Have A Problem With Your Pocket PC? Call Your OEM!

[Ed Hansberry]

I think the first place most of us turn to for support is the newsgroups or various online forums like those here at Pocket PC Thoughts. Usually, that is a pretty good idea. Chances are, someone has already had the same problem and can help you out. Sometimes though you find out it is a known problem experienced by several people and there is no fix. Examples include alarm reminders not working for some people or others having to manually delete a registry key to allow the Terminal Server client connect to their Terminal Server after each connection.<br /><br />When this happens, most of us tend to grumble and shout at Microsoft to fix it. Then we go to another board and complain there. That is not good. Microsoft does see some of these posts and the MVPs forward this info to Microsoft as well, but guess who has the most power to sway Microsoft to fix an issue? The OEM! If HP gets enough complaints about an issue via customer support, they will call up Microsoft and get the issue moved high up on the fix list. One call from HP, Toshiba or Dell has more impact than does 100, or even 1,000 posts. The only way to get an OEM upset enough to call Microsoft is for you and a few dozen of your closest friends with the same issue to call their tech support line.<br /><br />Yeah, I know. It is a hassle. You get stale music, at least 5 levels of an automated telephone maze and a tech support person that will often go "have you tried a hard reset" right off of the bat. I am as guilty as you are in avoiding this, but it only hurts the chances of the issue getting resolved. So, do you have some problems with your Pocket PC that you know it will take Microsoft or your OEM to actually sit down and fix? Call them. Arrange to take your lunch sometime this week next to a phone you can afford to spend 30-60 minutes at while eating to get the problem logged. Then call them back in a week or two and ask for a status update. Get the problem elevated unless they tell you it is already on their elevation list. I think the alarm issue is already there. :D

[Talldog]

Nope, can't do it!

Every call I've ever made to an OEM has resulted in "do a hard reset" or send it in, it must be a hardware problem". Not gonna waste my time.

[rzanology]

I agree, the hard reset is always the default "solution." But...when I call hp I always seem to get a nice lady from Guiana. I can't remember her name, but you'll know her by her accent. She always seems to care a bit more than the other people there. I remember telling her I wish they would come out with a rom flash for the 2215 because mine was just buggy no matter what. Her reply to me was, "I did see something about that being an on going problem" And here it is...my 2215 flash :). As with most cases, I guess it matters who you speak to. Some are there to pay their phone bill and some are their because they too share the same passion as the customer.

[Brad Adrian]

You make some very good points, Ed. I agree wholeheartedly that unless we contact the OEMs, broken and wrong functionality will not get fixed.

That said, I am always AMAZED at the collective wisdom and knowledge that the Thoughts community has. So, by all means, we need to be talking to the OEMs; but when it comes to the accuracy of proposed fixes for many problems, I trust this group a LOT.

[Ed Hansberry]

Nope, can't do it!

Every call I've ever made to an OEM has resulted in "do a hard reset" or send it in, it must be a hardware problem". Not gonna waste my time.
That is totally your call. But by doing so, you forfeit your right to complain, just as those that don't vote in elections have no right to complain about who is in office. :mrgreen:

[ux4484]

heh...

I have to honestly say, I've never contacted Microsoft about any of PPC's "little secrets", though I have contacted Dell on them. The alarms are a good example, because I assume that Microsoft knows about the problem already, and that the only people that (after how long?) can possibly put pressure on them are the OEM's. I've emailed Dell on MS support issues multiple times. They've let me know if they know about it and if it's their or MS's problem, they claim to add it to the list of "Action Items" they submit to MS. I'll work around any OS shortcomings to avoid having to do a support mandated hard reset if possible, so I won't tie up their or my phone with it, but I do let them know they exist.

It's a point well taken Ed, the OEM's have way more leverage with MS than individual owners complaing, we need to take advantage of that.

[Jeff Rutledge]

It would be nice if there was an email address form we could use. A lot more people would respond this way than if they had to take time out of the day to sit on hold...

[bjornkeizers]

I never talk to OEMs, regardless of the product or problem. None of them ever bother to read Email, and the responses you get are... well,... ****, generally speaking. They don't know what the hell they're doing, or just don't care and send the standard reply; with the most basic suggestions.

When I want good, reliable info, I go to the people I know and trust; the end user who had to figure it out without any help. People like you guys. I trust info from PPCT over an OEM's any day.

[JvanEkris]

I must stress that every call is one that could tip the balance. The attitudes like Microsoft already knows it I will not make a difference etc.are generally false assumptions. Microsoft certainly do not hear everything, and people really can make a difference.

Some OEM's are very helpfull (Siemens is one of them), and that means that you can achieve a lot fast. Telling the operator that you tapped into the global community and actually tried everything also shortens the maze in some cases (they are not all script-monkeys)....

Jaap

[Talldog]

Nope, can't do it!

Every call I've ever made to an OEM has resulted in "do a hard reset" or send it in, it must be a hardware problem". Not gonna waste my time.
That is totally your call. But by doing so, you forfeit your right to complain, just as those that don't vote in elections have no right to complain about who is in office. :mrgreen:
You're absolutely right Ed, which is why I don't complain about the bugs. My routine is:

1. Look for a fix/workaround at PPCT
2. Look for a fix/workaround at BH
3. Look for an app that fixes the problem (like notifications)
4. Wait for a ROM upgrade

Works for me.

[JvanEkris]

But by keeping silent, you also deprive Microsoft (and not to mention all other users) of extremely valuable feedback of field-problems. By doing so, Microsoft will get the idea that a product has very little problems in the field, making it less powerfull in the long run against competitors like Palm and Symbian.....

