Wacom, We're Breaking Up With You; It's Not Us, It's You. You Suck.

My teenager is an artist. I used to post links to some stuff, but that's not acceptable anymore. You're just going to have to trust me. It's amazing.

D has been pursuing drawing as a passion for about five years. The drive to improve and create is incredible. After filling up dozens upon dozens of art pads (fortunately, we lived across the street from Asel Art Supply for a couple of years), D did a bunch of research and bought a Bamboo tablet. It's like a digital sketch pad, except the drawing shows up on your computer and not on the tablet. I'm sure that takes a little getting used to.

Once it was time to move it to the next level, D did more research and decided to get the Cintiq 13HD, which is like a monitor you can draw on.

Both of these products are from Wacom. Pretty much any digital artists we know use Wacom products; they're an industry leader. We would learn, however, that although they make products that, when they work, are fabulous... There are quirks (like power supplies overheating and bursting into flames, or chargers just stopping, things like that), and if you have a genuine problem... well, you're kind of screwed.

Here's an excerpt from my blog back in October 2016, when, ten months after we'd purchased the Cintiq, we noticed several "hot spots" on the screen. If you read this whole saga back then and want to skip it, scroll down to the asterisks and I'll get you back to where we are now.

From: support@wacom.com
Subject: RE: Your Case #CAS-355923-N8W0Y2 | WACOM
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2016 20:13:52
Dear Laura,
Thank you for contacting Wacom customer support, I am sorry to hear about your issue, I will do my best to assist you Please email me a picture of the tablet with a blue, red and yellow background Along with the proof of purchase, shipping information and your phone number,
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Well, shipping and the phone number were included in the information I'd sent through their webpage, and, in fact, was below his message in the body of the email he sent, which contained everything I'd already written.

But I did what they said.

Tue 8/16, 12:17 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I was checking with our repair team and the repair would be out of warranty and the cost would be between $360 and $428 depending in your location, If you want to proceed please provide me with your billing information and your phone number.
Anthony
Customer Support Team

First of all, OMG, YOU HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER. Secondly, the tablet costs $800, so we're looking at half the original cost to repair it?! Thirdly, I am 100% sure my child did nothing to damage it (all the same, we bought a lap desk, just in case using it on an actual human lap could cause any damage, which seems would be more knee-shaped than fingertip-shaped, but whatever). But we agreed to that and I asked what the next step would be.

They emailed me back and asked for: shipping/billing info, verification of model and serial number, and my phone number. ALL OF WHICH THEY ALREADY HAD MULTIPLE TIMES.

But I returned the information. AGAIN. Even though we'd been emailing as quickly as texting, it took several days before I received an RMA number and instructions. I followed those, mailing the tablet Priority Mail with $800 insurance, so it cost more than thirty bucks to send to them.

I watched in horror as the USPS routed this package from Texas to Washington state via Hawaii. Not Wacom's fault. But I was nervous and wanted to make sure the package wasn't damaged or anything. I received shipping notice that it had been received at the "front desk," but didn't get anything from Wacom. I expected something, even automated, to the tune of: "We have received your tablet and will be in contact regarding blah blah blah."

Since I didn't get that, I emailed them.

Laura Gatannah
Fri 8/26, 9:59 PM
Due to the USPS routing the tablet through Hawaii first, you received it Thursday. Can you please let me know the status of the repair, or at least acknowledge that it was received? The only thing I've gotten is the USPS's notification that it was delivered. RMA Zxxxxx3. Thanks. Laura

Mon, Aug 29, 2016 8:39
Dear Laura, Thank you for your reply, Please provide me with the tracking number of the tablet you sent to us. Thank you,
Anthony
Customer Support Team

So I did.

8/29/2016 7:03 AM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, Checking the delivery date I need to remind you that the repair will take 10-15 days depending on our repair queue. I would recommend you to check again by the end of the week in case the tablet was repaired and released before that time frame you will be notified and you will receive an email with a tracking number. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

No duh. I know how long it's supposed to take. All I wanted was a "yep, we got it." But nope, they couldn't even do that.

On September 9, I'd still heard nothing, so I asked for a status update. I didn't think that was unreasonable, even though in the back of my mind, I felt like no one had even cracked open the package and it was just sitting in a corner somewhere.

Fri, Sep 9, 2016 4:07 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, It will take 10-15 days to get the tablet repaired and we are on our second week due to the previous holidays. You should be receiving an email with the shipping information within next week. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

In my brain, I throttled him. In real life, I waited until the fifteenth day, and:

Laura Gatannah
Thu 9/15, 7:29 AM
It's been 15 business days now, so I can expect the shipping info today, right? Thanks.

Thu, Sep 15, 2016, 8:19 AM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, Have you received any updates on this case? Did you receive your shipping information?
Anthony
Customer Support Team

I'm going to be honest with you here. I thought a LOT of cuss words. OF COURSE I HADN'T GOTTEN ANY UPDATES OR SHIPPING INFORMATION. Did he mean ever? Or in the hour since I'd messaged him? Instead, I opted for brevity and just said, "No. I have heard nothing since I sent it in, in terms repair status or shipping."

