H2O Audio

To put it mildly, this customer is a little off on their dates and paraphrasingThey didn't realize that constantly reopening their case was actually delaying their responseHere is a complete sum of our contact with them through our case systemWe keep a complete log of voicemails and calls and
there is none for this customer:
-------------------------------------------------
Customer: 1/29/(Wednesday) 10:AM:
THIS IS CRAZY??? where is my order!!!
***\t12/20/13\t*** ***\t$45.35\tComplete\tView Order | Reorder
***\t12/20/13\t*** ***\t$52.91\tComplete
Customer: 1/30/(Thursday) 12:15PM:
2nd request
I have not received my order from December!!!
I will file a complaint and claim with credit card and with consumer report if I do not here back from someone today!
order#***\t \t \t
order #***\t1
X-1: 1/31/(Friday) 3:PM:
***,
I'm showing that the package has been returned as undeliverableIf you can please review the address and make sure that it is exactly correctI will send a replacement order via another shipping methodIf there is a more convenient address at this point to ship it to, please let me know
*** ***
* *** ***
** *** CA 94019
Customer: 2/1/(Saturday) 9:AM:
Thats my addressCan you deleiver to a PO BOX?
** *** ***
*** *** *** ** ***
UPS delivers to house everyday
Customer: 2/3/(Monday) 6:PM:
(customer forwarded previous message)
Customer: 2/5/(Wednesday) 6:PM:
HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Customer: 2/6/(Thursday) 10:AM:
just filed a consumer report against your company and I will now file a
claim with credit card...next Revdex.com and what ever I can find on internet to
review your companyWORST CUSTOMER SERVICE PERIOD!!
X-1: 2/10/(Monday) 2:PM:
***,
I'm very sorry about the confusionOur case system is handled in order of last response, and so replying repeatedly to the same case is pushing you to the back of the queue every timeI apologize, but I cannot honor the previous offer to ship another replacement out if you have issued a charge-backWe will have to now sort this out with your credit card company before we can offer you resolution.
Customer: 2/10/(Monday) 3:PM:
I never issued/requested a charge back REFUND my credit card!
X-1: 2/11/(Tuesday) 9:AM:
***,
I will request a refund for the returned products, but you may want to contact your postal service and clear up any issues, as two separate orders were returned as undeliverable.
Door delivery for UPS Mail Innovations is handled by USPS and so that is who you would want to contactDoing a quick Google search of your address returns mixed results, with most trying to correct the address to The local USPS mentioned that nearly all of ** *** residents use a postal box in Half Moon Bay and a zipcode.
-------------------------------------------------
What wasn't mentioned to the customer (in the spirit of diplomacy) is that the USPS carrier told me in no uncertain terms that this customer had mixed up their PO BOx and Street zipcodes on the orders.
The full refund was issued on 2/and the funds were accepted on 2/This is closed on our end, as far as we knowPlease let me know if you need any further information

Review: Having a problem with two pair of audio headphones purchased on H2O Audio website and still within 1 year warranty. H2O order number [redacted] placed on 7/14/2114. [redacted] Have tried to reach H2O Customer Service via their website form/online chat/phone several times during the past 2 weeks but no reply. Their Customer Service voice mail box is full and won't accept a new message.

H2O customer service contact info: [redacted]

I have ordered several headphones and iphone/ipod waterproof cases from H2O during the past several years and never had a problem contacting them previously. Very unlike them not to respond.Desired Settlement: Refund $47.98 to me.

Review: I have headphones which stopped working while under warranty. I have used the following link to reach out to H2O Audio/X-1 Audio 3 times, but didn't get a any response: [redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like to repair or replacement headphones which are under warranty.

Review: I purchased the following item from X-1.com Online Store on October 17, 2014

Your Order #[redacted] (placed on October 17, 2014)

Momentum Custom In-Ear Headphones - Black MM-CM1-BK 1 $19.99

In the month of December 2014 I started to experience the faded/echoed audio thru the headphone.

I did try on different devices and the problem was consistent.

I then contacted X-1.com support via phone and email.

My first email to the X-1.com support on Jan 7th 2015 is below

I need to get my headphone repaired or exchanged since there is no volume/ extremely low volume when the headphone is plugged into any audio devices.

My order number is Order #[redacted] and it was purchased on 10/17/2014.

Thank you.

Then I got a repsonse from the company to reply back to me on Jan 14, 2015 below.

RA N16768

Our warranty requires returning a defect claim to us, but in the interest of time and convenience we will be making an exception to waive this requirement. Please hold on to that, though. If you have any further warranty issues, we will require all products back so that our engineers can have a look. If there is any trouble with holding onto the defective item, please let us know and we will issue a return authorization for you. Your replacement will be shipping out shortly.

