iPad 2
In reference to Honeycomb and the QNX BlackBerry OS for the tablet, I don't give them much regard. From what I've seen of the PlayBook (BlackBerry's Solution), it's all too much swiping. Even multitasking is swiping down. The number of swipes and slide combinations would seemingly hinder, not help. And, they don't appear to have yet developed a notifications system, when the device launches rather soon. Unlike the iPad 2, it doesn't appeal to me.
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Gavin Scott
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Had to ring UK customer services. Got a lovely lass who explained that all apple stores are treated as one entity, and that I could likely return my US pad to the Glasgow store for a refund.
Excellent, I thought.
She said she'd put me through to a manager (in Cork, Ireland) to confirm this.
Wank bag came on the line and hummed and hawed that if I had bought the device online in the US, I'd have no problem. He suggested that he has no visibility of my details, despite the young lady being able to gain all my information from the serial number.
He said, "I'm here to give you a solution". His solution was that I return to the apple store in Florida.
I took his name with a view to writing to their head of customer services. What possible reason could he have for denying me the customer satisfaction that they are offering recent purchasers of apple products?
In the end I called the store in Orlando where I bought, they confirmed I am absolutely entitled to the rebate, and she took my number to have a manager call me back, or email me to facilitate this.
Still waiting for the call, but as my enquiry has been logged in good time with them, I'm sure this will go through.
When I find my notes, I will name and shame this pitiful excuse for a manager. Does it hurt apple inc to honour their promise? No. So why did he take a jobs worth approach - especially when it was the wrong one?
He picked the wrong man here.
Excellent, I thought.
She said she'd put me through to a manager (in Cork, Ireland) to confirm this.
Wank bag came on the line and hummed and hawed that if I had bought the device online in the US, I'd have no problem. He suggested that he has no visibility of my details, despite the young lady being able to gain all my information from the serial number.
He said, "I'm here to give you a solution". His solution was that I return to the apple store in Florida.
I took his name with a view to writing to their head of customer services. What possible reason could he have for denying me the customer satisfaction that they are offering recent purchasers of apple products?
In the end I called the store in Orlando where I bought, they confirmed I am absolutely entitled to the rebate, and she took my number to have a manager call me back, or email me to facilitate this.
Still waiting for the call, but as my enquiry has been logged in good time with them, I'm sure this will go through.
When I find my notes, I will name and shame this pitiful excuse for a manager. Does it hurt apple inc to honour their promise? No. So why did he take a jobs worth approach - especially when it was the wrong one?
He picked the wrong man here.
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Gavin Scott
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- Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.16
- Location: Edinburgh
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Urgh @ my rant.
That was a couple of hours into a Friday-after-work drink with pals, and presto! the iPad allows me to trumpet my four pint indignation on any given triviality to the entire web.
Super.
The fact is, this little rebate scheme - in my case - has been counter-productive. Its given me a chance to rue my impulsive spending, and rail against middle managers who have to get their heads around the fact that I bought in an overseas store. Anything that didn't immediately go perfectly in my favour gave me a feeble (but sufficient) reason to get my knickers in a knot.
Its bonkers, actually, because I can't think of another brand who would even consider such a scheme, and I'm sure its intention was to make me feel warm and fuzzy.
So if they call back and sort me out, great. Bring on the fuzzy. If they don't I'm not going to get upset. Again.
I'm still discovering great things to do on my iPad. I love apps. They're great. I'm *paying* for apps. Me. They must be great, because I've stopped thinking about how all these little £1.52 indulgences add up, and I just blithely nod and smile as I type my iTunes password in to buy another. Ooh, and that too, while I'm at it.
Its going everywhere with me in a gorgeous leather shoulder bag (bought for it) - not an accessory I budgeted for, but totally essential to making it go-everywhere for me. The bag looks like it deserves to have an iPad in it, so that makes it all right to produce an iPad from my bag wherever I am.
Its obviously important not to feel like a tosser when doing this, and the bag helps.
So in general YAY, but I'd like to somehow resolve my earlier problem of posting moaning shite when I'm a little pissed and stoked up. Like a 12 hour posting filter that held messages in the ether until you emerged from one and had a chance to edit yourself.
