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V-Moda: worst customer service ever
By Sparky | June 25, 2008
When they work I love my Vibe Duos, but unfortunately they are not working so well right now. I raved about them as the best iPhone headset on the market in my review on Gear Live and my follow up post about the 2nd generation Vibe Duos with an answer/hangup button. Unfortunately I can no longer say I recommend either the Vibe Duos or any product made by the V-Moda company.
While their earbuds are amazingly comfortable and sound great they have severe build quality issues which results in frequent failure. After repairing the headphone sheath as described in the review and then replacing them entirely when they stopped working I have had to replace them two more times directly through the V-Moda warranty program for a total of three replacements in under 9 months.
The first time I replaced them through RMA I was a little irked that the process took almost two weeks. This time around V-Moda has gone silent once I shipped the defective earbuds back to them. UPS has proof that they were delivered and signed for, however V-Moda initially couldn’t find them (and wanted the tracking number again), and now refuses to even respond to emails regarding the warranty program.
It’s sad really - the Vibe Duo’s are the most comfortable, and among the best sounding headphones I’ve ever used. When they work I sing praises to my fellow man about the glory that is the Vibe Duo, but since in the last 9 months since I bought my first pair I’ve been through 3 pairs, and without their delicious sound for more than 6 weeks I can’t honestly recommend anyone purchase them if they in the slightest value reliability or customer service.
I’ve filed an official complaint with the Better Business Bureau to see if that might get me traction on getting my promised replacement pair. The full text of the complaint is below for public record.
Complainant Information
About 3 weeks ago my Vibe Duo earbuds stopped working and I contacted the company asking for a replacement pair. They sent a form letter with a ticket number (Ticket ID: ZWL-207849) and asked that I mail the broken earbuds to their mailing address. (V-Moda, 6464 sunset blvd. suite 500, hollywood ca 90028)I sent the earbuds back via UPS (tracking number: -tracking number redacted-) and then didn’t hear anything back for 2 weeks. UPS confirms that the package was delivered 2 weeks prior, 2 days after shipment.
I re-contacted them asking for status and they took 3 days to respond and their response was that they needed the tracking number. I sent an email providing the tracking number and have not heard back from them. I have sent them two additional emails asking for status updates and to complete the RMA with no response. Each of my last 3 emails has included all of my contact information as well as the tracking number.
Resolution Sought: I would like the RMA to be completed and to receive the replacement earbuds for the ones sent their way (at their instruction).
Date Problem Started: 05/28/2008
Date of Transaction: 05/28/2008
Amount in Dispute: $110.00
Invoice Number: ZWL-207849
Complaint Type: Refund Promised
Product or Service: V-Moda offers “high end” earbuds.
Update: Mere hours after the posting of this article V-Moda got back to me with status on the warranty replacement and the happy news that they would be shipping the replacement Duos right away. The communication did not mention if the Better Business Bureau or this article had any influence on their response but the timing certainly is suspicious. The note included an apology stating that they had moved offices which had caused delays. While finally getting contact is nice V-Moda’s inability to properly set expectations was inexcusable.
Good customer service does not always mean instant resolution on an issue, but it always means rapidly responding to contact and setting expectations properly. After 9 days of sending mails to V-Moda with no response any customer is going to be frustrated - a frustration which could have simply been avoided with a quick email on day one stating that they had received the communication and would have an official response within two weeks.
In conclusion I can no longer heartily recommend the Vibe Duos to iPhone owners seeking headsets. Don’t get me wrong - I love my Vibe Duos, they sound great and are super comfortable but after 3 failures and such abysmal customer service I’m left with both a sour taste in my mouth and a sadness in my heart that if history is any indication my replacement Duos won’t last longer than 3-4 months .
Topics: Apple, Audio, Cellphones, Gadgets, Reviews, Technology, iPhone |
July 7th, 2008 at 10:14 am
My V-Moda Bass Freq’s have died recently too, I have sent them in about a week and a half ago and the support site says they are still processing? I don’t know.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I have had great service with V-MODA. They have always been responsive and very helpful. I was able to find their phone number on their website. 888-VMODA-LA.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I have had the exact same POOR customer service. You can basically dido the earlier complaint, because I am going through the exact same problem. No response from V-Moda. I also love the headphones with my iPhone, but strongly wonder about reliability and ongoing service.
