Iomega, Class Act or Class Action?:
A Continuing Study
Into How Iomega Treats
Its Customers and Employees
ANNOTATED
LETTERS I HAVE RECEIVED
JANUARY 1997
Other Correspondence:
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
December 1996
Mail received 10OCT96 to 13NOV96
My responses to mail received 10OCT96 to 13NOV96
Every time I think that
things are calming down, here -- that I may be able to lay this project aside,
in honor of those people who still write and tell me to "get a life"
-- I get letters that I feel simply MUST be shared. Here are some of the
most-recent ones, together with a few comments by me [in brackets like these]:
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 12:20:22 -0700 (MST)
X-Sender: bcarrol@pop.azstarnet.com
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: bcarrol@azstarnet.com (Bill Carroll)
Subject: Re: Iomega
I read your 12/31 emial with
interest -and finally got a chance to review the rest of the correspondance on
your home page.
I looked briefly at your school bus home
page. It has always been a bit of a sore point - and puzzlement to me that
individuals could be required by law to have seat belts for their children and
to have them buckled in, while school busses didn't even have any.
Congratulations on doing something about it.
[Thanks for your kind words, Bill! --SL, 2
January 1997]
My son in law has advised me that there was
an article in Investors Daily on Tuesday last (12/31) which stated Iomega was
laying off 500 employees, closing their plant in Utah and moving their
manufacturing facilities to Malaysia (sp?). They might just as well be there.
They couldn't be any harder to contact there then they are here. Maybe the AG
as has been putting pressure on them. [dunno --SL, 2 January 1997]
More follow up on my experiences with Iomega.
I finally decided that I'd gamble my $15 to place
a call as I could not get any response any other way and I did want to get a
zip drive working.
On my first call I think I was on the phone
for over an hour (about 40 minutes on hold). They tried walking me through lot
of things but to no avail and then suddenly the connection broke. When I called
back and told them what happened they didn't even try to put me back with the
first tech support person - but sent me immediately to "level 2"
support. (I feel that the connection was purposely broken either by the tech
support person who realzied he wasn't going to get me up and running - or by
some automatic function that takes away the connection if a tech support person
is on with one customer for X number of minutes.
Level 2 support told me I should try the 2nd
zip drive (I had returned the first because it wouldn't eject the disk) on a
different computer with windows 95 and if it didn't work I may have another
faulty computer. I did it, -- and it still didn't work. I called them back and
after over an hour on hold, the next tech support person said I needed a new
parallel drive that the parallel port on my computer was probably was not
compatable with the Zip drive. When I told them I had tried it on a second one
they advised that by coincidence I must have tried in on another computer that
also had a faulty parallel port. After spending 40 minutes once and over an
hour once on hold, I'm convinced that they keep you on hold that long with the
idea that most people will probably hang up and go away and they won't have to
deal with them.
Not satisfied with Iomegas parallel port
suggestion, I talked to a local hardware man. He laughed and said to take the
Iomega Zip drive back and get another. I did and the new (third) drive set up
fine and I'm off and running and hope everything will be OK from here on out.
I will be cancelling the $15 credit card
charge and I will be recapping all of this for the Utah Attorney General [Too
bad you can't get back the phone charges so readily! --SL, 2 January 1997]
Happy New Year
Bill.
[Happy ending to an otherwise sad story, Bill.
Thanks for the update!! Keep in touch. Happy 1997. -- SL, 2 January 1997]
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 1997 21:13:05 -0800
From: [Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]
To: s@TheRiver.com
CC: [Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]Subject: iomega hate mail
X-URL: http://personal.riverusers.com/~s/action.htm
I HATE IOMEGA!!! AND
USAFLEX!!! I have been waiting 16 weeks now for my rebate ($120 for two drives
and a giga-pack). I wouldn't even mind waiting if I had even once received some
assurance from iomega that it would be coming (I am generally a patient,
understanding individual), but NO, there is NO way of getting through to a
human being at that company. E-mail comes back with useless, automated replies;
their 1-800 number only refers you to their toll number, where I sat for 45
minutes before giving up. Fortunately I did get my drive working, but no thanks
to the bad literature they provided or the support they refuse to provide.
If you start your class-action suit, count me
in.
[Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]
[Hi, Don!
I am not entirely clear what your complaint
is against USAFLEX (about whom I know nothing), but I am pleased to provide
this outlet for you to share your anger over this abominable situation.
I am happy that your drive is now working and
agree that documentation typically leaves too much to be desired ... not only
in the case of Iomega, either. IMHO, there ought to be a law against publishing
"User Guides" that have no indexes at all.
So far as a class-action lawsuit is
concerned, it will take a lawyer with great vision a greater sense of justice,
to handle such a case and the far-reaching implications it would entail. There
are few such people to be found, it seems.
If you happen to know a good lawyer who might
be interested in this case, that could help. While we wait for one such to step
forward, at least we are gathering here some documentation of Iomega's
customer-relations problems that do not seem to go away. I suggest that you
(and others who may be so motivated) document your experiences as fully as
possible and send Iomega a bill for your time and costs, with a copy to the
Utah State Office of the Attorney General (address below). --SL, 2 January
1997]
From: maggie@mediarare.com
X-Sender: maggie@mail.wco.com (Unverified)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 21:41:35 -0800
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
Subject: Re: Iomega
Steve,
I thought I should update you
on my experience with Iomega. I received my rebate check around the 20th of
December after a 4 month wait !! Hurray!
Now was this Iomega getting their bleep
together or was my less than easy going e-mail to the Iomega website comments
department the trigger? Or was it all the pressure others like you have been
putting on Iomega customer support? I'll never know but the letter said that
they had received an unprecedented number of rebate requests. My carrying case
and cartridge holder are supposed to arrive within 6 weeks. Thanks again for
putting this issue on your site. I hope others can get satisfaction for their
claims soon.
Maggie
>At 06:22 PM 12/31/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Happy Holidays!
>
>Below is a copy of a message sent to me from CNET:
>><<Subj: Iomega Rebate wait>Date: Tue, Dec 31, 1996 5:54 PM EDT>From: jimd@central.cnet.com>X-From: jimd@central.cnet.com (Jim Davis)>To: DeRegil@aol.com
>Thanks for pointing out these issues to us. I've just done an article, which can be viewed at
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,6586,00.html
>I'll be keeping track of this issue and there may be an update by next week if the Attorney General's office of Utah has any good information I can use.
>Feel free to circulate this URL to the newsgroups and web sites you frequent.
>Jim Davis
>Reporter, News.com
>CNET: the computer network
>San Francisco, CA 94111
>==========================
>http://www.news.com
>email: jimd@cnet.com
>Our other sites:
>http://www.tv.com
>http://www.cnet.com/
>http://www.search.com/
>http://www.shareware.com/
maggie@mediarare.com
http://www.mediarare.com
Phone:(707) 765-2165
Fax:(707) 765-2165**
Accordionist & WebMeistress for Polkacide,
the premier hardcore polka band"Never give up and never face the facts." Ruth GordonCogito eggo sum - I think; therefore, I am a waffle
"1996 is the Year of the Accordion...Squeeze on!"
[Maggie,
Thanks for your update! I am pleased to hear
that things seem to be turning out OK for you. I like that "waffle"!
hehe --SL, 3 January 1997]
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 1997 20:03:38 -0700
From: "Court Jester" <jester@konnections.com>
Reply-To: "Court Jester" <jester@konnections.com>
Organization: Drive-By Comedy With Court Jester
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: About Iomega..
I work for Iomega and have
added an Anti-Iomega site of my own.. I'll be adding a link to your page to
mine.. I just wanted to say that not only do they treat their customers like
crap, they also treat their employees like crap.. Clcik below to see my story..
--
o
o\/T\/oCourt 0 0 Jester
šBoycott Iomega!
<http://www.konnections.com/jester/iomega.htm>
[Well, Dear Readers, leave
those "<" and ">" signs off the URL, when you visit
http://www.konnections.com/jester/iomega.htm
and you'll be able to read a
sad story that seems to be all too common to our American corporate world,
these days. I really do not know how to get people to treat others humanely,
but it seems to me that many Americans ought to take their religions more
seriously than they do. Has the love of money truly replaced all other American
values in corporate America? I hope that it has not, but I wonder. --SL, 4
January 1997]
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 19:37:35 -0600
From: bfowler <bfowler@netdoor.com>
Reply-To: bfowler@netdoor.com
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Iomega
Have you tried posting to the
financial newsgroups? They seem to be unaware of Iomega's customer support
problems. Should a class action lawsuit become a reality, please count me in.
[This is a nice idea!
I would welcome suggestions as to which
particular newsgroups (of any category, whether or not financial) should
receive postings from me, in the future. I would also welcome receiving copies
of other people's postings to newsgroups.
