I would be interested in knowing what the status of Window-Eyes is?
The reason I ask, I understand there will be a major update to windows 10 in
April. Will Window-Eyes work with it?
-----Original Message-----
From: Vaughan Dodd via Talk
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 11:15 AM
To: 'David' ; 'Window-Eyes Discussion List'
Subject: RE: All phone calls now directed to VFO
I agree with much of what David has said below, but it seems to me that VFO
could still be much more up front and direct about the changes being
implemented and VFO's expectation that such changes will be beneficial to
all of its customers. Some corporate generated "spin" would be helpful.
It is confusing to mere mortals who have paid for our Window-Eyes to read
comments about dealers being withdrawn, but when I look here in New Zealand,
I notice that VFO has two dealers, but neither of them historically at least
deals with all products. And in fact - I have an optelec braille display,
purchased through a dealer who is not VFO. So to whom has my Window-eyes
record gone if I want support - which I don't and never get anyway? VFO as
the front for Freedom Scientific has discouraged direct contact from
customers outside of the U.S., whereas after much discussion I did have
direct contact with the old GW Micro and the more recent AI Squared. What
happens if my Optelec product needs to be serviced? So whilst mergers,
takeovers, buy-outs etc inevitably bring changes as to how things are done,
finding out through users being surprised at what they discover is simply
bad public relations.
Regarding Window-eyes and my braille display: VFO still fronts Freedom
Scientific far more vigourously than it does AI Squared and Optelec. Given
this - my uninformed, speculative logic indicates to me that perhaps Alva
displays will be discontinued in preference to Focus displays, and that
Window-Eyes will compete with NVDA as a free product, (but please donate if
you like it) and so forth. VFO's wall of death silence contributes to our
uninformed speculation.
Finally: why do we rant about this when VFO is not even having the decency
of responding with at least some reassuring words prepared at great expense
by the marketing and public relations team?
My answer: we just like talking to ourselves and venting, which is the
alternative to much more destructive courses of action.
Vaughan.
-----Original Message-----
From: Talk
[mailto:talk-bounces+vaughan.dodd001=msd.govt...@lists.window-eyes.com] On
Behalf Of David via Talk
Sent: Tuesday, 10 January 2017 10:31 p.m.
To: Chris Skarstad; Window-Eyes Discussion List; ukekearu...@valtdnet.com
Subject: Re: All phone calls now directed to VFO
Excuse me, please, but what is all the desperation about?
It is several months now, we have been aware VFO has bought AISquared, who
in turn bought GWMicro a couple of years ago. So, would it not be simple as
natural, to expect them to use their company name, when a customer calls in.
If I changed my name to John, would you then be comfortable with me
answering calls saying:
"Hello, you are speaking to Peter!"?
Of course, if you are calling some department of VFO, it will be VFO and
noone else who is rightfully answering the phone.
All you old-timers want them to still present themselves as GWMicro,
when you call in. But if I was a new customer, or at least relatively
new, calling a long-distance number for the first time - I sure would be
confused if I know the manufacturer of my screen reader to be VFO, and
someone comes on and say:
"GWMicro, how may I help you?"
And since they are all one big company now, it is time for us to realize
that their merging has been more fully completed. Gone are the days,
when a front-desk operator had to be physically located in the same
building as his employer. Who knows, when you call in now aday, the
operator that answers the phone, might be sitting in his living room,
back home in California, Texas, Virginia, or even in New England -
simply just transfering your call to the actual department and personel.
Do you all know, that some companies even have dismissed their
front-desk operator altogether these days? They buy the service from
another company, who has specialized in that kind of services. So,
calling a company, talking to some customer care personel, does no
longer dictate that this person even is employed by the company he is
representing when talking to you. He just sees which number you are
calling, and knows what to answer accordingly.
Nope, I am by no means telling this to be the case here, but just
because the company happens to use their real and updated name when
answering the phone, does tell nothing as to whether they have stopped
supporting their long-time customers.
Let's just finalize this message, with a scenario, and you all make up
your mind. Imagine that GWMicro had never been sould out. They would
have stayed exactly the same company, same staff, same productline. But
for some reason, they decide to rename the company, giving themselves a
more modern and humanlike name. So, they decide: We want to be named
"Bread and butter".
Now, after the renaming process has all been completed with all
authorities and registers, and you pick up your phone and call the
company, what do you expect them to say when answering? Use their old,
no longer valid name - thereby kind of being dishonest? - Or, use their
new and legally registered name? - Would you all have flushed the list
with messages saying things are nearing their underground, just because
of the name change and the accordingly answered phone call?
People, stop desparing, start make sense. If you could come back on the
list and tell us that the phone had been answered by a reliable
representative, who could confirm that the screen reader no longer is in
business - well then wake me up. Till then, I would have expected
nothing else from a company, even view it as clear-cut naturalness, that
the company presents themselves on the phone, with their legal name.
That it happened right now, might be because it was right now all
paper-work has been finished. Or, it might be they just decided it was a
good and clean time to process the change, at the turn of a new year. I
do see nothing in this, that indicates anything but the fact, the new
company name is VFO, and will stay VFO. You don't stop being yourself,
even if you change your surname when getting married, do you? Or, just
because you happen to get a new cellphone, with another number. Where is
the sense-making?
David
On 1/9/2017 9:38 PM, Chris Skarstad via Talk wrote:
there has been absolutely no official announcement that window-eyes is
going away. I'm so glad everyone here has all the answers and that
we've all made up our minds despite no official announcement yet. If
we did everything your guys way we'd all be in real trouble.
On 1/9/2017 3:33 PM, Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, Inc. via Talk
wrote:
R I P Window-Eyes! Even though we are still together, I must begin
preparing for the funeral service for real! No, not trying to scare
you,
but the handwriting is definitely on the wall and we can all refuse
to read
it. Sad doom days slowly coming down with a bang, bang!!
Sincerely,
Olusegun
Denver, Colorado
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