Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 3

Can someone post the e-mail address for Donna or any other "real" Handspring employees? I'm going to cancel my order if I don't get some reasonable explanation as to why I haven't received my product after 8 weeks and an honest estimate as to when I will recieve it.

There's just no excuse. If they have the product and they have my order, any idiot can send it out and bill it. It's not rocket science to put it in a box, slap on a label, and record the cc info.

Either they don't have enough product, or they don't have enough idiots.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Posts: 7

Too many idiots, you mean. For all college students on this board. . .this is an example of how NOT to run a business. I've emailed HS at least 5 times, no result. Like most busy Americans, I DO NOT HAVE TIME, nor do I have the patience, to wait on hold for 45 minutes to get inconsequential information.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

babyface,

The posting of Handspring employees (or anyone else's) email addresses without their consent is not allowed.

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James Hromadka
VisorCentral.com
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/jehromadka

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

Yeah babyface, Donna and Sandy don't want to be inconvenienced by e-mail from a customer! Call the CSR's for your daily lie so HS can say they aren't responsible for what you're told.

Seriously though, since HS is a virtual start-up, they are allowed by the FTC to lie, overbill for multiple orders, knowingly overload a corrupt database, send whatever color they choose, and otherwise block order cancellations to make their business look like an "overwhelmed" success. But, after a three month training-wheel period they must be responsible like other companies.

I wonder...how many people will have confidence in pre-ordering from another future start-up with less clout then these kids had? Seems like Handspring has really taken the shine off of e-commerce. Sad.



[This message has been edited by reganc (edited 11-17-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 106

Blunt...yet well stated.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 20

Hi. I can't explain how fed up I am with these mind games HS is playing with us. There is no excuse for their failure. "Didn't expect this type of response" Yeah right. Show us your marketing plans. "Didn't plan the Visor to be a Christmas item" You know, that would be a novel idea. "We're working to improve" Oh yeah, well, "SHOW ME THE VISOR!" I think flaming HS on the web is only a way for us to vent our frustrations. We need to take action. We need to make them pay for this mistake. Here is the information you need to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Will this get you your Visor faster? Probably not, but if enough of us complain, HS will take our business more seriously. I just hope enough of us are willing to follow through with the BBB. Good luck! http://www.bbb.org/complaints/consumerform.html


[This message has been edited by wilwen (edited 11-18-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 5

Email me at [email protected] for emails of handspring company "management."

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: rochester NY
Posts: 15

Handspring is the ULTIMATE resposnible party...cannot absolve them from blame because they:

1. didnt expect large volume of orders (all new companies HATE big opening sales volume, dont they?)

2. apparently cant organize a database...nice problem for a damn info services technology company!

3. hired a bad contractor...you hire a bad contractor to act on your behalf...you pay the price...for god sakes...HIRE ANOTHER, DO IT YOURSELF, MAKE YOUR CONTRACTOR DELIVER! (PICK ONE!)

4. told everyone they would take orders only on the web...and then took orders by phone..and then seem to have forgotten how to get orders OFF the web once placed, so taht they can process and ship?

give it a break...two people, having come from a start up company...and should have worked ALL of these bugs out with first time around at PALM, made/same/more errors...

HandSpring 99...soon to be a classic "how NOT to" case study in MBA programs throughout the land!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 34

Don't forget number 5, misleading customers about the colors available for the Visor Deluxe (i.e. how the blue, green, and orange models have an "ice" back half rather than being a solid color all around). I've griped to the FTC about this.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 25

Aw, c'mon! It's obvious that the back is ice on the website! Unless you're using Lynx to browse, I think you're being a bit nitpicky...sending complaints like that to the FTC will only distract them from the real issue at hand...perhaps even make them ignore valid complaints. Stop crying wolf.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: St. Petersburg FL USA
Posts: 11

I want to address this responsibility issue right now. A company is held responsible for all the actions that a subcontractor does in the name of that company. PERIOD. there is now way around that. The parent company has to provide clear instructions to the subcontractor behavior and if the subcontractor fails then the parent company can get restitution from the subcontractor as per their agreement. But the company is still responible to the customer for the mistakes that the subcontractor made.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 121

Zelig,

If you ordered early enough, the site *did not* show or say anything about the color backsides being ice. Also the old HS website pictures showed the Blue as a darker shade.

Many people have commented on being misled.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 5

Allen Bukoff, PhD
248-540-4473

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For the unbelievable and nightmarish continuing saga of this story please see follow-up post, "Someone please kill me..." at: http://discussion.visorcentral.com/...TML/000542.html
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