-----------------------------

[redacted] X-1 Support Team

Mon-Fri 9-5 PST

I then wait till February 4th and followed up with 2 voicemails to the company support number since I could not reach any live person.

The content of my follow-up email was sent below and have not heard back from the company.

am still waiting for my replacement.

It has been promised to me a replacement since Jan 14th, almost 4 weeks and nothing happen.

Extremely disappointed for the over promising and under delivering.Desired Settlement: I just need a replacement for my headphone as promised and honor the product warranty.

They need to contact me to let me know what action will be taken to repair the product which is still under manufacture warranty.

Review: Bought Product on March 12 2014, stopped working properly within the warranty period. Filed warrenty claim, and called multiple times. They are not returning calls or honoring the promissed warranty of their product.Desired Settlement: Would like my product replaced or have a full refund.

Review: In early November 2013 I purchased an X-1 Interval audio case and iPod for swimming.To be fair I am an old time customer. I loved the old product. In fact it worked perfectly for numerous years but I figured it was time to upgrade and went with a company that I knew. I am beyond sorry that I did. Within a few uses the iPod died (all within the 30 day period). I contacted X-1 and we went back and forth on this issue (with me being the one following up regularly and not them). I sent the case to them (at my own expense) and I was told to go to the Apple Store for the iPod replacement (costing me a decent amount of gas plus time). Apple looked at it and said it was not fixable that the liquid indicator was set off and there was nothing to do but replace it for $49.99. So I contact X-1 and they tell me that my headphone wires have a dent in them and they believe that I must have caught the headphones in the casing while swimming. Sorry, that NEVER happened. They asked me to ship back the iPod to see if they could "revive" it so I did (again at my own cost though I was highly dubious because if Apple can't fix how is X-1 going to do so?). I was told today that they will ship everything back to me and that there is nothing more they can do. So instead of being smart and customer-friendly they are trying to blame me, a longtime and experienced customer (who also worked in the tech industry by the way) of lying. I am an honest and ethical person and to be treated in this manner plus all of the time and extra expense handling this issue is beyond frustrating. In my opinion they should take this product off the market.Desired Settlement: A full refund of my money paid out to purchase and have the item shipped to me in the first place. Order #[redacted], purchase date 11/1/13 for $123.89

Business

Response:

[redacted],

Thank you for the email. The customer purchased a case and iPod combo that carries the following disclaimer in regards to the iPod:

No returns on iPod if opened. Manufacturers warranty provided by Apple - Any and all issues with the iPod must be dealt directly with Apple and Apple Only.

When the customer initially contacted us, there appeared to be confusion as to why the Apple product was malfunctioning. She stated that the case did not seem like it had been compromised and that the only drop of water she found inside the case may have resulted from dropping into the case as she opened it. As such, we directed the customer to contact Apple for warranty service on the iPod and to send the case in to be tested and replaced. Following is the online chat from 11/18/13 in full:

13:17:06 Visitor: Order #[redacted], the iPod appears to be dead. I cannot get it to come up on iTunes despite iTunes trying to do a restore.

13:17:16 Visitor changed the name Visitor to [redacted]

13:22:02 Operator [redacted] joined the chat

13:22:16 [redacted]: Hi [redacted]

13:22:32 [redacted]: Sorry - [redacted] . . .

13:23:35 [redacted]: I'm sorry to hear that. Have you spoken with Apple about this? We don't normally provide support on the Apple products

13:24:18 [redacted]: Not yet. I bought the system and the iPod from X-1 so that was my first course of action. I assumed I had to go through X-1 not Apple.

13:25:08 [redacted]: I understand. If there is an issue with the case, we'd be glad to have it replaced under warranty, but the iPods are sold factory sealed with Apple manufacturer's warranties

13:28:11 [redacted]: I am not sure if it is the case that is at issue. It may have leaked causing the iPod to be waterlogged but I don't know. I guess I have to replace the iPod first. Do you happen to have a direct link to whom I connect with at Apple regarding this matter on behalf of your company?

13:29:00 [redacted]: You're not sure if water entered the case?

13:29:18 [redacted]: Was there ever water in the case?

13:30:38 [redacted]: I used it yesterday and when I pulled the iPod out at home it had a drop of water on it but it did not seem like it had been comprised. But then again, I don't know. It could have been water from the lid when I opened it or it could have leaked.

13:31:13 [redacted]: Should we be safe and just replace the case while I connect with Apple to get a new iPod?

13:31:31 [redacted]: I understand. I usually open the case sideways or upside down, because I've had that happen.

