[Lawcat]

And mine:

"Despite your representations to the contrary, the latest update for Sprint Treo 600s does NOT properly support the hands-free car kit that you sell. Numerous users (including myself) now report that the phone will not support the car kit when answering the phone. The only known "work-around" is to release the phone from the car cradle, and then re-insert the phone, WHILE IT IS RINGING. This is hardly safe and complete defeats the purpose of having a hands-free car cradle.

"Since the car kit functions perfectly when I dial calls, this can hardly be a problem with the manufacture or installation of the car kit itself. It must be a software problem. And since the problem exists even after I do a hard-reset, using the phone without any third-party software installed, it can hardly be attitributed to some kind of conflict that is beyond your control. The only answer is that the version of Carkit.prc released as part of the Sprint update is defective.

"Moreover, the unambiguous statement on your web page that the upgrade makes Sprint phones compatible with the car kit is disturbing in the extreme, since it takes little testing to ascertain that it does not. I have been a Palm user for years (starting the original Pilot personal and pro), and frankly expect better of you.

"WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM? Based on Palmone's representations, I have spent almost $400 on a kit (including installation) that cannot be returned. I want the product I paid for."

[GalenMD]

Seems to me that this spells BIG problems for palmOne. I am personally disturbed that they have not released even the smallest of statements surrounding this problem. A simple "we're investigating it" would even suffice. I love my Treo, but I only bought it once I was assured that a car kit would be available.

For those of you who already purchased a kit, palmOne will be obligated to not only refund your money (regardless of where you bought it), but also reimburse any expense of installation. I agree with Lawcat, their statement was, and is, unambiguous.

[Lawcat]

Despite an autoreply from Palmone telling me to expect a response within 12 hours, no response is forthcoming. Has anyone heard anything from Plamone.

[jayrosenblum]

Lawcat:

I have not yet heard from Palmone and I got the same response. Also now my outgoing calls will not work. They did just yesterday. I spoke with Alan at THB and he says he thinks it is an updater issue so don't be suprised if everything on the car kit stops working. He spoke with Palmone on a conference call yesterday and there is supposed to be some "resolution" to this problem by Friday. Promises Promises.

[jayrosenblum]

I redownloaded and istalled the updater and now I am back to only being able to place calls. At least it is halfway working.

[wayne_b]

Here's what I received from PalmOne today:

Thank you for contacting palmOne.

The installation car kit is compatible with Treo¿ 600 smartphones for
T-Mobile, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless, and other GSM/GPRS networks
worldwide. It is not currently compatible with Treo 600 for Sprint.

If you need further assistance please reply to this email or call
1-888-565-9393.

Thank You,
Vickie
palmOne Customer Care

I promptly shot back with a note to "Vickie" letting her know that she might want to do a bit more research before responding to customers. I even gave her the link to this discussion thread. Stay tuned......

[MMorrow]

The Sound of Silence

Funny, that is the same thing my friends hear when I try to answer their call on my new car kit ... that is until I eject my phone and re-insert it into my "hands free" kit.

What a joke. The least that palmOne could do is post a note acknowledging the problem on their web site. To continue to state that the new Sprint 1.20 Update adds car kit support is an outright lie. I'm sure it is great for car kit sales, but not for retaining future customers. It has been 30 hours now, since their reply promising a 12 hour response to my request for assistance, and still no response. I think I see a trend.

[doothedeww]

so i take it that the antenna in the car kit works with both cdma and gsm. If thats the case i am gonna install one in my car. I'll need the one that can mute your radio and my navigation has rca inputs so i can interface the phone right into the head unit. sounds like fun once they fix the bugs.

[Lawcat]

Has anyone received any response from Palmone to their complaints? (Except wayne_b, who recieved a response that was so astonishingly stupid that you just have to wonder . . . .)

Has Marcus heard anything new?

I notice that the web site still claims car kit compatibility. Does that mean that they are working on the problem and will have it fixed quickly? Or does Palmone assume that false advertising laws do not pertain to it? Or is nobody at home?

[jayrosenblum]

Here is the most helpful (NOT) message I got back from PalmOne:

Dear Jay,



Thank you for writing to palmOne™ Technical Support.



This is Jane and I am responding to your concern with regard to your Treo 600.



Jay, it is my understanding that you are unable to receive calls through the Car kit.



Please follow the steps to receive calls via Car kit:



First, install the Treo 600 Car Kit Application (see above).
Place your Treo 600 smart phone in the car kit adapter cradle.
Start your car.
The Treo 600 smart phone will charge in the car kit cradle.
When an incoming call arrives, any radio, CD or tape playing in your car stereo is muted.
Press Center to answer the call.
Use the volume buttons to adjust the volume of the call.
Speak into the car kit's microphone. The optimal distance is about 35 centimeters (1 foot).
When finished, press Center to hang up the call. Your radio, CD or tape is unmuted.


Please visit the link given below for more information:



http://www.palmone.com/us/support/do...carkitapp.html



If you would require further assistance please email us or call us at palmOne™ Technical Support center at: 1-800-232-3816. We’d be happy to receive your call; one of our specialists will always be available to assist you.

We’d be happy to receive your call; one of our specialists will always be available to assist you.



Palm handheld products may be subject to a telephone technical support fee of $25 per incident after 90 days from the date of purchase. However, if it is determined your handheld requires repair or if we are unable to resolve the issue, this fee will be waived.



U.S. customers may also purchase the Palm On Call Plan, which provides a full year of telephone technical support. For more details about this plan, please visit our Web site at:



http://warranty.palm.com



To learn more about Palm handhelds, software updates, set up guides and other solutions, be sure to visit the PalmOne, Inc. support web site at:



http://www.palmone.com/us/support/



We hope this concern has been resolved to your satisfaction.



