Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

Replacement VDX with VisorPhone Purchase - AAAARRRGGGG!

I am so fed up!

I started with a VDX that I purchased 12/99. I recently purchased a VisorPhone. I got an email from Handspring very much like the contents of this page:

quote:

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... A small number of early Visor Solo, Visor and Visor
Deluxe handheld computers contain microphones
which may not be optimized for use with the
VisorPhone. Check the serial number of your
handheld, which is located on the inside of the
battery door. Contact customer service to
exchange your Visor handheld if the serial number
appears as follows:

The EIGHTH character of the serial number is a 9.
For example, ABxxxxx9xxxxx

OR

The SIXTH, SEVENTH and EIGHTH characters of
the serial number are 010, 020, 030 or 040. For
example, ABxxx010xxxxx

If your serial number matches either of the above,
please contact Handspring's CustomerCare
Center at (888) 565-9393. Handspring will replace
your original Visor Solo, Visor or Visor Deluxe
handheld free of charge with a handheld which is
optimized for superior performance with the
VisorPhone...

---

__________________
Jeff

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 33

You may want to recheck that...(again)

Early Visor models *did* have the microphone, but had several production runs with the polarity of the microphone connected *backwards*. If you have such a unit, the microphone will still work, but not very well. Since you don't have a reference unit to compare microphone audio quality to, the only thing you've got to go by is the serial #. I would expect that the memo you read is likely more accurate than the customer service people. ...Sorry...

-Card Access

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

I don't know that I'd totally blame the customer service person on this. They probably can't just walk out to the warehouse and hand pick one for you, its the guys out preping the stuff for shipping who have to verify the special 'notes' in getting a valid serial number for you...however, I do realize that it puts a bad 'face' on the whole of Handspring techincal support. Good luck.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Pembroke,MA
Posts: 307

I think dorelse is spot on. Think of how many non-optomized visors have recently been sent back (or sent back in totality, for that matter). They refurbish these and put them in their stock of refurb units to sent out, when users are returning theirs for a certain reason. I would think that with all of the $49 visor purchases recently, that they probably have a bunch of these "at the top of the refurb pile". So, I could see how what you are encountering could happen.

Now, the question is, have they fixed the microphone issue when doing the refurb?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

They *might* have been refurbs, but I tell you they were pristine, at least on the outside.

As a side note, it makes me crazy that the serial number is on the battery door. It seems too easy to accidentally (or deliberatly) switch.

__________________
Jeff

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 10

I Have the Same Issue

I also got a referb VDX to go with my VP. The new VDX has the same "suspect" serial number (it also seems to be in pristine condition). The VP seems to work okay but some people complain that they can't hear me too well. Does anybody know what the exact symptoms are with the older VDXs? I wonder if this new one has the same problem.

Greg

__________________
.........................
"What?" - William Shakespeare.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 47

My Swap Was Flawless

I had a late Oct/early nov '99 VDX, which Handspring swapped out for me when I bought my VisorPhone 2 weeks ago.
- before the new unit arrived, it sounded as if I was talking in a barrel. People I called all mentionedit.
- when the new unit arrived, the transmission problem cleared up!
- I'm sorry you're having problems - but I was very happy with the service.

- ordered th VP Monday morning the day they announced the $49 price;
- got the "swap e-mail Monday afternoon, called in & arranged for the swap;
- the phone arrived Thursday morning, the new VDX Thursday afternoon!

IMHO - that's GREAT service!!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

I don't call it 'great service' when they send me an email with the wrong instructions even if they send me a replacement overnight, especially when the replacement meets the replacement criteria as spelled out in the erroneous email.

Anyhow, I found an older thread in which burningyen states that:

quote:

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...if you have a Visor with a bad serial number and your microphone works, but poorly, you are NOT eligible for the exchange. You are only eligible if you have a Visor with a completely nonfunctional microphone.

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I wish I'd read this before I called for a second (and third) replacement.

__________________
Jeff