LMG Sponsor Complaints

[CPotter]

Hey,

 

This thread is focused on sponsor complaints related to personal product purchases, or first-hand experiences with one of LMG’s active sponsors. We will make every effort to help address these issues, but please note that we can’t respond to and help with everything, and some resolutions will take significant amounts of time to resolve. 

 

While LMG greatly appreciates and respects community input, we reserve the right to partner with the companies we feel right promoting. We'd like to thank everyone for all the support.

[nexus7556]

I want to add another complaint about Volta Charger. In their latest update to their indiegogo supporters they've told us if we want a tracking number for our shipment we have to sign up for their "LATEST NEWS & OFFERS" mailing list. I should not have to be spammed by their marketing department just to receive a tracking number.

[silentdragon95]

I have also found Acronis True Image 2020 to get really slow and sometimes even lock up completely with large (>2TB) incremental backups over a longer timespan as soon as you try to browse the backup to recover a file from it. It makes the incemental backup function basically useless if you don't have it do a complete backup every other week or so (at least there is a setting for that), which is really annoying because it obviously takes a long time to finish and uses system resources in the process.

 

I'd like to believe that newer versions are better, but unfortunately I will never find out as they have switched to a subscription based model, so I will most likely switch to using another software with my next system upgrade.

[PeachGr]

Manscapped lawnmower 3.0 

I bought that, and it stopped working after 1 use. I contacted support and they be sent me a replacement that died after 2 weeks. Now the third died on my hands after about 6 months. I have used it normally, charged it at low wattage and I m really really careful on cleaning it with water. Arm I have 3 e waste products at home.

Also when you but it, there is a hidden subscription for about 10€ per month for a useless part (blades)

 

Photo of their waterproof. I ve washed it a few times in low pressure water from a sink. They did a good job keeping the water inside I guess

[Rikere]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:50 AM, nexus7556 said:

I want to add another complaint about Volta Charger. In their latest update to their indiegogo supporters they've told us if we want a tracking number for our shipment we have to sign up for their "LATEST NEWS & OFFERS" mailing list. I should not have to be spammed by their marketing department just to receive a tracking number.

I'll add to this, they *intentionally* sabotaged sending out automatic shipping notifications. In an early update, they said they had brought our order info from Backerkit/Indiegogo to Shopify. The system started to send out emails, which they said they had stopped in the comments.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/giga-the-ultimate-universal-gan-charger/x/548182#/updates/40

 

I guess they've run this entire campaign, supposedly they were shipping *months* ago.. and they never had a system setup to track orders? I have no idea.

 

They had hundreds of units in the US on May 7. I'm figuring they are doing as they said, delaying orders to their detractors. I was backer 245. They stated they've exhausted all 500 of the 200W Gigas in US inventory. I've got no shipping stuff. No notifications from FedEx, UPS, or USPS of a shipment coming, so yea.

 

They did sell Giga Bundles, of 5x and 2x packs, but I think unless all of them were sent to the US, it wouldn't account for mine not being shipped yet unless they're not shipping in order received but some other metric.

[SeanLMG]

21 hours ago, Rikere said:

I'll add to this, they *intentionally* sabotaged sending out automatic shipping notifications. In an early update, they said they had brought our order info from Backerkit/Indiegogo to Shopify. The system started to send out emails, which they said they had stopped in the comments.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/giga-the-ultimate-universal-gan-charger/x/548182#/updates/40

 

I guess they've run this entire campaign, supposedly they were shipping *months* ago.. and they never had a system setup to track orders? I have no idea.

 

They had hundreds of units in the US on May 7. I'm figuring they are doing as they said, delaying orders to their detractors. I was backer 245. They stated they've exhausted all 500 of the 200W Gigas in US inventory. I've got no shipping stuff. No notifications from FedEx, UPS, or USPS of a shipment coming, so yea.

 

They did sell Giga Bundles, of 5x and 2x packs, but I think unless all of them were sent to the US, it wouldn't account for mine not being shipped yet unless they're not shipping in order received but some other metric.

Hey all,

 

Thanks for letting us know with regards to Volta. I just want to confirm, we've stopped all partnerships with Volta and ended our contracted campaign for this year as a result of the poor customer service from these products. We worked with them for quite a long time and had no issues prior to this indiegogo campaign, but the recent developments caused us to take action and stopped running integrations for their products until their customer service can improve to the level of standards we expect from our partners. We'll reevaluate our partnership in the future, but as things currently stand, we won't work with them anymore until these are fixed and made right. 