Any suggestions on how to get them to reply to emails or voice messages???
July 8th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
try calling them at the number above..
September 18th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Pair number 5 are inbound now.
5 Pairs in 11 months, and total time without due to shipping back and forth, about 4 months.
My advice, avoid this product the products are not fully worked out, even with the new rev2 ones with the different headphone plug, they still have sound issues in the buds themselves. (diff vol levels, tin like popping sounds, etc)
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 am
I have an iPhone, and purchased a set of the V-Moda Duos myself in February 2008 at TekServe, an Apple retailer and service shop on 23rd Street in Manhattan. I loved them, but (surprise) they failed in the manner I’ve become accustomed to since: one speaker fails, but not the other.
By March 2008 - a few weeks later - I’d experienced my first headset failure. TekServe replaced the headset on the spot. Several weeks later, another failure; TekServe again graciously replaced the unit.
In May 2008, another failure. This time, understandably, TekServe asked that I ship the defective replacement to V-Moda directly. Before doing so, I looked up the telephone number of their “customer service” department and surprised a real person at the company. I was directed to their website and told to email them with a description of the issue; I received a standard “here’s your case number” autoreply and asked to ship the headset on my own dime along with a printed and hand-completed warranty form.
It took me a couple of weeks from the time I mailed the defective unit (the 3rd I’d had since having purchased the original) by USPS Priority Mail to the day I received the replacement for _that_ one.
A couple of months go by, and another failure. Same drill again. This time, the replacement unit (around early August 2008) comes with a major change in the plug design: apparently more robust, and the joint is offset by about 30 degrees, in an apparent attempt to relieve mechanical stresses on the wire/plug junction. This time, I’m encouraged: they’ve apparently addressed a quality-related design issue, maybe they’ve addressed the overall build quality issues too.
No dice. About 6 weeks later - a few days ago - same failure mode: one speaker out, the other functional. Yet another email to V-Moda customer support.
This time, they immediately reply and tell me they’re generating a UPS Overnight mailing label on _their_ dime. They did, I receive it within minutes, and ship by UPS today. Today, UPS Tracking indicates the defective unit is out for delivery in Los Angeles (I mailed it from Manhattan last night) and I’ve told V-Moda to be on the lookout for it, and to expedite the replacement: I want turnaround _today_ and overnight shipping, and I want the unit tomorrow.
We’ll see.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
Update:
So, I called them direct at
to let them know that I knew that they’d actually signed for the inbound (defective) unit today mid-morning, and that I expected a turnaround the same day, the same way: immediate shipment by UPS Next Day Delivery. This was after I’d made the same demand by email, but gotten this canned reply:
“Russell,
We process replacements in the order in which we receive returns. Also, we ship out replacements UPS Ground. If we do not process your order within three business days, please write back to us. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Rock On,”
To which I had immediately replied:
“Actually, I _don’t_ understand: you have the item overnighted _to_ you, but can’t see fit to do the same on the way out? You do realize, yes,
that this is my *third* warranty replacement by you, after *two* at TekServe in Manhattan? That’s *5 replacements* in 9 months, and a cumulative couple of months, roughly, of “dead device time” as well as turnaround time for me, on something I spent decent money on?
This isn’t acceptable. How you plan to stay in business unless you dramatically _improve your reputation_ for respecting your customers? Doesn’t anybody there actually care about us, the customers?”
A few minutes after I hit “send” on that reply, I called 888-866-3252 (aka “888-VModaLA”), which is a now unpublished number, and chose phone tree option #2 (#1 is Sales) to speak to a customer service rep. I got Kathy, whom I believe I’d spoken to the first time around, last May, in a similar interaction before they’d moved and changed their (also then) unpublished number. She said she was just then in the process of reading my email, and started reading me a canned script reiterating the mail I first received.
I told her that would be unacceptable, and pressed my point about having the replacement shipped the way the defective unit had been shipped: immediate UPS Next Day Delivery, handled then and there. She said that normally they have a fulfillment house in another city - Chico, I believe - fulfill these requests on a non-urgent basis, but that she would take care of it immediately, from stock at hand, today.
Within minutes, she sent me a UPS tracking number, and I expect my - 5th! - replacement on Monday morning.
Hope this helps others.