- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 8 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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1.0 stars
"Poor quality construction - worse imaginable support"
Pros: When it works, it is fine
Cons: Falls apart; on RMA, sent back same unit unrepaired.
Summary: I liked it when I got it. Saw very light use, never damaged. After 4 months, it failed to start on battery, only worked on AC. We have 2, so could test that both batteries worked fine on the other unit.
Then pieces started falling off of it, including the clasp that holds the battery in.
Took 2 months to find out who at iRiver would actually respond to a request for help. Customer support did not. Finally, I found the company that does their PR, and after complaining to them, the next day I started getting email from iRiver. From the address I'd been sending the request for help (and which had NEVER answered before).
Their online help ticket system is difficult to find. And they ignore all forms of attachments (even though they ask for proof of purchase, when sent as PDF or any other attachment, they can't get it).
Finally Faxed everything in (and for those of you who may never otherwise discover it, the fax number is 360-567-3571). Then I got an RMA.
But... after two weeks, the unit came back, with a note that it "tested ok", and they'd done nothing -- including test it. I had included an exact description of the problem. Their test procedure was exactly the one thing that would have avoided the problem (i.e. they never plugged a battery into it and tried to start it, which is the problem).
I am requesting that they pay for the next round of shipping - I paid to ship it TO them, and they did nothing. Now I will have to ship it again. If they are even vaguely serious about support, they'll suck this up.
But be advised -- even their own support guys admit they are swamped. Let that be it's own warning.