So far, my own postings have been limited to
the following newsgroups:
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc comp.sys.mac.misc law.listserv.net-lawyers law.school.admin law.school.corps law.school.legal-prof misc.legal.computing What we really need in order
to proceed with a class-action lawsuit is a "good lawyer" (is this an
oxymoron, these days? 
. People seriously
interested in joining a class-action lawsuit could help by finding a lawyer. I
have failed to find one willing to take this potential case.
But if people actually do start boycotting
Iomega until they change their attitudes for the better, a class-action suit
might not be necessary. I really would rather reform Iomega's policies than put
them out of business. --SL, 6 January 1997]
From: Baber2064@aol.com
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 08:40:28 -0500
To: s@theriver.com
Subject: Iomega Problems
Read your home page and
realized you are getting what you deserve. Anyone who insists in using a DOS
(aka Wintel) clone is just asking for problems. We are an all Macintosh office
and use Zip drives extensively. NO PROBLEMS.
I suggest that you use your energy to get a
real computer and leave Iomega alone.
Tom Baber
[Hi, Tom!
Thank you for sharing your views. However, if
you were to delve more deeply into the correspondence at my site than you have
apparently done to date, you would find that not all Mac users have been so
fortunate as you and your office have been.
I shall leave Iomega alone only when I get more
letters like yours than like the majority I now receive! --SL, 6 January 1997]
X-Sender: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 12:17:05 -0600
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com (Laurent Muller)
Subject: Re: YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!
Steve,
Being in Utah when the Iomega
layoffs where annouced and listening to the local comments, I understand why
the DA will never take any action against Iomega: so many concessions were made
to attract the company to Utah that the last thing the state wants to do is
upset them. They may go away!
A form of prostitution.
Well, they are going away anyway......
I am not spending much time rebelling against
Iomega's practices: there are other companies as inept as they are and it looks
like the market tends to take care of them with time. I just enjoy looking at
their stock going down steadily!
Plus, the storage business is evolving so
fast that I look for their technology to be obsolete in a few years, when you
and me will still be standing around smiling, but not them!
Regards
Laurent
. . .
*************************************************************************Laurent Muller Voice (713) 275 5403TCP/Completions Technology FAX (713) 275 5273 P.O.Box 1590 E-mail Muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com14910 Airline RdRosharon TX 77583 **************************************************************************
[Hi, Laurent!
There is definitely room in my world for your
views, but I feel compelled to warn potential Iomega customers away from Iomega
products, knowing as much as I now do about how they operate.
Your comments about why the Utah Office of
the Attorney General will never prosecute Iomega are interesting, to say the
least. I hope that they have more integrity than you believe they have, but you
may be correct!
It will indeed be interesting to watch Iomega
stock. I just wish that they would get their act together so that they continue
to have a strong bottom line and present an example of a strong American
company that has chosen to mend its ways. "Hope springs eternal . . .
", eh?
Thanks for sharing your views! --SL, 6
January 1997]
Date: Tue, 07 Jan 1997 05:43:15 -0800
From: duffman@megsinet.net (Stephen Duff)
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Zip Drive, External and High Quality Print Outs
For Christmas my wife bought
me an external PC ZIP drive. Everything seems to work fine expect when I want
to do a high quality print out from my laser printer. The drive and or drivers
for it seem to interfer with the printer output making everything dark, very
dark. I use my home system to publish technical papers with many graphics and
scans. This problem is unacceptable to me. The only way I have gotten around
this probelm is to write a separate batch file and use a CALL within my
AUTOEXEC.BAT asking if I want to use the drive. Now I have extra wait time at
boot-up.
When I contacted IOMEGA about this problem
they said, "we have never heard of this before."
Hmmm....Go figure.
Sincerely,
Steve Duff
duffman@megsinet.net
[Hi, Steve!
Well, at least you found somebody with whom
to speak! If the problem is unacceptable then I suggest that you return the ZIP
drive and perhaps try one or two replacements, before requesting your money
back. Bill Carroll (see above) got his system working OK on his third Zip
drive! I do wish I could offer more help.
Can another reader offer Steve some help,
here? --SL, 8 Jan 1997]
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 1997 19:25:42 -0500
From: casper@diamond.nb.net (Tim Scoff)
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Your web page's free space
If you are running out of
space for your web page and you would like to rectify the situation you may
want to ask someone else who has space on their web site that they are not
using (most people who have an ISP IMHO) who is unsatisfied with Iomega to
store your graphic images on their site and just link to the images from your
site.
Tim
casper@nb.net
[Hi, Tim!
Thanks for this nice suggestion! I am posting
it just to share the idea of cooperative Web-site publishing.
As to your suggestion, I now have only
406,581 Bytes in .GIF files and 67,220 Bytes in .JPG files. My entire site now
takes about 1MB, so my cry for help in this area may have been somewhat
premature, given my 2MB limit.
Nonetheless, your suggestion has merit and
might well prove useful not only to others but also to me, when the need is
more critical than it is now. Thanks again! Nice thought. --SL, 8 Jan 1997]
Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 14:18:15 -0600
From: Philip Stefaniuk <philkar@server.icenter.net>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Iomega
The problem I have with
Iomega is that I sent in a mailin rebate to them in July and I have never
received the rebate. I have phoned them and everytime I phone them I am told a
different mailing date that my rebate was supposedly mailed. It has been 6
months already and I do not expect to ever receive it. Please email me. I am
interested to hear if others have received their rebate!
Karen Reid
[Hi, Karen! I was not sure whether or not to
post your note. But I decided to post it, because I can thereby point you to
this file by email and, once you read this, suggest that you do a search
(CNTL-F, if you are in Netscape) on "rebate" in this page. If misery
loves company, perhaps it will help you to find that you are by no means alone
with your rebate problem. Some people have even succeeded in getting their
rebates, but I have no idea what percentage of Iomega customers have received
their rebates.
Your note serves notice to others that Iomega
still has not squared itself away, in these regards.
Best wishes! --SL, 8 Jan 1997]
Reply-To: <safedot@ij.net>
From: "stephen leslie" <safedot@ij.net>
To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Subject: Iomaga Sucks
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 1997 20:39:58 -0600
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
Purchased Zip P. Port on
06/Dec./96 for home use. I have made repeated calls to the company phone #.
Still have not been able to reach anyone who could or would answer even simple
questions. Want me to call the tec. line and pay for all needed info. Also have
not received $50.00 rebate as of this date. When you call the company all you
get is people in the rebate department. Have left messages and have received
several call back but not from anyone that could answer questions. Instructed
to refer to the provided owners manual, " what a joke". I have
contacted the local Computer City Store and the Best Buy Store to complain.
Both store managers told me they have the same problem with Iomaga. You can't
even buy and extra cable with out having to go through Iomaga. If I could
return my Zip Drive I would. Would not and will not recommend this product or
company to anyone else. Feel like I've been raped.
[Hi, Stephen!
Well, many people share your feeling of
having been raped, I sense! Thanks for sharing your story, feelings, and
decisions. Are you perchance an attorney? We need one! --SL, 9 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 97 01:58:43 UT
From: "John Kreps" <John_Kreps@msn.com>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: IOMEGA Automation
I was very glad to find your
web site. I thought that I was alone in my frustration with IOMEGA. I have had
a parallel zip drive since they first came out and used in WIN 3.1.
When I upgraded to WIN 95 I went to format a
zip disk and it failed at the very end. I could no longer use that disk. I
tried another and lost it. Then I tried to get in touch with IOMEGA. I think
the place is run by robots.
No matter how I tried to contact them (phone,
letter, fax, e-mail), I always got back a canned automated answer. I was put on
hold once and had to wait over 45 minutes to be told by an IVR system to use
the fax line to request help!
I suffered with the format problem for over a
year. One day I finally got hold of a real person. Seems that IOMEGA hired a
'trouble shooting' group to answer calls - What a concept!. They would not tolk
to me unless I gave them a credit card number. I made several calls and finally
it was determined that I had a hardware problem (the serial number and model
number were very old). I was told to call another number (long distance of
course) to request a return number. I did this and got my return number. I sent
off my zip drive (paid for shipping and insurance). >P> Now this left me
with no drive. Since I do major consulting work and have to carry around large
amounts of data, I needed anther drive so I bought a SCSI drive (with the magic
rebate that I have not gotten yet and to be truthful had forgotten about until
I read you letter). I now could format my disks with no problem - Oh I forgot
to mention before that when I was talking to the support person he wanted to
know why I wanted to format my disks. He said if the disk is OK do not format
it and then I would not get the problem Saints be Praised at that wisdom!
Last week the first week of Jan 1997, I
received a package in the mail. I did not know what it was. When I opened it I
found the zip drive that I had sent off over 3 months ago. I was happy because
now had my 2nd drive. There was a letter in an un-addressed envelope that was
not even close to being professional done. It basically said that the drive was
not bought here and they could not help me. God was I pissed. Of course I did
not buy the drive where I sent it to be fixed -which is the place they told me
to send it - which cost me phone costs to get the damn number that they wanted
me to use when I sent it to them at there request in the first place.