I trust there will be an app for that?
That was a couple of hours into a Friday-after-work drink with pals, and presto! the iPad allows me to trumpet my four pint indignation on any given triviality to the entire web.
Super.
The fact is, this little rebate scheme - in my case - has been counter-productive. Its given me a chance to rue my impulsive spending, and rail against middle managers who have to get their heads around the fact that I bought in an overseas store. Anything that didn't immediately go perfectly in my favour gave me a feeble (but sufficient) reason to get my knickers in a knot.
Its bonkers, actually, because I can't think of another brand who would even consider such a scheme, and I'm sure its intention was to make me feel warm and fuzzy.
So if they call back and sort me out, great. Bring on the fuzzy. If they don't I'm not going to get upset. Again.
I'm still discovering great things to do on my iPad. I love apps. They're great. I'm *paying* for apps. Me. They must be great, because I've stopped thinking about how all these little £1.52 indulgences add up, and I just blithely nod and smile as I type my iTunes password in to buy another. Ooh, and that too, while I'm at it.
Its going everywhere with me in a gorgeous leather shoulder bag (bought for it) - not an accessory I budgeted for, but totally essential to making it go-everywhere for me. The bag looks like it deserves to have an iPad in it, so that makes it all right to produce an iPad from my bag wherever I am.
Its obviously important not to feel like a tosser when doing this, and the bag helps.
So in general YAY, but I'd like to somehow resolve my earlier problem of posting moaning shite when I'm a little pissed and stoked up. Like a 12 hour posting filter that held messages in the ether until you emerged from one and had a chance to edit yourself.
I trust there will be an app for that?
Haha Wank Bag? Long live drunken posts from the usually prim and proper Mr Scott.
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Gavin Scott
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- Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.16
- Location: Edinburgh
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Well, I managed to persuade the directors of the firm to try an iPad in place of their Blackberry devices whilst on holiday last week. Actually, I gave them an iPhone 4 and an iPad (one of the bosses had an iPad 1, but hadn't set it up for business mails - or indeed, for anything up to that point), and asked them to see what they thought.
On returning they said the iPad was terrific - and easier to type into for long emails than the iPhone 4.
Finally I'm able to wean them off Blackberries - which are a pain in the backside to configure and expensive to run on the full-fat server software.
I ran some numbers and was able to demonstrate that we'd gain better value if we bought 3 more iPads outright, defraying that cost with a large reduction in our monthly mobile/BB data plans.
And they agree.
So I rang Apple's business team in Glasgow for a quote, and whilst I was on to them I explained my personal experience of the "buyer's remorse" rebate scheme. The guy reiterated the problem of different currencies and part numbers and said it was unlikely they could do much about it.
So I set him a, "here's an opportunity for you to take ownership of this problem" challenge - and off he went to speak with his managers.
He called me back to explain that every store has a certain amount of discretion when it comes to "writing off" product, but that they have to demonstrate they've mitigated against that by up-selling. He said they couldn't put a "negative charge" through their books. That being the case he offered me a refund on my iPad, as long as I upgraded to 32GB.
I countered that this was more money than I would be comfortable spending, but I would compromise by buying a cover for the 16GB device (possibly leather, more likely polyurethane - I'll decide when I see one); and he came back to say, "my friend, you have a deal".
They're offering £385 back for my iPad, to be redeemed against a £415 (ex VAT) iPad2. So I will have to spend a little more. The cover is another £30 (again, plus VAT); so as a hasty calculation I'll have to fork out about £72.
This is acceptable to me.
He confirmed this all in an email to me, and closed by saying, "thank you for giving me the chance to put this right for you".
Pretty impressed with his attitude; and whilst there's no doubt that my large business purchase gained me leverage, he was quite clear that they're resolving my issue as a retail customer separately from the business transaction.
The only tricky part is that I need to make my way through to their Glasgow store to do the refund; so I'm hoping I can persuade the office that they should send me on the train to pick up all four during work time.
All in all - pretty good result!
On returning they said the iPad was terrific - and easier to type into for long emails than the iPhone 4.
