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Composite, you have made my morning! That video is priceless.... That would be a great thing to make for my stag do. Reckon people would be falling off bikes in shock!
There have been over 1100 responses already now to the CEO's apology on their Facebook page from individuals who have either returned their device or are still in possession and having problems. He only made this statement on the 15th Jan!
I reckon we are on the verge of a worldwide product recall for effected units as it doesn't seem to be made better by the firmware updates. This is a shame as I'm sure the video quality would be superb if we could stop them from freezing.
As a GoPro stockist, we've found the failure rate to be very low, we've probably sold about 30 cameras in the past year and had to return one faulty wireless bacpac, of these we've done 12 blacks (plus mine) all which have functioned. I forget the stats ref customers with a bad experience tell x many people etc but I'm sure you can see my point
Amazed at how much money people have to spend on these kind of things. People just throw money at electric toys.
Amazed at how much money people have to spend on these kind of things. People just throw money at electric toys.
Life must shock you then.
See also:
- tablets
- smart phones
- SLRs
- hi-fi equipment
- cars
- bikes
- houses
Etc etc.
Jonkinetic,
I totally see you point, the reason my missus bought it as a present was because of the awesome ratings that Go Pro receive. However, for the CEO to post a letter on their page apologising for the issues then there is a big problem.
Joe, depends how much you have or have saved up or have gone without. We go to the Alps every year with some mates and have watched from the sidelines as others have watched footage of their crashing, gap jumps, even a random heard of cows causing mayhem and yes, on some videos we were on it also. However, after that we miss out on a year load of memories when back in the UK as we didn't own one. Even on Saturday my missus turned into bambi whilst trying to stay upright on an icy trail shortly after the Honister Pass. If the Go Pro had of been working this would have been priceless footage and for some people worth the investment.
Suppose its the same as paying for a nicer car, kitchen, Tele etc..... It's whatever you feel you want to spend it on. We drive a van and have a 32" Tele and if we have disposable income it goes on bike stuff. Others might have a flash motor but couldn't justify a Go Pro. Reckon it's horses for courses.....
Take a look on gopro Facebook page. The heroe 3 is a total disaster for gopro. There are over a 1000 people on FB alone with major problems . If you read through them gopro customer service is ****ed 70 mins waiting on phone just to connect and over a week to get a reply via email.
Nice one Dazz,
Nice to see someone seeing what I'm seeing instead of just telling me how great there's is! Disaster is an understatement. Mine is heading back to the shop tomorrow for a full refund.
There is some serious panty-bunching on this thread!
I don't understand all the hostility - they've discovered a fault with their product and are trying to resolve the situation. Has anyone been told that they can't have a refund/replacement? Will anyone be left out of pocket?
Given the failure rate of MTB components, and warrantee nightmare stories - I would thought people would be praising Go-Pro for fessing-up and trying to get this sorted out.
If you read through them gopro customer service is ****ed 70 mins waiting on phone just to connect and over a week to get a reply via email.
I'd be dealing with whoever sold me the camera, most manufactures are not set up to deal with the general public.
And I'm sure you will get one.Mine is heading back to the shop tomorrow for a full refund.
Global Disaster may be a little bit of an overstatement, especially given some of the other failure rates quoted.
Some other examples
[url= http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/ ]Tim Cook on Apple Maps[/url]
[url= http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/10/14/how-to-say-youre-sorry-10-ceo-youtube-apologies/ ]Top Ten CEO Apologies[/url]
Public apologies are a good thing as it gives people some acceptance that there is a problem. Anyway the dust will settle, the offending items will be sorted out and life will go on. It would be a disaster and pitchfork time if they were denying everything and telling people to live with it.
Disaster is an understatement. Mine is heading back to the shop tomorrow for a full refund.
Sorry..... what ?
that's what I would call a [b]Minor inconvenience[/b] not a "Disaster" 🙄
You need to get some perspective.
Neal,
You need to read it in relation to how it was written. It's not a disaster for me, as I said its going back tomorrow. It's a disaster for Go Pro as there are literally thousands of people sending their units back. How can that not be a disaster for a company a few months into a product launch?
And if Go Pro were to class it as a minor inconvience then that attitude would be fitting to how they ended up in this mess in the first place!
There seems to be a lot of people defending them on here, maybe you have had a great experience, I haven't. All I have done is make people aware so if they spend there money on one they may have a unit that doesn't work, takes 70 mins to get a phone call answered, a week for an email and a return to a shop, like the thousands of us who are faced with it.
Bottom line, these Blacks retail at £359, many have a manufacturing defect, CEO makes an apology, Go Pro carry on shipping them! If you think that's fair then there's nothing I can say here.
Edit -too early in the morning
Why does it matter how long GoPro take to answer the phone or emails ?
As an end user you should be dealing with the place you bought it from.
You ring them, tell them its faulty, send it back and get a refund. Very easy.
Even easier if you bought if from an actual shop, but that's a choice you make.
How many units have been sold ?
How many have issues ?
