picopix, a year later

[Georges1]

It was a year ago I saw the picopix max poping up in the adds provided by the algoritsm of Google. After some research Infound out that a trustworthy conpany is a safe bet on a indigogo projrct. So I ordered the PicoPix max. Suggested delivery, november 2019.

I payed the product and waited. First a few days, then weeks, hoping on a new message at indigogo. The picopix was not released from the testing. The product was not working according to the Philips quality. I understood, it is part of the deal at indigogo.

After 3-5 months there was a glimps of hope. The testing went well and the factories where instructed to produce the little machine. Guess what, corona came.

After a thousand of machines produced the world stood still. Oke, this can happen. The question arised, how to respond to the investors, lets make a communitie and let them sort it out themselves. The response time was low and nobody knew when they would get their little machine, which would fit the corona stay at home time really well. Months went by. Finally a list was made when to expect the picopix. Look up in the sourcecode of your indigogo website backersid and find out if you fit an excel list with delivry rounds per country. Ok check. Few more months. End of april 2020 the machine was sent.
The machine went to germany. DHL probably lost since it took 20 days to get it to Holland. By foot I was probably quicker.
The little machine arrived. The unboxing moment. Turn it on. Some noise. No light. Mm strange. Back to the community. I was lucky, months of waiting and what did they make, a wire that is to short to connect to the lightbulb. Why did they test in the first place?

Try to contact the support. Waited a few days and via this community I got forwarded to the support. ( Thnx #ivoG for helping me ! ) Fill in pages and waiting to get ticket to send it back. The waiting restarted. May - June - July. I got a DHL tracking number. Somewhere between nos and the future you will receive a package. No further details. Then it popped up in Germany. Again waiting and waiting. I went on holiday, came back and guess what, no update on the delivery. I called the helpdesk. They told me, you where not at home so we sent it back to China. Didnt you got a notice? No I didnt, only make stuck in Germany tracking number. Sorry DHL, sorry Philips, but it would be nice if you could at least inform me when to expect the little plastic machine. A time, date or something. Enfin. The machine went back. I contacted the support. 3 days average reaction time. 10 days later this message.

I am trully dissapointed in the whole project. It is taking now half a year to deliver a package. Even alibaba is quicker, and we all know that is a big guess. I hope someone will help me. €500 spent for only a headage. It actually took so much time that the picopix is on sale in normal.stores where the motto is “order today, receive tomorrow”

A sad costumer,

Georges

@IvoGrijt thnx for helping me past time @Philips_Support_T need help
@Philips_Support_N

[chat54]

Hi Georges,

Indeed a petty things are going As you described. Still waiting for 1st delivery. Was in Germany went up north to NL Köln and then you would expect next phase over the boarder a d drop it in NL-hub of DHL or better at home address. Yet it was sent back to forwarder… Now still waiting on new tracking code and whether “aunt” Betty in China have some good fortune cookies left… No update on that story eirher or may be hidden in some thread with same kind of issues like backers list3.

U hope not they dent it back to China when not able to deliver. Strange story. With other shipment by DHL I could re-allocate delivery to a nearby hub (local computer store) or even a pincode secured locker (no idea where but it’s a solution to prevent sending giids back to it’s origin. Now in France so can wait some tim, but indeed very frustrating despite no doubt hard woek as IvoG described by himself and other Philips people even in weekends to get the job done. Yet another guy had an interesting comment: depends in how many PPM’s are stuck on delivery… If let’s say 50 Philipscould ship directly and claim costs at forwarders or DHL insurance to cover up for these costs… Hopefully a quick answer on this nasty logistic nightmare also shining negatively on other nice Philips producrs on their newOled series TV and promising soundbars…!!

