PROVIDER,
I am sorry to see that you have joined the others in no longer offering free smartphones. Also, bigger is not always better. We don't all live on our phones, watch hi-def videos in the palm of our hands, nor need tri+cameras. Being forced to (over)pay for over-powered, over-accessorized, over-pixelated (aka: gaming, social media fetish) devices is not acceptable.
Talk to your OS hardware providers. Demand something(s) smaller/ simpler/ cheaper.
[BRAND gets it, but I don't like BRAND or their limited options, and they ain't cheap.]
Here is what I want/ need for my next phone…
– Purpose: talk, text, tunes, tasks, time, travel, translate.
– ‘Mini:’ like the classic BRAND.MODEL. [I still use mine as an alarm clock, flashlight, midnight note-taker; all RF disabled for EM-free dreams.]
– ‘Small:’ no bigger than, say, the BRAND.MODEL.
– Battery: user-removable/ upgradeable.
– Camera: singular, on the back. [My selfie camera gets taped over, always.]
– Thumbprint scanner (front-bottom): can work as a d-pad for quick navigation.
– Tunes: want a microSD I can load up with flac/ mp3s: bluetooth/ usb to the car, boombox or dock.
– Headphone jack: yes, it looks less like muttering to oneself. [Plus, we don't all want to be(come) Cybermen.]
– LED notifications: fully customized: color, speed, timeout; by contact, apps. [I'm tired of having to go poke my phone every hour or so to see if I missed something (important/ inane). I prefer to know that with just my eyes, from across the room, which is where you'll usually find my phone at home: nowhere near me.]
– Provider/Manufacturer proprietary apps: limited, removable. (Always the first thing uninstalled/ frozen.)
– Tasks/scratchpad: mayhap a (dedicated) hard-button(-combo) to invoke/ stop voice/ tasks recorder?
– Voice Assistant: easily, definitively disableable. (Or at least, hard-button-only activated.)
– Rootable: some of us don't appreciate being merely a guest-user on our own computer.
No need to make it difficult. [Better you provide the patch than some sketchy hacker.]
Should we want to get work/play done, there's: computers, tablets, bigger phones. I don't want to carry a (delicate) ‘brick’ in my pocket, just want a ‘phone.’ I know I'm not the only one. Clarifications: I don't use social media (ever), rarely watch videos (esp. on-the-go), don't vid-chat/ selfie (period), don't play games (beyond solitaire), don't leave data/ sync enabled (only fire up wifi occasionally to check email/news).
I just want an old-style, smaller, simple (yet still OS) Phone. (That doesn't mean others can't load it down with all their favorite distractions.) Such a device would not require newer tech, doesn't need the extra (expensive) hardware/ processors/ battery, instead use the old stuff, cheaply manufactured. Make it simply small, durable, memory-sufficient, water-resilient. [I would happily be a beta-tester.]
The best part… it will be Free if we agree to stick around for another two(/three) years… just like it used to be, for loyal customers… like me. Be the provider who Respects that we don't all want/ need the latest/ greatest/ biggest devices forced upon us, for additional monthly expense.
Be better than your competitors.
BRAND,
I respect your products, BRAND is my preferred brand, I have owned many over the decades. I now ‘rent’ the BRAND.MODEL. I have a few suggestions…
1) Security:
I appreciate that you let us unlock our devices. I would really appreciate it if you could provide me a basic, stock Recovery (backup, restore) specifically for my updated model. The (recovery) developers have since moved on from this device and there is no recovery that works with my newer revision. [Operation not permitted, file(s) not found, etc.] Having Root, it is easier to brick the phone (especially during initial configuration, getting it set the way we want). I had to start all over again, more than twice. Would have been faster with proper backups. You folks could cook me up a recovery in just a few minutes. [Promise I won't share it with anyone.] If this is just a matter of warranty/ liability: I will gladly sign away my phone's soul to get a functional recovery.
If you were to work with DEVELOPER to get stable (official) recoveries out there, and figure out seamless OTA Updating (for stock ROMs), you would be improving overall stability and security for all your rooted (by your kind permission) customers, becoming a legend in the Developer forums, gaining you more respect and more power-users advocating your brand superiority.