If I can give you any ammo let me know. I
even e-mailed them a note indicating that I work for IBM and IBM was looking at
using there drives and that I would recommend that IBM does not. I got a canned
response back thanking me for the complaint!!!!!
I am one that will not recommend IOMEGA to
anyone!. I also just read somewhere that they are working with someone to come
out with a 3 1/2 diskette drive replacement using the Zip drive. It would read
720, 1.44, and the 100mb zip drives. Can you see the support they will give on
that one?
John Kreps
[Hi, John!
You are FAR FROM ALONE in your
dissatisfaction with Iomega (which may be the best example of poor customer
service in the entire computer industry)!
Perhaps you could expand upon this question
of formatting a Zip disk. Does one need to use a special Iomega program to do
that, is it possible to do that, or if a disk seems to need formatting has it
been, effectively, trashed and presents no hope for recovery?
I can see why you were "pissed"
when your drive came back unfixed! I guess Iomega believes things will get
better for its customers when they have Malaysians who can not speak English
writing such notes to customers, eh? (Dear readers, this is not ethnic bashing!
Nor am I against industrial progress for so-called Third World nations. I just
do not like outsourcing in a situation like Iomega's, as it portends worse --
not better -- customer service, which is the principal issue at this site.)
John, your letter in itself provides plenty
of ammo, should the Utah Office of the Attorney General happen to be reading
this site ... which I doubt. To whom can people complain about that
"Office" not doing its job, the U.S. Attorney General? Maybe people
should start writing to BOTH of those offices, as well as to other authorities
-- as I have suggested so many times at this site.
This site is serving a purpose if it warns
potential customers of and investors in Iomega Corporation against dealing in
any way with Iomega. But, IMHO, only when readers flood mailboxes of
authorities with complaints will anything get done -- unless a lawyer comes
forth to take on these challenges.
Iomega has been a pioneer at producing
technological innovation. It is time for them to become innovators in the
customer-support arena, as well ... or, to go out of business!
Thanks again for writing, John! --SL, 9 Jan
1997]
Return to March 1997 Correspondence
From: philkar@server.icenter.net
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 01:13:52 -0600
X-Sender: philkar@mail.icenter.net
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
Subject: Re: Iomega rebate problems:
Dear Steve:
Thank you for your prompt reply and posting
the note. I actually phoned Iomega again today. I had mentioned to you in my
previous letter that whenever I had phoned them they had told it me what being
processed and finally the last two calls they informed me it had been mailed on
two different dates. During my conversation today with Iomega I learned that
the cheque has never been mailed but it would be mailed today and I would have
it within 2-3 weeks! Not impressive! Thank you for making people aware of these
issues. If I would have known this I certainly would have never purchased an
Iomega product and will certainly never in the future. I purchased the Iomega
zip drive over the others because of the $50 rebate which I realize today I may
never receive. What a scam!
Karen Reid
[Karen,
Thanks for this follow-up report! I thought
that this sort of scam was something that Offices of Attorney Generals were
supposed to do things about. Have you written to Utah's? As I have just
suggested above, perhaps people should now be complaining to U.S. Attorney
General about Utah's Attorney General!
I just dunno. Lots of words at this site, but
no real progress, and few people telling me to whom else they have written or
sending me copies of such letters, it seems to me. I am not sure how much
longer I can keep doing this, without some major changes in approach and
effectiveness. --SL, 9 Jan 1997]
From: "SHAYTER" <shayter@epix.net>
To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Subject: IOMEGA
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 01:31:40 -0500
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
Steve,
Dave Koup told me to drop you a line about my
experience with Iomega.First I would like to tell you a little about my self,I
have a Gateway 2000 that Dave helped me select the components for,I have had
this system a little over 2 months and it is my first computer,for that matter
it is also my first experience with computers except for punching a few keys at
the library.About a month after buying the system I bought a zip scsi insider
for downloading off of the internet etc. . . .
Upon receiving my zip I noticed that I didn't
have an ISA slot open for the scsi card, and, after numerous phone calls I
found that I would have to buy an Iomega jazz jet pci adapter for $95(which I
ordered from pc connection,and these guys are great to do business with), so
much for saving money with the $50 rebate incentive.Once I got the pci card I
found that it came with its own set of drivers,and, being new to computing I
did not know if I needed to install both sets of drivers or just the ones that
came with the zip.Well $14.95 later and about a minute and a half of a
technicians time I found out that I would have to install both sets.A few days
ago I thought I would move my Umax scanner from its dedicated ISA card to the
pci card so that I could free up some space in my system.When I called Umax to
ask if this would work they asked me what the model number was of the
card.After looking on the card and the box that it came in I told them that I
could not find any reference to a model number.They told me that they needed
that in order to help me.Well I figured it would be easy enough to find this
out from Iomega.Wrong.After trying to get through many times I finally called
tech support to see if they could tell me what model my card was.The tech said
that he would have to charge me for any information that he gave me.Needless to
say my scanner is still on its own card because I refuse to pay these idiots
any more money for something that they should supply for free,at least for 90
days.
Well that is my experience so far with
Iomega,if I come across any more I will let you know,and, if there is anything
new that you find out let Dave or I know.
Paul W. Shayter
shayter@epix.net
[Hi, Paul!
Thanks for writing! Your story is all too
typical.
Question of the Day: Now that we all know how
Iomega operates, how can we get beyond the warm fuzzy feeling of seeing our
names on the Internet and actually DO SOMETHING to change what we don't like,
in these regards, I wonder? Any suggestions, anyone? --SL, 9 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 22:57:34 -0500 (EST)
X-Sender: [Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: [Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]
Subject: Re: Chat about iomega from Web site!
I'm using Netscape 2.02, and
I know that I get at least some applets. [Interesting, Don. I went to the Ice
Box Chat channel Welcome! and asked what the earliest version of Netscape is
that works there. One fellow said that he is using v.2.02! --SL, 10 Jan 1997]
(At least I know that when I move the cursor over parts of certain web pages it
says something about "applets" down in the lower left-hand part of
the screen.) But what I get when I go to the URL you gave is just your
"time for class action" web page with a few lines in the middle about
this new chat option. Should the box for entering commands be right there on
that page [YES! --SL, 10 Jan 1997], or should I be seeing a link to another page
specifically for that purpose? [You can link to the SPiN hotlinked page to
learn more and try it from there as well, but it should work directly from my
page. Please be sure that you have enabled Java. If that does not do the trick,
I have run out of suggestions. : ( --SL, 10 Jan 1997]
As for the other newsgroups, I just do
searches on www.dejanews.com and AltaVista's usenet option for
"iomega." I like to use dejanews filters to restrict my finds to
specific newsgroups or specific dates, so that if I'm looking for computer
stuff, I don't get all the stuff about technology stocks and vice versa. If you
haven't used that option, you should try it out:
http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter.html
[Thanks, [Anonymous -- SL, 28
Jan 1998]! Actually, I used DejaNews for the first time a couple of days ago,
but I am not yet sure whether or not I reached the URL you just gave. I'll try
it in a while and leave this here for the benefit of others. --SL, 10 Jan 1997]
Keep up the good work, but let's make sure we
keep it public to keep the heat on Iomega. [Thanks, Don! And, good point! But I
see the ability to chat with folk like you in real time as a very useful
potential tool. Good to have a place to hold forums. Gee, maybe even an Iomega
rep might join in! (Fat chance, eh?) --SL, 10 Jan 1997] Isn't it amazing what a
community has developed around one incompetent/asshole company? It's almost
worth the headaches! (No, not quite.)
[There are many things I would rather be
doing. --SL, 10 Jan 1997]
[Anonymous -- SL, 28 Jan 1998]
From: Amamyo@aol.com
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 20:10:03 -0500 (EST)
To: s@theriver.com
Subject: IOMEGA
STEVE
I ALSO HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE
FROM IOMEGA BUT IHAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET WHAT I NEEDED. ONLY A 32 BIT DRIVER WHICH
IOMEGA GAVE ME DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO DO. I BOUGHT MY ZIP AS A BACKUP FOR A
SYSTEM PROBLEM I WAS HAVING TO SAVE MY IMPORTANT FILES BEFORE REBUILDING MY
COMPUTER. I INSTALLED IN DOS MODE BUT COULDN'T CHANGE OVER TO WIN 95 MODE AFTER
REBUILDING IT SHOWED AS A REMOVEABLE FLOPPY BUT TO MY UNDERSTANDING SHOULD BE
REMOVEABLE DRIVE. I HAVE ONLY WORKED WITH COMPUTERS FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AND
THERERFORE AM NOT AS LITERATE AS I WOULD HOPE. AT THE SAME TIME I BOUGHT A ZIP
AND A JAZ FOR MY OFFICE FOR MACS AND TOOLS WON'T INSTALL ON THESE PROPERLY
EITHER. WE USE THESE FOR DOWNLOADING CUSTOMER FILES (THEY WORK FOR THIS) BUT,
ITWOULD BE NICE TO HAVE FULL FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SOFTWARE. CAN YOU TELL ME
(SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO ASK THIS) IM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR IS IT IOMEGA
ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
AMAMYO@AOL.COM
MIKE YOUNG
TENNESSEE
[Hi, Mike!