Thank you for choosing palmOne™ services.





Sincerely,



Jane

palmOne™ Technical Support



Please take some time to complete the Customer Satisfaction Survey that will be e-mailed to you for this case. Your response will help us in our ongoing effort to continually improve our customer support services. Thank you!

[GalenMD]

Did anybody here actually try to call the support numbers? This is obviously just another boilerplate response.

It seems to me that THB or Marcus would have better luck at getting a "higher up" to address this problem.

[MMorrow]

Since palmOne's email support appears non-existent, I sent an email to THB last night asking for status on this problem. I got a quick response from Alan. There is still no solution, but I feel a little better as a result. I plan to press for more details on Tuesday. Here was his reply:

From: Alan Jarvis
Subj: Re: Treo 600 Car Kit support

Good morning Mark,

I have roughly 5 or 6 customers experiencing this same problem. PalmOne is
aware of this and they are looking into what could be causing this problem.
We believe that this has something to do with the Sprint updater that you
installed on your Treo 600. Basically PalmOne are the only people that can
fix this problem. We are in constant contact with PalmOne regarding this
issue. We hope to know more by Tuesday next week after our conference call
with PalmOne.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great
Memorial Day weekend! Best regards,
Alan Jarvis
National Service Manager

[cue79]

Since palmOne's email support appears non-existent, I sent an email to THB last night asking for status on this problem. I got a quick response from Alan. There is still no solution, but I feel a little better as a result. I plan to press for more details on Tuesday. Here was his reply:

From: Alan Jarvis
Subj: Re: Treo 600 Car Kit support

Good morning Mark,

I have roughly 5 or 6 customers experiencing this same problem. PalmOne is
aware of this and they are looking into what could be causing this problem.
We believe that this has something to do with the Sprint updater that you
installed on your Treo 600. Basically PalmOne are the only people that can
fix this problem. We are in constant contact with PalmOne regarding this
issue. We hope to know more by Tuesday next week after our conference call
with PalmOne.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great
Memorial Day weekend! Best regards,
Alan Jarvis
National Service Manager

Well at least it's a person!

[Minsc]

From: Alan Jarvis
Subj: Re: Treo 600 Car Kit support

Good morning Mark,

I have roughly 5 or 6 customers experiencing this same problem. PalmOne is
aware of this and they are looking into what could be causing this problem.
We believe that this has something to do with the Sprint updater that you
installed on your Treo 600. Basically PalmOne are the only people that can
fix this problem. We are in constant contact with PalmOne regarding this
issue. We hope to know more by Tuesday next week after our conference call
with PalmOne.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great
Memorial Day weekend! Best regards,
Alan Jarvis
National Service Manager

So, is he implying that there are other Sprint customers that DON'T have the problem??

[Lawcat]

That is the implication--the more people complain about the problem (this is a good place to start), the more attention this will get from Palmone.

[MMorrow]

I have not heard from anyone on this board claiming they have a Sprint Treo 600 and the Palm Car Kit that is able to answer calls from the car kit. Does such a person exist? If so, then maybe we could compare hardware versions to determine how we differ. Anyone? Anyone? My Treo indicates "Hardware: B", on the Option->Phone Info page. Do we have this in common?

Has anyone spoken to Alan today? I'll send him a follow up email to see what came out of his conference with palmOne, unless someone else has beat me to the punch.

[Lawcat]

MMorrow--would you do the honors, since he has already corresponded with you?

P.S: "Hardware: B" here, too.

[jayrosenblum]

I have not heard from anyone on this board claiming they have a Sprint Treo 600 and the Palm Car Kit that is able to answer calls from the car kit. Does such a person exist? If so, then maybe we could compare hardware versions to determine how we differ. Anyone? Anyone? My Treo indicates "Hardware: B", on the Option->Phone Info page. Do we have this in common?

Has anyone spoken to Alan today? I'll send him a follow up email to see what came out of his conference with palmOne, unless someone else has beat me to the punch.

I spoke with Alan today and he told me that nothing has changed. He would be talking with Palmone tommorrow. Frankly I am getting tired of all this. I spent a lot of money on the kit and the install and I have not gotten what has been promised.

[MMorrow]

MMorrow--would you do the honors, since he has already corresponded with you?

P.S: "Hardware: B" here, too.

My wife has a newer "Hardware: C" HandSpring model but she is out of town (with her Treo) until Friday. My friend at work has a "Hardware: C" palmOne model but it doesn't have the new firmware yet. I may need to upgrade it for him in order to test this theory. Does anyone with the problem have a "C" Treo?

I'm still miffed that palmOne hasn't made some sort of statement about this firmware problem. I sent Alan a short note this morning inquiring about the status, but didn't receive any promising news. His response was as follows:

===

HI Mark,

The Sprint Treo issue of answering calls is still being looked into by PalmOne for a resolution. I still have no exact ETA on when this will be resolved. I am hoping by early next week.

I have only spoke with 7 customers that are reporting this problem, now if there are more they have not called me but I am sure that PalmOne is getting the calls too. As stated before this problem has something to do with the Sprint Treo 600 Updater that is being installed on the Treo. I will keep you posted with any information that I come up with from PalmOne.

Best regards,
Alan Jarvis
National Service Manager

[KevMeister]

I haven't upgraded the firmware yet (both Treo upgrade and Car Kit) and am thinking about not doing so until Sprint, Plam and/or ThB gets their act together. I have a strange feeling we'll have an update to the update before too long...