People are going to tinker, better to keep one thumb on the basecode.
2) Practicality:
The OS ‘mini/small’ smartphone market is wide open. Please consider aiming smaller, too. Smartphones have gotten stupidly bigger than they need be for those of us who don't “live by the phone, die by the phone.” I am not the sort to wield a broadsword when a dagger will suffice. The right tool…
We do not all need huge smartphones, there are more of us who think this way than you realize. Now, for OS (and my provider in specific) the size selection is dismal (only (X)XL anymore). When was it decided that all phones should be two-handed to operate? Small smartphones are where we started, they worked just fine for a decade. The draw of nostalgia is strong. But, if I want to carry something small(er) again, I have to switch to OS2 (or OS foldable) and pay a premium for the ‘privilege.’ Be the brand to show us how well OS (non-flip) mini/ small can be done, again.
Pure profitability over practicality leaves your customers displeased.
3) Disability:
For the past few weeks my hands and wrists have been in constant pain. What changed? New Phone.
I can only hold this new phone for 30 minutes (twice a day; one-handed: 10 minutes) before I start cramping up. That's half what it was with my previous phone, and it didn't leave me in pain. I am disabled. I wasted my youth playing videogames. It left my hands/ wrists severely weakened. I had to abandon my career in computers a decade ago.
My new phone, being the second-smallest with OS (offered by my service provider; the smallest ran out of memory halfway through installing my standard apps, returned it), requires constant grip-shift and further thumb-reaches than previously to operate. More motion + more weight = more strain. That extra 1.4 inches of screen and the added 1.4 ounces are enough to hobble me. [Pathetic, I know. Welcome to my reality.] Consider what that is doing to everyone else, long-term, who use their bigger/ heavier (additionally so with a protective case) devices far more than me. If I wasn't poor, I would invest heavily in artificial thumb replacements… It's going to be the next big thing, guaranteed. [But who will be paying for them?]
Think of me like the canary in the coalmine… There's a problem here. What's the solution? Must I give up on OS? Or perhaps, manufacturers might consider accommodating those like me by offering a small(er) phone? [Think of the potential class-action lawsuits for all these years you offered us no other choice than but to Buy Big, resulting in injury and pain.] A problem that can be remedied, easily enough. Something to consider.
Accommodate better, please.
----
Reply: “We are sorry that your experience didn't quite match your expectations.”
----
BRAND,
My only expectation was to get a new OS phone I could reasonably handle.
It seems that was too much for this disabled customer to hope for.
Let's talk about Planned Obsolescence… I would have kept using my (five-year-old; battery still good as always/ only slow-charged) BRAND.MODEL, but the last OTA was years ago and some apps started refusing to update, causing compatibility crashes. I was forced to get a new device. Well played.
I kept waiting and waiting for another ‘small’ OS phone to come to market, but it never did. And here I am, stuck with 30 months of additional cost for a fancy (majority-of-the-time) paperweight (mocking me). I hope your shareholders are happy. That's all that matters, right?
Do better.
[Later…]
BRAND, PROVIDER,
Thank you for proving your corporate disinterest in dealing (properly) with disabled customers. I suspected, now I know for sure. Ignoring ‘the problem’ doesn't make it go away, as much as we might wish that were so. Would it have made a difference if I had instead demanded (rather than requested) to hear back, over email, from someone with Authority to address Disability Issues?
I have no intention to pursue legal recourse, promise. [Can't speak for the next person.] All I want/need is an OS phone I can actually use worth a damn, given my disabilities. Think of me as Patient Zero. Figure out how to ‘treat’ me and you will be prepared to deal (responsibly) with those inevitably to follow.
Or will you again(/always) turn out the lights and pretend you're not home?
