Customer Service Take 2

[This was originally written on 10 July, 2002. Still catching up...]

After my delightful experience with Griffin
Technology, I'm well on my way to a hat trick considering
this exchange with SmartDisk. This is
another example of what an individual can do to make their
company look great (at least in my eyes).

I'll let the emails tell the story...

   From: B. W. Fitzpatrick <fitz@apple.com>
   To: SmartDisk Technical Support
   Date: Tue Jul 30, 2002
   Subject: Problems with 3GB Firewire Pocket Drive
   --------------------------------------------------------
  
   This drive worked fine for the first year I had it, then
   started giving problems. Whenever I would attempt to read or
   write a certain file, it would hang the Finder. I upgraded the
   firmware to the latest (using the VST 2.3.1 Format Utility). I
   did a low-level format. I reformatted again.

   I talked nicely to the drive and explained that my job was to
   put files on it and that its job was to keep those files and
   return them to me on demand.  I took it to the zoo to see the
   animals. I even took it shopping in the hopes that that would
   cheer it up.

   However, the drive still has not seen the light and will work
   fine reading and writing until a certain point, at which I get
   the Spinning Pizza of Death and the Finder locks up. I bought
   this drive about 2 years ago.  Please tell me you can replace
   it or convince it to do what its supposed to do.

   -Fitz

And Ian responded:

   From: Ian
   Date: Tue Jul 30, 2002
   To: "B. W. Fitzpatrick" <fitz@apple.com>
   Subject: Case # 15686
   --------------------------------------------------------

   Hello Brian, thanks for contacting us. I thoroughly enjoyed
   reading about your relationship with the drive, although it
   does seem like the sparks between you two are dying. So
   sad.

   Unfortunately it sounds as though the hard drive mechanism
   itself is starting to die. It doesnt sound like an extension
   or software problem.  The only real solution is to replace
   the hard drive mechanism which sits on the firewire
   interface board. We do not do out of warranty repairs so you
   will need to do this yourself or take it to a repair
   center. It uses a standard laptop size IDE hard
   drive. Please let me know if I can be of further
   assistance.

   Ian
     SmartDisk Corporation Technical Support

And I responded...

   From: B. W. Fitzpatrick <fitz@apple.com>
   Date: Tue, Jul 30, 2002
   To: Ian
   Subject: Re: Case # 15686
   --------------------------------------------------------

   What is the warranty on the drive? I take it it's less than
   2 years?.

   -Fitz

   PS, One of my friends here suggested that Firewire drives
   prefer the beach, so I'm guessing the zoo thing didn't
   help.

   ;-)

...and back to Ian...

   From: Ian
   Date: Wed Jul 31, 2002
   To: "B. W. Fitzpatrick" <fitz@apple.com>
   Subject: RE: Case # 15686
   --------------------------------------------------------

   LOL

   The warranty is 1 year from the purchase date. If the
   drive is out of warranty, I might recommend contacting
   Huong <name removed>, (pronounced like Hong.)  She
   can be reached at 978-555-1212, her e-mail is, <address
   removed>. She works at Teleplan International which we
   have given our blessing to do out of warranty repair
   work. Please let me know if I can be of further
   assistance.

   Ian

   PS Maybe if you took the drive to a Robot Wars showing
   you could intimidate the drive into working. :P

...and back to me...

   From: B. W. Fitzpatrick <fitz@apple.com>
   Date: Wed Jul 31, 2002
   To: Ian
   Subject: RE: Case # 15686
   --------------------------------------------------------

   Ian,

   Thanks a million for your replies. It's always nice to find
   a human being behind a big company.

   >  PS Maybe if you took the drive to a Robot Wars showing
   >    you could intimidate the drive into working. :P


   Alas, I fear that it's time to retire the drive to that great
   bitbucket in the sky. Perhaps it would make a good projectile for one
   of the other robots.

       :-)

   Take care,

       -Fitz

...and back to Ian one last time.

   From: Ian
   Date: Wed Jul 31, 2002
   To: "B. W. Fitzpatrick" <fitz@apple.com>
   Subject: RE: Case # 15686
   --------------------------------------------------------

   It's nice to have a customer that is understanding and
   competent!

   Before you off up the drive as a sacrifice to the Great
   Bitbin, I would suggest opening the drive up by taking the
   plastic casing off. If you hold it under a heat lamp (or a
   blow dryer) the glue will heat up and you can take the
   plastic casing off. There will be 4 screws that hold the
   case together (very easy) and then you will see the Firewire
   interface board and the IDE hard drive. It really is a
   simple design, which is great. You can definately put 30 gig
   hard drive on the board (I am unsure of anything higher, but
   I would imagine you could). The interface card is really the
   expensive piece to the device and you can use any brand of
   hard drive on the card. So I guess what I am saying is, I
   would suggest at least taking the drive apart. You could
   even get a cheapo drive from ebay. I know you probably paid
   a hefty price for the drive and I would hate to see it
   turned into robot projectiles after 2 years. If you have any
   questions during the process, please feel free to ask!

   Ian

Thanks again Ian.

Customer Service is Not Dead

[This is the second post in a series that I'm doing just to get some old stuff that I wrote up onto my blog. This was originally posted 25 October, 2001, and I still think happy thoughts when someone mentions Griffin.]

Although I've thought for years that customer service in the technology industry was dead, I recently discovered that it's alive and well and spending its afternoons over at Griffin Technology

I've had an iMate USB to ADB converter for almost 2 years now. I use it at work with my Maltron keyboard (which doesn't have a USB model). Not only do I use it with my desktop, but I take this keyboard (and the adaptor) with me on the road with me from 5 to 15 weeks a year, so they get abused regularly.

The other day, in the process of trying to reseat a loose wire in the iMate, I ripped two of the four wires right off the solder pads in the dongle. At first try to fix, I soldered the wires on backwards, so I decided to see if I could get a hold of someone at Griffin before I completely cooked the thing.

I went to their website. I found a phone number to call in less than 30 seconds.

I called the phone number. A human being answered on the third ring.

A human being answered the phone. On the third ring.

He introduced himself as Vance. I explained my dilemma and that I was trying to solder the iMate back together. Without flinching or chastising me about warranty violations, he asked me to hold for a second while he went to find another iMate. Less than a minute later he came back on the line. He cracked his iMate open and told me which wires went where. And then... and then, he told me that if I couldn't fix it to give them a ring and they would send me a new one.

*boggle*

Mind you, the one I have is almost 2 years old and I'm attacking it (rather ineptly) with a soldering iron. And he offered to replace it. Free.

In this day where you wind up in voicemail jail for 20 minutes just to get to some half-wit who can't even remember what products his company sells, this was, needless to say, immensely refreshing.

I told Vance that if I couldn't get it to work I would buy two of them from Griffin.

I did get it to work. I also bought a new iMate, just in case.