Universal Remote Control, Inc

The business has responded Please see below:
As we stated clearly in our first two responses, *** *** purchased the item secondhand (i.e., USED) on *** and is therefore not entitled to a warranty or any other type of supportWe consider this matter closed and do not intend to comment further

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

In the product manual is not written that the program will only be provided for technical or new items. I think the manual is an integral part of the product whether used or new, it is not up to the manufacturer to enact the extinguishment of a product for it to be used. I as a consumer want a Universal Remote Co. fulfill what is written in the manual and provide the program and accept no other solution
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

The business has responded.  Please see below:
For a variety of reasons we believe valid, URC does not provide end-users with programming software. Programming control products...

requires skills acquired through many hours of training. However, we have contacted the dealer involved in this issue ([redacted]) and have been informed that this matter has been resolved to the customer's satisfaction.

We've been unable to contact the complainant despite several attempts.

The business has responded.  Please see below:Dear [redacted],
We're sorry to learn of the difficulties you've encountered with the MX-3000 remote control you purchased online on...

[redacted]. As we explained in our **-October-2014 communication to you, URC does not support product purchased from unauthorized dealers. As you have indicated that you purchased this item from [redacted], it is not covered by our USA Limited Warranty or any of our support policies. In our experience, many of the items offered for sale via online marketplaces are not new and/or were not obtained through legitimate channels. Our recommendation is that you contact the party that sold this item to you and request permission to return it.
Sincerely,
Universal Remote Control, Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I accept the URC does not want to support products purchased from unauthorized sellers, but in my case, my MX-3000 is used and I am not asking for support URC, but the only program that can downloaded from her site and without which the product is useless, I believe the fact that the product be used not justify not providing program and product manual says that I can get it, but it says I can not get it if you buy a controlling second hand. I sent URC signed the EULA and agree to the terms of the company, then do not understand why I can not just have the program, do not want to support. Attach the page 5 of the Manual MX-3000 remote control.
So all MX-3000 used, despite being an expensive product, it has to go to waste, I do not agree with this.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: I have purchased my MX-780i from [redacted] here in [redacted], ** which is an authorized distributor of their products. This remote was installed properly but through time, it needed to be tweaked which would need a software to do. I have contacted URC regarding this and said to ask my installer to get hold of the software but they said that I should contact URC because they cannot give it. So now I am stuck with a remote control that I cannot adjust. I have sent emails to URC and even called them regarding this but they said that they only give the software out to distributors. The person in the technical department also was not able to provide me with any contact person to who I can voice my opinion about this. I was told that I would get the same response each and every time. I even offered to give the serial number of my remote to prove to them that this was purchased from a certified installer.Desired Settlement: I would want to have the software program that would be used to adjust the remote.

Business

Response:

The business has responded. Please see below:For a variety of reasons we believe valid, URC does not provide end-users with programming software. Programming control products requires skills acquired through many hours of training. However, we have contacted the dealer involved in this issue ([redacted]) and have been informed that this matter has been resolved to the customer's satisfaction.

Review: On 5/**/13, I purchased an MX-980 remote from Magnolia A/V for 549.98. On top of that price I paid 430.00 to have a programmer come out and program my remote to all my equipment. As time went on I have up graded my T.V., Blu-ray and home theater amplifier to 3d capable equipment. I tried to get items with the same RF, however the none of the home amplifiers with 3d capabilities have the same RF. I have a friend who is a capable A/V guy assisting me with my new set-up, but we cannot program the remote because neither Magnolia nor Universal Remote with release the software. Magnolia wants to charge me another 200+ to have one of their programmers come out and reprogram my remote to my new amp, and Universal remote says they only release the software to dealers. Now I am confused because on page four of the owners manual it mentions their "proprietary software, MX-980 Editor. You could download this software from our website: [redacted]". It goes on to say "some enthusiasts have learned to fully use the set up software".

I did not sign a contract saying I would pay a programmer every time there is a change in my system, nor does it say that this software is available for download only to dealers, in fact in their own description they say "The mx-980 is programmed via a windows p.c. equipped with a USB port(programming cord included)". If I am not allowed to have this software then I should not have received the user manual which tells me where to download it or the programming cable since it is useless if I don't have access to the programming software.Desired Settlement: Whether it is their intent to mislead consumers or not. I received the user manual and the cord, I want what is advertised in the manual and be able to go to [redacted] and download the proprietary software so I can use the programming cable that came with my purchase. I don't think its fair to automate my house in such a way that I will forever be reliant on a professional with outrageous prices.

Business

Response:

We've been unable to contact the complainant despite several attempts.

