[NRAMember]

After having to exchange my new Blackberry for another because of some issues, I was still tracking the old Blackberry with SimpleTrax. I wrote numerous times trying to get them to remove the device. US Cellular even tried to contact them. Here is their arrogant response.

Hi there,



This is in reference with your Request Ticket Number: ST00005590.



Bob, the nice thing about spending 6 months to develop a free service for people is that I get to decide who gets to use it. I don't appreciate the threat to leave a negative review because our emails to you weren't getting through. I have deactivated your account.



Please reply back to this email without changing the subject line if you have any further questions or concerns.



Regards, Steven

The Jared Company

[steven55]

Bob didn't give you the whole story. SimpleTrax does give you the ability to delete your own device, but he didn't notice it. We did respond to his earlier emails but my guess is his spam filter is so tight that he didn't see them.

Here is the email to me that prompted me to cancel his account with us:

From: Bob Anders <xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: jared_email
Sent: Fri May 14 12:17:15 2010
Subject: NO RESPONSE
After several emails I still have received no response to have a device removed from my account. I should be able to do this myself without this aggravation. I have posted an appropriate negative review on blackberry apps.

-----------------------------------------------------
We pride ourselves in giving prompt support to anyone who asks.....nicely. SimpleTrax is a great FREE service that we provide for free to anyone who wants it. Users who decide spread negative comments about us or our products can't expect to keep freely using them.

[FF22]

I'll chime in and I don't have any issues in this matter.

I believe that some of us may forget that some of these "COMPANIES" may be very small, one or two person operations. That means that they cannot respond on a 24/7 basis. I would imagine that some of them might get ill or even go on vacation and don't necessarily follow up on every email immediately.

I realize that since they SELL their products, customers want immediate responses and that may just be impossible.

Just another observation.

[MADBRADNYC]

I'll chime in and I don't have any issues in this matter.

Same here.

I believe that some of us may forget that some of these "COMPANIES" may be very small, one or two person operations. That means that they cannot respond on a 24/7 basis.

This is true.

1) Sometimes developers are unable to get to every email that is sent, especially if their app is popular. But, I have also noticed that customers have a weird sense of what they actually want. I have seen people write emails to a developer, but when they are answered by a beta tester of the product (even with correct answers), they feel slighted that they have not been responded to by the developer himself. You may purchase a vehicle, and have problems, so you may write to the president of GM, but you may never get a response from him. You will most likely get a response from a representative. Do people want help, or just want to chat with the developer?

2) I think developers need to have thicker skin. When hundreds or thousands of customers use a product, there are bound to be those/some who do not like it, or the CS. People should have the right to express their views of what has taken place. The developer should use that opportunity to make sure that the problems no longer take place in the future. Not bann users from the product. That is a bit scary, and I don't like it. Even if it IS free.

3) I don't think it is good practice for a customer to tell a developer he has sent bad reviews about a product until all avenues to rectify the situation have been exausted. If it is a reputable company that will be around for a bit, there is plenty of time for all of that down the road. Patience is a virtue. If a developer is being constantly hit with emails, and no response has been made, a lot of developers will eventually reply with an... "I'm sorry that I have not responded to you earlier" type of email. In this "gimme now" society, customers need to take a step back, and see things from different perspectives. Especially in a case like this... a free GPS tracker? Most developers or customers both, will not let themselves be rushed by others.

End result here, the customer no longer has to worry about tracking an old device, and the developer can say the same. There are many alternative free GPS loggers/trackers out there. Everybody move on.