Handspring has updated their "Shipping News" page stating they "Started shipping products to the first set of orders on October 15th." The Visor units are shipped standard UPS and should reach their destinations in "a couple of days."

Great News, But Handspring Still Has a Few Problems

UPS allows customers to Track their packages online in order to find out where they are and approximately how long it will take to reach their destination. When I asked the customer support representative if I could have a tracking number, she asked me to hold. When she came back on the line I was told "I don’t have or cannot give" a tracking number. I asked her to clarify that, and she repeated the same statement again. Then I was encouraged to check my credit card bill to see when the unit was ordered and then approximate when it would arrive. When I asked if I could have the tracking number to use Handspring’s own tracking system (a part of their online store) the customer service representative didn’t seem to have any idea what I was talking about.

Previous to this weekend, I could not get in touch with Handspring about the status of my two hundred and forty nine dollar purchase. When I called their toll free phone number (1-888-565-9393) I was put on hold and eventually gave up after three different calls yielded waits of over forty minutes each. Two times I had called and didn’t even hear a recorded message. Dull music kicked in and I was on hold again.

Handspring’s website and online store were forced to close down (due to heavy traffic) days after their launch. The website is up and seems to be in good condition but the store has not yet reopened. It is not known whether the online store closing and the phone waiting time have driven away customers, but it has definitely made things very inconvenient for those who have already paid for their Visor and are looking for details.