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From: Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Atari's Mouse replacement policy
Message-ID: <16069@cup.portal.com>
Date: 21 Mar 89 07:06:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 79

Prepare for a minor flame...<grin>
 
I bought a brand spanking new Mega 2ST in December and have been
thrilled with it, but as things always happen, my mouse started to
kick the bucket last week.  This weekend it was on its last legs.
No simple cleaning will cure its ills, the electronics are definitely
shot.  This is an ex-mouse.
 
Digging out my warranty and receipt I noticed that the system was
still under warranty!  I called the store where I bought the computer
from and was told that they do not sell or have the mouse seperately
but it only comes packaged with the computer and that I should call
Atari about replacement.  The nightmare begins.
 
I called Atari and waited longer than I ever have to get through to
Customer Relations.  There I was informed that I should send the
mouse back with a copy of the receipt and a new mouse will be sent
back to me, and oh, by the way...the current turn around is about
six weeks.
 
Huh??  SIX WEEKS!?!  No no no, you don't understand, I run a business
with my ST, my girlfriend does all of her business correspondence and
work on this here ST, I **NEED** a new mouse and I need it NOW!
 
I explained that I would gladly pay for a new mouse with my VISA card
and that I would personally arrange to have Federal Express pick up the
mouse from Atari and have it delivered to my door COMPLETELY AT MY
EXPENSE.  I would send the old dead mouse back to them and when it
arrived they could simply issue me a credit for the purchase price of
the new mouse on my VISA account.
 
Having made my way to Mr. Dave Director, who was very kind, he
informed me that the turn around was actually about 5-7 days (thats
better) and that since Atari had no access to credit card account
information so there would be no way for them to verify the charge. 
 
i.e. I would have to send in the old mouse before they sent the new
one out.  Having sent the old mouse back to them UPS Red Label he
would arrange for my new mouse to go out the door the same day and
sent back to me UPS Red Label - at my expense (about $25 total last
time I checked.)
 
Now while this solution is acceptable, it still entails three days
down time without a mouse.  Yes I could use the keyboard equivalents,
but that would last about half an hour before I started pounding on
the keyboard.  And using Spectre (where my girlfriend does all her
work) would be out of the question.
 
My situation is bad enough - what if someone who worked with CAD/CAM
or Desktop Publishing or any other mouse intensive application had to
deal with this??
 
The problem is not with Atari's warranty coverage or the turn around
time (if it actually is 5-7 days and not the six weeks), but with the
fact that Atari is unable to help a customer who is willing to pay to
have a mouse delivered *overnight* in an emergency situation.  I have
dealt with many computer companies before and most all are more than
willing to help out in an emergency if I pay for the delivery charges.
(Some will even pay the delivery charges - Jasmine Technologies, a Mac
company, has always shipped emergency software upgrades and must-have
parts covered under warranty to me via FedEx at their expense, even on
Saturdays!)
 
I'm not the first person to have had a mouse die and I won't be the
last.  Considering the fact that Atari is now pushing DTP systems like
crazy, wouldn't it make sense for Atari to establish a credit card
verification service so that they could handle a situation such as
mine?  I realize that Atari service is best handled through the dealer
network, but a large percentage of ST owners (including myself) have
NO ready access to a local dealer, we should be able to call Atari and
have a simple mouse replacement handled quickly and overnight if we
are willing to pay the shipping charges.
 
How about it Atari?
 
Thanx
Peter Szymonik

custo