13:31:58 [redacted]: I used your original h20 audio case and never had a problem with my original shuffle so I know how to use the device.

13:32:00 [redacted]: We can have the case tested and replaced. I would suggest that.

13:32:30 [redacted]: Sounds like a plan. Do you know who I should contact at Apple? Will they even help me since I bought the iPod through X-1?

13:32:39 [redacted]: Also, I wouldn't mention water to Apple. They will use that as an excuse to void your warranty if they believe that they can

13:33:01 [redacted]: Okay got it.

13:33:02 [redacted]: Yes they will. They can tell by the serial number when the iPod was purchased

13:33:18 [redacted]: Any Apple store will be able to replace that

13:33:24 [redacted]: Ah, okay.

13:33:42 [redacted]: To have the case replaced, please head to http://www.x-1.com/support.php and fill out a Customer Support Contact form to start the process. Please select “Warranty Assistance”. We will send you an email with a RA# and complete instructions on how to send the product into us for replacement.

13:33:54 [redacted]: I'm very sorry about the situation, [redacted]

13:34:02 [redacted]: Let us know if you have any trouble with Apple

13:34:13 [redacted]: I'll have to figure out when and where to go to get to the Apple Store. Not very close. Okay.

13:34:35 [redacted]: Okay, thanks [redacted]. Not your fault. But I am grateful to have the case replaced just in case.

13:34:54 [redacted]: Yeah, we can always have them replaced, even if just for peace of mind

13:35:26 [redacted]: I'm now regretting that I didn't just get the waterproof iPOD from the get go. It would have save a lot of time and headache and in reality money.

13:36:52 [redacted]: Is there anything else I can help you with, [redacted]?

13:37:12 [redacted]: Nope, thanks. Have a good day [redacted].

The customer was given return information and sent an email the following weekend (11/24):

I have gone through enormous hoops to try and get this resolved and the news I received from Apple has me absolutely ticked off.

A week ago I contacted your support team regarding my system not working. It was suggested that 1) we replace the case and 2) that I contact Apple for support regarding the iPod dying after 4 uses. Note: I purchased the entire set-up through X-1.

I shipped off the case earlier this week with an RA # [redacted] and after fighting with Apple via phone 2x (once earlier in the week and then again earlier today because they had never followed-up on what they were supposed to do in terms of a replacement) my husband drove to the nearest Apple store (not close by the way) to get it changed out. Once there they checked over the unit and deemed it was affected by water and would not replace it without a $49 charge for a replacement. Seriously?!? I just bought this device through X-1! My husband has brought the unit home and it is in my possession.

Please contact me at ###-###-#### (cell - East Coast Time) regarding this matter. I am requesting either a full refund on my order immediately or a full replacement of the entire set-up to be overnighted to me.

I look forward to hearing from you by no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, 25 November 2013.

There was no previous contact about any of the contents of this email, in which she was demanding a full refund (including the non-refundable iPod) or overnight delivery sent out by the end of cyber Monday (our busiest day of the year), all prior to receiving her package.

Her package was received on the following day and she was sent this email:

[redacted],

I'm sorry about the wait on a reply. It is a bit late to speak with you on the phone (8:40PM your time), but I'd be glad to speak with you tomorrow. We received your package and on inspecting your Interval there are several very heavy indentations on the headphone wires, suggesting that they were most likely closed in the doorway. This will damage the seal and can definitely lead to the type of situation that you described in chat. We will still be placing the case through a full range of tests, as the presence of user-end damage doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't a defect that may be responsible for the incident. If you would like to have the iPod sent into us so that we can attempt to revive it please feel free to use the same RA and address. If you need me to send it again, please let me know.

We don't provide an insurance against any and all damage and so I hope you will allow us the diligence of investigating for manufacturing defects prior to discussing any compensation above and beyond our warranty.

The customer responded by telling us that there was absolutely no possibility of user error. Please keep in mind the original interaction, where she believed that user error was a possibility:

Hi [redacted],

Thank you for your response. I respect the need for due diligence and the

iPod will go out today, again as with the case, at my expense.

But I must be clear that I have never had any issues with the headphone

wires going getting stuck in the case and I have no recall of any

indentations in the headphones. Ever. And that is the honest truth. I

was actually very careful with the product. I know this product well

because I had the original H2o Audio case and it is still in excellent

shape and use today (by my husband) and that one is at least 3-4 years old

if not older. So again, while I accept that end-user error is possible,

this is just not one of those cases.

