A brief conversation with Dynamism

I've mentioned Dynamism.com here several times before and recently had a few more conversations with them following my HTC Shift pre-order cancellation. My relationship with them actually goes back YEARS when they were the only people from whom I could by my first Linux handheld: the Sharp Zaurus.

In the recent conversations, I told them of my new Linux-centric direction and asked them to keep me in the loop on new discoveries in that line. I also asked about two programs they have and why the community at large didn't seem to know about them. The programs are:
- Direct support from Dynamism
- Device trade-up program

Here are some comments I got back from them:

We are trying to bring luxury shopping to electronics by focusing on long-term customer relationships over any given sale. Our entire customer-centric approach is modeled on a Four Seasons Hotel concierge. Your "sales person" we actually call "technical concierge." They should take care of everything in your experience front to back. Before you buy, you have questions and they either know, or research, the answers. If there are any questions in the buying process -- about billing, shipping, etc. -- you are not shuttled off to other departments or given other phone numbers. Your single point of contact finds out what is going on, helps resolve any issues, etc. After you buy, there is unlimited toll-free technical support and unlimited e-mail support.

Rescue warrantee fits in along with that. It is part of that complete "Dynamism customer experience." If there's a problem with something that you bought, it is inconvenient enough already. Getting it fixed should be an area in which we are doing everything we can to smooth out the process. We pay for FedEx shipment to us (or to the service center depending on what is needed) and then back to you.

There's even a "next" phase of ownership: After you own it. That's why we have the trade-in program. Many of our customers are always clamoring for the latest goods and we try to offer a mechanism to transition to the latest goods and get some value out of the original purchases. To be clear -- even with the trade-in, upgrading to a new machine is still a significant cost, but trade-ins can usually knock off a meaningful amount.

As a journalist, I try to avoid taking direct words from the mouths of marketers and splaying it across this blog. However, I feel this case to be different and important for one very important reason: UMPCs, rare Asian import laptops, and specialty devices are very new to the market and consumers need some security when buying them.

I felt a bit stung when I purchased my TabletKiosk eo v7110 and, on the very evening I unboxed it, I read the release of the eo i7210. Over a year later, I still love my v7110 but still would've wanted the newest model at that time. Other brands, such as Raon Digital and Kojinsha, put out some attractive devices but their names are typically unknown to consumers. Dynamism is helping a broader market establish the critical trust required for mass adoption of this platform.

Before anyone asks - No. Dynamism has never sponsored this blog. The purpose of this article is to let consumers know that this kind of service is out there and hopefully will encourage them to adopt this platform faster because they know they can buy with added security. It would be a significant undertaking, but we can hope that other high-end or cutting-edge technology retailers take this approach. These are currently luxury items, after all. It's nice to be treated as a luxury shopper.