[Georges1]

Dear Philips,

I would like to get an update on my support. Here a general overview of my frustations:

1. Ordered on 09-2019 expected delivery: 11-2019
2. 02-2019 Finally production starts, no update to any costumer when to expect the delivery
3. 03-2019 Corona, factory shut down. Can not blame anyone for that
4. 04-2019 Factories open. No communication from Philips to customers. Yeah an excel list and a hack to the sourcecode of indigogo to get your backer_id.
5. 04-2019 Finally, an update on delivery, then DHL get package stuck in Germany for 30 days. Get a call, to make an appointment for delivery.
6. 05-2019 Unboxing, picopix death on arrival, no adequate customer support. Happens that the wire is to short. ( Why extent the testing for 4 months in the first place? )
7. 06-2019 Return to China
8. 07-2019 Update on delivery, the package is at DHL, no communication at all when to expect the package
9. 08-2019 Holidays. Package stuck in Germany.
10. 09-2019 Update, package not stuck in Germany but on its way back to China. Communication with DHL, return to sender since I was on holiday. Why did they not make any appointment in the first place? No communication at all, no update on the delivery, nor a message that it was not delivered. Email to the support.
11. Waiting now for 10 days to get support.

This project is the most frustrating project. It took me already1 10 hours to communicate.
@PhilipsAfterSales Please read the email in the support section.
I would like to receive the picopix. I am waiting for a full year with backer 6000-7000. The plastic light machine is on sale in NL, order today, receive tomorrow. Order in 2019, hope to get a working one in 2021.
I hope you can make me happy with the PicoPix somewhere this month, and put a nice bottle of your finest whine with it.

Yours sincerely,

A sad customer

[richking]

You are not alone George. I think I ordered 11 months ago, but still no word when they will ship a projector to me.

Another disappointed customer

[Gabino]

You’re really not alone. This is a big disaster. Even with so called explainations, we can’t understand how this can take such time. They are very good at giving excuses, but you NEVER get a single result. For months.
Only beautiful words, no updates. No results.

Perhaps we need to explain Philips how the world works (And if they don’t like it, it doesn’t change anything) :
When there are no results nor update at all for months, we have absolutely no reason to believe that they are trying to fix the problem. Quite to the contrary in fact. Unfortunately, there can’t be trust anymore.
We had to trust them at the beginning, but they lost our trust. They need to regain it, and unfortunately, they are unable to understand that.
Perhaps they’re currently laughing at us, behind their computers, making fun of the badgers who guaranteed them a comfortable income by fully financing their product.
Philips should take its responsibilities, stopping apologize and shipping new PPMs by a new way, no matter what (we DON’T CARE the shitty forwarder has always units in his warehouse etc. etc., THIS IS NOT OUR PROBLEM).
But they can’t understand this is how companies works. They just look like good big amateurs, and that’s not flattering for Philips’ image.

It is precisely because of this image (formerly very good) that the project was so quickly financed.
It can therefore be said that this is a vast deception.

[Rhonda]

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. I was one of the first to receive mine (although defective). What I was surprised by was the fact that I have received my replacement well before some have even received their first one. I hope you get it soon!

[Geo_Blonde]

Hello all,

After Several complaints, I still didn’t receive mine: lost by DHL and no refund!

Geo

[Andy_Kershaw]

I’m in a very similar boat.

Expected delivery before xmas (as promised).

Moved from the UK to Australia in January, notified my address change in December.

In May - unit is shipped to my old UK address. I asked them to collect this, and ship to my Australia address. (No sign of when this will be collected)

I hear all sorts of excuses (including a graphic email about the CEO spitting the dummy with suppliers, phones getting slammed down, payments being withheld) - not what you’d expect from a company such as Philips.

At the start of September I get a DHL tracking ID (to Australia!)… but on the DHL site: no information for the tracking number - almost 2 weeks later!

Surely this whole debacle is an embarrassment for Philips? I haven’t even got the device yet, but I already doubt whether it will be worth all the hassle I’ve had so far. I also doubt Philips’ ability to support any issues I may encounter: based on how they’ve supported me in obtaining the device. IF it ever arrives.