Review: I purchased over $1,500 of remote equipment from a distributor of Universal Remote Control (URC) and both the distributor and URC are refusing to provide the software to update my remote. I requested a copy of the MX-880 Remote software on July **, 2013 and the response was not what I expected "Due to the complexity of the programming of our PC programmable remotes, we only release the software to our authorized dealers that have completed URC training one can easily destroy the program by attempting to program the remote without training" . In my response to URC I fully accepted responsibility if I destroyed the programming or require local URC assistance – I would pay for technical support at that time. Two forums reported that either the software was provided by the installer or by URC so I sent a follow up note on Thursday July **, 2013 and as of Monday, July **, 2013 had not received a response. Nowhere in the manual does it state the owner cannot program their remote, all that is referenced is "highly recommend a professional audio/video install" the manual does not state “it is mandatory for a professional audio install nor does it state the user cannot update their remote”, had the manual indicated this I would not have purchased $1,500 of URC remotes/base station equipment. The program changes I require are relatively simple: Add Apple TV and replace the two Comcast Boxes with new X1 boxes – to have the remotes updated will cost 3 times what the equipment cost - over $300. I believe this is a bigger issue concerning "Truth in Advertising” as it is deceptive and not fully disclosed. The Manual leads one to believe a customer can program the controller, if technically proficient and in fact URC provides the USB cable to connect the remote to a Windows PC. Directly From the MX-880 Operations Manual The MX-880 is programmed via a Windows PC equipped with a USB port (programming cable included). It also states, "To fully automate an audio/video system the programmer must have a detailed knowledge of each component and how the system is connected and operated. We highly recommend that you use a professional audio/video installer to program your MZ-880 so you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the MX-880. This Manual only recommends a professional audio install and doesn’t indicate the programmer must be a trained representative of URC. This is definitely not clear a user technically proficient to program a remote control. Without this software I will need to spend approximately $150 each time I require any changes to my Audio / Video equipment. It is unfortunate that I must contact the Revdex.com and the Attorney General but I exhausted all means of trying to resolve this issue. Your support is appreciated.Desired Settlement: I request the software required to update my two MX 880 remotes or a refund for the remotes and base stations. Additionally URC should be required to appropiately disclose the fact that a purchaser can not update the remotes and must be done by a URC representative and not lead customers to believe they can do it.

Business

Response:

URC does not provide programming software to consumers or other untrained persons. It is our proprietary, copyrighted and private property; to insist that it be provided to an individual who has not been trained to use it properly is unreasonable.

The same logic that precludes automobile manufacturers from providing engine-tuning software to consumers prevails here.

Therefore, we can do nothing but restate our position. We do not provide programming software to consumers or other untrained persons.

Business

Response:

In this, our third (and final) reply to [redacted] we repeat that we do not distribute our copyrighted, proprietary software to end-user consumers. We provide software only to trained professionals. The software is solely our property.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Universal Remote Control, Inc regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: Universal has an exchange policy whereby you send in your MX 900 remote control to them. They extract the data from my remote and input the data into a new one. It costs $314.00 which is much less than the new one sells for. They returned the remote with a letter that said they were unable to extract the data so here is a new blank remote. When I called them and worked my way up to the owner or manager, he said they were not responsible for the data. My complaint is that they never attempted to contact me to inform me that they could not extract the data. They should have given me the option to have my old one returned. It worked but the buttons were getting tired.He was also quite rude in informing me of their policy, stating I was responsible for the data.I then had to make arrangements for Magnolia Stereo to come out to the house and program the new remote which cost my an additional $400.00Desired Settlement: I think Universal Remote should have informed me when they could not process my request. I would like Universal to pay for the reprogramming of my remote, which was $400.00

Business

Response:

All customers, including Mr. [redacted], who return a remote control to us for replacement are warned beforehand that there is a strong possibility that we will be unable to retrieve their program from their old remote control and install it in the replacement. All are required to agree to accept this risk before we proceed. In addition, the warning is printed on the paperwork we provide to facilitate the return process. Mr. [redacted] accepted this risk when he returned the remote control. We regret that we were unable to retrieve his program, but he knew that this was a possibility before he made the decision to return it. Therefore, we do not feel that any compensation is appropriate.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Universal Remote Control, Inc regarding complaint ID [redacted]

Sincerely,

Review: bought a MX-3000 control, the manual says that a program available for download on the manufacturer's site, MX-3000 Editor to program it is necessary. It happens that this program is not available, making the product can not be used without my having to hire an expert, but even I want to program it.

I try to contact by email without any response....Desired Settlement: I want the MX-3000 Editor Software

Business

Response:

The business has responded. Please see below:

Dear [redacted],

We're sorry to learn of the difficulties you've encountered with the MX-3000 remote control you purchased online on [redacted]. As we explained in our **-October-2014 communication to you, URC does not support product purchased from unauthorized dealers. As you have indicated that you purchased this item from [redacted], it is not covered by our USA Limited Warranty or any of our support policies. In our experience, many of the items offered for sale via online marketplaces are not new and/or were not obtained through legitimate channels. Our recommendation is that you contact the party that sold this item to you and request permission to return it.

Sincerely,

Universal Remote Control, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I accept the URC does not want to support products purchased from unauthorized sellers, but in my case, my MX-3000 is used and I am not asking for support URC, but the only program that can downloaded from her site and without which the product is useless, I believe the fact that the product be used not justify not providing program and product manual says that I can get it, but it says I can not get it if you buy a controlling second hand. I sent URC signed the EULA and agree to the terms of the company, then do not understand why I can not just have the program, do not want to support. Attach the page 5 of the Manual MX-3000 remote control.

So all MX-3000 used, despite being an expensive product, it has to go to waste, I do not agree with this.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

In the product manual is not written that the program will only be provided for technical or new items. I think the manual is an integral part of the product whether used or new, it is not up to the manufacturer to enact the extinguishment of a product for it to be used. I as a consumer want a Universal Remote Co. fulfill what is written in the manual and provide the program and accept no other solution

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

The business has responded. Please see below:

As we stated clearly in our first two responses, [redacted] purchased the item secondhand (i.e., USED) on [redacted] and is therefore not entitled to a warranty or any other type of support. We consider this matter closed and do not intend to comment further.