Jaap

[ctmagnus]

I try to avoid calling the OEM as much as possible and when I do have to call, I hope to high heaven that I get someone who's there to actually help people. When I get a CSR who suggests a hard reset, I always come back with "already tried that" and I almost always get escalated to a more knowledgable CSR. There's one guy at HP/Compaq who's extremely helpful and I've gotten him a few times, and the last gentleman I spoke with owned the same model unit as I do and he had it sitting in front of him when I called. That was a positive experience.

imo, it all boils down to knowing how to wrangle the CSRs. ;)

[Paragon]

I think the alarm issue is already there. :D

Yeah, but is the X (closing/minimizing) issue there. :bangin:

You make some very good points Ed. For OEMs the only way to judge how wide a problem is, is by the number of calls they get on an issue. I agree that the best help is found in places other than OEM customer support setups. I guess if we all look at it as being more of a way to prioritize an issue we may find we are a bit more willing to take the time.

Dave

[LarDude]

Nope, can't do it!

Every call I've ever made to an OEM has resulted in "do a hard reset" or send it in, it must be a hardware problem". Not gonna waste my time.
That is totally your call. But by doing so, you forfeit your right to complain, just as those that don't vote in elections have no right to complain about who is in office. :mrgreen:

I disagree, Ed. I don't forfeit my right to complain. I can and WILL express my displeasure with my wallet. If an OEM is really interested in my feedback, they would make it easier for me to provide constructive comments and suggestions (c'mon, you're telling me they couldn't put together a website which could take my comments, parse it thru some "relevancy" filter -- a la anti-SPAM software, and then forward the surviving real/useful complaints/comments to the appropriate channels?).

I certainly would NOT sit around for 30-60 minutes during lunch hour waiting to connect to some operator who likely won't have the solution to my problem. Don't forget that your time is worth money also (even lunch hour -- and no, don't get me started on that tirade)...how many hours of your time does your PDA cost?

[Janak Parekh]

I disagree, Ed. I don't forfeit my right to complain. I can and WILL express my displeasure with my wallet. If an OEM is really interested in my feedback, they would make it easier for me to provide constructive comments and suggestions (c'mon, you're telling me they couldn't put together a website which could take my comments, parse it thru some "relevancy" filter -- a la anti-SPAM software, and then forward the surviving real/useful complaints/comments to the appropriate channels?).
Well, yes and no. You'd be amazed how much "crap" we get in the news submissions box here, and it would be hard to differentiate programmatically.

Anyway, I think Ed's talking more about people who see fit to spend substantial amounts of time on webboards complaining about a problem. I've seen that kind of behavior, and in that case, it's far more practical to contact the OEM directly.

--janak

[LarDude]

Anyway, I think Ed's talking more about people who see fit to spend substantial amounts of time on webboards complaining about a problem. I've seen that kind of behavior, and in that case, it's far more practical to contact the OEM directly.


Ahhh, I see...I guess it's a kind of "hobby" for some.

[buckyg]

I hate spending all the time waiting on hold to talk to customer support, only to get dumb scripted answers like "do a hard-reset" just as much as the next person. But when I do, I'm prepared to tell them I already tried the hard-reset, I checked their website, checked forums like here, etc.

It is a good idea to go through the official channels to make sure they know a problem exists. Maybe there is a fix. Maybe they don't know it is a widespread problem.

It may also help them understand why people are voting with their wallet. It won't get the problem fixed if all I do is go elsewhere. The problem will probably continue, since they don't know why I went elsewhere.

[TheScream]

I once got HP/Compaq to replace the imfamous H3870 with a brand new H3970 for free. Just about every known issue with the H3870 I had. It took about a month of calling but eventually they gave in. I also happen to drop the phrase a few times "how could I ever recommend an iPAQ to one of my customers if this is the kind of support they can expect?" because I sell this stuff on the side. (very small business)

[andbrown]

One thing to keep in mind is that the issues you call about are logged even if you get a tech support person who cannot directly help you, and enough calls on the same issue will definitely get it noticed. So it can be worthwhile to report an issue even if you get the "have you hard reset your device?" level of support. :wink:

[Ed Hansberry]

One thing to keep in mind is that the issues you call about are logged even if you get a tech support person who cannot directly help you, and enough calls on the same issue will definitely get it noticed. So it can be worthwhile to report an issue even if you get the "have you hard reset your device?" level of support. :wink:

:werenotworthy:

[juni]

You mean that the developers at Microsoft actually don't read this board?? Or developers at HP or Dell etc? I sure would if it was my line of business. :)

[jimski]

So Ed , are you suggesting we contact our OEM regarding Active Sync issues as some problems may be due to the interaction between a device and this program. I find it very hard to believe that Microsoft is not aware that this app has problems.

Being an engineer, I am persistent enough to hack my way to a solution (or at least a logical conclusion). My dozen or so calls to tech support have yielded so so results so I do try to avoid them. Usually I will will wind up calling back a day or two later with a solution so at least someone else may benefit from my misforune. But I do regularly send detailed e-mails to PPC OEM's and accessory manufacturers explaining my problem and often provide a solution or sometimes only a theory. Generally, I don't even get a canned response to most of them or the response is usually so unrelated to the subject I fear that they missed the point. While discouraging, I continue with the hope that I may be helping someone.

With reagard to calling customer service during lunch break (do people actually still get a lunch break), what do I tell all the other people who call while I am trying to finish my sandwich. If I do call, it's always late evening or early morning where I have found some of the best CSR's.