Hi Kathy: I too would like to see a trade-in program rather than a transplant. For example, I want the new braille display, even though the one in my unit is perfectly good, I want the feel of the new one. So, my choices are to try and sell my unit and then buy an m-power bran new, or, if Humanware had some sort of trade-in program $1000 toward a new m-power as trade for a braille note in good condition? I would rather trade it in because as you say, it will be more viable as a perfectly good unit to sell used. Please Humanware, give this some consideration. This is how it worked with the old Blazie products. Sincerely, Desiree
> ----- Original Message ----- >From: Kathy Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: Braillenote List <[email protected] >Date: Mon, 05 Sep 2005 03:10:09 -0700 >Subject: [Braillenote] What's The Purpose of Transplanting? >I'm confused by the "Transplant" program people keep talking about. As I >understand it, you send in a perfectly good used voice or braille note with a >braille display and they take its braille display and put it into an MPower >for you and according to Jonathan, junk the rest of the perfectly good unit. >Now I may be letting my recycling nature get the better of my undrstanding, >but this seems terribly wasteful, and I can't come up with an excuse or even a >justification for such waste. I could understand Humanware taking the used >units in on trade towards the new mPower then reselling the refurbished units >at a discount to benefit customers who could not afford the full priced new >units, to benefit the person trading in the unit, and to benefit themselves by >thereby giving them two sales and the pr of helping two customers. >Instead what they are doing is wasting perfectly good voicenote equivelants >just to remove their braille displays, and move those displays into otherwise >new mPowers thereby creating a highbred new/used unit with the Braille Display >already somewhere along its continuum of wear and devaluation. >Now if as we've been told, the "Classic" units still have value, will still be >upgraded and have things developed for them, etc. etc., then this surrender >for scavengering of display program is nothing but a wasteful means to >compensate for the fact that the braille display isn't removable leaving a >usable unit behind which could then be sold by the person wanting the new >mPower. Doesn't this original unit have more value financially if sold to >someone who wants it than simply that amount which goes towards the price of >the mPower because it provides the used display for the unit? Wouldn't it be >better or at least just as good for the individual wanting the mPower to first >sell their original unit then apply part of that money towards the new mPower >they choose thereby having a completely new unit? By selling the original >unit that buyer would benefit by getting a unit at a lower price. By applying >that money the mPower buyer would have the benefit of an all new unit. ! And by doi ng so > the future used market would not be confounded with a mess of old display > older display and new display models being sold at a later date. Why is > Humanware creating this chaos in the first place? Why aren't they simply > taking units in on trade as an option, reselling them after bringing them up > to spec as refurbished units, and thereby keeping the market clean for new > mPowers as all new units aging as a whole device rather than componants? If > the mPower customers don't care that they are throwing away a perfectly good > voicenote, couldn't Humanware come up with a coverplate for where the Braille > display was removed and leave these scavenged units as working non-Braille > units to be donated where needed or something useful? >Is this foreshadowing a loss of a market for these type of devices in the near >enough future that Humanware doesn't care that they are creating these >highbred new/used mPowers because a resale market of mPowers or any other >braillenote version is not going to be there very shortly if, in fact, the >upcoming screen reader technology for off-the-shelf PDA's and Smart Phones is >successfully combined with portable Braille displays? Why are they >deliberately damaging the resale market of the new mPowers? >Why is Humanware removing the number of Braillenotes from the used market that >are becoming doners for their displays alone rather than selling them as used >units for the cost of the credit towards the mPower thereby benefiting people >who want them? Is this simply a matter of figuring if these used units are off >the table, people will have to buy the new versions directly from them rather >than either used units from individuals or refurbished units from Humanware? >Where is the benefit in this policy?? >___ >To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit >http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
