Ever since I bought my first Palm handheld organizer about nine years ago, I've been a fan of Palm's easy-to-use and powerful operating system. However, recent technical problems with my Palm m515 lead me to believe that the company will lose customers due to inadequate customer service.
About two months ago, my Palm m515 suddenly stopped being able to "hot sync" (its ability to communicate with my desktop to make sure that the information on my handheld and computer are the same).
I first tried to solve the problem on my own using the information on Palm's website. The trouble shooting portion of their website provides sparse information on how to fix problems. Instead, it encourages consumers to post problems in an online forum and let other users resolve problems. Spending an hour searching the forum, I found other people experiencing "hot sync" problems very similar to mine; yet, there were no clear solutions being offered on how to resolve the issue. Why wouldn't Palm monitor the posts and provide people with a clear way to resolve a problem that seems quite common?
Frustrated, I went back to Palm's website to find the phone number for its technical assistance line. For some reason, just finding the number was a chore and took me about 10 minutes. When I did discover the number, I learned that Palm now charges a $25 per phone call (or, as they say, per incident) to help consumers solve problems. Or, for the bargain price of $44, you can buy a one-year warranty that allows you to call as many times as you need at no additional charge.
When I first got a Palm, I can remember calling the company without any charge and getting good assistance. The phone assistance was fine this time as well, and I really don't mind paying money to solve a problem. However, what miffed me was that the solution to my problem was not complex and could have easy been posted to their FAQ list or provided to users posting questions in their online forum at no charge.
When I purchase my next handheld organizer, I'll think hard whether I want to go with a Palm product since I'm not convinced that they are really working with the customer's best interest at heart.