My own Zip drive shows as a floppy. Does
yours work? Can you read from and write to it? Maybe you don't really have a
problem?
I don't know anything about Macintoshes,
Mike. Sorry that I can not help, there. Perhaps somebody else who reads this
can get in touch with you and lend a hand by email. Wish I could offer more
help, there.
The bottom line is that you may well have
some problems understanding things, but the fundamental problem is that Iomega
offers its users virtually no "handholding," it seems. Too many users
are being badly hurt by this neglect by Iomega and other
computer/computer-peripheral/software manufacturers and vendors, IMHO.
Good luck! --SL, 10 January 1997]
From: "Gene E. Godsoe" <gegodsoe@netmcr.com>
To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Subject: Iomega Boycott!
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 23:15:11 -0500
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
I see you are still at war
with Iomega. I guess my gun barrel over heated. I did advise you I received the
$140 rebates almost 5 months to the day after they recorded the rebate. Now, 6
months and I have never yet received the freebee kits, they have spent more
sending out sand bagging letters than to just go ahead and send the kits. You
got to wonder about a company that gives portable carrying cases as freebees to
purchasers of INTERNAL SCSI drives. [Interesting point! --SL, 10 Jan 1997]
On another front, the original two internal
SCSI zip's I bought July 4th, were grossly under engineered, requiring an
entire 1/2 height drive space. One from the local Best Buy recently, turned out
to be identical size to a 3.5 floppy drive, setting in a removable standard 1/2
height floppy mounting kit. Trash the mounting kit and install it in a spare
3.5 floppy slot. I have not seen any mention of these two physical differences.
But the new smaller on is a significant redesign. I suppose one of the old one
went to Japan, and got the typical Japanese shrinking and hopefully, an equal
improvement in quality.
Iomega is following in the footsteps of
AT&T and IBM, fantastic quality when you look at the millions of items made
and sold, but with the marketing expertise of Bonnie & Clyde. And like
them, it will catch up in another hundred years or so.
keep stroking the fires, I am still
recommending to all they write the Utah AG!
Gene
[Hi, again, Gene!
Thanks for the follow-up! I am delighted to
learn that your rebate finally came through.
The difference in designs is also
interesting. I won't be buying either.
: (
Too many corporations forget about their
customers.
Writing to the U.S. Attorney General about
inaction on the part of the Utah Office of the Attorney General might get
somebody's attention. But I am too busy here to do all that sort of letter
writing, any longer. All I have time to do is to suggest that others follow
through on such ideas, if they find merit in such suggestions.
Thanks for writing again, Gene! Best wishes!!
--SL, 10 Jan 1997]
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 1997 05:03:45 -0800 (PST)
To: s@TheRiver.com
From: ting@term.wanweb.net (J K Freadman)
Subject: Thanks for the INFO - BUT !
Great Job. Wish you had the
time and energy to create a Web Page that Listed all the companies who treat
customers like this. Also list the GOOD companies to deal with like GATEWAY,
Hewlett Packard, etc. I've only been playing with IBM computers for about 1
year, and boy have I found out about bad support and good support.
If your interested here is my list of good
and bad.
GOOD SUPPORTGateway Gold Prem serviceHewlett Packard BAD SUPPORTAutoDesk (makers of AutoSketch and AutoCad)Quaterdeck (You could do a whole web on these low lifes and there products)
Keep up the good work, we
need people like you to help keep these companies above board. By the way I
Emailed IOMEGA and told them NO Thanks to there poor support and I am not going
to buy any of there products
Thanks again
Jerry Freadman
[Hi, Jerry!
Thank you for your kind words!
If people want to compare how others rate
various computer-related companies, they can visit such sites as
http://www2.tsixroads.com/Moan/
David Kirk's Moan and Groan page (which seems
still to be undergoing redesign; can anybody update me on what has happened to
that page? There are other such services on the Web, one of which might be a
derivative of that Moan and Groan site, but I don't have time to chase the
question, at the moment).
Incidentally, I have personally had a rather
bad experience with HP, whom you list as giving "GOOD SUPPORT." So,
it is necessary to point out that one good experience or one bad experience
with a company does not form a statistical basis for judgment by the user
community. Only when services such as the Moan and Groan site provide enough
data about a company -- or when sites like this give readers enough of a
feeling for how good or bad a particular company is (and who would bother, were
the company doing well?) -- are visitors able to get a reasonable sense for
whether or not to do business with any given company.
Thanks for telling Iomega what you think of
them. People need also to write to authorities in a position to change the ways
of such maverick companies as Iomega seems to be. --SL, 11 Jan 1997]
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 1997 18:08:04 -0600
From: Twisted Ivory <bcox@tfs.net>
Reply-To: bcox@tfs.net
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Agreement
I agree with a lot [Not with
everything!?? : ) -- 11 Jan 1997] of what you had in your URL,
http://personal.riverusers.com/~s/action.htm. I dislike Iomega's tech support
also. As a matter of fact, even before I read your page, on my web page I had a
part of it dedicated to protesting against Iomega and various companies. You
may want to check it out. my URL is http://www.tfs.net/~bcox but if you want to
bypass all of the neat graphics and sounds and everything on the front, go to http://www.tfs.net/~bcox/protest.htm
[Done! : ) --SL, 11 Jan 1997] and, if so necessary, I will be willing to back
up a lawsuit against Iomega. ..."have a nice day"...
Twisted Ivory
(Brandon Cox)
bcox@tfs.net
[Hey, Brandon! : ) Good for YOU! Without your
kind permission, I have already provided links (see
http://personal.riverusers.com/~s/related.htm
to the second of those Web
pages you just gave. I would be pleased to have you provide links to my
*/~s/action.htm site, as well.
If you happen to know any lawyers willing to
pitch in, your offer to back up a lawsuit might do us some real good! As it is,
I have yet to find a lawyer willing to take this one on. On the other hand, if
we were to set some legal precedents by winning some cases in these related
matters, you can bet your bottom dollar that lawyers would be beating down our
doors to get in on the action. "First come, first served?"
Thanks for your initiative, Brandon! Thanks
for sharing your site, too. Who knows?: Maybe something good will come of all
this. At least we are warning some people about problems that they can expect
when dealing with some pretty big companies. --SL, 11 Jan 1997]
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 12:01:02 +0000
From: Sharon Miller <woodland@uslink.net>
Reply-To: Sharon@uslink.net, Miller@uslink.net
Organization: Core Sport
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Zip Drive
I have had nothing but system
crashes since I purchased my Iomega Zip 100. No support. Also the company has
not followed through on it's rembate offer. I work on a Mac and as you know,
system crashes on a Mac are rare and very very easy in most cases to resolve.
[Hi, Sharon! : ) Your story is all too
common, I fear. Thank you for confirming that Iomega problems occur even on
Macs.
My suggestions:
1. Put the vendor on notice and request a replacement. If the replacement hardware does not work, then 2. Return the Zip drive and demand your money back. 3. Write to Utah's Attorney General and to the United States Attorney General. Complain to Utah's AG about Iomega. Complain to United States Attorney General Janet Reno about lack of action by Utah Office of the Attorney General.
I have just written my own
letter to Janet Reno, which you can see at this site's Home
Page.
Thanks for writing, and I hope that this
helps, Sharon! : ) --SL, 12 Jan 1997]
Addresses for both of those offices are to be
found below.
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 17:05:19 -0600
From: Mark <buenafe@hotmail.com>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: floppy drive is not recognized anymore
after ZIP installation
Steve,
Geez! I am regretting that I
bought the Zip drive.
I've searched high and low for someone with
this particular problem. I tried the FAQs in Iomega, another site, etc. to no
avail. I'm hoping you may have heard of this problem:
After installing the Parallel Zip, my laptop
(Toshiba) cannot access my floppy drive. It thinks it is removable now.
I'll have to post this complaint around
tonight...
Mark
[Hi, Mark! : ) )
I am sorry to hear that you are having such
problems and regret! Sorry to say, but I have never heard of this particular
problem before. However, one of the readers of this site may be able to offer
you some help, so I am posting your note here. I hope that somebody gives you
the help you need. --SL, 14 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 05:38:50 -0700
From: Charles Wesley <dancalon@compusmart.ab.ca>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Concerns
I too am another unhappy
Iomega user.