[Quackers101]

On 5/20/2022 at 10:38 AM, PeachGr said:

Manscapped lawnmower 3.0 

I bought that, and it stopped working after 1 use. I contacted support and they be sent me a replacement that died after 2 weeks. Now the third died on my hands after about 6 months. I have used it normally, charged it at low wattage and I m really really careful on cleaning it with water. Arm I have 3 e waste products at home.

feel like a lot of newer products are like that, manscaped is also a bit shady. some complain about poor performance etc. when older equipment was made to last much longer or for a decade with the same blade and motor. hate that these "modern" shavers that barely shave, lugs instead of cuts, weak engines/motors, guards and can handle a bit of mishandling. would be nice to see manscaped with a good tool, but seems overpriced ... yeah.

 

wish more mainstream with better products would be sponsoring, instead of a lot of digital e-waste products or just more expensive products.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Quackers101

[MultiGamerClub]

On 5/21/2022 at 9:02 PM, Quackers101 said:

when older equipment was made to last much longer or for a decade with the same blade and motor.

its weird.. From the 3 shaving machines ive had, doesnt matter what year i go for.. AS LONG AS its one year older than current.. Then its fine.

They must be swapping parts or something to get easier profits, because my 2022 "insert brand here" died in 3 weeks.. But the same brand from 2020.. Is still alive and kicking as it was new and im only really emptying it from time to time and washing it, nothing more.

 

Even has a secondary shaving machine to get the last hairs away and thats going great, just hope this brand (cant remember name, will edit in later) doesnt change any parts

because its the best fucking shaving machine ive had in a while and it just damn works without any problems.

 

2022 model: Kills itself faster.

2019/2021 model: Will outlast anything from 2022 apparantly.

[madsci1016]

Just saw the Yvonne Cricut video and I was shocked that terribly anti-consumer company got past your screeners as their history checks off most of Linus's pet peeves. 

 

Anti-consumer.

Sued third party that wrote linux support for it. 

Forced DRM cartridges for a while. 

Tried forcing cloud requirements with paid restrictions. 

 

Source.

 

Some quotes:

 

"The “update” would have limited Cricut owners to uploading just 20 designs to their own devices each month, unless they paid for Cricut’s $8-per-month-minimum cloud service,"

 

"forced customers to use a cloud service to upload designs to their own machines"

 

"There’s not a lot of recourse for people who wish their machines worked differently. Cricut’s owner, Provo Craft, sues makers of third party software to make sure customers stay locked into Cricut’s software and cloud storage system. "

[Andrewrobert]

4 minutes ago, madsci1016 said:

Just saw the Yvonne Cricut video and I was shocked that terribly anti-consumer company got past your screeners as their history checks off most of Linus's pet peeves. 

Not a sponsor, this isn't the place for it.

[Quackers101]

9 hours ago, Andrewrobert said:

Not a sponsor, this isn't the place for it.

but also a bit about promoting the product. while the complaint should be targeted if it was a sponsor, it's also warranted to let their history of this product to be pointed out. As Yvonne did try to cover some of the issues about this product.

[madsci1016]

Yes forgive me for missing the nuisance in sponsor video vs bought video that promotes the product. Where should have i posted this?

 

This hits hard for me as I was active/passionate about consumer rights, open source, etc back in 2010 timeframe when Cricut went after suing people for writing software to expand support of their machines. They were the poster child back then for everything LTT stands against now a days for right to repair, right to own, anti-cloud, anti-DRM and anti-ewaste, etc.  There's still issues as recently as last year that people are fighting. They remove support for older, functioning cutters and no one else wants to support them for fear of more lawsuits. And their calling the new machine "maker" to try and rid themselves of the blowback from all their anti-maker behavior is just insulting. 

 

It's just a shock to see an LTT video showing them in a positive light. Sponsored or not. 

 

Their major competitor, Cameo, on the otherhand isn't open source, but people have written third party apps to no consequence and has a true maker community around it. 

 

Sorry. Rant over. This just happened to be my new favorite YouTube channel (LTT) bring up some old wounds of mine from rallying against companies like Cricut more than a decade ago. 

[Emanuil Georgiev]

Not really a complaint, but was this agreed with FlexiSpot?

Also this clip that is on the product page: 

 Unfortunately I missed the time window to buy the product I liked  (the E8 frame), lucky that Honey go me some discount, but it's not as much.

 

[volatus146]

On 5/4/2022 at 12:31 AM, CPotter said:

Hey everybody!

 

Let us know if you have any issues with sponsors we're currently running across any of LMG's channels. The business is active here and will chime in and respond as necessary. 

