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

If the rumored number of orders are correct (about 50,000) a small percentage of messed up orders would make for hundreds or even thousands of messed up orders. Those unhappy people want to vent so they get on the Internet and spew venom on VisorCentral. This makes people who are still waiting nervous and they all call Handspring and now they are getting thousands of calls daily. This volume of calls make hold times too long and disconnects all too common. Now everyone starts *****ing about the hold times and disconnects and this makes even more people call because they are getting nervous. All these calls and database queries and updates increase the chances of even more errors. We also have people who get on here an exaggerate the problems by posting messages like "those of us who ordered in September essentially had their orders lost" and even though this isn't true it generates more angst and more venom. It just gets worse and worse.

It's human nature that the unhappy people make the most noise while the happy people go on with their lives.

It has now been one week since they started shipping, I predict the noise level will decrease soon. (But most of the messages will still be from unhappy people.)

According to the "Visor Received Log" topic there have been 49 Visors received by VisorCentral users. I think that isn't too bad after only one week of shipping, considering there are only 691 registered users and not everyone ordered one and not everyone bothers to post a message.

Just because the vast majority of the posts on VisorCentral are about Handspring problems, it doesn't mean that Handspring is about to go under or that your not going to get your Visor.

(I ordered mine on 9/14 and I still haven't seen mine either. Hoping for Monday delivery though.)

-Eric

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Glassboro, NJ USA
Posts: 4

Eric-

Finally, a voice of reason shines through.

Is it just me, or does it seem a little extreme to sit on hold for hours at a time? If I'm on hold for over 10 minutes, I hang up and try again later. I picture an anxious Visor owner-to-be, already inflamed by the Handspring-hostile mentality that runs rampant here, becoming more angry each time the recorded voice is heard.

There's obviously something wrong with Handspring's customer service. But spending an entire day or night on hold is like hitting one's self in the head with a hammer.

My advice to those people is to relax and get a grip on reality. The Visor is not a cure for cancer. It's not a Carribbean vacation. It's not even a party. It's a stupid little gadget that helps organize the information in our lives.

I wonder if there are Palm users out there, pacing and chain smoking like expectant parents during a difficult delivery. I'd like to have a look at their to-do list:

Call UPS, check on status
Call Handspring - Hold 14 hours, disconnected
Call Handspring - Hold 9 hours, hung up
Call UPS, check on status
Check VisorCentral, post angry message
Call Handspring - Talk to stupid CSR
Call UPS, check on status
Email Donna Dubinsky
Post message written to Donna
Wait for Donna's reply
Post message re: Donna's unresponsiveness
Wait for Donna's reply
Post message re: Donna's lame apology
Call UPS, check on status
...ad nauseum...

Sorry folks, life's too short. Who's got the time and energy to worry like this? Handspring will get their act together. We will all get our gizmos. Some will have to straighten out messed up orders. We're on the bleeding edge, and I guess a little chaos is the price we pay for being among the first.

Thanks for a good post Eric, and thanks to the people who created visorcentral.com. This looks to be a great source of Visor info.

Mike

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

Eric,

You're in denial dude, and if you're smart you'll get on the horn to them today. Feel free to wait though, so others can get their orders corrected.

Handspring call supervisors and company execs have admitted that there was a massive problem with the early orders, many of which were lost and/or had to be reconstructed.

There is documented evidence all over this forum of *very basic* and quite bizarre mistakes with orders. I've been ordering stuff mail order since way before the Internet and that stuff just does not happen by chance to the point where a forum this small has so many sad examples from one company. Some people are even being charged for Visors sent to other states!


Their CEO isn't writing apology letters for the hell of it. Their database was thoroughly corrupted, and their choice to ship before fixing it is what has caused the phone crunch -- not customers trying to find out where that express shipment went to, or being quadruple charged and trying to fix that.

They should have contacted us long ago to fix the errors and since they didn't they should have anticipated our calls.

Handspring isn't going away, but then again you won't get your Visor either if your credit card is wrong, your address is wrong, or they can't find your order. Good luck with going the hoping route. See this thread for the expected results of that:
http://www.visorcentral.com/visor/d...TML/000554.html

And here's a relevant post from another thread too...posted by: BizEchilD

"Wow, another person from Ohio that got screwed.. that makes 3 I know of.

