Hi Anouk, I am a training consultant. I work for 3 access technology resellers and a lot of private clients providing training on computers, opperating systems, screen readers and braille displays, reading aids, voice recongnition, GPS solutions, notetaking devices... Anything that needs doing basicly. I Officially support about 20-30 pieces of access technology including 5 screen readers, 3 or 4 braille displays, both K1000 and openbook and so forth and so on. It's not usually as overwelming a job as it sounds, but it is challenging on ocasion, busy often, interesting at times, and it is starting to pay the bills now that I've been doing it for almost two years. Ocasionally I get a new toy. I bought my mobile speak and mobile geo on company discount but they basicly gave me the mobile phone to run it all on so that I could go out and do demo's for them on the side. So it's got it's perks that way too.
Sometimes I do consulting for people who are buying new equipment, show them kit and tell them what some of the advantages and disadvantages are and help them buy systems and access tech. That's really cool because I get to take care of them from start to finish and make sure they are happy with what they got. When I sit down with some one for the first time, they invariabley ask what I thinkg of their equipment. At that point it's a bit late to discourage them if they bought something they shouldn't have, but I can always find something uplifting to say, even if it is a bit awkward. Yeh,, so I complain about my job a lot, but at the end of the day, it really suits the hell out of me, and now that I'm getting good at it, I'm enjoying it not too bad. Have fun, erik burggraaf A+ certified technician and user support consultant. Phone: 888-255-5194 Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com On 2009-11-04, at 9:41 AM, anouk radix wrote: > > Hello, well because laptops are so differently priced 3 years warranty > is not enforced here I think, another problem is that of course macs > are even more costly then they already are in the states because I > think they must literally translate that dollar price into euros. But, > imho especially the mac pros and macbook pros should at least come > with 3 years warranty on parts. > Out of curiosity and ot: What work do you do? > Greetings, Anouk > On Nov 4, 2009, at 2:27 PM, erik burggraaf wrote: > >> >> Hi anouk, >> >> We have some of these similar problems here with our equipment >> funding. Unfortunately the nature of the computer market is this. >> The average consumer wants to spend as little as possible on a >> computer, even if that means they will be buying a new computer >> once a >> year. Consumers who want a high end computer that will last them 3 >> years are a niche market. This is especially when you consider that >> businesses who buy in bulk take the mass market approach. Those guys >> are even worse. Sure, They may buy 1000 computers every year or two, >> But they want to get a $600 computer for $400, and they still want >> fat >> warrantees on them. When you build things cheep to undercut the >> other >> guys so you can sell more units and kater to the market, you get >> oodles of breakdowns and have to spend a bundle on service if you >> cant >> convince the buyer to just go out and get a new one. >> >> People like us who want well built systems to last us absorb the cost >> of servicing the cheep laptops. This is much the same principal as >> voiceover. Every one who buys a mac contributes to the development >> of >> voiceover, even though %95 of mac users have no infernal use for it >> what-so-ever. >> >> There is not a company here in north america who has a standard >> laptop >> warrantee longer than one year, for all the reasons stated above. >> Even Asus, which puts 3 years standard on it's desktop componants and >> builds superb quality laptops here, only provides one year on their >> laptop systems. So our funding has to last for 5 years. The best >> warrantee we can do is 3 years. And we will be lucky if we still >> have >> a nice computer at the end of the day because they are just built >> cheep. It's a real tough situation for resellers and funding >> authorizers, and it's terribly frustrating for clients. >> >> Here in North America, Apple is pretty competative with products lit >> dell studio and some of the mid range asus stuff. The real money >> saver of an apple is the bsiness of not having to provide a screen >> reader. Unfortunately we're duel booting windows on these products >> and providing jaws or window-eyes any way because many of our people >> already have so much money invested that they don't want to just >> ditch >> their abominably high priced windows kit. So that kind'a defeats the >> purpose a bit but it will get there. >> >> Best, >> erik burggraaf >> A+ certified technician and user support consultant. >> Phone: 888-255-5194 >> Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com >> >> On 2009-11-04, at 3:49 AM, anouk radix wrote: >> >>> >>> Hello, I know that there are some unattached braille display >>> developers around, meaning that their braille displays are not >>> linked >>> to screenreader software to windows. Lately I have been thinking >>> about >>> how cool it would beif they could do a package deal on their braille >>> display and a mac laptop. In the netherlands if you are a >>> schoolgoing >>> child or a student you get both a laptop, a screenreader and a >>> braille >>> display from the state (actually the uwv, a company run by the >>> state) >>> if you are a working person then your employer can ask the uwv for a >>> screenreader and a braille display and if you need stuff for home >>> use >>> you need to ask your insurance company. So it owuld be really >>> beneficial for the uwv to have an option like the mac that would >>> be a >>> lot cheaper then the options by optelec (bc640+hal) or freedom >>> scientific (i think their braille display is called focus and they >>> of >>> course develop jaws) plus probbably a toshiba laptop. At least the >>> free developers could spread the know how about the mac system and >>> maybe translate stuff provide dutch support etc. I was planning to >>> write some people about this when I suddenly realized something. 1. >>> apple seems to be the sole distributor of macbooks etc and most >>> importantly 2. the very meager standard warranty and very high price >>> to buy more. If you get a laptop as a blind student in nl then you >>> have to use it for at least 3 years before you ask for a new one, >>> after 3 years you can ask for a new laptop and sometimes even a new >>> braille display although that term used to be 5 ears. So it is >>> common >>> practice for companies to deliver the laptop with 3 years of >>> warranty >>> so that has to be included in the total price. >>> I really hope that in the future apple iwll include more then 1 year >>> of warranty because on a lot of proiducts in europe you have AT >>> LEAST >>> 2 years warranty as standard and at no extra cost. >>> Greetings, Anouk >>> >>>> >> >> >>> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
