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iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

community.garadget.com

151–160 of 453 posts

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#151

What's the right way to design an IoT product to not be dependent on a startup's cloud servers? - Allow the app/device to point to a different host (running an open source version of the backend)? - Support LAN connectivity without round-tripping to a third party server? - Allow the user to load their own firmware onto the device? I don't know where the line is for these things, it seems to be a balance of convenienc…

> What's the right way to design an IoT product to not be dependent on a startup's cloud servers?

Not designing an IoT product in the first place seems to me the right way to avoid this issue. The IoT feature can usually be achieved otherwise and seems to be added in so the company can have more power/control over the customer.

If you are adamant on making this IoT anyway, the only option is a distributed and/or federated network with an optional offline mode and option use of one's own network and server.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#152
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon lets far worse things go unnoticed, like fake medical products. Why? Because of the money.

Amazon has already bricked a Kindle (and the full user account) because it had "a pirate PDF", according to their automations. Just, don't but from Amazon. Even Alibaba is better.

Do you have a reference? Googling dont reveal any cases, only people speculating if they might do it.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#153
post #53

Dear customer, We are a small team who don't have the resources to test every single OS version on every device. Problems will happen. As such we're happy to issue you a refund, and you can keep the device. All we ask is that you let us update the app to make sure it's working on your device, and hopefully others. Thank you for helping us find the issue. We will work tirelessly until it is fixed. If at some stage you…

Which companies do the refund + keep-device if unsatisfied?

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#154
post #53

Dear customer, We are a small team who don't have the resources to test every single OS version on every device. Problems will happen. As such we're happy to issue you a refund, and you can keep the device. All we ask is that you let us update the app to make sure it's working on your device, and hopefully others. Thank you for helping us find the issue. We will work tirelessly until it is fixed. If at some stage you…

I get the sentiment, but why should a hardware company let the user keep the device and their money? Issuing a refund and finding a way to retrieve the device so it can be resold makes much more sense to me. Especially for a small company.... Giving away your product for free to every customer that complains seems like a quick way to go out of business. If you buy a faulty ipad from apple, they'll certainly give you…

> If you buy a faulty ipad from apple, you can certainly get your money back, but you need to return the faulty device too

Sure, but Apple won't remotely disable your device until you turn it in for a refund. If you want to preëmptively cut off services, you should initiate the refund. That leaves the customer with a free (albeit broken) product. This is partly why few companies remotely disable devices after purchase, particularly as a retaliatory measure.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#155
Wow, I will most definitely never under any circumstances become a customer of this spoiled company and its pretentious support behavior. People like this should not be in the software business at all if they don't want to deal with customers (including the more hostile/rude ones). If you are going to sell something to the public, you must be prepared to professionally handle all kinds of people, and if you cannot, you should not be interfacing with the public at all.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#156
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Your unit ID 2f0036... will be denied server connection" The Garadget device, not the customers phone! I never mentioned a phone, did I?

Sorry confusion on my part, the guy mentions his iphone app not working and the dev answer that the device is banned. My bad. Anyways, device is not disabled as in bricked, it's blacklisted on the server side of thing.

There isn't too much difference between a bricked device and a device that most likely loops trying to connect to the server and fails indefinitely with no other functionality.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#157

"Throwing a tantrum"? The review in question is something along the lines of "the control app is flashing and doesn't work at all. This is junk, don't waste your money on it. 1/5 stars." If you make any public facing products, you will occasionally get such (and worse) reviews even if your product is a shiny perfection forged in heaven by angels themselves and wrapped in magic. Fact of life. On the other hand, the su…

I absolutely agree. From an outsider, the reaction from Garadget will stay in my mind far longer than the initial review. Imagine this in a bricks and mortar high-street shop? 'The customer is always right' is a difficult but noble stance - if a customer is being difficult, suck it up, be sickly nice then go out the back and scream when they've left.

That's only because the reaction was so unusual. I'd react the way you suggest but I admire people who react the way he did. And, every now and then you hear of a business with a fuck you attitude that succeeds, e.g. Ryanair

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#159
post #53

Dear customer, We are a small team who don't have the resources to test every single OS version on every device. Problems will happen. As such we're happy to issue you a refund, and you can keep the device. All we ask is that you let us update the app to make sure it's working on your device, and hopefully others. Thank you for helping us find the issue. We will work tirelessly until it is fixed. If at some stage you…

I get the sentiment, but why should a hardware company let the user keep the device and their money? Issuing a refund and finding a way to retrieve the device so it can be resold makes much more sense to me. Especially for a small company.... Giving away your product for free to every customer that complains seems like a quick way to go out of business. If you buy a faulty ipad from apple, they'll certainly give you…

Not a 99 dollar retail price device. I'd guess the hardware earned the developer maybe 10, 20 bucks?

Loosing one or two less future sale probably makes up for the loss.

Understanding that one customers frustration and improving the experience for other new future customers could literally be priceless.

Re: iPhone App will not stay open - just flashes when trying to launch

#160
post #41

I don't know why many comments about "the customer is clearly an asshole, therefore he deserves the lock not working/the company has the legal rights to do so blah blah" are modded so high right now. Even when the customer is an asshole, that has absolutely nothing to do with a security device betraying him or not. I'm very glad that the customer is now only denied access to the app. I can see one day a company that…

I agree with you completely. In addition, imagine if this was your home door lock. Let's say it has bluetooth connectivity and it didn't work from 8 feet away (with a 10 foot range advertised), you get pissed, give it a wordy 1 star review, and the next thing you know you are locked out of your house. This is all at whim of someone behind a computer potentially halfway around the globe.
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