Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 1

FYI-

There's an article on Handspring in the new Forbes . . .
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/99/1129/6413126a.htm

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA
Posts: 126

Ouch.

She sounds like a VC member.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

Wow! Finally some real reporting on the issue. It seemed the press based in Silicon Valley was eating up and spitting out the company line on how it was just an "overwhelming success and demand issue" not a customer service nightmare at the core.

I guess the execs' reputations and a nice product clone does not equal a professional company according to Forbes.


This quote says it all...

"...What if Christmas shoppers switch to some rival that has the advantage of actually being available? "Fine, let them," says Colligan, unrepentant."

He Ed! Here's what e-commerce analysts say about that attitude, and the future of companies run by people like you:
http://www.visorcentral.com/visor/d...TML/000356.html

[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 11-24-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 26

i hope we're not gathered here in 6 months lamenting the demise of Handspring.

just hoping they can pull out of this nosedive and keep their mission alive...

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

It would be sad, when all it would have taken was a quick post on their website in early Oct addressing the issue honestly and putting a temporary hold on new orders. The very technology that enabled their "efficient" marketing could have repaired the damage.

I personally believe they made a decision to allow the pre-order flood to continue to overwhelm them so they could get the hype press that comes with things like IMac, Playstation and Dreamcast shortages.

Of course there is a fine line you have to ride when doing this, and Handspring crossed it when their pre-orders got corrupted and they failed to change their "full speed ahead" strategy. That was suicidal, and even if they had a fully staffed CSR that didn't BS customers, it wouldn't have helped.

It's ironic that they just now decided to stop taking orders to Canada. Talk about too little, too late! All those orders they were so desperate to keep taking in are killing them now.



[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 11-23-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Beaverton, OR USA
Posts: 87

I think I missed something somewhere. I don't recall many posts anywhere on this board that stated anyone received their Visor later than the promised 6 weeks (yes, I know there are some).

When I ordered mine, 10/14, I was told 4-6 weeks until it shipped. Whose problem is it if I call twice a week to see if they really meant "4-6 weeks?" I'd be curious to see what percentage of calls received were checking status as opposed to ordering product.

How sad if the demise of Handspring that I see mentioned in various posts actually comes about, and it's a result (in part) of over-eager technogeeks not believing the company when they said "4-6 weeks."

No, I don't work for Handspring. Yes, I'm one of those Technogeeks. Yes, I like my Visor. Yes, I received it within 6 weeks. And yes, I realize HS has made mistakes. Just don't write them off yet.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: San Francisco, USA
Posts: 75

"...What if Christmas shoppers switch to some rival that has the advantage of actually being available? "Fine, let them," says Colligan, unrepentant."

I've been pretty patient up until now, but the arrogance behind this quote almost makes me want to give up on Handspring entirely and go with Palm. My significant other has already given up and bought a Palm IIIx, like some other people on VisorCentral.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Kalamazoo, MI USA
Posts: 27

Careful MTN, there are a lot of us with orders at 7 or 8 weeks! Check the posts on the Ordering / Shipping forum....

I too am glad to see some better reporting, although as one who is hanging in to get my Visor, I REALLY want the company to succeed.

I hope they can straighten out all the ordering and fullfillment issues, and somehow recover from this nightmare.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Lakewood, Ohio USA
Posts: 40

I've been waiting to see what this article was going to be about. I was contacted by the writer as I am sure a lot of others were about my experiences with Handspring overall and that was back in the beginning of the month. Wouldn't she like to hear my opinions now as I am still waiting for my September 16th order! I was promised that I would receive it today at the latest and here I wait.

Chris

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Beaverton, OR USA
Posts: 87

Hey Rocky -- I know they've messed up. Pretty badly, at that. I do think they're turning the corner, though. I'm with you -- I bought one, and surely don't want to see them flop either!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Posts: 35

Which would you rather have - an ad campaign or a better customer service / ordering service?

I would have rather they dropped the four months of ad campaign planning and worked on it some more - they already seem to have too many orders!

------------------
Signing off,

C. Russell
[email protected]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

MTN,

Some people like Meisty are in their 10th week, which is when I finally got mine. It's nice that you got yours so quickly, but that's actually part of the problem.

Maybe if Handspring managed the domain name registration system you would understand the principle because the whole world would be furious and it would be a gigantic legal nightmare.

You shouldn't project your own success story onto other people or the company as a whole without doing some research. Forbes is a respected business publication (not PalmGeeks Quarterly) and they made it completely clear the problem lies with HS Mgmt, not the product, and surely not the customers who were lucky they called to correct their hosed orders.

There's no basis in fact for blaming the people who had to call because the company refused to communicate with them. After being put-off, ignored and then lied to, they don't deserve to be mocked.

