Jonathan,
I am encouraged to hear that Humanware is addressing our tech support
issues! I had occasion to call tech support about three weeks ago and was
very pleased with the quick response I got. We could not get the unit to
respond and I was advised to send my unit in for service, however, I decided
to try another reset after we got off the phone and so far it is working
like a charm. I certainly think we as customers should be as quick to
praise Humanware as we are to criticise when things go wrong! Thanks for
all you guys do and thanks again for taking a look at the service we get in
the US. Have a great day!
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 10:39 PM
Subject: RE: [Braillenote] Disappointed with Humanware Tech Support
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
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