Support Department,
Clearly, I have floated to the top of this particular fishbowl. But there are many more in a company such as yours (some with factual insight). The time has come to directly consult the legal team. I am considering defying your BRAND Store Terms, in the name of Personal Use. Your ‘Library’ software, such as it is, is deficient, and not disability friendly: Accessibility has failed to be a consideration when it comes to browsing past purchases. All of which have I tried to explain, several different times/ ways (over the past few weeks). Rather than repeating myself, again, please pass along this entire thread to the Legal Department. They should have the Authority required to (finally) Answer this one simple Question (given the givens)… Will BRAND revoke/ terminate my account/ library should I attempt to download/ de-DRM/ manage my purchases for Myself?
[(a week) Later…]
[same] Department,
No hurry on the PRODUCT Support Request. I suspect you have again overcomplicated basic operations by overprotecting the media (causing more errors/ glitches/ cpu than necessary), as usually happens to most over-DRM'd media formats/ software/ hardware. [All of which get ‘cracked’ anyway, eventually.]
Thank you for the gift card. [Not what I was after though.] However, I am still annoyed that most every ebook is listed as "Free" (if I join CLUB.SAVE.1). Kindly revoke that flag on my account. I do not want to join your book club. Nor do I want to join CLUB.SAVE.0: kindly stop bothering/ forcing me about that one, too.
I do not care about “…MAY result in the closure…” I need to know if it WILL result in closure of my account and thereby forfeiture of all my digital purchases. As I have made clear: poor Accessibility of my Own(ed) Library is but one of a few factors. This Disabled Customer Requires The Answer: Are you going to take away all of my (~12,500) books if I pursue a (better) third-party approach to managing them? Yes or No. Not May or Maybe or Might or Perhaps or Possibly or Potentially. Please, hand me over to whomever CAN answer, as it is clearly not your department.
Parley.
[(another week) Later… No Response]
[same] Department,
I started downloading (legitimately, through your interface) all of my (encrypted) books… 2.5 hours, 6,000+ clicks later, and I got only 10% of the way through. I require, and ask kindly, of you to send me my Entire Library. What would take me 24+ hours (and 60,000+ clicks) of excruciatingly mind-numbing, OCD-aggravating, wrist/ hand-aching effort, someone at BRAND should be able to accomplish in just a few minutes. Save this disabled customer the unnecessary effort. Please acknowledge if this is something you can/ will (not) do.
[(several pleas) Later… No Response]
BRAND,
Let's try the Flaming Bag of Poo (upon your front porch) approach…
I have knowingly and willfully Violated your BRAND Store Terms. I have de-DRM'd the following Titles [with a third-party program which can also (/better) transfer/ sync books between My (not-just-your-brand) Devices]: Quran, Tanakh, Holy Bible, The Communist Manifesto, Atlas Shrugged, The Art Of War, Crime & Punishment, Brave New World, Catch-22, The Castle… to name the first of (many thousands of) my purchases I intend to take ‘ownership’ of such to better Manage My Own Library…
Thoughts? Reactions?
Choose Wisely.
[(several evasions) Later… (same department)]
BRAND Supervisor,
No more rounds of ‘dodge the disability/ liability issues.’
Kindly, put me in touch with the Legal Department.
I have been stuck in this fishbowl for Two Months.
Time for Authority, Answers, Action.
ps. If you cannot contact your own legal/ leadership department(s) when requested/ required…
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Reply: “My team serves as the highest point of escalation and we can make sure your concerns are properly addressed.”
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BRAND,
Answer me these questions three… [twice asked]
1) Can you please provide me a valid/ human email address for your BRAND Careers Department? [The positions/ titles for which I am capable/ qualified do not exist on your Employment Website. Further, ‘work from home’ jobs do not exist anywhere near me (figure that one out).] Your (AI?) application process does not offer the Reasonable Modifications/ Accommodations I Require, and hereby do I again Request.
2) I had to Violate your BRAND Store Terms: in the pursuit/ name of Accessibility. Is there nothing anybody, anywhere has anything to say/ do about that?
3) Are you refusing to provide me a valid/ human email address for your BRAND Legal Department? [Or is that Contact Information only an Attorney may/ must Request?]
Happy Halloween.
