Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

community.garadget.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 453 posts

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

#171

Post by wapz »

erikb wrote: post #122
glogla wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You spent a lot of posts defending the company. Are you affiliated with them?

I think many people here only read the headline and immediately start aiding the destruction of what seems to be a single person's business. I have experienced myself how painful it can be to stay polite towards a*hole customers, so as said in some comment: It's totally fine to quit a customer who acts like that and refund him.

You didn't answer the question. Are you affiliated with them?

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

#172

Post by theprotocol »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #7
jimktrains2 wrote: post #3

I like how they chastise Martin for poor impulse control and then go for the nuclear option of disabling someone's account over a single review. "They think my service doesn't work now, well let me show them what not working is really like!" The irony is amusing, except for Martin. Also, I'd like to take this time to note that this is another reason that it's important to have control over your own devices.

The users who are arrogant and abusive usually have zero overlap with the ones who care about control over their own devices.

That's not the point. The company has no right to deprive a user who paid from receiving the product.

You don't get to do a personality test on your customers. Some will be jerks and it's their right. Someone who doesn't recognize that others are under no obligation to like you is dangerous to society.

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

#173

Post by Steve0 »

erikb wrote: post #123
kungtotte wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, he bricked the device and then told him his only option was to return and refund through Amazon. Let's not pretend that Garadget is somehow being magnanimous here.

What device? The cloud-enabled device he sold himself? What I understand is that he's blocking that user from using the cloud.

Yes, the device the user paid 99 dollars for and is now useless. So for the user to get his money back he has to send back the device.

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

#174

Post by vkou »

tomc1985 wrote: post #150
raverbashing wrote: post #59

I can't believe people are still buying any "cloud powered" crap for their homes Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice... Don't buy anything "cloud powered/IoT stuff" unless you know what you are doing and the product has been vetted by the general public and you're aware that there will be breaches Right now the number of IoT stuff I intend to buy is Zero

There are already established protocols in this space that never needed and do not require a cloud connection, let alone internet. (I forget their names, but industrial control automation has a long history) Why can't device makers simply speak the language?

A few reasons.

1. Ignorance.

2. Not-invented-here syndrome.

3. They want to own your IOT ecosystem with their proprietary protocol.

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

#175

Post by dangrossman »

raverbashing wrote: post #169
atemerev wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks to psychology, there is a nice way of making it work for both sides (not in this particular case, of course — the damage is done). Hardware companies should (and will, eventually) offer the devices for free and switch to subscription model. Devices like these are not products, they are services. They are useless on their own without the operating backend, support and maintenance. If I am buying the device, I e…

I agree But "subscription model" for a garage opener is, sorry to say, stupid Of the things in my home I want a garage opener to have pretty good reliability. I need a plan B if the power is out for a conventional one. I don't want to get locked out if I miss a payment (this is not like rent where these things are regulated and lack of payments are handled through actual notices) Relying on the internet to open your…

The product is basically a cloud-enabled garage door remote. It doesn't replace the buttons on the wall in the garage, nor does it replace the garage door opener you use in your car, or however it is you work your door. It supplements them, like buying a spare remote, except this one is app-enabled and can be used without line-of-sight to the door.

I have a smart garage door opener, smart deadbolt, smart car (remote start/heat/cool/etc), smart thermostat, smart light fixtures, smart smoke detector... all of them function without internet, or power, as applicable. Light switches, buttons, keys, etc still work. Most smart devices are like that; the remote functionality is supplemental, not a replacement.

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

#176

Post by robryan »

barking wrote: post #162
roystonvassey wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you operate a business in the Internet age and delude yourself that customers are required to have decorum, you are in for a rude shock, sooner than later.

You can require your customers to show decorum if you choose.

This is actually not true if you hope to sell long term as an Amazon marketplace seller.

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

#177

Post by khedoros1 »

bigbugbag wrote: post #129
woof wrote: 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.

"Bricked" being an irreversible state, I agree (technically). If there isn't a way for the customer to reverse the ban, it might as well be bricked in the practical sense, from the customer's perspective.

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

#178

Post by jitix »

bigbugbag wrote: post #141
jitix wrote: post #125

We should probably start having regulations around IOT servcies. The issue here isn't that the customer or the service rep was abusive. The real issue is that the company can disable the cloud service that is essential for their product to work based on their perception of the customer. It seems really risky to purchase IOT products right now.

Could it be different though ? IOT is closely related to MMO videogames in that most servers close down at some point in the not so distant future. I will not buy any IoT ever, even with regulations. Factor in that IoT has terrible security and has already been massively exploited and now you're part of a criminal ring of webcam owners or fridges or whatever gizmo that attempted to DoS a DNS root server or government…

Hmm.. in that case some sort of classification should be there. Games are non-essential but temperature controller, door openers and locks are essential functionalities.

As a general rule the manufacturers of IOT devices should be made by law release the server side code/binaries that a consumer could run by yourself (and also provide configuration options on the hardware device itself). I know it won't be of much use to most consumers as of now but as people become more techology-literate they should be able to download a container, choose a cloud provider and upload it to run the backend.

As IPv6 become more popular home routers could expand their functionality to provide container hosting.

edit: Added the part about self-hosting.

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

#179

Post by bluefox »

erikb wrote: post #122
glogla wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You spent a lot of posts defending the company. Are you affiliated with them?

I think many people here only read the headline and immediately start aiding the destruction of what seems to be a single person's business. I have experienced myself how painful it can be to stay polite towards a*hole customers, so as said in some comment: It's totally fine to quit a customer who acts like that and refund him.

I'll just note that this entry was posted twice, by two different accounts, with the same title, even though it does not appear anywhere in the site. PR effort for or against.

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

#180

Post by qqg3 »

cameldrv wrote: post #48

Usually Internet (and real life) shitstorms are made when two assholes collide. Customer may be an asshole trying to stick it to the little indiegogo guy in a way he knows will have a disproportionate impact. On the other hand, the iPhone app does really suck and crashes constantly. Even big companies can't seem to make reliable software these days. All of that said, you went into business, so time to put on the big…

> trying to stick it to the little indiegogo guy

If it was purchased from Amazon the customer may not know anything about the indiegogo or the size of the "company". Just expected to get a working product.

Post reply on HN