My problem is partially related by that the
customer service never replys to anything. I am trying to receive my rebate that
was part of a "Hold Everything Offer" which sounded like a good deal
at the time. However now I question it all. Supposed to receive a rebate in 4 -
6 weeks. How about 4 months and still nothing. For someone on a small
disability pension it does make a difference. Sure nice to talk to someone who
cares. Iomega will not respond to my email (3) fax (1) and letters (2). I even
phone called and they put me off. You must understand that long distance
charges soon add up too make the product more expensive.
Still perplexed.
[Charles,
Sad to say, your problems and concerns are
really nothing new to this site. But I post your letter for the benefit of
people who argue or might think that Iomega has improved either its customer
service or its problems with getting rebates to customers in a timely fashion
(if at all?).
I fully understand how costly long-distance
charges can be. I see that you are in Alberta, Canada:
I had to deal with international phone calls
when trying to get help from Gravis, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. When I finally
returned the sound card to the vendor, I was out the $146 ($US) that I had
spent while most of the time I was on hold or talking to some nice guy who was
so new to the job that he had to repeat every question I asked, in order to get
an answer from somebody with greater experience. I finally told him that I
could not afford to pay for his training, this way.
Your being on disability support and using a
fixed income for such calls involves a hidden product cost that ought to be
illegal, IMHO.
One fellow cursed me out, yesterday, saying
that users should be willing to pay $15/$20 for tech support. If those were the
only costs involved, I might agree. However, the kinds of delays that Iomega
forces its customers to endure -- including long periods on hold and the need
to call yet other numbers once you finally DO get through to a person --
followed by advice to send hardware to certain addresses for repair, only to
have it returned months later unrepaired (and too many other such horror
stories) -- hold out hope to users that they are getting help, until it is
finally too late to get help, as the warranty has expired! In my opinion, this
treatment constitutes fraud.
I care more about people in your situation
than I do for people who use foul language while attempting to protect what I
infer must be their vested interests in Iomega and other such companies that
are either merely quite innocently incompetent or are in fact criminally
corrupt -- a question that is best decided in a court of law, IMHO.
Thanks for writing, Charles! : ) ) --SL, 16
Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 14:31:06 +0000
From: Larry Pfister <larryp@dowco.com>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Rebate Ripoffs
I am the very pissed off
owner of a Zip drive and ten [BLEEPED] ...sorry disks. I bought this piece of
crap in Sept. from Mac Zone who, like all others had all this rebate stuff
everywhere. I checked back with the Iomega troops on Nov. 12 wondering where my
rebate was. "You are in the system and it should not be too long...couple
of weeks."
FAMOUS LAST WORDS. I checked yesterday and
was told that rebate deal is down the tubes and I am totally out of luck. Kiss
it all goodbye bozo. Another call to Mac Zone informed me that I am not an
isolated problem, and that if I "went higher up in the company, could
probably get my rebate" Ya right.
So am now sworn to spread the word far and
wide of how one should NEVER under ANY conditions buy ANYTHING made by or licensed
by IOMEGA. Please feel free to visit my ZIPOFF/RIPOFF page at:
[ http://www.dowco.com/horsepower/iomega.html ]
Larry (wishing I had never
sold my EZ135) Pfister
Vancouver, Canada
[Sorry, Larry! You are not alone. Why don't
state attorneys general take this as seriously as they do problems dialing into
AOL, I wonder? --SL, 16 Jan 1997]
From: ccalhoun@megsinet.net
X-Envelope-To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 17:41:27 -0600
Organization: Use only as Directed
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: iomega
two years ago I bought a
ditto 250. The next week the 420 was released for the same price. I figured
that since I have never had any problems with the tape I'd overlook previous
problems; I could get a zip drive wholesale and get the $50 rebate I got the
drive and it worked fine for a day and a half and then quit all together.
Fortuneately I think I can get a rma from from my supplier. If I can't exchange
the drive I will have to call up their self proclaimed long hold time long
distance hotline and try to get them to switch a new drive for a refurbished
used one. One day I got bored and pulled the emergency eject several times and
the drive worked again and ASPI stopped returning "no host adapter for
that drive" They seem to suffer from head allignment problems because I
formatted a disk and copied files to it with no problems The disk does not read
properly after it is removed and re inserted. Also I have found that once a
disk becomes corrupted it can't be formatted.
[I lost my first Zip disk today. "Abort,
Retry, Fail." If there IS a way to fix it, I hope somebody will tell me
how. I would even be pleased to hear from Iomega! : )
Thanks for writing! --SL, 16 Jan 1997]
From: "John Keener" <keener@netwalk.com>
To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Subject: Iomega Zip Drive
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 22:06:17 -0500
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
Steve,
I want to begin by saying that I understand
how you feel about Iomega. I do not, however share in your views. I have been
one of the fortunate Iomega Zip owners. I purchased my parallel on 07/28/95
from Best Buy in Fargo, ND. I paid $199.99, there were no rebates back then. My
drive, made in the USA, has not even so much as hiccuped over the last year in
a half. I have consistently been able to connect from system to system. I have
seen, out of 11 iomega and 4 fujitsu disks, a fujitsu disk that liked to
vibrate to much in my drive. A slight bending of disk downward on both sides
solved its shakiness (I guess I must have stuck that one to close to the
heater). My drive shipped with Win 3.1 software. I was able to download the 95
drivers once they came out on the Web. I had no problems and all was fine. I
also tried to download Tools50 from Iomega's web page. No success. Dialed up
the BBS and got it from there. It was a fairly quick download with a USR 33.6.
Had to pay the long distance cost though.
Since my purchase, I have moved to Ohio and
now work for a top ten computer retailer. I "understand" your
frustration in that I hear the complaints and hostility towards Iomega quite
frequently. I work in phone Tech Support. The most frequent caller is the one
who can not get the drive installed. I will tell you that over 90% of the time
the process of shutting down, tightening the connections, unplugging the drive,
plugging it back in, and powering up finds the Zip drive. I have encountered
very few Iomega's where the drive was dead or not working properly. I have seen
the Jaz disks go bad. I have also heard about getting a hold of Iomega's tech
support. Nothing good. I have never had to call them myself. I did order a zip
carrying case from them only to get transferred to PC Connection. Paid the same
price as the My Stuff catalog.
I have dedicated myself in my department to
be a source of knowledge for Iomega information. I, therefore, appreciate
people like yourself who provide the dark side issues of a product. My most
important goal is one I share with you and that is to serve the end user.
John Keener
PS. This is the first time I
have come out and sent a message to anyone about my drive or Iomega since I
have purchased it. I guess it was about time.
[Hi, John!
What a very nice letter this is from you! : )
It does not really matter that I receive it on the same day that I have had my
first problem with an Iomega Zip disk going bad (see just above).
You say that you do not share my views, but
you also say that you appreciate people who "provide the dark side issues
of a product." This is a balanced and sensible letter which I am pleased
to be able to post to my site.
Thank you for writing! --SL, 16 Jan 1997]
From: "WR Harrison" <wilh@iconz.co.nz>
To: <s@TheRiver.com>
Subject: My Zip disks bit the dust
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 11:14:00 +1300
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
(wilh@iconz.co.nz)
I
have a Zip100 drive and a Compaq prolinea 590 computer running windows 95.
In the last 10 minutes, 3 of my zip disks have just become corrupted!
The drive keeps whirring and clicking (not normal) and maybe after
several minutes the windows explorer just tells me that there is no disk in the
drive, thats if the explorer doesn't crash.
Scandisk
reports errors in the folders then crashes, and I tried formatting one disk but
it reported that the format failed (red light). However drive diagnostics
report the drive is working just fine. I have Norton Antivirus for Win95
with the latest signature updates and my computer is free of viruses.
Its a bit uncanny that 3
disks just happen to go down in the space of 10 minutes. All of them were
working just fine - I was happily moving files then they decided to pack up.
I have had all less than 6 months (aren't the disks supposed to last 10
years?)
HELP ME, PLEASE!!!!
I have several zip disks storing valuable data which I don't want to put
into the drive in case they are corrupted too. Can anyone help me out?
BTW,
I am in New Zealand so I can't access the American Iomega support channels.
Thanks,
Wil
(wilh@iconz.co.nz)
[Hi, Wil!
I enjoyed chatting with you at the ICE site, and I am pleased that you followed through and sent this description of your problems. You are the first to send a letter that is in both readable English and HTML, which I have used. I think that it makes your letter quite distinctive! Thanks for sharing that effort. : )
I have also recently lost a Zip disk to the old "Abort, Fail, Retry" syndrome. I do not know how to recover that disk, but others seem to be working OK, still.
I am struck by the unique nature of your problems. It seems to me that either you have a major failure of your Zip drive or that there now exists a virus that does what you have experienced. I certainly hope that the latter is not the case, but it might not hurt to use a good virus checker on your system, just to eliminate that possibility.
Perhaps some reader will come to your rescue, Wil. I wish I could be of more direct help.
