vicky r

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  What's on your tech wish list?

  This season I'm finally on my way to buy a 12.9" iPad Pro to do my illustration with. I have other devices that I can draw on as well that do the same thing, and also allow me to use the full Adobe Suite, which the iPad Pro does not. I'll be stuck using apps that don't have anywhere near the power. But I've decided that that's less important to me than the fact that the Apple Pencil is one of the best input devices I've tried. I've spent quite a bit of borrowed time doing sketches and writing, and am impressed. I do think the mobility and quick on/off could lead to higher productivity and possibly more income. Yes, there are a few cheaper devices that do much the same thing and are also portable. But they are smaller and more long and thin, and I love the size and proportions of the iPad Pro. It is absurd to pay so much for a glorified stylus, and the fact that there's no place to tether it to the tablet is annoying. I do not plan to buy a keyboard case, as though they are nice, that adds so much weight. I will get a hard, lightweight shell with a soft lining and will use my Bluetooth keyboard. Traveling with my regular iPad, I was able to dispense with a lot of other things, such as phone, camera, and laptop, for day trips. But it's time for an upgrade. I will save so much time on my sketches. I like that it's a flat tablet and not attached to a keyboard. The smaller iPad Pro, even though its color accuracy is slightly higher, and it's easier to throw in a shoulder bag, would be too small for my drawing needs. Besides the iPad Pro, I'm still shopping for a phone--considering a Samsung Galaxy and an iPhone. If I got the iPhone, I'd be in the Apple ecosystem. But my anti-authority streak doesn't love this idea. I really phones where you can remove the battery--so that means an LG or older Samsung. I don't really like Android, but I don't like the idea of having to send my phone back, or pry it open, or pay someone to do that, for something so basic as a battery. I also would love a Samsung Galaxy Tab A with S pen. Its Wacom pen makes it a strong competitor to the iPad. I would not mind that. I have larger pens I can use. But I still want that larger screen. Also on my list is some VR software. I've got a headset and a couple of Google Cardboards. But I haven't educated myself about what's out there. Documentaries and arty things interest me the most. VR is a really exciting field. I'm already seeing a huge range of quality, and I find that interesting too--I've seen stuff I'd call mass market, even cheesy, and I cheer it on. I like that it can be made by the people, by non-experts, as a means of self-expression or a side business. That's how it should be--it says that it's gotten much easier to learn to use the tools. Maybe a Grandma Moses of VR will emerge. High-quality VR is what I really look forward to--tech that provokes empathy and other emotions via storytelling and art. It's a powerful tool and I fear it getting into the wrong hands. What's NOT on my list is smart this and smart that. I do not think the Internet of Things provides enough security. I will not be getting an Echo or Alexa--to me that's a step on the journey to couch potato, which I fight against. I do hope to get a fitness tracker of some kind, just a basic one, not one that monitors my blood pressure and sends a report to my health insurance company (hyperbole there--I think). The last thing on my list is a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens for my DSLR. Not a priority, since it's just a hobby for me, but more like fun, creative toys (and face it, it's all toys. And nothing is wrong with that). People's tech lists can tell a lot about them. I've gotten away from a desire to have a lot of little gadgets and desire multitasking ones. The one thing I really need is one of those keychains that you whistle to that first came out in I think the 1970s. Of course, if my keys are lost in the house, then I won't be able to go anywhere, and would have to stay home entertain myself with all my splendid new gadgets.

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  How do you contact a company with a complaint?

  When a device sputters, fails, or just plain never goes on, it can lead to an unending cycle of misery that's worse than the thing failing in the first place. Many consumers regret buying things in the first place. This explains the popularity of overpriced extended warranties. Personally, I try to avoid calling, as the calls can last for hours and still be fruitless. I don't even often complain. I make an attempt to get something fixed, then gauge whether it's worth the time and shipping charges to fix it. I have learned it's better to invest in reliable, long-lasting goods that won't just end up as toxic junk (which they can even when properly disposed of or recycled). I have learned that stores often do not fix things they sell. Just in the past couple months I've had several devices gone awry. My first step with one, a phone, was to take it back to the store. I was told I had to mail it back to the company. I decided to not even bother, as if they could sell a phone with a defective battery, they can't be trusted to fix it. I am not bothering to make a complaint, as I wish to upgrade to a more trustworthy phone anyway. Same with one of the laptops--it works but has some issues. The store, which was online, says I have to ship it to the manufacturer. While this is not more work than shipping it back to the store, it's a large company with little customer service, and I have not yet attempted this. I would rather deal with a place I have already had contact with. In the case of the second laptop, I first took it back to the store (not the Apple Store but a big box retailer), where they refused to fix it, insisting I caused the damage. I know I did not, and they were unreasonable in my opinion. After a long, pointless discussion during which I decided to not shop there ever again if possible, they told me to contact the manufacturer, which I did, first by phone. The conversation including wait time was well over an hour. then I made an appointment on the phone to take the computer to the local company store, and they are fixing it for free and did not insist that I caused the damage. Sites like Yelp and Ripoff Report have become repositories of rage. They're even used to get back at business owners who have committed injustices unrelated to the person writing the reviews. The problem with Ripoff Report and such sites is that the more customers a company has, the more complaints it has, and even decent companies have hundreds of angry complaints. If people were to read that site they would stop shopping. Yelp is no better. We're in a review-mad system where reviews are gamed. One sandwich shop offered me a free salad in exchange for a 5-star Yelp review. I don't write Yelp reviews unless a place asks me to and I like the place enough to do it--then I am glad to write a good one. But the one time in recent years I felt I have been treated badly in a personal way, I took to writing an online review. This was one of the few times I both filled out a customer survey and took to writing an online review. I was just one of many disgruntled former customers of this place using the site to blow off steam. I found myself laughing at the other comically bad experiences. It's a place to commisserate and share a laugh over the difference between the company's marketing materials and the reality. And, of course, to warn others to be wary. I can't see feeling that annoyed about a gadget. This company is very good at crunching customer feedback and puts more effort into that than their actual business. I got numerous messages by phone and email. It cemented my opinion that they are all about image. Still, I was glad that they listened. Most companies do not have any response mechanism whatsoever. Some even have no way of contacting them. Others ask you to use Twitter or Facebook, which requires an account, and making yourself public. I find Web forms the least likely way to get a response. The demand for answers and fixes is largely met by forums, bloggers, and paid answer sites. Yelp and other sites are places to vent. Phoning is a huge time commitment and while it's nice to get a human, these humans are often untrained and offshore. Emails sometimes work; perhaps Twitter is better as it is public and companies use it as PR. All in all, I don't think complaining in itself is productive; instead, try to fix the problem or move on. My thoughts are: Complain only to warn others, or if you really need some group therapy. Realize every place has good and bad days. Remember they are people on the other side too and the people answering your complaints are not the ones who caused the problems. It's easy to get really upset, and companies do not train customer service well enough to handle angry customers. No gadget failure should result in raising your blood pressure. Above all, realize some things can't be fixed, in which case a glass of wine can do a world of good.

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