Hi Melissa and all others who've contributed to this thread. Firstly, I'm pleased that you are now receiving the assistance you require and that the matter is being investigated. We do take reports of these sorts of issues very seriously so we appreciate hearing when we didn't meet your expectations, as well as when we may have exceeded them.
I would have to respectfully disagree with and offer an alternative perspective on Richard Ring's somewhat cynical message in this thread. Firstly, I think the distinction between so-called mainstream businesses and assistive technology businesses does not accurately reflect the way we feel about our business. HumanWare is a commercial company, governed by a Board of Directors with considerable governance experience in the corporate sector, staffed by professionals in engineering, customer service, quality assurance, financing and other disciplines. Most have held positions in similar companies that happen to make products for the sighted. The fact that we produce products for the blind in no way lessens anyone's commitment to quality or customer service. In fact, knowing many of our various teams as I do, I would say that if anything, the opposite is the case. Our various teams are highly conscious of the huge impact that what they do has on the ability of blind people to succeed in all walks of life. They are all too aware of just how vital this equipment is for the people who use it. Like most humans, they are of course encouraged by praise, and disappointed when we don't meet expectations. To say that once a blind person has an assistive technology product, companies can relax because we've got you locked in, doesn't reflect the way that consumer-driven markets work. Maybe it is hard for a customer to switch, I don't deny that, however the more locked in a customer feels when they have a product that they're not happy with, the louder they will complain about the product, and the more they are likely to urge customers to buy a competitor's product. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. So we are deeply committed to doing all we can to provide good service. We hope that this will ensure that when a friend asks you about a Braille product, you will be able to say with enthusiasm, "HumanWare has looked after me and I love what this thing can do". Perhaps we have been a victim of our own success to some degree. The BrailleNote mPower has sold better than even I had dreamed of, and there have been delays in a number of areas. But we are addressing this growth by adding more tech support and servicing personnel, particularly in the USA. I would also say that we endeavour to be much more accessible to our customers than many companies either inside this industry or in the computer industry generally. We run this e-mail list, where I as the Product Manager and other engineering staff respond to questions and suggestions. Someone like the late Dean Jackson for instance, was only too happy to make a call in the middle of the night New Zealand time in order to solve a problem for a US customer. In saying all this, I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement. There most certainly is, and at the recent conventions we were absolutely up front about that. The point of this message is to respond to the belief that somehow the people who work here are indifferent to these issues, or set a lower standard for themselves than any other technology company. We're strongly committed to achieving excellence in everything we do. So do keep those comments coming, they are taken seriously and acted upon. Jonathan Mosen BrailleNote Product Marketing Manager HumanWare 11 Mary Muller Drive Christchurch New Zealand DDI: +64-3-940-2219 http://www.humanware.com "Richard Ring" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 03/08/2006 07:51 a.m. Please respond to Braillenote List <[email protected]> To "Braillenote List" <[email protected]> cc Subject RE: [Braillenote] Disappointed with Humanware Tech Support First impressions mean a great deal. I can tell you horror stories about every company in the blindness field. I have said it before, and I will say it again; if the companies who sell these products were in a mainstream business, they would have gone belly up a long time ago. For the most part, none of them provide first class service, they do not provide first class customer support, and they do not seem the least bit interested in improving upon this. And now ladies and gentleman, here's the reason why. If you have purchased a Pac Mate, or a Braillenote, it is highly unlikely that you will suddenly be able to afford to purchase the other product. In other words, if you've had had a difficult time with Freedom Scientific, chances are you will not be able to simply go out and purchase a Braillenote. And the reverse is also true. These devices are too costly, and the majority of the purchases are made by state and Federal agencies in the United States and the companies who are not providing first class technical support and first class repair services don't have to change anything because people are still purchasing their products. What is needed is some way to make all of the companies in this field feel that they are indeed accountable. If a car manufacturer produces bad cars, the news media are on it like flies on dead meat. Unfortunately, when we deal with products whose total market is probably less than one per cent of the population, that isn't going to happen. I am not damning or praising any particular company here, I am stating that in this man's opinion none of the companies in this field are providing either technical support and/or customer service at a level that reflects much respect for their customer base. No one should be told that a call will be returned and then no call is ever received. I have also seen cases where individuals call a company and receive conflicting information. The only way I believe that this situation will ever change is if an independent group of individuals from state and Federal agencies and consumer organizations and other interested parties forms and attempts to monitor the kind of service that customers are receiving from these companies. Perhaps such a watch dog group could publish newsletters discussing the kind of service people are receiving. Without such a mechanism in place, we always receive second class service from all of the companies in this field. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Milissa Garside Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 9:00 AM To: Braillenote List Subject: [Braillenote] Disappointed with Humanware Tech Support Hi Everyone, For those of you on the list who live in the united states, what has your experience been with Humanware tech support? I have called tech support out in California several times regarding a battery issue with my voice note MPower. Each time I have called, I have always been told either by an actual person or by a recorded voice to leave a message and someone from tech support will get back to me. This method is all well and good except that a humanware tech support person has never returned any of my calls. Considering I have paid over 2000 dollars out of my own pocket for my MPower, not being able to get in touch with a tech support person is unacceptable! I hate to say this but, in terms of tech support, Freedom Scientific takes much better care of it's customers than Humanware in the United States does. I have been more than happy with Humanware in every other aspect accept for tech support. It should not take me a month and a half to get in touch with a tech support person. For those of you who are part of humanware on this list, how can I get in contact with a humanware tech support person? I suspect that my MPower is going to need to be sent out for repair. I begin my fall semester of school on September 5th. If in fact my MPower needs to be sent in for repair, I need to send it bakc very soon and need to have it back in my hands by Tuesday September 5th. Any help you can give to expidite this process would me much appreciated. Thank you. Milissa [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ 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 ___ 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 ___ 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
