc. The direct sales model that Dell has proven and developed is superior to any other sales model. The direct sales model has allowed Dell to achieve a world class 6 day turnover in inventory.

Dell is the leader in designing, developing, manufacturing and selling computers. Handspring could use the same model.

BOTTOM LINE...
I like Handspring. I think they're doing a good job. I do believe they have many bridges to cross to becoming a world class company like Dell or Amazon. I have ordered a Visor and am excited about getting it.

Once again, we'll see what happens...






[This message has been edited by gene (edited 09-27-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Plainview, NY
Posts: 116

Very upset over the lack of any concrete information regarding orders. You would have thought Handspruuung would have had their ducks in in a row before shooting. Hope they make up for it soon and get their act together

It's broken

------------------
Dave B "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

Relying on dictionary defs isn't always very useful, especially when talking about implications of a word used in a particular context. (And to forstall the usual mistake, dictionaries are descriptive, not proscriptive.) "Mislead" might not imply intent to you, to some people it does. <shrug>

I don't understand why you keep bringing up Amazon.Com. Even if it wasn't comparing apples and oranges, Amazon.Com is simply not the glowing example you are portraying it as. They had lots of problems when they started up, and they continue to have problems -- problems bad enough to be covered in the press, not just the odd disgruntled whiner or two on a discussion board.

(I haven't had any direct experience with Dell, but given your reality disconnect re Amazon.Com ....)

Thinking of CSRs as speaking for a company -- especially in a situation like this -- is silly. If there's confusion about the situation it's as much the fault of folks who leap on every little hint from a CSR -- or supposedly from a CSR -- as the latest revelation from heaven.

If Handspring's done anything wrong here, it's not keeping better control of what CSRs are telling customers. But you know, even if they kept really close tabs on their CSRs, we'd still get these rumors. When people really want info, there's no shortage of info ... even if most of it is misunderstood, miscommunicated, exagerated, or just plain made up.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: dallas, tx, usa
Posts: 1

This is a great thread. It underscore the variety of tolerance levels of consumers who ultimately are faced with the identical circumstance.

Lets see now, Handspring does what virtually all HW or SW co's do today - pre release their product. We the consumer vote on their offering by either delaying an alternative purchase or buying in advance of the release.

Myself, I'm happily working with my old pilot 1000, have purchased the visor deluxe - like most hope for instant gratification - but recognize it leads to pent up anxiety.
Just chill, the product will come - or maybe it won't. In any event, no one at Visor or any other "pre releasing" vendor forced you to buy. CSR's being human tell you what they think is accurate and will give you some information. Their intent is honorable. If you don't think so, do their job for a month and watch your behavior.

Long live free markets and patience...

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 72

"That depends upon what the definition of is is" - Clinton...

The story is getting tiresome. We obviously don't see eye to eye. And that's cool... Everyone can have their own opinion...

Once again, we'll wait and see...

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: San Francisco, CA, US
Posts: 5

Just talked to a CSR, and they told me that Handspring only intends to start sending out order confirmations close to the initial shipping date (mid-to-late October). Sigh.