Unless you know these figures, I don't see any way you can discuss whether or not GoPro have a "disaster" to deal with, or just a few minor teething problems.
Do you know those figures ??
Neal, do you have shares in Go Pro?
It may be fine for me to deal with the shop, however you may have people who have slipped out of their shop receipt and need to deal with Go Pro, or actually want it to work so maybe are persevering and ringing/emailing to stop having to get an exchange/refund. It's being pro active.
You also keep quoting stuff that has not been said. Why are you going on about figures? I have said that I'm warning people who may be buying into something that is going to give them more hassle than its worth.
I don't have figures of how many they have sold, or how many they are having problems with, but what I do know is that on their Facebook page they have 1082 complaints related to the CEO's apology.
Go Pro, modern day highway men
bit harsh?
It's a new product and it's a product designed to have good performance in a compact and rugged package and priced for consumers and not professionals in a market where they have to get things out due to competition. Sometimes you get problems, sometimes it's due to your oversight or a component supplier (eg Toyota). I'm sure they will sort you out under warranty and iron out the problems as soon as they can and no you won;t be out of pocket for the return postage.
Neal, do you have shares in Go Pro?
No. It's privately owned.
It may be fine for me to deal with the shop, however you may have people who have slipped out of their shop receipt and need to deal with Go Pro
Unless you mean "Lost their shop receipt" or "bought from outside the UK" I can't see why you would need to deal direct with Gopro
or actually want it to work so maybe are persevering and ringing/emailing to stop having to get an exchange/refund. It's being pro active.
That's fine, but its not the fastest way or resolving the issue, and I'm sure there is no need to ring them, they have a Facebook page with updates on the situation don't they ?
You also keep quoting stuff that has not been said. Why are you going on about figures?
I didn't quote anything, I asked a question ?
...although you suggested earlier that...
...the faulty ones outnumber the good ones almost 2 to 1..
And suggested that you were going to be out of pocket (a couple of times) due to it not working properly (which clearly you aren't unless you are going to calculate the lost interest you would have had if you hadn't bought it at all.)
but what I do know is that on their Facebook page they have 1082 complaints related to the CEO's apology.
1082 comments presumably, not 1082 individual complaints. (But let's say it is 1082 for the sake of argument)
That does sound like a lot.
But not if they have sold 10 million units ? Then it would be a tiny amount wouldn't it.
Which is why the sales vs faults figures are relevant to know how big a problem it is.
but what I do know is that on their Facebook page they have 1082 complaints related to the CEO's apology.
As above, I assume that's comments - so likely to be at least 50/50 between "my Hero 3 has been brilliant" and "my Hero 3 doesn't work", I imagine it's pretty small all things considered.
You really are making a mountain out of a molehill here IMO.
As a GoPro dealer I can quite honestly say that not one of my customers have reported any problems with the Hero3, and we have sold more than a dozen.
I suspect the number of faulty units as a percentage is actually very small so a product recall would not make sense to anyone.
Take it back, get another... problem solved! 😉
Take it back, ask for a refund or replacement.
Take it back, ask for a refund or replacement.
Amended to:
Take it back, [b]politely [/b]ask for a refund or replacement.
All too often I get escalated emails from B2C customers that read like they have been written by a hormonal teenage girl.
This is a minor technical issue with a new product from a reputable and well regarded company. They have gone online to state they are addressing the issue and that you and all other customers will not be out of pocket.
It's a minor inconvenience, and nothing more.
andy,
If you read this thread fully you will see that iv already sent it back. I have no issue with the shop, or any shop for that matter. One of my closest friends owns his own independent bike shop and offers a great service.
This was a warning to others to understand there are issues with the black model worthy of the CEO to apologise. If people are happy to spend their money after knowing they then that's their decision.
+1 andyrm 😆
This:
Take it back, ask for a refund or replacement.
and
It's a minor inconvenience, and nothing more.
Stuff sometimes doesn't work or has teething problems, good companies such as GoPro sort them out.
and
😆written by a hormonal teenage girl.
This was a warning to others to understand there are issues with the black model worthy of the CEO to apologise. If people are happy to spend their money after knowing they then that's their decision.
That's toned down a bit from ......
If you are a fan of throwing money away then this is the product for you,
shelling out for return recorded delivery when it's happening to everyone
the faulty ones outnumber the good ones almost 2 to 1
I reckon we are on the verge of a worldwide product recall
Disaster is an understatement.
Or my personal favourite......
Go Pro, modern day highway men.
Neal, there is no toned down attitude towards a company that carries on shipping products that they know to have faults that are not fixed via firmware updates and are actually causing units to go into a frozen state. My comment earlier was referring to Andy and that the fact that it has nothing to do with a shop who are a mere cog in the sale of the goods.
I have based my opinion on the fact that many people are saying the exact same thing. You obviously have not taken the time out to look at them but instead like a few fan boys on here would prefere to call things minor when they clearly aren't. So you can see what some real rants are like over this product I will pick you two at random:
[i]20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars New GP3B doesn't work. GP not responding.., December 28, 2012
By Butler S. Cox (Colorado) - See all my reviews
This review is from: GoPro HD HERO3: Black Edition (Camera)
1) Can't turn GP3B on without removing and re-installing battery each time you want to take pictures or videos.