 

Thanks for watching our content, and for the feedback, we really do appreciate it.  

sad to see NordPass got a spot with LMG… hope it was enough money, seeing as most of us tech savvy viewers were already aware of the NordVPN controversy a while ago… as if im trusting that company with MY PASSWORDS!!! did Luke literally say "dont trust them" on the latest WAN show??

On 5/18/2022 at 10:50 PM, nexus7556 said:

I want to add another complaint about Volta Charger. In their latest update to their indiegogo supporters they've told us if we want a tracking number for our shipment we have to sign up for their "LATEST NEWS & OFFERS" mailing list. I should not have to be spammed by their marketing department just to receive a tracking number.

 

I own about $400+ worth of Volta products and regret it so much (found em from LTT).... constantly making warranty claims, cables that dont work properly, magnets that break apart, customer support thats non existant... if anyone can suggest an alternative company that supports at least 50w USB-C i'd be all ears. As soon as my Spark cable breaks, im out. Lifetime warranty is cool til it takes 4 weeks to get a replacement sorted and already gone through that process SIX TIMES.

 

On 5/20/2022 at 4:38 PM, PeachGr said:

Manscapped lawnmower 3.0 

I bought that, and it stopped working after 1 use. I contacted support and they be sent me a replacement that died after 2 weeks. Now the third died on my hands after about 6 months. I have used it normally, charged it at low wattage and I m really really careful on cleaning it with water. Arm I have 3 e waste products at home.

Also when you but it, there is a hidden subscription for about 10€ per month for a useless part (blades)

 

Photo of their waterproof. I ve washed it a few times in low pressure water from a sink. They did a good job keeping the water inside I guess

 

I also got one of these, just not through LTT. Pretty sure i had the 2.0 version... had one replaced under warranty, the second one started doing the same thing (randomly turning on) and i got no reply from em... just gave up

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

all i've learnt from this is dont buy any kind of kickstarter product thats electrical (i also own a POS Tribit bluetooth speaker that was on ShortCircuit)... the only kickstarter product that i own and am GENUINELY super happy with is my KeySmart.

[PeachGr]

11 hours ago, volatus146 said:

just gave up

I gave up on the third. 90€/$ is way too much for a product that as I ve discover is less than 10$ to be made. I bought the Panasonic ER1421S for 78€ and I understood what a professional high quality product looks like. I hope they will stop promote that garbage

[An0maly_76]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:50 AM, nexus7556 said:

I want to add another complaint about Volta Charger. In their latest update to their indiegogo supporters they've told us if we want a tracking number for our shipment we have to sign up for their "LATEST NEWS & OFFERS" mailing list. I should not have to be spammed by their marketing department just to receive a tracking number.

That's why you have a junk email address just for BS like this... It works for me. LOL

[TechyAlex]

I saw an Instagram post on LTT for ZeroLatency VR. I thought it looked super cool, because I thought most of those companies died of covid. 

 

I was excited that there was a 20% off coupon from LTT, so I applied it online, and made my reservation! 

 

Things turned around when I went to check in. I arrived at the counter, they pulled up my reservation, and they told me the total would be $100. But... That's the full price! I had been quoted $80 online because of the 20% coupon. I asked them about it, and they said that even if the coupon was entered online and showed as working, they don't take coupons and the only way to get a discount is if you have a credit from a missed appointment. I showed them the LTT post where it says the coupon code could be used, and they didn't care. I ended up paying full price. 

[SeanLMG]

On 6/4/2022 at 12:14 PM, TechyAlex said:

I saw an Instagram post on LTT for ZeroLatency VR. I thought it looked super cool, because I thought most of those companies died of covid. 

 

I was excited that there was a 20% off coupon from LTT, so I applied it online, and made my reservation! 

 

Things turned around when I went to check in. I arrived at the counter, they pulled up my reservation, and they told me the total would be $100. But... That's the full price! I had been quoted $80 online because of the 20% coupon. I asked them about it, and they said that even if the coupon was entered online and showed as working, they don't take coupons and the only way to get a discount is if you have a credit from a missed appointment. I showed them the LTT post where it says the coupon code could be used, and they didn't care. I ended up paying full price. 

Hey @TechyAlex, this is absolutely not okay and goes against our service standards. Are you able to DM me the location, your booking ID/number and your email address? We're going to follow up with Zero Latency and ensure this is resolved. Thanks!

[SeanLMG]

On 6/4/2022 at 12:14 PM, TechyAlex said:

I saw an Instagram post on LTT for ZeroLatency VR. I thought it looked super cool, because I thought most of those companies died of covid. 