At least you didn't say they should just "shut up and get a life" like people have in other posts. Now that the facts are clear, those people are eating their erudite words.

The only thing Handspring has going for them now is the springboard technology. If they don't know how to run a business, they fold and sell the springboard rights to Palm. Either way we as customers win.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Beaverton, OR USA
Posts: 87

Okay, so assume all orders taken during the month of September are completely screwed up. Every one. Not one is correct. No customers were contacted. Nothing worked. It was a complete bomb.

They messed up for 30 days. I'm not naive enough to assume that everyone has the great outcome that I did -- I know there have been a lot of problems, according to this site, Forbes, and other articles and reviews. I would estimate that 95%+ of them began in September.

However, as someone who, admittedly, jumped into this HS world a little late, I don't know that there are many new problems since those originating September. It appears that all problems occurring now are direct results of poor planning/management in September.

In the e-world, 30 days is forever. Messing up in that 30 days may result in irreversible reputation damage for HS. I'm sure that there are no individuals who would like to forget September more than HS management. They planned poorly. Now they are paying for it, in reputation and customer satisfaction.

I have done a little research, and I seem to remember hearing about Forbes somewhere before I read the article they did on HS (sarcasm :-) ).

Hindsight is 20/20. A great coach said something like "Don't tell me what play to run on Monday. I know what play should have been run on Monday. Tell me between 1:00 and 4:00 on Sunday." I think the next 30-60 days are critical for HS. If they've learned, it should be evidenced soon, and I think they're already getting there. I trust it's not too late.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

They have more people answering phones now, but extra operators don't necessarily equal success either...

This week they're continuing to ship multiple visors to incorrect addresses for people who never ordered them, causing credit card problems and shortages for other customers banking on Christmas. Canadians are now HS outcasts and they're still giving bogus tracking numbers out. How tough can it be to correct and train the CSR's on shipping numbers after a month of problems.

Once a screwed up Sept order is corrected by a customer and prioritized by supervisors there is no excuse for triple-shipping someone. Supposedly it became a fresh order in another system at that point. Where are the corrective management procedures? My boxes all had computerized lables so that means that they could have been flagged for problems going out the door.

They're aware this has been happening and they're negligent in not stopping it knowing that it will result in $500 overcharges. Some people get denied credit and bounce checks because they have a *current* policy of not accounting for the boxes going on the trucks.

It's easier for them as a company to just ship whatever now and deal with it later, but it's unfair to assume we can just refuse it when we often don't know what color it is until we open it (after two blues I got my Graphite). At that point they assume we'll be content as Handspring salesmen earning our commissions on EBay.

I'd rather spend Thanksgiving eve with family than try to arrange long distance payment options selling Visors to a fellow victim. Of course it would be easier to just return them, but unlike HS, some people care about their customers who might want one before Christmas.



[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 11-23-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

This whole thread belongs in the Order/Shipping forum.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 48

<start rant>
I think the quote attributed to Ed Colligan in the article - "Fine, let them" (when asked about shoppers buying from a rival company) points to the source of the company's problem. He is the V.P. for Marketing and Sales. He messed up and has the nerve to make such a cocky statement.

I have received my Visor but problems are still happening.

My card was pinged multiple times (about 9). This means a hold was put on my card to the amount of aprox. $255 x 9 ($2295). If you don't think this is a problem ... errr!

Recently a second Visor got shipped and charged to me.

With all these problems, I am hesistant to buy accessories from them for my Visor, talk less of recommending that co-workers or friends buy one from them. I love my Visor and rave about it to everyone, but what do you do when 8 weeks later their order has not shipped, their card is maxed out on bogus charges or whatever creative scheme Handspring/Logistix comes up with next?

I hope everything clears up and no one has these problems anymore, but Handspring is not there yet.
<end rant>

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 95

What about the "other" quote about online AA (they misspelled VC) communities?

Hi, my name's Mike, and I'm a Visorholic.

MJH <><

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Barnegat, NJ, USA
Posts: 72

Shouldnt we be more focused on the product at hand? I really dont care about there problems but i do care that some of us dont have our Visors yet (i.e. Me) i dont care though cause i have bigger problems to worry about like the bum that keeps walking in front of my house and goes in my garbage. we should be strongly focused at the product at hand because wow what a product it is!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 64

Did anyone notice anything odd about the date on that article (november 29, 1999)? I guess the web version of Forbes come out before the print versions,...

Hopefully, things will be clearing up by now and they can get on with real business.

As for their ad campaign, I don't think it's really needed, as they obviously have enough orders (more than enough), so I don't blame them for cancelling it. Get the house in order again first and then seek new customers,...