2) Can't turn it off after you do the above.
3) Even without using the camera, a fully charged battery will completely discharge in less than a couple of hours.
4) Battery sometimes gets too hot to touch! So when doing the above it needs to sit and cool for quite a while before it can be handled
5) GoPro does not respond to support queries
5) Study all the complaints on the web and you'll discover many buyers are having similar issues.
[/i]8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Gopro fails, January 6, 2013
By ed skieens (CUTTEN, CALIFORNIA, US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: GoPro HD HERO3: Black Edition (Camera)
I'm on my third and what will be my last gopro black 3. I've been dealing with these headaches since the beginning of Nov., same issues as stated on prev. reviews. Freezing, overheating, stops recording, etc. on all three.
Here's a couple new complaints from me...the anti fog inserts.... It would be nice if they didn't decompose while inside the camera case.
The back panel for the battery...it's a real pain to get it open at times. Sitting in a snowstorm having to "reset" my camera and not having that panel pop off made for some colorful language from me at the time. Now times that experience by about 50 and that's where I'm at now.
For the record I have done the hard reset many times, did the latest firmware update standard the first time, then proceeded to do the manual update, I have in use a sandisk class 10, 32 & 64 card.
When the cameras have worked I do like them. I would be willing to hang in there and give gopro a chance. I cannot do that now. Not after seeing how gopro treats their customer base. It's my impression that they are knowingly selling faulty cameras and then stringing unhappy customers along until there 30 days to return are over. I have to say that I've never seen a company practice business.... as gopro does. Seems to me if they don't change their ways that this Pandoras box they call the Hero 3 could be gopro's downfall.
There's still time GOPRO , mine and a whole lot of other eyes are watching you close....
Best of luck,
Just one of many dissatisfied customers.
30 days? What's that all about. You should have a full year to return you faulty goods.
I see your points still doesn't put me off as the issues still look isolated. Know a few who have them with no issues.
Yeah, the GoPro warranty is a year, and that's on top of your statutory rights to a product that actually works.
I'm sure from GoPro's point of view this is a disaster. They've obviously hit a much higher failure rate than they'd expect, and will be suffering as a result.
It wouldn't put me off buying one if I were in the market for such a thing. If it didn't work, it would go back for replacement. If it still didn't work it'd go back again until I got bored and I'd then take refund.
I assume that the reason that GoPro's support lines are overwhelmed is because they also have their own store to sell direct, plus the fact as shown on this thread, many people don't know their statutory rights and who to deal with when there's a problem.
I don't know how many of these things they've sold, but apparently they shipped 1 million Hero 2s in 2011. 1,000 people moaning on a facebook page is obviously a high failure rate, but keep it in perspective.
You [b]obviously[/b] have not taken the time out to look at them
I have looked at them, so you are "obviously" not that good at judging things.
but instead like a few fan boys on here would prefere to call things minor when they clearly aren't.
Well having Never owned a GoPro, and not particularly wanting one either, I'm not sure how that classes me as a "fan boy" ?
And as I said earlier.
Unless you know [b]how many Units have been sold[/b] and compare that to how many units are faulty, you have no idea how big the problem is do you ?
And as you have neither of those figures, your opinion on the scale of the situation is meaningless.
In your house the failure rate is 100%
Worldwide the failure rate might be 0.001%
Who knows ?
(Clue: its not you 😉 )
I have been following the gopro thread on FB. It is more than a minor problem. There are people who have bought direct from GOPRO as they have a store. Those people have to pay return shipping to the store for repair. If you do not live in the same country it isnt cheap.
They ahave a shit customer service FACT. It may just be down to the volume of calls and enquiries but waiting over a week for a generic email isn't very good.
I have also read that you can only send the camera back to gopro in the 30 day period after this it is just a replacement or repair. Amazon will accept them back but if you deal direct with gopro they will not.
I was seriously tempted to buy one but there is no chance now. I dont even enter the free competition now.
As said above they are still selling them and not sorting out the ones they have sold.
Have as look here nd scroll down to january 15th
You will see that it isnt a small problem. And if it is I would hate to see a big one.
Daz, you appear to have missed the point of this thread. You are talking about the underlying issue rather than entering into a petty argument about the statistics that have been used to illustrate the problem.
entering into a petty argument about the statistics that have been used to illustrate the problem.
The scale of the problem can only be known if you know the statistics though.
So it's totally relevant.
As I said above, if its a small percentage that are affected, then it's not a big problem.
If its a large percentage, then it is a big problem.
Those people have to pay return shipping to the store for repair. If you do not live in the same country it isnt cheap.
The Sale of Goods Act disagrees.
If you are in the UK, If the product is faulty, it can be returned for a refund with no costs incurred by the buyer.
Just looks like software issues from that post on facebook, pretty common with new products I would imagine. I'm sure it'll be sorted soon.