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Reply1: 1) FAQ links 2) “…still researching all the necessary information…” 3) PO Box
Reply2: 1) Employment Website links 2) “We have no further information…” 3) Invalid Email Address
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[Later…]
BRAND,
What's a Fax? Is that one of those archaic notions like checkbooks, stamps, job security, a pension, Respect? [Insert age-appropriate idiom here.] Accommodate My Reasonable Request for Email Contact with Your Other (‘man behind the curtain’) Departments, please.
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Reply1: “You've written to an address that does not accept incoming direct e-mails.”
Reply2: “Out of the office… I'll do my best to answer… [copy/ paste Reply2.Above here]”
Reply3: “The recipient's mailbox is full and can't accept messages now. Please try resending later.”
----
BRAND,
1) Your (Employment) Website IS the Problem, NOT the Solution… Please stop sending me back there.
- Your frequently linked-to "We're disability friendly!" (propaganda) page is unhelpful to my situation. [And frankly insulting, esp. given how my ‘difficulties’ have perpetually been mishandled/ dodged.]
2) “No Comment” never solves the Problem, nor makes it go away. Addressing the Situation is what it will take. I am happy to consult further. [Will (gladly) accept Food for my (continued) time/ effort.]
3) As has been stated (more-than-twice, spanning departments): over-the-phone does not work for me. [There really should be an ‘Accommodations Flag’ on my account regarding this fact, by now.]
- As has further been established, proven to you: <invalid contact> is an invalid contact method. [And presenting it to me (yet again) as a Solution is (doubly) disrespectful.]
Regarding: “…not up to the usual standards you've come to expect from us…” This is where I must refrain from writing something hurtful. Instead, I counter by pointing out a persistent lapse in one of your Core Principles: “…freely escalating to leadership when a more careful and thorough approach is required.”
[Weeks Later… (wasted with:)]
BRAND HR Investigator,
We are fast approaching Month Four of my “BRAND Disability Quest.”
This is (now) a test of your department's (in)competence… You are not off to a good start. [Ignores:3]
If You Do Not Understand: whether it be this person/ situation, that is okay, life is often confusing. But, you are (in theory) a member of a Team. This is not (supposed to be) about individual pass/ fail. It is (supposed to be) about Working Together to solve problems, make things better. Diverse Perspectives, and all that (rhetoric?).
Or are you truly all alone here? No support, no guidance? Expected to be able to handle whatever (mess) lands upon your desk? Is asking for help considered a sign of weakness? Always safer just to shuffle a problem under ‘the pile’ and hope it(/them) gets lost? [So much (digital) paperwork, so easy to get misplaced/ forgotten…]
Note: The longer this festers upon your desk, the greater this Failure becomes (entirely) Your Fault.
Shall it be more rounds (/departments) of Mishandle the Disability Concerns?
[Because those differently+abled have nothing to contribute?]
[Later… (same, solitary:)]
HR Investigator,
1) That you are sending me the Accommodations Phone Number and "People with Disabilities" link (again) demonstrates that you Do Not Understand, or have not read, what I have sent you. I must question your investigative methods/ capabilities/ inclusiveness, and suggest/ insist a Supervisor review your review before you/ they submit my case for review…
2) Just what Information have you gathered? How much data, from how many departments, through how many of my accounts/ addresses, over how many years, do you have Access to, or even looked into? [He inquires a third time.]
3) And why, of all the Concerns I brought to BRAND's attention (over the past few months, to start), is the only Issue hereby being addressed regarding the Website Application Process? Is nothing else upon which I have ruminated worthy of due consideration/ discussion/ investigation?
[Even Later…]
BRAND HR Department, Investigator,
Another week has passed (uneventfully)…
Can I please get a status update on my support case?
A Case: which was supposedly to be submitted a week ago; which then supposedly a Supervisor was to be enjoined upon; which I keep finding myself forced to question your (competency to continue this) investigation… as No Answers have yet been forthcoming regarding my repeated inquiries.
Would Demanding to hear from a Supervisor accomplish anything, at this point?
Or perhaps, [insert a more creative, motivational(/threat) tactic here] is required?
Come Friday, I shall have been stuck in your queue for One Month.
[Has this become the typical turnaround time to be expected?]
