Diamante feedback

[Jayne Foreman]

Has anyone bought or used the new diamante? I have been using it a week and have mixed feelings, some pluses and minuses. I'm not sure if the minuses are me or the machine, which is why I was looking for reviews.

[Jayne Foreman]

Hi, this is Jayne again who purchased the Diamante. Well, I received it back from writer support minus the power cord and tripod I sent with it. The Mira loaner tripod doesn't fit in the Diamante. It has its own special tripod. They specifically told me to return it with the tripod because of the tilting problem as well as the writing problems I was having, meaning incredible stacking, plus there were only three tension and depth stroke settings, which all seemed the same, no improvement. Plus, no ability to adjust key strokes. When I called them asking where is the tripod and power cord, they said they couldn't find it and would send me a new tripod and power cord, which seven days later I haven't received, but got a bill in the mail for them. They are charging me for something they forgot to return or lost. I asked, By the way, what did you find wrong with the Diamante? Answer, Oh, I don't see any comments. Should I be frustrated? I'm not looking forward to doing three criminal trials this week on my Mira loaner. If I don't find any improvement with the Diamante, I'll be sending that back too. Jayne

[Glen Warner]

Holy crap, Jayne, your SG experience was sub-par!

It looks like you got your original writer back, sans the power cord and the tripod ... AND they don't appear to have fixed the original problem ... and then to bill you for something they lost on top of all of that?

I don't know if Stenograph has a Customer Relations department, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely be calling SG Corporate and asking to speak to someone in that (possibly non-existent) department, and ensuring you get your writer swapped out with one that works -- and not be charged for something SG lost ...!

Inexcusable behavior, in my opinion ... and you should make them aware of your displeasure and, yes, your frustration.

Heck, I'm frustrated for you, just from reading your post!

Finally, if you do decide to send the Diamante back, ensure you get an RMA ("Returned Merchandise Authorization," or something like that) number; otherwise, they may "lose" the writer you sent back!

And whoever you send the writer through, ensure they get a readable signature on receipt.

Good luck ....

--gdw
-------------------------
"For a Good (steno) Time ...."
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net

[Deborah M.]

Thank you so much for returning to give an update! All of the above is why I absolutely hate dealing with SG. I refuse to use their software (had it for six months and sold it) and try not to buy anything else from them just because of these kind of shenanigans. The sales guy came over today and helped me set all my contacts on the Mira, so hopefully I will do a lot better this week. He brought the Diamante and I expressed my skepticism of a machine without key contact adjustments and that it will actually "learn" from me, as they claim. Reading the following replies, I think I may pass on this one. Let us know what happens and if you get a resolution! I would be pissed as he** and telling them off, myself.

[S. Arielle]

I had the Mira and it was always stacking after a while, which I was getting scared because I thought my writing was starting to go.

Then I ordered the Diamante and I guess the the box got banged up or something because the keys were shifted to the side and one of the letters was always coming back. Sent it back and they sent me a loaner Mira...which wrote amazing, but it also was loaner which always writes great because they are always maintained.

I got my Diamante and it's amazing. I LOVE IT!!!

[Deborah M.]

The whole reason I'm leery of no contact adjustments! My sales guy claims 90% of reporters never touch their adjustments so they took them out. What about the other 10% of us who do?

Boy, I am not all that careful at all -- if I had one, it would get scratched up pretty quick!

[Sandy Bunch VanderPol]

Have only two days on the Diamante and absolutely love it. I have a light touch, so sensitivity is not at all a problem for me. I wish there were lighter settings and even a shorter stroke length. And I wish I could load multiple pictures on the splash screen to view throughout depo, if I don't want to watch the realtime on the screen.

[Deborah M.]

Now, THERE'S an idea... how about a slide show of pics we can load like a digital picture frame... or CNN... or soaps if you're into that... heehee.

What machine did you have before? I take it you're not having the stacking/splitting problems?

[Francis Frederick]

Hi...I just got mine and I love it. I think it's great but that may because I absolutely hated the Myra I've been using for the last couple years. That was the worst writer ever. I would have been better off trying to write with a pencil and paper. Anyway, not sure what minuses you're referring to so if you elaborate maybe I could comment further.

Francis

[Sarah Goekler]

I got the Diamate a couple of weeks ago, and I love it! I went from a Stentura Protege to the Diamante, so it was a pretty big upgrade. I still have a lot of playing around to do with it, but so far I haven't noticed any stacking problems at all (fingers crossed). The touch is just amazing, and being paperless is even better! I love life without steno paper. I, too, am OCD about my machine because it is so shiny and pretty. The machine came in this soft, blue bag, so I just put it back into that after I use it each time. Now, I don't know how long I will do this, but it keeps it from hitting the zippers and scrathing it everytime I put it in the bag. I like the carrying case that came with it, but it's still a little too heavy to carry long distances on my shoulders. I bought a big rolling case just a year ago, so I just put the bag that came with the Diamante inside the rolling bag for extra protection. The machine is very light and that's a big plus!