Hi all! What a week it’s been! From frustration to complete panic and back to relief, all because of my Braille display. That’s my word of the week for this week. Let me share why.
Like I’ve shared a couple of times before, I’ve had problems with my current Braille display ever since I first got it two years ago. Dots kept getting stuck, leading to errors in my reading. After all, Braille characters are comprised of at most eight (for computer Braille) dots in a rectangular cell. When, say, dot four is stuck, an A reads like a C or vice versa. It’s workable as long as it’s just one or two dots that are stuck out of the forty times eight dots on my forty-cell Braille display. However, at one point several dots in one cell were stuck, meaning that one was essentially useless.
After a technician had come out to repair my Braille display several times, he sent it back to the manufacturer for checking out in June of last year. I got a replacement on loan until it’d been fixed, which never happened.
Fast forward to last Sunday. When not one, but two or three dots were stuck on my Braille display, I decided I’d had enough and wanted it fixed. Either that or I wanted the original one back. I E-mailed the company, also asking what I could do to prevent dots getting stuck again. On Monday, I got a relatively generic response: other than not touching my Braille display with wet or dirty hands, there was nothing I could do. Well, I always make sure my hands are clean and dry before touching my Braille display. On Tuesday, the company’s repair planning called me to schedule an appt to get the thing repaired today.
Then on Wednesday, the company’s business developer called me to inform me that they’d found that my original Braille display – remember, the one that was with them or the manufacturer for a year -, had suffered water damage. All 40 cells needed replacing at a cost of €1500. Health insurance wouldn’t pay for this. Maybe home insurance would or I’d have to pay out-of-pocket.
I decided that, if I had to spend €1500 anyway, I’d be looking at getting another brand of Braille display, since I don’t trust my current one. I mean, I always handle my Braille display with care and not just the original one, but the replacement one too had problems. I actually got a little excited looking at what’s available, but at the same time quite panicked at the prospect of having to spend at least €1500 in one go. I’ve literally never made purchases over €1000.
Yesterday evening, I got an E-mail confirming the appt for repair of the replacement Braille display. I panicked again, since what if they decided I’d somehow ruined this one too or I got a huge bill after it got repaired?
Today, my husband called the business developer. He had seen the photos of the so-called water-damaged original Braille display, which the guy argued proved that I had somehow ruined it. Well, my husband argued that, since they’d had it for at least as long as I had originally had it, there was no way to prove it didn’t get water-damaged or anything while with them. Since I have no recollection of it getting wet at all, there is no way home insurance is going to cover a repair. In fact, they’d too argue that there’s no way the company can prove it isn’t their fault. The bottom line is I can keep the replacement Braille display, it would get repaired and I won’t have to pay. The technician who came out to replace the cells that had damaged dots, confirmed that it hadn’t been anything I had done causing this one to malfunction. Now, at least until/unless more dots get stuck on this one, I’m so relieved and happy! To be honest though, I’m so used to dots being stuck that I keep checking I’m reading my Braille display correctly. That’s okay though. Now let’s think of what I can spend those €1500 on. No, not really.
A Multitude of Musings 
I’m glad things turned out well!
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Thank you. ☺️ I’m glad too.
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oh my goodness, what a worry. I’m glad it worked out in the end. I can’t even imagine how braille works in modern technology, a very long time ago, nearly forty years, I worked in a college for blind people and I could type braille. So I do understand your 9 little dots and how frustrating it must be if one or more doesn’t work properly.
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Thank you so much. I just realized I didn’t even properly explain what a Braille display is for. I’m glad you have some understanding of it.
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At least it was a good outcome and hooray for that!
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Thank you. So true indeed!
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Oh my, that sounds very stressful. I’m so glad that it worked out and you were able to keep the replacement Braille display. Hope that it will carry on working properly from now on. #WotW
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I definitely hope so too. The thing is, this is my sixth Braille display so far (I got my first one in 1998) and only this model has given me this many problems. Thank you for stopping by.
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Hard to keep ones calm with those worries of display.
Love ❤
Michel
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So true. I’m glad it got resolved though.
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Recently, I saw a program that described the dots in the square and how they represented letters. I’m amazed at your ability to convert dots to words. I’ve experienced computer technical issues that never seem to get resolved. Takes a lot of patience, guts, and determination. I’m delighted things are working out. If you are still looking for a place to spend your €1500…I have a few ideas. LOL
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LOL, I can imagine, but no, I’d rather keep the money to myself. So sorry to hear about your ongoing computer issues though.
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Thanks for laughing at my offer. It was intended as joke. Sometimes humor can get lost in translation and text messages.
My current computer related challenge is building a new WordPress website. I’ve enrolled in an self-paced WordPress online course. I decided to invest my time and build my knowledge so I can manage the site in the future.
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Yes, I understood you were joking. As for WordPress, I am so glad I can still use WordPress.com, as I really don’t want to invest much time into the technical aspects of blogging. I really do hope you’ll enjoy learning those things though.
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I’m glad your husband was able to talk sense to them. I agree that they’ve had it too long to pin any water damage on you. At least you have a solution now. I can’t imagine how frustration it must be to be without technology that you’ve got used to using. Fingers crossed you have no more problems. #wotw
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Thank you. I really do hope this was the end of the long Braille display saga indeed. And yes, I could maybe do without the Braille display for a few days, but it’d be a huge inconvenience.
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I just “looove” troubles like this! I’m glad though that the situation seems to have resolved for you now. 🙂
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Yes, agree, I’m so glad it got resolved.
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I am glad you’ve got it all sorted! what a process though.
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Agree, it was quite frustrating, this whole process. Thank you for commenting. I too am so glad it got sorted.
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Thanks for this insight into your world! So interesting. I’m glad you won’t have to fork out so much money though. That must be a big relief.
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It’s definitely a big relief! Thank y ou for visiting.
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What a nightmare! I’m glad your husband put up a fight. A totally different thing but I had issues with the letters of my keyboard sticking. Sorting that out was a major headache. So glad you didn’t have to spend that $1500. Treat yourself to something nice #WotW
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Thanks so much! I’m so glad my husband was able o fight for me indeed.
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Glad the braille display works now! Yay! Glad they repaired it and payed for the repair!
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Thanks! I hope my Braille display continues to behave now.
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