[No Response…]
BRAND (25x:) Support Team Members,
I am addressing all of you as all of you contributed to this case, having sent one/ more of the 40+ emails I received over the past Four Months (or so). Update: An HR Investigator has clearly scuttled my case, hoping to drown all evidence of their failure. Who wants to earn a gold-star power-up for reporting incompetence/corruption further up the escalations chain? If so, simply pass along this thread to Your Supervisor.
Happy Yule.
[No Response. Later, Elsewhere…]
BRAND Accessibility, Disability Departments,
I have exposed more than a few Accommodation Failures: spanning multiple departments and products and services and employment(-sought), over the past few months (/years). The most troubling issue is that nobody pointed me in Your Direction, which should have been their go-to for Accessibility/ Disability Concerns…
Attached: Examples of BRAND's Inability to Accommodate ‘Special’ Needs. [75 pages]
Respectfully, Acknowledge this Request for Parley.
Take Me To Your Leader(ship).
silent.
~ Creative/Disability Consultant, Systems Troubleshooter
BRAND,
BRAND app is the worst Accessibility Offender, on your BRAND, which I exhaustively covered in my previous message. [17 pages] Below are examples of how better the other-provider apps on your platform could perform, for Greater Accessibility… Kindly remind them that there are Accessibility Standards you/ they are required to live up to (or better yet, excel beyond), and, that it would be the right/ polite thing to do…
– Force/insist all the apps to integrate your Menu(/more/ star/ kebab/ hamburger/ long-tap/ right-click) remote-button while ‘hovering’ over anything: Add, Remove, Restart, Bookmark, Captions, Font, Colors, Audio, etc. [Sad how few providers have ever bothered (or took forever) to make (limited) use of this versatile button.]
– Option to adjust Auto-Play Preview time-out: Currently about half a second on BRAND (the worst) which forces me to browse faster through the content than I would prefer just to prevent the flashing lights and sounds from auto-playing, distracting/ annoying me. Option to wait a three-count (per example) before the Preview begins: would provide me sufficient time to scan the description and/or look at (just) the cover to know if I might be interested enough to watch the preview (rather than me dodging the sounds/ lights that are always forthcoming if I linger too long). [Yes, some apps have the option to turn off auto-preview, but, I do want it to run, just give me a few more (number of my choosing) seconds before the barrage begins, please.]
– My (Watch)List (by any other name): Would prefer if that were always at/near the top of (left-hand) menus. Often at/near the bottom: too many clicks (always) to get to it, it feels. I prefer to browse through a bunch of whatever they recommend to me (today), first, and Add2Watchlist anything I might enjoy (eventually, when in the mood for ‘that’), and then later browse my ‘queue’ to then make my decision of what to watch, today.
– Add to (Watch)List: Option/Preference for that to be at/near the top of the movie/ show/ episode details. Is sometimes way far down at/near the bottom (*ahem* BRAND): too many clicks to Add. It would be even better if that choice came up with a click of Menu-Button from the previous screen, without having to click it and nav, nav, nav down (quickly, before the preview begins) just to Add (to click Back to resume browsing).
– Ability to Play Next while within any episode: some episodes simply aren't worth watching, you figure out somewhen along the way. Some apps have that option, press Down or Up (I am constantly hitting the wrong direction on the wrong app), and there the Next-Button is for: BRAND, BRAND, BRAND (but only since they integrated BRAND Beta). BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND make you wait for their ‘Next Episode’ pop-up (which doesn't always show); otherwise, you have to click Back, nav-click, nav-click, nav-click back to the Next Episode (however far away from wherever they decided to dump our cursor). [Rude. More below.]
– When exiting Back from an episode, take us to that episode thumbnail (among the others). [For the convenience of those of us skipping around, or doing battle with the ‘already watched’ kerfuffle, below.] More than a few will dump us back at Episode 1 (Season 1, or even the wrong one: *ahem* BRAND) and we have to navigate our way back to the next episode, which should have been just one simple nav-click away.
