I know this blog doesn't get the highest hits in terms of readership, but I feel angry enough to want to put this on and get it off my chest. Afterall, this is what blogging is about isn't it?
ANyways, I am an owner of a Dopod 838 Pro, and have been a happy user. I don't mind the occasional resets, as this is a Microsoft issue and not really Dopod's. I run my entire life off the Dopod, and naturally, it what that keeps me sane as I have all the pertinent info available with me.
Recently, I've had to send my 838 to the service center here in Singapore, outsourced to a company, SiS Technologies. The problem was that 2 of the keys of the keyboard occasionally got stuck and just went on like thissssssssssssssssssss. Anyways, as usual, they took the phone and batt and told me that it would be ready within 3 - 5 working days.
5 working days came and went and still no sign of the phone, even after repeated calls (I'll say something about the phone calls later). So after 7 working days, I got the phone back. The delay.. lack of parts in Singapore and they had to ship the part in from Taiwan (I guess).
But the phone came back with another problem it didn't have when it went in the first time: broken macro lens, which meant the feature that Dopod was advertising about business card capture.. all but hot air in the phone's current condition.
So I had my PA to call ahead to determine if they had the relevant parts in town, and the affirmative answer was returned. So I made the decision to put it into the the hospital again, and again 3 - 5 working days was relayed to my PA.
Again today is the 5th working day, and still no sign. Worst of all, my PA has been calling and they told her to collect on Saturday, which would mean 9 working days (2 weeks) to fix a simple problem.
So now I'm severely pissed as I've put my life and data on hold for more than a week. Email to the service feedback of Dopod has yielded nothing, I had to shout at the call center girl in Taiwan over my unhappiness and partially her stupidity inability to give me an email address belonging to a person whom I could officially register my unhappiness at.
Finally gave up and called SiS and insisted to stay on the line everytime they said they would call me back.. and now I'm getting my phone back tomorrow... working day No 6.
Why is it so hard to get good customer service? Why can't these people spare a thought to the consumers who have to put in their phones to be serviced? Its all about managing expectations.
As a consumer, I would more than understand if SiS had called to inform me that it was not a simple change of lens, but perhaps change of the entire module and that they had to bring the unit in from somewhere and the repair would be delayed. I understand Nokia does that, and it shows how important the customer is to the company.
I bet I would not face similar problems with the iPhone from Apple as Apple prides itself on the entire customer experience, and this is key. THat's why they are able to sell their product at higher cost and fatter margins.
If Dopod (now HTC) truly wants to be a competitor to the iPhone.. I'm sorry but they've got ways to go before even challenging the iPhone experience, and I'm not talking about technology or software, but the people experience, which no technology or software is able to replicate.
Let's talk about phone calls to SiS. Check the web; Google Dopod and Sis Technologies and you will find common complaints about being hung up on, about promises to call back that results in nothing, and a virtual black hole of information from the service center.
One posts told readers that the problem was not SiS but Dopod/HTC for the lack of parts inventory in Singapore and TW's refusal to ship more to Singapore. If that's the case, SiS has gotta decide if doing the business is more of a risk or reward.
And for Dopod, heed this: I may be one person, but an unhappy customer is the talkative customer and I will most probably have bought my last Dopod, not because it is a bad phone, but because I have been sullied by the after-sales service heaped upon me by Sis Technologies.... and rest assured, I will check to see who is providing the after sales service before I buy my next device and it will not be SiS.
Now if only HTC will run the entire chain from manufacturing to after sales service.
technorati tags:dopod, 838 pro, SiS Technologies, singapore, after-sales service, service, sucks, bad service, repair, htc, iphone, apple, apple computers
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