I might as well write someone and tell them to send me a graphite Vdx since people have been saying blue and ice are backordered.. So much for ordering early and alleviating any of those running out of stock worries.

And whoever said WE are making this worse and you're waiting for a monday delivery? I ordered the 14th too and while I wish for a monday delivery, it's difficult when they haven't even shipped it yet."



[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 10-24-1999).]

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

Well if I don't get it on Monday, I'll call them and find out what happened. If it takes a few more weeks, I'll live with it. The world won't end if I don't have my Visor.

Don't get me wrong, I am very anxious to get it and I am more than a little concerned that my order may have been fubared. I'm just going to wait until next week and see what happens.

-Eric

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

Hey, I can live without any PDA at all, it's more the principle of the whole fiasco that bothers me. I pre-ordering an item on faith on 9/14, part of that faith was that Handspring would notify me if there was a prblem with my order like every other company on earth does.

There was a gigantic problem, and they blew me off along with thousands of others forcing us to pay for hours on hold just to find out. And guess what? So much of what is told to customers conflicts with other claims that no one really has any idea what's going on.

Tracking numbers are the only proof that *something* in a box is headed your way, and they can't even provide that.

Club Handspring on Yahoo is buzzing with the same sentiment...
http://messages.clubs.yahoo.com/clu...966&mid=150

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: New York, New York USA
Posts: 25

I have to agree with you Reganic. This is not the end of the world but it is the principal of the matter. This company has failed its customers and done nothing about it. The number of mistakes is unacceptable. Do you have built in excuses t work if you make mistakes? Maybe once, but if you continue to fail or make a big enough mistake, you are fired.

There is also the breach of contract issue here. It could be argued, very successfuly I thnk, that Handspring by putting up its website and taking orders and promising people product made offers to us and then breached that contract with their subsequent actions (or in action.) I think that a class action lawsuit or the threat thereof, will make Jeff and Donna take a second look.

The negative publicity would be devistating if it hit the mainstream media.

I think the pressue needs to be kept on this company. The cocky attitude of Jeff Hawkins is unacceptable. Action needs to be taken.


Jim

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 39

MikeBorg:
I have a feeling had you been rendered broke by Handspring your attitude may change. I am a college student that uses only a single credit card. Handspring, via their SNAFUs, rendered this credit card useless via numerous authorization holds. That goes beyond the realm of just messing up an order. I'd be passive about that, I won't die if I dont get my visor within a few weeks. If it doesn't come in reasonable time I'll just cancel the order, no big deal. However, When I cant buy my food when I'm hungry, I get upset.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Modesto, CA USA
Posts: 599

Emeyer
I agree with you. I'd suggest though that Dubnisky make another post about shipping on Monday and how many Visors have actually been ordered etc. I believe that the number of problems are far outweighed by the number of content customers.

It seems that those further East are having more issues because of the distance in shipping. Handspring started shipping on 10/15 many people on the East Coast shouldn't even expect their units until Monday or Tuesday.

I called C.S. one time after my initial order. And I probably wouldn't have if there hadn't been so much negative hype.

I for one would gladly give Handspring a 4 Star (out of 5) rating at this point in time. They only reason they don't get a 5 is because of lack of good communication. This will surely change once they can ramp up to meet the higher than expected volume.

You know other than some industry hype (internet, PC magazines etc.) They haven't advertised. Goodness people just think if they had ads running in all of the trade magazines etc about availability how much more inidated they'd be. A company that was just after our money would be heavily advertising....they haven't. They realize the issues and our just trying to respond to this little volume. Must be one hell of a product to generate this much hype...and it is!

For those of you who are having serious problems ask yourself this, How many times have I called CS to check on my order or to change it. I wonder if the problems are directly proportional to the number of times that you've called? Now if it is then the CS department should be looked at heavily by Handspring. If it isn't then just chalk it up to Murphy's law. Hey, I ordered a pen the other from a place that is only 30 miles from my house it took that company two weeks to ship.

Get over it.

[This message has been edited by RSGMOOSE (edited 10-24-1999).]

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

I'm willing to bet that Handspring checked the credit card of people when they called in to check their orders, this and the verification done before shipping would account for the "overcharges". (They actually weren't overcharges, they were just checks for available funds which disappear eventually unless exercised.)

If it weren't for the irate and very vocal few on the forum, I don't think we would have the mess that we have today.