Thanks for writing! --SL, 18 Jan 1997]
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 20:33:56 -0500
From: Burkold Uber <zoltan@mail2.nai.net>
Reply-To: zoltan@mail2.nai.net
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Jaz Drive Performance
Allthough my Jaz drive is working, it's performing well below the 'average' expected performance as stated by Iomega. In fact, the Jaz drive I purchased is consistently performing well below the minimum that Iomega claims is the rock botton performance for the drive.
Contacting Iomega was a joke (and not a funny one). Their technical support was non-existent, and I'm left with a functional, but poorly performing product.
One of two things is true in this case:
A. There is some slight incompatability between my system and the Jaz drive. (which is why I contacted Tech support in the first place.) B. The performance specifications for the drive were grossly overstated and therefore fraudulent or at least blatant false advertisement.
I am not looking to beat Iomega to a bloody pulp, but would rather like to receive reasonable explanation/advise on how to resolve the performance issue.
I am an accomplished computer user/programmer/troubleshooter well versed in the technical aspects of computers. I rarely contact technical support for anything, but in this case, contacting the company that manufactured the product was a necessity since all other attempts to resolve the problem failed.
[Hi, Burkold! : ))
Your good letter speaks volumes and indicates that those who are not so accomplished and run into troubles with iomega products have good reason to be complaining about the insulting lack of service provided by iomega, evidently through its subcontractors, to iomega users. (It has become difficult for me to use a capital letter when I write iomega, as I wish no longer to convey any respect for that company. Readers will perhaps forgive me if I lapse into using a capital I in that word, from time to time.)
I, too, had no intention of beating iomega to a bloody pulp, when I first started this site. However, I receive such a constant stream of complaints about that corporation that I am forced to conclude that nothing short of legal action will really do anything to fix this situation. If that amounts to beating them into a bloody pulp, in your eyes, well then: Leave it to those of us who are willing to go to such lengths.
; )
Whether or not any such legal action ever comes about, I think that it is well that we share here the problems we are having, in hopes that some reader/s will offer people still having problems the help that iomega withholds. In a sense, this site has become one of several iomega User clubs.
I hope that you are able to figure out how to get your Jaz drive working properly and that, if not, you are able to get your money back. Thanks for writing! --SL, 18 Jan 1997]
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 01:25:35 -0800
From: carlos
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: (no subject)
Dear Unhappy Consumer:
I am a former Iomega and Compaq Tech support specialist. There is a reason why Iomega gives such piss poor support. First of all it is not Iomega that is giving the support. It is done under contract by MCI telecom in Chandler Arizona. The support people are given a time limit of 12 minutes per call. It takes about five minutes to fill in customer information on the data base if the network is not crashed. They rely heavely on a data base called folio which is a HTML data link. MCI is taking adavantage of the fact that Arizona has bargain basement labor. Around august of this year I started working at another company that also started the same fee based policy at Exactly the same time as Iomega. I find it very interesting that Compaq and Iomega started this at exactly the same time. I think that many of these companies are conspiring to make this rip off policy a standard. I would not see it as such a bad thing if time limits where not placed on the Technicians. This is not true support. It is an out and out rip off.
Microage was worse. [It] was a sweatshop. They would not even let you go to the bathroom. They would threaten your job every day.
Any questions about Iomega?
[Hi, Carlos! : ) )
!Of COURSE!!
I have many questions about iomega! It may well be that the time to present your evidence will be in court. In the meanwhile, I would be happy to post here any details you would like to share publicly, in hopes that you are also willing to testify to their truth, when, as and if that time comes.
I fear that your conspiracy theory may have real merit. I have hesitated to make this suggestion myself, lest I be accused of being paranoid or something like that. It is extremely important that I am now receiving reports from people who know the art of troubleshooting and user support so intimately and who confirm such growing suspicions about how too many companies in this industry are making their big bucks. It is time to fix this situation, I believe.
Thanks very much for writing! I hope to hear more from you. --SL, 18 Jan 1997]
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 20:37:36 -0600
From: Jeffrey Kraus <krausj@mailbag.com>
Reply-To: krausj@mailbag.com
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Experience with ZIP
My own experience with ZIP drives has been limited to the purchase of one drive at work for use with Macintosh computers. There were no problems with installing and using the drive. I used the driver software that came with the computer and never tried to get an update to the software or have I had any reason to contact Iomega. The drive was only used for a few months before I purchased a number of PD drives (phase-change dual drives by Toray and Panasonic, http://www.toray.com). The ZIP drive is now in storage. The reason for replacing the ZIP drive was its low capacity (100MB vs 650MB for PD) and that it is incompatibile with any other format, PD drives can also read CDs.
It was interesting reading your site, especialy the mention that ZIP drives needed to be reformatted every few months. I knew that magnetic media have a short shelf live (about 5 year) versus optical media like PD (about 30 years), but a usable shelf life of months is incredible.
[Hi, Jeffrey!
Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts. Perhaps somebody reading this will want to buy your stored Zip drive. ; )
I do not know what to make of the claim that Zip disks need refreshing every few months. I just hope that these Zip disks on which I have things archived do better than that. All this almost makes me want to revert to paper tape!
I wish you well with your systems. Thanks again for writing! --SL, 20 Jan 1997]
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 13:39:48 -0500
From: Hugh Brecher <hbrecher@hoflink.com>
Reply-To: hbrecher@hoflink.com
Organization: DENSA The Proud Rejects of MENSATo: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: iomega chat on SPiN
What's involved in getting your own "dedicated" channel topic such as the one you have there for iomega. I am able to set up temporary channels but they die as soon as the last person quits. [Sorry, but that is how they are, unless you ask SPiN for some help or buy one of their chat tools. --SL, 20 Jan 1997]
I do support your efforts on the iomega subject. It's really a shame, they are really hurting themselves in the long run. My experience with their products has been excellent; I even got my $50 rebate for a gift ZIP drive I gave to my wife. The rebate came late, but it arrived. [This is wonderful news! I would like to hear more such stories, for a change. --SL, 20 Jan 1997]
When the ZIP drive was new and iomega stock was about $8 /share I provided free online support, via Prodigy, CompuServe and various local BBSes for users who weren't as skilled as myself with setting up computer hardware and software. Iomega support has been really terrible from the beginning; they shot themselves in the foot when they suddenly removed their active presence from CompuServe. If they don't change their ways promptly their name will become "..little known nor long remembered." [Unhappily, this corporation seems to have gotten away with such attitudes since the mid 1980s, if my memory serves me and the testimony of at least one correspondent on these pages is to be believed. I would appreciate hearing from others who have documentation of very old problems with iomega. --SL, 20 Jan 1997
I've written to the upper levels of their management with the hope of getting them to smell the coffee and save their jobs and their company. They are probably too arrogant to answer; I'll let you know if they do. [Thanks! : )) --SL, 20 Jan 1997] If it will serve your purpose you have my permission to copy this message.
Now, how did you set up a "dedicated" channel topic?
Very Best Wishes with your Project; Hugh--
Hugh Brecher, M.A.
==================
http://hoflink.com/~hbrecher {Hypnosis WEB page}mailto:hbrecher@hoflink.com {Primary E-Mail}mailto:72154.2657@compuserve.com {Secondary E-Mail}mailto:hbrecher@hotmail.com {Secondary E-Mail}=========================================================
/\_/\ /\_/\ /\_/\
\0 0/ \0 0/ \0 0/
=(_"_)= =(_"_)= =(_"_)=
U U U
Alfie Sebastian Pitzel
"We Don't Pull Sleds"=========================================================
[Hi, Hugh! : )) What you can do is talk with
"Warp" (also known as Markus Peter)
about your needs concerning chatting at your Web site/s. Or, for starters, you can chase the hotlink just below the SPiN logo on my
if you like. When you get where that leads, take a
Test Drive now!
to see all the chat tools available from SPiN.
Thank you, too, for your clearly stated permission to use your letter. --SL, 20 Jan 1997]
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 08:51:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Paul Weinreb <weinreb@walsh.med.harvard.edu>
To: s@theriver.com
Subject: zip help?
Hello,
I just found your anti-Iomega page and I understand completely. I had a zip drive that was seemingly destroying my disks. I sent it back and Iomega said they found nothing wrong with it, and exchanged it for another drive. Now it is doing the same thing. Do you either a)have any idea what the hell might be going on; b) know how I can recover data from a zip disk; or c) know other sites which may have this information? I appreciate your help, and I'll never buy from Iomega again!
Sincerely
Paul Weinreb
****************************************************************
Paul H. Weinreb
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Harvard Medical School
240 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
****************************************************************
[Hi, Paul! : ))
Sorry that you have these problems, but if iomega actually replaced your drive you are ahead of the game! Most people who write to me don't ever GET that far with iomega. : ((
I really don't know what the problem might be, but I suggest that you try the drive on a separate computer, if you can, to see whether the problem might indeed lie within your own system and not be iomega's "fault." Of course, if it is destroying disks, this is an expensive game. But I do not know how else to go at it.
