Hi Sammie, Thank you for forwarding through the messages relating to service contracts on mPower's transplant units using the older Tieman displays.
My understanding for the reason that the US office is no longer able to offer a service contract on units fitted with the earlier Tieman braille cells is that replacement parts are no longer available, so apart from cleaning and minor repairs it is now becoming increasingly difficult to service the braille cells. The mPower motherboard is the same irrespective of whether the unit is fitted with the older Tieman cells or the later KGS cells, so the servicing issue relates directly to the braille cell and its associated Cursor Routing board. I will contact the US office to summarise the alternative we are offering so that we can advise the List in the coming week. Comments that HumanWare are shifting their emphasis to low vision products are not true, this is simply a matter of parts obsolescence, which is hardly surprising seeing that many of the Tieman display are now 5 to 7 years old. Regards Maurice ________________________ Maurice Sloane Sales & Support Manager - Blindness HumanWare Direct Dial: +64 3 940 2223 Mobile: +64 21 528 374 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: www.humanware.com sammie clay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 07/12/2007 11:29 a.m. To Maurice Sloane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> cc Write Humanware <[email protected]> Subject in case you haven't seen messages on this subject Hello Mr. Sloane, I'm forwarding this message to you because you seem to be the only HumanWare representative who has been replying to our questions. If it is true, that people can no longer purchase maintenance contracts for their MPower transplants, then perhaps someone from HumanWare should address their concerns. It seems to me that it would be a very small concession for HumanWare to say something about this subject. If the alligation is not true, then it's time to reassure MPower transplant users of the reliability of HumanWare's products and of the company's allegiance to it's clients. However, if this is true, and MPower transplant owners will no longer be allowed to purchase maintenance contracts, then someone should tell us that and explain the reason for this change in policy. I had both my BrailleNotes transplanted to an MPower because HumanWare warned that Keysoft 7.2 would be the last upgrade for the classic, and that eventually, as parts were no longer available, the possibility existed that they would no longer be serviced. That warning propelled me to re-finance my home to have the transplants done. Suddenly, and without a warning, HumanWare seems to have made a change in a service policy for it's transplant. My BrailleNote transplants are in excellent condition, and I use them daily, but I personally don't want to envision a time when the MPower won't be upgraded or serviced because HumanWare has changed it's policy and is busy marketing some version of a CCTV. Any reassurance from the new owners of HumanWare that there is a future for the BrailleNote transplants would be greatly appreciated. Many of us, who own transplants, are on fixed incomes and either must go into debt to purchase even the less costly VoiceNote MPower or must contact a government rehabilitation agency to procure the funding for the more pricy products. As we are reluctant to continually go into debt to purchase products which improve our quality of life, our government's rehabilitation agencies are even more reluctant and usually won't provide funding for a new product simply because the one we own now is obsolete. a conversation by several list members and Kim at HumanWare California let me know that with $2,200 and my perfectly good BrailleNote I can get a new model which is not a transplant. Reading the list over the past few months, it seems that the Braille cells on the transplants are much better than those on the new model, so why would anyone want to spend more than two thousand dollars for a device which is inferior to what they already have? Since the company has set up divisions in places other than Christ Church, new Zealand, which country and which president will be responsible for the manufacturing and distributing of the MPower? Will the primary responsibility be the United States, New Zealand, or Canada? Or has it like many other things, been moved to China? Sincerely, Sammie Clay ---- Original Message ------ From: Earlene Hughes <[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Braillenote] What is happening to Humanware? Date sent: Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:33:47 -0700 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 ___ 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