Later in the day, I sent this:
Since sending this in and learning that you have received it, I have not gotten any notification of anything at all. At the very minimum, it would have been professional to get an automatically-generated "we have received your tablet" email, but that did not happen. No updates, nothing unless I've contacted you, and you have given me no information other than that it's 10-15 days, which I understand. It's been 15 days now, and clearly I have NOT received any shipping information or I would not have contacted you. I believe that this tablet hasn't been seen by anyone, frankly, and I'm very disappointed by the lack of communication by way of receipt notifications and status updates. I need to know for sure where the tablet is, if the repairs have been made, and when I can expect it back. Thank you for getting this information to me as soon as possible. Laura

From: support@wacom.com
Subject: RE: Your Case
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, You will be emailed as soon as we ship it, from ups with the tracking number Right now we are on the 14th business day. We are a bit behind than normal due to the repair center move and holiday. but within our quote. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Laura Gatannah
Sat 9/17, 1:33 PM
 ...And now you're out of the quote. I would like a detailed update, including the status of the repair and when we can expect the tablet's return. Anything less than this, and I will file a complaint with the BBB. I have read through past cases and it seems that this level of non-communication is pretty much par for the course for Wacom. My child draws for hours per day, and it's been over a month now since the tablet has been fully functional. Thank you for understanding and responding. Laura

From: support@wacom.com
Mon, Sep 19, 2016 9:53 AM
Subject: RE: Your Case
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I apologize for the inconvenience, I wanted to let you know the package is being prepared now and it should ship today or tomorrow.
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Well, the joke was on him, and you want to know why?

Because we'd already received a tablet before we got this email. Problem was, it wasn't a Cintiq13HD. It was a Companion. Now, understand, the Companion is a "nicer" tablet, with more features. It runs Windows and costs about 3 times what D's tablet cost. But it's not the same. It's not what D wanted, having researched and picked a tablet; they sent us something that wasn't what we sent them.

The Companion has a processor, so it heats up when in use, like a computer. That was a negative. Plus, the first generation Companion has a known power supply issue, in that sometimes it just permanently stopped charging, resulting in the same kind of run-around we had with people sending their units in for refurbishment and having these long, drawn-out issues. Also, the power supply was known to overhead. I think they fixed that in the second generation, but, again... not what the customer chose.

I asked for an explanation of what happened.

Mon, Sep 19, 2016, 3:21 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I apologize for the inconvenience, Could you send me a picture of the tablet you received and the RMA number please?
Anthony
Customer Support Team

No. No, I can't. I responded that the RMA was in the body of the email and we got a Companion. I was done doing busy work so they could put off doing stuff while they waited for me to respond.

Laura Gatannah
Tue 9/20, 3:26 PM
Since it has been 24 hours since our last communication and you have offered no explanation or remedy, I'm going to tell you what needs to happen to make this right. 1) You will send us a fully-functional 13HD. This can be a new unit or refurbished, as long as it looks new and is in perfect working order. 2) You will send me a prepaid shipping label so that I can return the Companion you sent me. My child researched long and hard before purchasing the 13HD, and that's the model selected. We do not want a Companion. I will not send the Companion in until I receive the 13HD. This all needs to be handled and I need shipping confirmation no later than 9/21/16 by 5:00 PM CDT or I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Please do not respond with an apology or request for more information from me. The ball is in YOUR court, and you need to make this right.
Laura

I gave them two days. Then I filed a report. Within four hours, a guy from their main HQ in Portland was on the phone with me. He apologized profusely, and thanked me for filing the report because he said otherwise, he'd not have known what was going on. He reminded me that the tablet we had was considerably more expensive than the one we sent in, and I assured him that mattered not one iota to my child. He said he'd send me an RMA for the Companion, and they'd send me the Cintiq as soon as they received it.

I explained to him that I had trust issues with them, and I intended to hold the Companion until I received a functional Cintiq. He said he understood, thanked me for not yelling at him, and released the tablet for shipping.

The good news is that we didn't have to pay the $400ish to get it fixed/get a refurbished one. Also, D had only sent in the tablet, but they sent us a full set, which includes a pen worth about $100. So we were $40 ahead, including the shipping we paid, except for the frustration.

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NEW STUFF FOLLOWS!
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Okay, well... Back in April (yeah, two months ago), the 3-in-1 cable, which connects both the USB to the computer and the HDMI to the monitor, stopped working. This, of course, means that the tablet is unusable. At the time, the cable was out of stock on the site, so we looked around. The only place I could find it was eBay, and the reviews indicated that this isn't a Wacom product, and that the tablet doesn't recognize the HDMI. So no go. Plus, it was $100 instead of $35.

After a week or so, I emailed the customer service and was told that they were doing their best to get it back in stock. When I finally asked for an estimated time, they told me they didn't know for sure, so I contacted the guy from the BBB incident above. He told me that they were trying to get them back in stock by June.

TWO MONTHS! That is two months that an $800 piece of hardware is unusable. HOW CAN A TECH COMPANY GET AWAY WITH THIS?! It'd be like Apple not having their dang $80 chargers, and not only that, you can't even get a cruddy $25 knock-off to tide you over for a few weeks.

We waited until June, and the stock status didn't change. I emailed the guy again, and he told me he was being informed it'd be June 15-20. I'd actually emailed their general customer service many times from the webpage, just to bug them because they're getting on my nerves. I got an email from them yesterday, and it said, "Later this month or in July."

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope.

D and I had actually talked about taking money out of the child support savings fund to purchase another freaking tablet, just to get that dang cord. We were going to wait until June 20 to make a decision, and then after I got that email yesterday with the "or in July," I started researching more.

I hadn't heard of the Artisul D13 before, but after looking at the reviews, everyone seems to consider it comparable to, and the first tablet to be so, Wacom's Cintiq 13HD. Also, it starts at $200 cheaper... but it's on sale $150 off right now. So guess what? I bought one. It should be here within the week.

We're done with Wacom.

I get that tech items are going to have periodic issues, but I feel like Wacom's been the industry standard for so long, they're either victims of their own popularity and can't keep up, or they just don't give a flying crap.

So I'm excited to get this thing and not have to check that 3-in-1 cable status page every day.

And if you're considering purchasing an art tablet, seriously, don't just read the reviews of the products. Really look at the customer service aspect of it. I would never recommend anything from Wacom to anyone. Thumbs down. No, thanks.