Respectfully,

She informed us that she was sending in her iPod and provided a tracking number. She followed up on the December 11th and received results as to the case testing and attempts to revive her iPod on the December 12th:

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I wanted to personally help explain our findings and how we can help you from this point on.

As I had previously indicated, our Engineers noted that there was a sizable marring on the headphone wire. As the product passed all other testing and examinations, the damage that the engineering team noted was the only potential possibility for the incident.

When an object is caught in the door to the point where the door never makes a seal with the O-ring, water would get in almost immediately with significant volume. If the bending occurs several times over usage and the frame bends out of place, it would be a slower leak with much less volume.

Although this sort of damage is not technically covered under warranty, we would be glad to replace the damaged Interval, and send it back along with your iPod. We were unsuccessful in reviving it.

Please let us know how you would like to proceed.

Again, we apologize for not being able to do more to help you on this matter, but I assure you that we take claims like yours very seriously and do proper diligence before sending out this sort of news. If there is a flaw in one of our items it is in our best interest to find and properly document it. We hope you understand the reasons by which we have reached our conclusion and our final position regarding this situation.

The customer responded by questioning our honesty, declining the replacement offered, and asking to receive the original case back along with the iPod:

[redacted],

Thank you for your thoughtful response and detailed notes. It is much appreciated.

I will be clear again, though, in stating in my defense, that I have not only had an H20 Audio product prior to this, but also I was wearing the system fully with no wires caught in any manner when it died. There is no possible way the system could have had a wire caught in it if I had been wearing it. I am an honest and ethical person and this response leaves me, sadly, dissatisfied with the outcome and with the company's sense of customer service and honesty.

I would appreciate the case and the iPod returned to me immediately and to please provide me with a tracking number prior to shipment.

If the team cannot see it in its best interest in doing right by me, I will be moving forward with other actions with the Revdex.com and more. I will also be alerting all of the people at my gym regarding this matter as they have all asked how I liked the product and were wanting to know the outcome of this matter before purchasing a set. And I will be writing online reviews that will also make clear what occurred with my purchase and the outcome as X-1 viewed it.

Thank you for your time again, [redacted].

Sincerely,

The customer was shipped back the case in question, of which we are confident that there are no manufacturing defects present. If she believes that we are being disengenuous with our findings, that is extremely unfortunate, but she has the case in order to pursue a second opinion. We cannot refund or replace the iPod without a confirmed defect on the case. Although our warranty is voided in the presence of user damage, we had offered to replace the case and this offer still stands. Our warranty, by the way, is always available here:

http://www.x-1.com/warranty.php

Please let me know if there is anything else that I can provide you with.

-----------------------------

[redacted] Rice

X-1 Audio Support Team

###-###-####

Mon-Fri 9-5 PST

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Had I known that having an issue with the iPOD in relation to their defective case would cause this much trouble (having to go to an Apple store out of my area, and then afterward shipping the unit at my own cost to X-1 all the while having nothing to use for weeks), I never would have purchased the bundle in the first place. In fact, X-1 in its response to me now points to its warranty web page and other documents to protect itself while I, as buyer, was never aware of this whatsoever. Their website is more focused on getting the end-user to buy, not to consider any possible fine print. This to me is misleading. And how interesting is it that when I just went to their web-page with these products that the following statement is now is bright red "No returns on iPod if opened. Manufacturers warranty provided by Apple - Any and all issues with the iPod must be dealt directly with Apple and Apple Only." This was not on the page when I purchased my bundle.

As for X-1, the company is attempting to use my own words against me at a time when I was simply trying to figure out why the iPOD suddenly did not work after a couple of weeks of use. I will also state one fact that no one has bothered to mention here - X-1 is alleging that one of the earphone cords was dented and an assumption was made that I had caught the cord in the casing thereby causing water to get into the set and affect the iPOD. if there was any chance of the earphone cord getting caught in the casing thereby causing water to go into the case itself during use - I am not sure how that is humanly possible. The cord is not long enough to be stuck in the case while being put into a person's ear. Any person that potentially had this happen would be alerted to a problem immediately. That was not at all the situation with me. I am a long-time user of X-1 previous company's product (which is the same just a newer looking case) and I used it with my old iPOD shuffle for likely 3-4 years without issue - so I do not feel this was end-user error.

I stand firm requesting a full refund.

Respectfully,

Business

Response:

Our company purchases and sells iPods at a slight loss, in order to provide the convenience of one stop shopping to our customers. We are not Apple resellers and do not receive wholesale pricing. As such, the items are sold factory sealed with an Apple warranty and we have no recourse to handle defect claims for the manufacturer. This is why there has been a disclaimer on the product page of every iPod or iPod bundle that we have sold since we began the practice more than half a decade ago: Excluded from all coupons and discounts. No returns on iPod if opened. Manufacturers warranty provided by Apple - Any and all issues with the iPod must be dealt directly with Apple and Apple Only. We put this disclaimer in bright red at the same font size as the rest of the product description. It is placed above the price and the purchase button. We are making no attempt to hide our policy, as we believe confusion and ambiguity are costly.