– Option: Reset Watch History: Show/ Season. These apps all behave erratically when you try to rewatch anything (some better/ worse than others): many try to play from where you left off in the episode (the very end) with nary enough time to invoke any buttons (which sometimes exit you from the episode, instead) to Rewind-faster-faster-faster back to the beginning of the episode (when, inconveniently, no ‘Start Over’ button is offered up anywhere on-screen) before jumping to the next episode (sometimes to the very end of that episode, too). Unpredictable how they will act. Given these difficulties, for some apps, like BRAND, I make sure to start-over the next episode before I exit-out when done watching for then, just so I don't have to fight with the app to continue (re)watching, next time… [Enough to drive any obsessive (rewatchers) crazy.]
– Continue Watching: Ability to remove unwanted content, easily, from all providers. [If I only watched it for 5-15 minutes, then immediately started watching something else, and weeks have since passed… take the hint.] Some apps have gotten better about knowing when we have "finished" watching a movie/ episode: when the end-credits had started; some (like BRAND) have gotten exponentially worse (re-offering-up movies we finished watching months ago), and provide no (easy) way to remove them: other than by fast-forwarding to the near-end (of the final episode) and playing out the last few seconds. [*forehead smack*]
– Skip Recap, Intro: How hard is it to precisely line these things (/make sure they always come) up, and integrate it into every episode of a series? [Ask for volunteers, there will be no shortage.] Some (like SHOW) do it perfectly (just-before to just-after that terrible intro song, so we don't have to hear/ hate it, which is appreciated), others wait 5-10 (or never) seconds, or at differential times, episode-to-episode, which is annoying, inconvenient. Also, how many times in-a-row must a viewer (Skip Preview,) Skip Recap, Skip Intro, Next Episode before the app catches on and does it for us for the rest of the session? [BRAND gets it. *ahem* BRAND/ BRAND] Isn't this the sort of ‘inconvenience-avoidance’ feature we invented AI for?
– Option to Flag/Hide All ‘Full-Time’ Subtitled/ Dubbed Content. I do not mind the occasional, conversational subtitle when another language is used, (appreciate it, point in fact: not every app always does that: *ahem* BRAND/ BRAND) but I cannot watch a completely Subtitled [because words on the screen entirely distract me from everything else; even the opening credits overlaid upon any content ‘overrules’ whatever is happening behind] or Dubbed [as I am eternally distracted by the voices not matching the mouths and therefore cannot get emotionally invested in the characters/] movie/ show; and there are far more non-English-default options in their selection than previously, (which is a good thing, overall) but for me it means more time-wasted figuring out (halfway through the preview what language it wasn't native to, and therefore) that my ‘difficulties’ will utterly ruin any chance I might otherwise have had of enjoying it, so please stop offering them up, tucking them in amongst the rest. [I just cannot ‘appreciate’ them, tried though I have.]
– BRAND (free trial): Please, give them hell. No Continue Watching, nor even bothering to remember how far we got into anything..? Why, to bully us into buying their streaming hardware instead? After how poorly they just demonstrated their streaming service? [This is (partly) why I give BRAND none of my money.]
+ Playlists: It would be excellent to be able to make/ have Streaming Playlists. Examples– BRAND shows+ movies in timeline order. Crossover multi-show events. Favorite (mostly) standalone (/Monster of the Week) for SHOW/ SHOW. Watch SHOW in under 24 hours (perhaps even allowing partial, pertinent-only portions of episodes?). [SHOW: all flashbacks auto-skipped. I'd watch that, in half the time.] Best of SHOW/ SHOW/ SHOW to show to our kids, in an abbreviated/ age-appropriate fashion… You get the idea. Build our own, then perhaps export/ share/ import to/ with/ from friends/ family/ strangers. This could be an Exclusive (‘newer’ hardware, of course) BRAND Feature (until the others launch their own version) that would put you above/ beyond the (limitations of the) other streaming media players (for a time, anyways). [You'd be my favorite.]
Those were my initial thoughts after pondering awhile upon: ‘Accessibility and BRAND.’
Demand better of those (deliberately) making ‘you’ perform worse on your own platform.
ps. You know more about my streaming habits than anyone else. I expect you to (continue to) respect that. Same as how I have come to respect you (for being unlike BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND).
