Ann and all, I don't know where the status of future BraillleNote transplants stands. I would caution you though, to wait until we can all find out more about what Humanware's plans are for it's customers. I don't think the outlook will be very optomistic. That is why I have decided to switch to Freedom Scientific. No vendor is perfect and not every piece of technology is perfect. But, I do think Freedom Scientific is committed to their total customer base, not just their low vision product customer base. We have been slowly watching the decline of the blindness products from Humanware. My observation is that they are going to put more emphasis on their low vision market, because that is where the biggest market is going to be in the future. The fact that customers are not receiving renewal information for their existing service contracts, only further substantiates my point.
-- Earlene -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Braillenote] What is happening to Humanware? From: "Ann K. Parsons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, December 06, 2007 8:01 am To: Earlene Hughes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Morning all, Let's make sure we understand what's going on here. According to your message below, any person who transplants their BrailleNote from now on can't get a service contract on the work done? Does this mean that if I choose to go for a transplant, since I am still running a classic, that I couldn't get a service contract, so that any money I spent on the project would go for naught? Earlene, I've been seriously thinking of getting a low cost loan in order to purchase the transplant so that I would have an MPower. Is this no longer an option? Before I'd plunk down my money for a PacMate, I'd take a good long look at the Braille Sense. Don't close off your options. If the Icon had a Braille Display, I might go for it, but it doesn't. Before I'd make a radical decision, I'd want to hear from Humanware staff on this one. I'd want to know what the policy really is, who initiated it, and most importantly why we, their customers weren't told about this. This is a major change in policy, and humanware had better understand that if Earlene Hughes, well known representative of American Council of the Blind and its affiliate BITS and a major player in the blindness field is unhappy, they've made a major mistake here, a major, political mistake that they should never have made. It will cost them. It may cost them dearly! <smiling sardonically> Yeh, how to lose friends and influence people, is that the new Humanware policy? I'd suggest that somebody from the main office get on this list PDQ and explain this monumental gaff! Ann P. Earlene Hughes writes: > Hello all, > I don't often have time to post to this list, and, perhaps this subject has > already been visited here. If so, please accept my appology. > > I want to share with you, what I found out from a Humanware Customer Service > representative, just in case others do not know about a recent policy change > which applies to BrailleNote Empower units that were transplanted with the > older braille cells. > > > Today is the day when my service contract should be renewed for another year. > I called Humanware and was connected to Customer Service. I confirmed my > name, unit's serial number, and address with the Representative. Then, to my > surprise, she said that she had to put me on hold for a minute. I couldn't > imagine why, -- I knew my credit card would be good, and I had not even given > it to her yet! So, I waited patiently for about 5 minutes until she returned. > What she told me caught me completely by surprise. She told me that I cannot > renew my service contract for the BrailleNote Empower that I have because > under the recently changed policy, Humanware is no longer making service > contracts available to those customers who have the older braille cells. > Then, she proceeded to tell me that I can get a credit of $2,200 if I want to > purchase a new unit that has the newer braille cells. > > I responded that I had updated my brailleNote to a transplanted unit in 2006, > and have always kept my service contract up to date since my original > purchase back in 2003. > To the best of my knowledge, I have not received a letter telling me that no > service contracts for my unit would be issued in the future. > Needless to say, I am very disappointed. This certainly is not the way good > customers should be treated. > > What is happening to Humanware? Humanware owes its customers an explanation. > We have invested considerable amounts of money purchasing and updating our > hardware and software. > I have never had my credit card in hand, only to be told that I could not > complete the transaction that I was expecting to be able to make. > The 500 dollars that I would have spent renewing my service contract, will > now be spent on purchasing a new Pacmate. Will I be making another mistake, I > hope not. But in the considerable amount of time I have been doing business > with Freedom Scientific, formerly Henter Joyce, I have never had a customer > experience like I had this evening. I'm willing to take that chance. > Humanware, you just lost another customer. You can be sure that I will not be > recommending BrailleNote purchases to my clients, or especially, to my > friends. > > To those of you on this list, thank you for listening. > I have enjoyed reading the many comments that have been posted here. > > > Best Wishes to all, > -- Earlene Hughes > > > ___ > Replies to this message will go directly to the sender. > If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a > copy to the list as well. > > 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 > -- Ann K. Parsons Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WEB SITE: http://www.portaltutoring.info Skype: Putertutor "All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost." JRRT ___ Replies to this message will go directly to the sender. If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a copy to the list as well. 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