Finally I'm able to wean them off Blackberries - which are a pain in the backside to configure and expensive to run on the full-fat server software.
I ran some numbers and was able to demonstrate that we'd gain better value if we bought 3 more iPads outright, defraying that cost with a large reduction in our monthly mobile/BB data plans.
And they agree.
So I rang Apple's business team in Glasgow for a quote, and whilst I was on to them I explained my personal experience of the "buyer's remorse" rebate scheme. The guy reiterated the problem of different currencies and part numbers and said it was unlikely they could do much about it.
So I set him a, "here's an opportunity for you to take ownership of this problem" challenge - and off he went to speak with his managers.
He called me back to explain that every store has a certain amount of discretion when it comes to "writing off" product, but that they have to demonstrate they've mitigated against that by up-selling. He said they couldn't put a "negative charge" through their books. That being the case he offered me a refund on my iPad, as long as I upgraded to 32GB.
I countered that this was more money than I would be comfortable spending, but I would compromise by buying a cover for the 16GB device (possibly leather, more likely polyurethane - I'll decide when I see one); and he came back to say, "my friend, you have a deal".
They're offering £385 back for my iPad, to be redeemed against a £415 (ex VAT) iPad2. So I will have to spend a little more. The cover is another £30 (again, plus VAT); so as a hasty calculation I'll have to fork out about £72.
This is acceptable to me.
He confirmed this all in an email to me, and closed by saying, "thank you for giving me the chance to put this right for you".
Pretty impressed with his attitude; and whilst there's no doubt that my large business purchase gained me leverage, he was quite clear that they're resolving my issue as a retail customer separately from the business transaction.
The only tricky part is that I need to make my way through to their Glasgow store to do the refund; so I'm hoping I can persuade the office that they should send me on the train to pick up all four during work time.
All in all - pretty good result!
I've got mine until next year, when my contract runs out, and there are some things that make me regret buying it.Pete wrote:huzzah at the disposal of blackberry
- 1 - It's very temperamental. Applications freeze frequently, and they don't terminate themselves when they've gone wrong, and they can't be closed, resulting in a restart.
2 - The OS. Each carrier releases their own version of the OS, so whilst I'm at 5.0.564, someone on Orange might be on 5.0.1023, which makes updating a pain.
3 - Restarts. Going without restarting it for a while causes it to leak memory. I've gone from 120mb of Application space to 80mb as I haven't restarted it. Also, some restarts cause the thing to 'brick' itself, making it unusable, unless you wipe the phone of all data and start again. And more often than I'd like, I have to pull the battery out to coax it into working, rather than just telling it to restart.
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Gavin Scott
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- Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.16
- Location: Edinburgh
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Amen to that. Individually the users in the office liked them - but each of them has had problems with appointment scheduling, intermittently missing folders and various other trivial things that all take time to fix, especially when multiplied by four.Pete wrote:huzzah at the disposal of blackberry
As a reason to drop them, that wasn't enough - BUT - we had been using the BES software on the server, and recently did a server upgrade in the office. The "SRP" licence key was irretrievable from the old kit, and I couldn't find a note of it - nor could Blackberry or O2 (the original seller).
They tried to persuade me to use the new "free" server software, but it doesn't do everything I needed it to do, nor does it like being run on the same physical box as Exchange - so finally I just told them to stick it up their bumhole.
We were paying £20 per month per device for 3 of the staff, and £40 per month for the bosses "global roaming blackberry", in addition to the business tariff and "sharers" connection fee. Average costs were £425 per month - and our new cut-down voice only plans will be just £130 per month.
I'm going to get them all contract-free £10.21 per month O2 SIMs for their Pads. This is what I have for mine, and you get 500MB of mobile data plus access to the BT Open Zones.
And for some reason I got a text message from O2 saying they were gifting me a further 1GB of data for the iPad this month. I'm not sure why they would give me an additional 200% free; but its enough to persuade me to use their SIM cards for the office too.
Apple do seem to pride themselves on the quality of their customer services. Isn't that one of the things they used to use in promotions, as if you have an issue with your device, you phone Apple, unlike Microsoft, who could diagnose hardware issues and direct you to Toshiba or whoever.