Obviously, this puts our customers in a bad situation if there is damage to the iPod due to a manufacturing defect on one of our cases. In the instance of such a consequential damage claim, we have the case tested and inspected objectively and offer to attempt reviving the player. In this situation, we found that there were no material defects in the case and were unable to recreate the incident. Additionally, we discovered damage on the case indicative (yet not conclusive) of misuse that had the potential to temporarily indent the gasket and compromise the waterproof integrity. We shared our findings and offered to replace the case or return to the customer so that they could seek a second opinion, if they so wished. We understand the potential conflict of interest and respect the rights of the customer to challenge our findings. The customer opted to receive back the original case and to this date we have yet to hear back from her.

-----------------------------

X-1 Audio Support Team

###-###-####

Mon-Fri 9-5 PST

Review: I ordered a pair of waterprrof headphones and case from this company first week in December. I have contacted both customer support phone number and email to find out why after almost 2 months I have NOT received products? No response for weeks...only until I said I was going to file a complaint 2 weeks ago did they respond and said it looks like it is being returned...nothing else??? Not we can ship another one out or would you like a refund? Nothing...I have asked several times what the status is with no response. Company has absolute worst customer service ever.Desired Settlement: Return my money. I would never buy something from such a poor service business ever!

Business

Response:

To put it mildly, this customer is a little off on their dates and paraphrasing. They didn't realize that constantly reopening their case was actually delaying their response. Here is a complete sum of our contact with them through our case system. We keep a complete log of voicemails and calls and there is none for this customer:

-------------------------------------------------

Customer: 1/29/14 (Wednesday) 10:24 AM:

THIS IS CRAZY??? where is my order!!!

[redacted]\t12/20/13\t[redacted]\t$45.35\tComplete\tView Order | Reorder

[redacted]\t12/20/13\t[redacted]\t$52.91\tComplete

Customer: 1/30/14 (Thursday) 12:15PM:

2nd request

I have not received my order from December!!!

I will file a complaint and claim with credit card and with consumer report if I do not here back from someone today!

order#[redacted]\t \t \t

order #[redacted]\t1

X-1: 1/31/14 (Friday) 3:40 PM:

[redacted],

I'm showing that the package has been returned as undeliverable. If you can please review the address and make sure that it is exactly correct. I will send a replacement order via another shipping method. If there is a more convenient address at this point to ship it to, please let me know.

[redacted] CA 94019

Customer: 2/1/14 (Saturday) 9:41 AM:

Thats my address. Can you deleiver to a PO BOX?

UPS delivers to house everyday

Customer: 2/3/14 (Monday) 6:09 PM:

(customer forwarded previous message)

Customer: 2/5/14 (Wednesday) 6:45 PM:

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Customer: 2/6/14 (Thursday) 10:32 AM:

just filed a consumer report against your company and I will now file a

claim with credit card...next Revdex.com and what ever I can find on internet to

review your company. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE PERIOD!!

X-1: 2/10/14 (Monday) 2:07 PM:

[redacted],

I'm very sorry about the confusion. Our case system is handled in order of last response, and so replying repeatedly to the same case is pushing you to the back of the queue every time. I apologize, but I cannot honor the previous offer to ship another replacement out if you have issued a charge-back. We will have to now sort this out with your credit card company before we can offer you resolution.

Customer: 2/10/14 (Monday) 3:53 PM:

I never issued/requested a charge back REFUND my credit card!

X-1: 2/11/14 (Tuesday) 9:49 AM:

[redacted],

I will request a refund for the returned products, but you may want to contact your postal service and clear up any issues, as two separate orders were returned as undeliverable.

Door delivery for UPS Mail Innovations is handled by USPS and so that is who you would want to contact. Doing a quick Google search of your address returns mixed results, with most trying to correct the address to 94018. The local USPS mentioned that nearly all of [redacted] residents use a postal box in Half Moon Bay and a 94018 zipcode.

-------------------------------------------------

What wasn't mentioned to the customer (in the spirit of diplomacy) is that the USPS carrier told me in no uncertain terms that this customer had mixed up their PO BOx and Street zipcodes on the orders.

The full refund was issued on 2/11 and the funds were accepted on 2/14. This is closed on our end, as far as we know. Please let me know if you need any further information.