 

I was excited that there was a 20% off coupon from LTT, so I applied it online, and made my reservation! 

 

Things turned around when I went to check in. I arrived at the counter, they pulled up my reservation, and they told me the total would be $100. But... That's the full price! I had been quoted $80 online because of the 20% coupon. I asked them about it, and they said that even if the coupon was entered online and showed as working, they don't take coupons and the only way to get a discount is if you have a credit from a missed appointment. I showed them the LTT post where it says the coupon code could be used, and they didn't care. I ended up paying full price. 

Just a follow up on this, we spoke with Zero Latency, and they'll be reaching out to @TechyAlex by email directly to make this right. They're following up with this, and all, locations to ensure that this mistake doesn't end up happening again. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

[TechyAlex]

17 hours ago, SeanLMG said:

Just a follow up on this, we spoke with Zero Latency, and they'll be reaching out to @TechyAlex by email directly to make this right. They're following up with this, and all, locations to ensure that this mistake doesn't end up happening again. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Thank you Sean! I will update when I hear from them.

[rcmaehl]

Cooler Master having horrible communication with contest winners and not delivering winnings. XPosted for visibility.

 

 

 

[cadabri]

Glasswire

To be honest, not sure if they are so much an active sponsor any more but their website is a bit misleading with their subscription prices, listing them as "Buy" with no time period, and not making it clear that the price is a subscription. 

[DanFraser]

I joined these forums just to post this.  Very bored on a Sunday evening and for once I decided to take notice of a seque to your sponsor, BuildRedux.

 

So, clickity click, let's go click some silly numbers and buttons and build a computer!

 

 

There are three issues that is quite concerning on their website.  Now I'm all for easy builds for first time and/or inexperienced computer users so the interface is good, not to my liking but good.  But!  First time, new, inexperienced customers probably will not notice the first two issues I have spotted almost instantly.  The third issue is annoying to me and would likely put off a not so new or inexperienced potential customer.

 

Spoiler

Issue number one?  The display picture that you can also view in 3D shows a water cooling setup when the supplied CPU cooler is air.  Minor gripe but BuildRedux, pick one!
Issue number two.  That's a lot of fans.  An awful lot of fans, seeing as the case listed is supplied with 4 RGB fans *and* an RGB/Fan controller!
Issue number three.  What if I don't want WiFi?  Or I don't want those extra 4 (and actually unnecessary) fans?  Nope, even though you can edit the build you cannot remove items such as them!

The above issues are a problem.  Customers are potentially being sold items they do not want or even need and in the case of the build I put together in a handful of clicks there is the potential they may not receive the items they pay for.  Each of these came very quickly and raised suspicion and perceivable frustration (in the understanding of other consumers encountering these issues).

 

The larger issue is this is clearly not a PC building company.  From the word go, their company model is clearly a credit purchase model.  At every point the website is pushing credit usage to buy their products.  Yes, non-credit purchase is possible and straightforward however pushing credit this hard is unpleasant at best.

 

As Linus despises subscription models (garage door!) I despise both credit pushing and unwanted costs in a similar way.

[Quackers101]

as a pre-built PC it's not bad^

Not sure about the site and what you went in on so can't say much about that and between image and parts. Some are just for showcasing but it depends as said before. Else the deal doesn't seem too bad, but maybe some elements seem a bit sus, like what PSU, RAM is that? unsure or random? ok... As for wifi card would be better as an option, but nothing wrong to include and you might just find another deal instead. As for the fans in the case itself, that might just be extra that comes with the case and not much to do about, or if they just add some random 4 extra fans? that one don't know what they support in terms of software and such, which could be a hidden * in the deal.

[RedRound2]

An update regarding Volta

 

I bought a giga 130W charger from them based on Short-circuit/LTT ad last September. It finally delivered after 7 months of delay (was supposed to ship in November, I got it this June). They did seem to have genuine issues with manufacturing, shipping, etc. so I wont take too many points from them.

 

But 3 weeks back ordered a carrying case from them. Made the payment but no ETA or communication on when its shipping or arriving, even after 2 follow up mails and posting on their forum

 

I know they're a small company struggling to keep their boat afloat, but I feel they should be a little more responsible and not go overboard in taking pre-orders and taking forever to deliver them

 

I don't really have any suggestions, nor have I associated with them long enough to determine if LMG should work with them or not, but I'm just sharing my experience here.

 

UPDATE: Finally got the carrying case and I have been satisfied with their product after using it for over a year. Apart from typical small company scaling issues and delays, I have no other complaints. I would recommend their products