Subject: Omega Engineering From: Thomas G Brennan <g_brennantg(at)TITAN.SFASU.EDU> Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 04:20:36 -0500I realize that this e-mail is slightly off topic for some of the lists to which I am sending it but I feel that this is potentially an extremely important situation for the blind community. For those who do not know, I am an Amateur Extra radio operator. I do electronics work for radio purposes and, in fact, am required to keep my transmitting equipment in good condition by Federal Communication Commission rules. I have also been an audiologist and speech-language pathologist for some twenty years which involves the use and repair of electronic equipment in a number of applications from hearing testing to speech science research. About a month ago I purchased a talking multimeter from Omega Engineering. This is a meter for measuring voltage, resistance, and amperage in circuits. I spoke with the company rather extensively prior to purchase to insure as best I could that this meter would be useful to me as a blind person. I also ordered a special set of test leads for the meter so that rather than simply touching them to spots in a circuit which I wanted to test I could actually clip them to the circuit thus leaving one or both of my hands free for doing other work such as soldering while measuring effects on the circuit. When I received the meter it was in defective condition. As I had spent $351.05 on it I wanted it repaired. There is a thirteen month warrantee on the meter. One problem was that one of the test leads which came with the meter was defective. The plug which goes in to the meter to attach it would just simply fall off. The second problem was that the tas adapter which converts type k thermocouples with flat plugs to round plugs was missing. The third problem was that the extra set of clip leads I ordered did not fit this particular meter. I immediately contacted the company (Omega Engineering) and after being put off for two weeks finally received a call from a person claiming to be a supervisor who informed me that because I was blind it was dangerous for me to use the meter and they would not repair it for that reason. He said that they would, however, refund my money. I then talked to a person in Omega's legal department who told me that she would get back to me but that was several weeks ago and I have never heard back from her. I wrote the CEO of Omega a letter and told her that I had purchased the meter and I simply wanted it repaired. I did not mention the fact of my blindness in the letter. Yesterday I received a return letter from Omega with a shipping carton, return address label, and a check for my full purchase price of the meter with a request to return their meter. They explained again that they could not be a part of a blind person using this meter and that they were only trying to do "what is right". In the manual for the meter there is actually a sticker which states that the meter is not intended for use by visually impaired persons due to increased risk of shock or injury. They specifically refer to this statement in the letter I received from them. I know of several blind people who have this meter and of several adaptive equipment sites which sell it. At this point what I am looking for is any visually impaired person who has purchased and/or used this meter or anyone who has used this meter in a facility for visually impaired people. The meter model is hhm1a but may also be seen as hhm1, hhm2, or hhm2a. I would very much appreciate anyone with experience using this meter contacting me. I am looking for a signed statement from any such person as to their use of the meter. Thank you very much for reading this. This is a very obvious and direct slap in the face to all visually impaired and/or blind people and I hope to be able to do something about it. All I really want is for the $17 worth of defective and missing parts in my meter to be replaced and for this not to happen to any other blind person in the future. Since no other company currently makes a talking multimeter it is unlikely that I will simply be able to go out and purchase one from another company but am stuck with having to deal with these folks. Tom Tom Brennan KD5VIJ, CCC-A/SLP web page http://titan.sfasu.edu/~g_brennantg/sonicpage.html