I certainly hope that this does not all suggest that a new virus is attacking iomega Zip users.
I do not know how to recover data from any disk, let alone Zip disks, once one gets "Abort, Retry, Fail" messages. But I have a recollection of some utility that claims to be helpful in this arena, whether or not it will help with Zip disks. Perhaps a reader can refresh my memory on this.
I suggest that you post your questions to Jim Wu's
Perhaps you would like to post them also at newsgroups such as
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.systems comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc or
comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc comp.sys.mac.misc
Thanks for writing, Paul. I wish you great success in your evidently very interesting and challenging career. --SL, 21 Jan 1997]
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 19:00:25 -0800
From: "Erica S. Peck" <especkie@uclink2.berkeley.edu>
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: me too sort of
hi there
ok, i've had some iomega problems too, but they're probably not as bad or urgent as other people who've mailed you. but they still piss me off.
i guess it hasn't been that painful for me because i haven't been purchasing iomega stuff with my own money but for my office. i work at uc berkeley in the school of education, part of a professor's support staff, and i have been asked to order lots of zip drives and zip disks for various graduate students and my own office in the past year. i've never had any technical problems with the drives (although some of the letters on your page made me afraid for the future), but i've had one hell of a time getting in touch with a human being at iomega to find out information about rebates! i mean, it's not my money that i'm getting back, but i have wasted an incredible amount of time and gotten terrible stomach pains of frustration trying to get a hold of someone. my problem is this:
my boss saw advertised a while ago an offer in which you can get $50 and a T-shirt and a carrying case and a copy of Now-Up-To-Date software by purchasing a zip drive. well, i'm not 100% sure that's all accurate, but i'm sure about the calendar software and the $50. that's all we really want; my office needs some good calendar software. so when i tried to get the rebate coupon for this offer, i did the lame faxback thing and asked for all the forms, and none of the forms mentioned anything about the software. according to our campus retailer, every customer is entitled to get a free copy of this software. but i haven't been able to get in touch with anyone to confirm or deny this or to tell me how to request it. i sent a letter in early december and haven't gotten a response yet, but it might be too early yet to expect one. what i would like to know is, have you or anyone else heard of such an offer? the $50, T-shirt, carrying case, Now-up-to-Date thing. or something like that--it's been dragging on so long i've forgotten what it even was. i would also like to know, from the people who say "when i finally got in touch with a human being..." HOW they did that, because i haven't even managed that. my e-mails to their web page have gone unanswered, except for an automated response telling me that since my message didn't contain a certain preapproved word in the subject line, they won't answer it. getting someone on the phone is a joke, you get lost in an endless labyrinth of voice mail. i actually got one rebate check from them (4 months later), but it was made out to me and not the professor (she's lucky i'm honest).
really, i'm just a simple student employee trying desperately to pay the rent while i try to graduate. i don't need all this stress, and the prof's secretary could really use that software to do her travel scheduling.
sorry this is so long, i'm all alone and listening to the radio and i kind of got on a roll. i don't expect you to post this, but feel free. i also don't expect that i could be put on the class action suit because i ordered the drives and disks for other people, but if you think it would be appropriate you could do that too. i don't know any lawyers except my boyfriend's father in LA, and i don't think he'd be interested because he mainly does cases about battered women. but i could ask. anyway, good luck in your quest for justice, and i hope all this comes to something productive--i agree about hoping iomega cleans itself up and offering a decent amount of tech support, but if not, i hope they burn to the ground. =) (metaphorically--i wouldn't want any poor abused employees to suffer further!)
sincerely,
erica s. peck
Administrative Assistant I, CLP/KIE Research Groups
UCB School of Education
4523 Tolman hall #1670
Berkeley, CA 94720-1670(510) 643-7499
(510) 642-3769 (fax)
especkie@uclink2.berkeley.edu (e-mail)
[Dear Erica! : ))
It is easy to see why you have become P.O.ed at iomega. There is no reason that they should make things so difficult that they endanger the health of their customers. Your story makes me wonder whether or not there might be a personal-injury angle to this situation. I never thought about that aspect, before.
I may have one of those iomega ads somewhere in my archaeology, here, but I am not sure where to start digging, so I hope that somebody else can help you with details as to what iomega actually owes you. I don't happen to remember anything at all about calendar software, but that does not mean much. I don't doubt that it was offered. I am sure that carrying cases were part of an offer, but that is all I can really confirm.
I wish you the best in paying your rent and am sorry that iomega is making your life so complicated. There really ought to be a law that somebody actually enforces, but the only law that currently seems to be in force is the golden rule that goes: "Them's what gots the gold rules!" or something like that. What ever happened to the Original Golden Rule?
I guess it would not hurt a class-action lawsuit to have the Berkeley School of Education as one of the plaintiffs. But it sounds as though your boyfriend's father is not exactly the kind of lawyer we need on this particular possible case. But, it would never hurt to ask whether he knows a lawyer who would like to take iomega and other abusive companies on, would it?
Thanks for your good wishes concerning these efforts, Erica! Sorry I can not be more help to you. Perhaps some reader here will have some helpful information for you. I hope so.
May I suggest that you write to some attorneys general (California, Utah, and USA)? --SL, 22 Jan 1997]
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 00:57:45 -0800
From: Arthur Kempan <akempan@mb.sympatico.ca>
Reply-To: akempan@mb.sympatico.ca
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Iomega Support
Just when you think Iomega can't become a more useless company then they are, they manage to outperform themselves --- again.
I've sent my croaked Zip drive back on warranty. I read some not-very-clear information which led me to believe that I could call with my RMA number and they could tell me.....your Zip drive is being repaired, replaced, blah, blah, blah. I don't want to wait just hoping someday it'll return.
Their web site has an e-mail capability and I asked how can I find out what's happening? You know what Iomega has??? An automated e-mail response system. Put simply, it e-mails back some crap which doesn't answer your question.... just some canned baloney, based on some word in your message I presume.
So I've gotten four automated responses to my simple question and none answered it. What a pathetic excuse for a company. I hope their stock goes right in the toilet, worse than it has. That way their cast of miscreant managers will be losing on all the stock options they hold.
[Dear Arthur! : ))
I am fully familiar with the automated-email responses that iomega sends out, completely non-responsive to questions asked. After this happened a few times, I decided to start tabulating the time spent trying to deal with them, thinking to bill them for such time. I never billed them, but maybe YOU should.
Unhappily, their stock went from 4 in January 1995 to split when it reached 55, so that their current value of about 20 is more like 40, compared to January 1995 ... and is rising! People can easily ignore a site like this one. The only thing that will truly get these people's attention is a solid law suit, IMHO.
I fear that iomega managers are much richer now than they were two years ago, and are not likely to get much poorer, as the company continues to innovate and introduce great, new products. If only they could learn how to deal with unhappy customers, I would again be an investor in iomega!
Thanks for writing. --SL, 22 Jan 1997]
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 22:18:21 -0400
From: "John A. Burns" <johnbets@interlog.com>
Reply-To: johnbets@interlog.com
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Iomega
Hi Steve:
A friend just told me out of the blue the trouble he is having with his rebate offer. No rebate since August.
This has to be fraud, especially since Iomega is still advertising the rebate and the retailers are showing the price minus the rebate. The retailers should also be sued or threatened. If they got the complaints Iomega would not get the orders.
What can we do to get the Attorney General onside?
John Burns
Toronto
[Hi, again, John! : ))
I am sorry to learn that your friend is having rebate trouble. However, I am assured from other correspondence here (for instance, see above 2 letters the correspondence from Erica S. Peck, Administrative Assistant I, CLP/KIE Research Groups, UC Berkeley School of Education) that other people also are having continuing problems with such rebates. (This is offered under the "Misery loves company" category of solace.)
Although you and I may be well convinced that iomega continues to get away with fraud, only when those in real authority are so convinced will iomega change its actions, it seems. As it is, the authorities are the attorney generals of various states (or the District of Columbia, or Territories such as Puerto Rico, I guess) in the USA and the US Attorney General Janet Reno. I have already communicated with three attorneys general.
If those in current authority will not do their jobs, I guess that any class-action suit could name even them as codefendants. Then, the balance of authority would shift to the courts.
For brevity, and to draw her easily into viewing all that is at this site, in my letter to Reno I did not specifically mention the rebate problems, per se. You ask what we can do "to get the Attorney General onside," but I am not sure to which of the various AGs you refer . . . Reno?
In any case -- and operating under the perhaps naive assumption that attorneys general will indeed to what I take to be their jobs -- I suggest that people (whether or not they are U.S.A. citizens) who have had or continue to have problems with rebates from iomega should themselves become active in the writing of letters at least to the Attorneys General of Utah and of the U.S.A., whose addresses are to be found below.
