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Incompetent vendors - How to loose a PDA in 3 weeks

Last month, my Treo-90 stopped powering on. I wrote to Handspring to send me a repair return box. They send it. I waited for two weeks and then called them. Apparently, they send it within a day - why couldn't they send me an e-mail with the tracking#, or update their site?

It was shipped through AirBorne Express. These guys didn't even bother to check if I was home (my wife was). They simply gave it to a lady in the rental office (Ravenwood Towers) and didn't put a note on my mailbox. They could've left a voice mail.

The rental office lady didn't make any note in the received-ledger. So, when I went and asked them, they said they don't have it. I went back again in the evening. The temporary desk clerk then is usually very helpful. She went to their store room and got me the box.

I packed by broken PDA and took it to MailBoxes Etc. They accepted it, said it is a return box so there is no separate tracking number. It is apparently like a pre-paid box, so no receipt either. Sigh! Dumbo me, I believed them. I waited for few days and found that Handspring did not receive the box. To make matters worse, I didn't even have a tracking number.

I went to this MBE store 3 times already. The first time, the staff there told that they are not supposed to accept AirBorne packages. When I asked about whether all their employees know that, they asked me to talk to the manager. The second time I went, another guy there told that they do accept AirBorne. Finally, I got to get the manager who repeated they don't accept AirBorne. Anyway, he took down my contact information.

To make long story short, he hasn't contacted me at all.

Suck-o-meter

• Handspring - 2 thumbs down for not sending e-mails about status change.
• AirBorne Express - 3 thumbs down for not attempting to deliver the box to my home; not even letting me know they gave it elsewhere.
• My apartment staff - 3 thumbs down for accepting a package and tossing it aside without making any record.
• MailBoxes Etc - 3 thumbs down for lacking uniform knowledge. They were very courteous though.
• Me - 2 thumbs down for believing what the MBE guy told me and walking away without getting any receipt.

Sorry ending since I lost my PDA and someone else got a broken one

1. I've had similar "consumer" experiences recently where the concept of accountability is sadly lost on the inept employees of various high profile companies in the UK. I would elaborate but the posting restrictions prevent me from doing so:

   No obscene language.
   No name calling or flaming.

   Posted by: David Boddie on August 12, 2003 12:23 PM