Lono Devices

Review: The Lono Sprinkler controller that was purchased through Kickstarter is absolutely non-functional. Repeated requests to resolve issues with Lono have resulted in either completely inaccurate dates, or ambiguous "we'll get it to work soon". Reading through the other filed complaint, I find the response of " customer willingly pre-ordered or "backed" Lono on Kickstarter at the reduced, 50% off price of $125" to be completely disingenuous. 50% off an early backed product would be a great deal, provided the product ever works. As it stands, 50% off of a $100+ paperweight is not what anyone would call a "deal". Every single date or response received from Lono has turned into a lie. The device is completely non-functional. The "app" is buggy and it is impossible to control or use the sprinklers, rendering this product useless. Furthermore since there are no buttons on the actual device itself, you can't even use it without an app.

I've had to replace the Lono device and re-install my 5+ year old sprinkler controller as I have completely given up on this product. What is even more frustrating to see is that this company has the audacity to start listing this product on pre-order on sites like [redacted] Who in their right mind would pre-order this product when there is a clear lack product delivery. This is begging to look more and more like a scam or vaproware.

My wife and I have reached out to the vendor on numerous occasions trying to find a solution to this non-functional device, yet all we've received are empty promises about how the product will be working soon.

My next step is to contact [redacted] and other e-retailers directly regarding this scam of a product.Desired Settlement: At this point nothing short of a full refund and return of the Lono device to Lono Systems would satisfy me. I have absolutely no faith in this company to deliver a functional product, and even if the app bugs are worked out, I have no confidence that this product / application will function even 3+ months from now.

Business

Response:

We acknowledge the customer’s concerns and appreciate the customer taking the time to share this note with us. Additionally, we are grateful to have the opportunity to respond and look forward to a constructive dialogue.Lono launched on Kickstarter in the fall of 2013. We’ve since delivered devices to all of our Kickstarter backers and pre-order customers. That is to say, thousands of users are actively using our devices every day. Ergo, stating the device is “non-functional” is untrue.Pertaining to [redacted] and [redacted]’s support inquiries, on record we have ten customer support tickets on file from our exchanges with them over the course of 3 months (June - August). Of which we responded to each inquiry to the best of our abilities. Most of their inquiries pertained to delivery status, and after receiving their device, they reported a connectivity issue they were facing. I.e., the device would sometimes disconnect from the Internet. When responding to [redacted] and [redacted], we acknowledged the firmware bug (as a handful of users were having a similar issue) and let them know their devices hardware was not defective, but instead required a firmware update. We deployed the firmware update shortly after our exchange, and it resolved the issue for all customers who were having the issue. [redacted] and [redacted] requested a refund days before the firmware update was released. We responded to them with the following note on August [redacted]: “Hi [redacted], We empathize with your frustration and appreciate your patience.Unfortunately, we're not accepting return and refund requests from Kickstarter backers unless the device(s) they've received are unopened or defective. There's a few reasons for this.1) We're compliant with Kickstarter's Terms of Service (see below). 2) We offered backers 50% off MSRP for backing a new product 3) Your device's hardware itself is not defective, and we're still iterating upon functionality and addressing bugs. I.e., commonplace for new technology, particularly Kickstarter projects.Regarding Kickstarter's Terms of Service:"It's not uncommon for things to take longer than expected. Sometimes the execution of the project proves more difficult than the creator had anticipated. If a creator is making a good faith effort to complete their project and is transparent about it, backers should do their best to be patient and understanding while demanding continued accountability from the creator."We'll be rolling out a handful of new features here shortly which will enhance your system and watering experience.We sincerely appreciate early adopters like yourself as you're instrumental to today's innovative process.”Additionally, their refund request was made outside of the thirty day window which corresponds to our Total Satisfaction Policy from our limited warranty. This can be referenced below:“TOTAL SATISFACTION RETURN POLICYIf you are not satisfied with the Product for any reason, you may return the Product to Lono ([redacted]) in its original condition and packaging on or within thirty (30) days of the original date of the purchase from Lono or an authorized dealer and receive a full refund, subject to Lono's Limited Warranty, Lono, in its sole discretion, will determine if the Product is in its original condition when returned.”[redacted] and [redacted] also mention bugs associated with the mobile app which hindered their user experience. We’ll be first to agree with them that the mobile app does have bugs and will always have bugs which is the case with all software. That being said, we’ve since rolled out numerous app updates which have remedied many of the most salient and frustrating bugs. Furthermore, we disagree with [redacted] and [redacted]’s characterization of our company and product as a “scam”. Again, the device is currently being used by thousands of customers. [redacted] and [redacted] themselves physically have a device that was engineered, manufactured and assembled in their possession which they readily acknowledge. Consequently, it seems unjust to characterize the product and company as a “scam”.In any event, we appreciate [redacted] and [redacted] sharing their concerns with us, and we look forward to turning them into happy customers.Sincerest thanks.-Team Lono

The self-proclaimed "Rain Gods".... Gods in the sense that they do not exist or sit back and do nothing! A physical product that relied on smart phone applications to work. The brains in the actual device were completed back in 2014 as indicated in their updates all over the internet and from those updates it appeared that the Apple/Android applications were nearing completion also. The physical devices were beginning to roll out in early 2015 and are still being delivered to those who ordered a Lono Device. The only problem was that there was no mobile application to operate the device, let alone set it up! To this day, they removed the Android application listing from their Amazon product page, have released a bare minimum application for Apple phones, and have no other way to use this to water your yard/garden. They have been making empty promises and have NEVER release a public update on their Kickstarter project page since August [redacted], 2014 !! Yes, August. 2014. I would avoid this device now and in the future due to lack of any courtesy to anybody. I would recommend a Rachio irrigation device as an alternative