I shall be pleased to post at this site any copies of such letters that I may receive.
Thanks for writing again, John! --SL, 23 Jan 1997]
X-Sender: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 09:41:34 -0600
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com (Laurent Muller)
Subject: Re: Iomega
I am surprised that the competition (SyQuest ?) is not reacting and suing for unfair marketing practices !
They are the one taking a real beating. When a potential buyer makes a price comparison, he takes the rebate in consideration, not knowing he may never see the refund.
Compaq did not wait for a consumer uproar to sue Packard Bell for selling reconditioned PC as new!
Maybe the problem is that SyQuest is not aware of the ploy and should receive a free lifetime subscription to your site as a wake up call!
(re)Laurent
[Hello again, Laurent! : )) Your suggestion that Syquest ought to be going after iomega is an interesting one! Perhaps you should make it to them, directly, as it is your idea. : )
In like manner, as I recall, Xerox and Digital Research did not fight for their rights when others like Apple and Microsoft grabbed and ran with the GUI paradigm, either. Companies need to have vigorous legal departments to survive, it seems.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Perhaps Syquest would like to join a class-action suit? What other companies might be willing to join up, I wonder.
If you do write to Syquest, please send me a copy of your letter! : ))
Thanks for writing again. Nice thoughts. --SL, 23 Jan 1997]
. . .
*************************************************************************
Laurent Muller Voice (713) 275 5403TCP/Completions Technology FAX (713) 275 5273
P.O.Box 1590 E-mail Muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com14910 Airline Rd
Rosharon TX 77583
**************************************************************************
From Jean Stillwell in Colorado Springs, Colorado; 9:30AM, 23 January 1997:
" [If] Iomega is to be stopped in it's tracks, the Connecticutt law about instant rebates at the cash register will NEED to become a federal law, and I won't live to see that either. Too many other BIG companies will fight it.
But it doesn't stop me from hoping, or praying it will happen for the rest of the nation's population. Maybe someday it will.....
[Thanks, for these thoughts, Jean! --SL, 23 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 10:05:39 -0600
From: "John Lee-R3299C" <John_Lee-R3299C@email.mot.com>
Subject: RE>Re- Iomega
To: s@theriver.com
X400-Mts-Identifier: [ /P=MOT/A=MOT/C=US/ ; q\oakq1lz\970123100539q ]
M Mail from John Lee Subject RE>Re: IomegaHi Steve,
Thanks for all the information you have posted! Here's a funny story for you. After going through the ordeal of paying $100 so that my replacement Jaz Drive could be sent out, I get another Jaz Drive a few weeks later in the mail. At first I thought they had send me my first defective unit, but that was not the case. Iomega sent me another users repaired drive in error.
When I called Iomega to report the error the support rep couldn't figure out who it belong to even though I had given them the user's address and name.
Talk about incompetence.
Have a great weekend!
John Lee
[Hi, John! : ))
Thanks for your kind words.
Just think how much less expensive products might be if companies did correctly such things as keeping their customers straight, in the first place! If only iomega would match the talent of their engineers by that of the rest of their staff!! . . .
Thanks for writing. --SL, 23 Jan 1997]
X-Sender: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 12:00:42 -0600
To: sales@syquest.com, support@syquest.com, support-pc@syquest.com,
support-mac@syquest.com, amy.reardon@syquest.com, webmaster@syquest.comFrom: muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com (Laurent Muller)
Subject: Re: Iomega
Cc: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
Dear SyQuestors,
Are you aware of the Iomega ripp off concerning their bogus rebates and money making "boiler room" type technical support schemes ?
Iomega is literally borrowing money from their customers (against their will of course) and in the worst cases plain stealing it in order to unfairly undercut your prices.
In case this is news to you, check the URL below, where an army of frustrated Iomega customers have registered their complaints on Steve Langford's site.
-> -> -> http://personal.riverusers.com/~s/feb_1997.htm
Why don't you poke your nose in this dirty business and unleash a few hungry lawyers after the Iomega boys who have not fled Utah yet ?
A frustrated JAZ user who is learning the music!
Laurent Muller
*************************************************************************
Laurent Muller Voice (713) 275 5403TCP/Completions Technology FAX (713) 275 5273
P.O.Box 1590 E-mail Muller@rosharon.wireline.slb.com14910 Airline Rd
Rosharon TX 77583
**************************************************************************
[Good show, Laurent! : ))
Steve -- 23 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:24:49 -0500
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: ipence@isye.gatech.edu (Dr. Ira W. Pence, Jr.)
Subject: Re: Iomega
Just an aside, but I have received my check for $50 from EPSON. About 45 days after I submitted my request.
People ought to get the message - by ZIP from EPSON not Iomega.
By-the-by I now have a Zip disc that will not mount. The drive cycles through the lights,etc. just as it does with the other discs, but it doesn't mount. It just keeps cycling as it ries to mount the disc. This locks up the computer as it is stuck trying to mount the disc.
Ever have this happen? Any ideas how to get the files stored here? (As you can guess, these files only exist on this Zip disc. I never got around to loading them onto one of the hard drives.... Oh, Well.) Any help would be appreciated - and we know I can't get any from Iomega.
[Hi again, Ira!
Thanks for this and for your copy of
your letter to the Utah State Office of the Attorney General!
Your analogies are apt, pertinent. You make good points. I hope that the Utah State Office of the Attorney General is as persuaded as I am by your letter! ;))
This is the kind of teamwork that is needed to have an impact upon the powers that be. Sincere thanks for taking the time to say your say and for sharing it with others, this way. --SL, 24 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 22:15:31 -0400
To: Steve Langford <s@theriver.com>
From: Richard Lowenthal <rlowe70@ptway.com>
Subject: Re: Iomega
Hello Steve.
Just a suggestion to ALL who bought/buy; Iomega Zip Drives:
Buy [or not]with your credit card. Inside of 60 days if you have not received your rebate, call your credit card company and ask them to stop payment to Iomega. They WILL PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD. You will be asked to write a letter explaining the circumstances and in all likelihood they will settle the matter with you, the client by giving you back fifty dollars on your account and charging back the fifty dollars to the offending company, Iomega. It is not an uncommom practice and, in my experience, they have been very cooperative and easy to deal with, that is the credit card company.
Be certain to alert them if you get your fifty dollar rebate. This might also cause enough of a stir with Iomega that they respond faster and take more notice of consumer rights.
Richard Lowenthal
Read the Zodiac
[Richard, my friend! : ))
This is not the first time this suggestion has been made at this site, but yours is a point that bears repetition, it seems.
But is this suggestion that we "Read the Zodiac" pertinent to iomega in particular, to your own philosophy in general, or to some particular astrological occurrence of which we should all be aware? Or, is it something that you hope people at iomega will read, so that they might change their ways, while time remains to do so? ;)) --SL, 24 Jan 1997]
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 22:13:55 -0600
From: Terry Myers <temyers@fullnet.net>
Reply-To: temyers@fullnet.net
X-Sender: Terry Myers <temyers@fullnet.net> (Unverified)
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Zip Drive
I have an Iomega Zip Drive Parallel Port model. I have had no problems with it at all. One of my computers with all my graphics/scanned family pics on it crashed. No matter what I tried I could't get into Windows 95.I used Guest.exe in Dosshell and saved all my important files to my zip disk drive. I have no connection with the Iomega Company.
Sincerely,
Terry Myers
Oklahoma
[Dear Terry! : ))
Thank you kindly for your pithy and cogent statement of support for iomega. I wish that such letters as yours were the most common ones I receive. It is only fair to post such letters as yours to my site, along with all the others I get.
I hope that you never have any problems at all with your system but that, if you ever do need to contact iomega, you have no problems at all getting competent help from either them or their subcontractor/s. --SL, 24 Jan 1997]
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 13:08:38 -0500
From: Greg Mahan <greg_mahan@metronetworks.com>
Reply-To: greg_mahan@metronetworks.com
Organization: Metro Networks
To: s@TheRiver.com
Subject: Iomega, et al
X-URL: http://personal.riverusers.com/~s/recent.htm
I've had some not-so-great experience with Iomega myself, but have not had the hysteria build that seems to be happening on your site.
I got my iomega rebate of $50 in late november '96, after a 6 month wait. Not great, but I got it (and I see by your page, others got theirs as well [Well, at least SOME of them did, anyway. --SL, 24 Jan 1997])...the wait was unacceptable, but i'd hesitate to call it "fraud".
We use Iomega drives where I work, both Jaz and Zip, and We've had about a 2% fail rate (about 1 in 50 drives...we've bought maybe 200 of these things, and had like 4 fail right out of the box). Again, not great, but I've had hardware such as "K-Tron" brand ethernet cards that had a 30-50% fail rate right out of the box.
The documentation seems to be acceptable to me. Plug it in, and run "guest.exe", run the windows install, or on the mac, simply boot the computer with the Tools disk in after plug