June 2, 2001

That Marching Technology!
   by gushin <gushin@palm.net>

I have a similar PFFT! to Isaac's about Palm.

Just after a month passed after I bought my $399 Palm VII that they introduced the $399 Palm VIIx with 4 times the 2mb mine had.

I have been fighting the end of memory message daily with at most 75-125k free on the whole device. If I find a neat new program, it means deleting some other program to add it. Not a fun situation.

I have very much enjoyed my VII (except for this) and I love the wireless access and am hooked on it.

The problem Palm leaves me is this....

I can spend $199 and buy a Palm VIIx and solve this memory problem. I get screwed out of the $100 rebate because I am an existing customer already giving them a $45/income stream. What sense does that make?

In order for me to get my rebate I must cancel service and lose my email name that everyone knows and then resign up again with new service. That might not even work -- they may say I am already an established subscriber and not let me do it under my name at all. This would leave me with the choice of having to sign up using my mom's name and credit card or something like that to qualify.

This is nuts! I know technology changes quickly, but to deny a benefit to someone that's already a customer and has purchased your product once and that gives you a monthly income and now is willing to purchase your product again and remain a monthly income producing customer is downright silly.

Why offer this benefit to a stranger that has never given you a dime, and deny it to a loyal customer?

That's my PFFT!

Published: June 2, 2001
Editor: robin