Battery Issues and No Support from Support

BJonas · 05-11-2010, 07:28 AM

Now that RobertB and Astak have taken steps to remedy my problem, I don't feel appropriate in complaining about the lack of customer service.

My take-aways from the situation are:
-Don't reformat your internal memory on a Mac unless you are more skilled at manipulating the OS X reformatting utility than I am. Windows 7 seems to reformat it correctly though.

-Call Astak support if you have to, but you will find most of your answers on this forum.

nimblem · 05-11-2010, 12:19 PM

I do not get emails from support. Not sure why but they just don't come through on my email... perhaps they did email you but it didn't through.... Are you using you army email or a private one? Sometimes the filiters the bases use prevent emails from coming in.

BJonas · 05-11-2010, 12:47 PM

I gave him my gmail account specifically for that reason. Thanks.

Robertb · 05-11-2010, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJonas

I bought my pocket pro in February of this year and up until about a month ago I had been a very satisfied Pocket Pro owner. When the firmware came out on April 2, I updated my ereader just like normal. I had no problems with the update at all but I noticed that my battery was only lasting about 5 hours from fully charged to completely dead. I rolled back the firmware to last update and had no problems doing that. My battery now lasts about 3 days.

At this point, I was at a loss with what to do so I called the Astak support line. The person on that line asked me what kind of computer I had and informed me that I should format my internal memory and reinstall the previous firmware. After this the support person got off the phone. I couldn't believe this. No waiting to see if I got through the process, no waiting to see if it fixed the problem...he just got off the phone. In case you don't know, you should not reformat the internal memory on a Mac because it doesn't format correctly. Fortunately I found a helpful thread on this forum and was able to use another soldier's computer to reformat my e-reader correctly. Having effectively been my own support department now, I reinstalled the firmware and discovered that I am still having the same battery life issues.

Once again I called back support (not an easy task when you are deployed to Iraq) and the support person finally agreed that perhaps the firmware update somehow ruined my battery. He had me give him my email address so he could email me to get my mailing address so he could send a new battery to test. Well it's been a week now and I haven't received any emails.

Its really such a shame because now I'm regretting buying a small-brand electronics device because of this terrible support. I realize that they probably can't afford a full-time staff like the big companies, but some principles of customer service apply no matter what size. I'm just hoping that RobertB will see this post and help me out. Thanks.

Dear BJonas:

Sorry. We have had our head tech over in Taiwan for numerous weeks. I am not supposed to get involved with tech support issues; but soldiers are an exception to me.

HOW would you prefer we do this to solve your problem? Got a suggestion? I am proud of the Pocket PRO as it should be ideal for Iraq-deployed soldiers.

It sounds like you want us to mail a battery to you. Can you send me your full name and I will send you my personal email. Right now I am just trying to decide how to appraoch this. Let me have, in the PM, your full mailing (likely APO address) too so we can get that battery on the way if it is not already.

Be safe and be careful!! I mean that!! I made it through the Vietnam War... you can make it through Iraq.

Being also honest, we are buying a few new Macs. Our knowledge on Macs is not total yet and we are going to get there.

BJonas · 05-11-2010, 01:48 PM

I appreciate it. I'll send you a PM.

Robertb · 05-11-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJonas

I appreciate it. I'll send you a PM.

Dear BJonas:

We want to send today. But they tell me all records are filed under the emial address. Please PM your email address.

I understand that you have a ton of responsibilities in Iraq and many other concerns. I will patiently wait.

I am trying to ram this through.

nimblem · 05-11-2010, 08:40 PM

BJonas

How is the pocket pro holding up in Iraq? My brother is due to go back in the next few months and I wasn't sure how it would do with all the sand constantly in everything. I know that he has had to put everything in zip lock bags to keep the sand out out of stuff. Does the sand seem to get inside of the device at all, or is it not really an issue for you?

BJonas · 05-12-2010, 05:18 AM

Robert,

Thank you for your attention.

nimblem,

I really haven't problems with sand. I'm going to do a good canned-air spray down when I get back but I don't anticipate getting too much out of it. The pocket pro is pretty closed off so I don't think there is a lot of room for the sand to get in. So far its been awesome in Iraq. It's very portable and fills the dull times quite nicely. Even with the issues that I've had, I still recommend it to everyone that asks me about it.