Now to make matters worse this talk of legal action will probably slow matters to a crawl while Handspring has to get prepared to defend themselves from the threat of law suit.

-Eric

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Glassboro, NJ USA
Posts: 4

The people who have had their credit cards maxed by Handspring have a legitimate gripe, and HS has a legal and ethical obgligation to straighten that mess out right away. I have no doubt they will, but it will take time. It's obvious that the problems were caused by the mistake of rushing to ship the product before the infrastructure was in place. This point has been beaten into the ground already.

No attorney in his right mind would take on a class action lawsuit against HS at this time.

I sense some people are getting a real kick out of stirring up the others, and seeing the mob mentality emerge.

Mike

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 95

I don't flame very often, but...

I am amazed and appalled at the mob mentality that seems to permeate this bulletin board. It's one thing to be excited about a new product, and disappointed when there are problems with the delivery.

It is a completely other thing to wail and scream and act like a bunch of spoiled rotten brats.

Has Handspring botched the order process? Yes. On Thursday, I called and found out that HS had pre-authorized two $320 amounts; one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday. I found out Friday that they put shipping on hold to get some time to fix the problems. On Saturday when I checked my MC, I found that the Thursday authorization had been rescinded. They put shipping on hold, they found the problem, and they fixed it. Shipping will probably restart next week.

People complain about not having the Visors, so HS goes beyond their capabilities to try to ship them, and they mess up. People have no shortage of criticism for the botchedness, so HS puts shipping on hold to get a handle on the problem. Then, people complain about shipping being on hold ("I want it now!") to fix the problems. Yet when HS was going beyond their capabilities to get the product out there, then people complained about the problems and called for legal action.

Just because HS has messed things up, does that mean that we should act as dishonorably and childishly as to constantly whine and complain and call/harass the CSR's, thereby throwing a monkey wrench into what is decidedly a difficult startup venture? I think not IMHO.

Grow up. "Patience is a virtue." If there's a problem, then tell HS about it, give them some time to work it through. In a couple 2-3 weeks, if HS hasn't made right on the problems, then take the next step with legal action.

Until then, ENOUGH OF THE MOB MENTALITY!!!!! Chill out, everyone!

Let's face it; I may need a Visor to get my act together and to get myself better organized. Nonetheless, I certainly don't need it to live. I've been living just fine without it for 32 years.

And if you are convinced that you can't live without a PDA, then buy a Palm or even a WinCE device. Either way, relax!

MJH <><

P. S. I apologize if it violates a BB rule of ethic to post the same message on 2 different threads, but I think it applies here too.

[This message has been edited by mike1in3 (edited 10-24-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Modesto, CA USA
Posts: 599

Mike,

I think in this instance it's appropriate to "dup" the post.

I like your comments in the various threads. Keep up the good work.

Satsified Handspring Customer!


[This message has been edited by RSGMOOSE (edited 10-24-1999).]

[This message has been edited by RSGMOOSE (edited 10-24-1999).]

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

Eric: When you are told 3 weeks ago by CS that you will receive the visor in a week to 10 days and call the 716 # 5 times only to be disconnected 5 times, do one have a right to complain? If I treated the customers of my corporation like we have been treated., I would be out of business in 24 hours. If it was not for the complainers would we ever received a responese from Jeff or Donna?
I respect your right to express your views, but we "complainers" do not deserve to be put down by "you"!!!
I ordered several units to give to my grandchildren. I dont care if I receive them in 6 months even though I ordered them on 9/14. I feel that we should get straight answers. :-)

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

The only reason people must contact Handspring is becaue there was/is no process in place for Handspring to contact customers who are in the group of orders they've screwed up.

Handspring's faulure to provide tracking numbers for supposed shipments has led people to the supervisors who often admit nothing was ever shipped when pressed for proof.

I thank God Handspring is making PDA's and not fixing systems for Y2K. Fix-on-failure is not a responsible way to do things. The standard CSR line (when they don't lie) is "I have no idea where your Visor is, but it should have been shipped. Call us if you don't get it next week." This is the same line given to some "express" customers who were calling at the end of last week. Two weeks for an ovenight shipment? Yeah, right.

I'm glad to see some people buy PR spin. It restores my faith in the powers of corporate propaganda. The real mob is the crowd that bends over for "the treatment" Handspring gives them, people who speak up for themselves and fellow screwed customers on principle tend to be in the minority.


[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 10-25-1999).]