DaleDe · 05-12-2010, 01:29 PM

Do you have a battery problem without an SD card in the unit? It may be a bad SD card. there have been reported cases. Of course, if you take out the SD card you may want to tape over the slot or use a dummy card to keep the sand out.

polly · 05-14-2010, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimblem

BJonas

How is the pocket pro holding up in Iraq? My brother is due to go back in the next few months and I wasn't sure how it would do with all the sand constantly in everything. I know that he has had to put everything in zip lock bags to keep the sand out out of stuff. Does the sand seem to get inside of the device at all, or is it not really an issue for you?

nimblem,

I've also used the PEz in Iraq. In fact, I'm typing this from an internet cafe at the airport in Baghdad while I wait to see if the sandstorm lifts. I find that the CaseLogic case designed for the Sony Pocket works great to keep the sand out. I haven't found any inside the case, and I often carry it in my pocket. The PEz is nice because it's small enough to fit in a pocket, rubberized for an easy grip, and doesn't get hot to the touch like metal and plastic cases. I'd recommend a book light for him also, as I have the most reading time in airports and airplanes, and they don't have the best lighting conditions.

nimblem · 05-28-2010, 02:45 PM

Thanks for the input polly! I am going to break down and buy him one may help pass the time over there. Does astak discount for military?

polly · 05-29-2010, 03:31 AM

No discounts, but they were very accommodating about shipping to my APO address and only charged the actual cost of shipping, versus the extra handling fees that a lot of businesses charge. Your brother should load it with books before he goes, as internet access can be spotty at best and flash drives can't be connected to government computers.

05-11-2010, 07:28 AM	#1
BJonas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Astak Pocket Pro	Battery Issues and No Support from Support Now that RobertB and Astak have taken steps to remedy my problem, I don't feel appropriate in complaining about the lack of customer service. My take-aways from the situation are: -Don't reformat your internal memory on a Mac unless you are more skilled at manipulating the OS X reformatting utility than I am. Windows 7 seems to reformat it correctly though. -Call Astak support if you have to, but you will find most of your answers on this forum. Last edited by BJonas; 05-12-2010 at 10:03 AM.

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05-11-2010, 12:19 PM	#2
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	I do not get emails from support. Not sure why but they just don't come through on my email... perhaps they did email you but it didn't through.... Are you using you army email or a private one? Sometimes the filiters the bases use prevent emails from coming in.

05-11-2010, 12:47 PM	#3
BJonas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Astak Pocket Pro	I gave him my gmail account specifically for that reason. Thanks.

05-11-2010, 01:48 PM	#5
BJonas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Astak Pocket Pro	I appreciate it. I'll send you a PM.

05-11-2010, 08:40 PM	#7
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	BJonas How is the pocket pro holding up in Iraq? My brother is due to go back in the next few months and I wasn't sure how it would do with all the sand constantly in everything. I know that he has had to put everything in zip lock bags to keep the sand out out of stuff. Does the sand seem to get inside of the device at all, or is it not really an issue for you?

05-12-2010, 05:18 AM	#8
BJonas Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Astak Pocket Pro	Robert, Thank you for your attention. nimblem, I really haven't problems with sand. I'm going to do a good canned-air spray down when I get back but I don't anticipate getting too much out of it. The pocket pro is pretty closed off so I don't think there is a lot of room for the sand to get in. So far its been awesome in Iraq. It's very portable and fills the dull times quite nicely. Even with the issues that I've had, I still recommend it to everyone that asks me about it.

05-12-2010, 01:29 PM	#9
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Do you have a battery problem without an SD card in the unit? It may be a bad SD card. there have been reported cases. Of course, if you take out the SD card you may want to tape over the slot or use a dummy card to keep the sand out.

05-28-2010, 02:45 PM	#11
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	Thanks for the input polly! I am going to break down and buy him one may help pass the time over there. Does astak discount for military?

05-29-2010, 03:31 AM	#12
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	No discounts, but they were very accommodating about shipping to my APO address and only charged the actual cost of shipping, versus the extra handling fees that a lot of businesses charge. Your brother should load it with books before he goes, as internet access can be spotty at best and flash drives can't be connected to government computers.

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