Clamcase = Scam?

[ipadfanatic]

There have been some serious problems with the company Clamcase (the all-in-one keyboard case). Massive delays, poor communication, and poor customer service is how I describe this company.

I have been emailing them about my orders (yes I ordered two clamcases) that I placed back on January 21st. When they ordered they said they would be shipping sometime in Winter 2011 so hey that's fine but then a few days ago they charged both of my credit cards so I figured they must be shipping.

Checked my accound the orders still show as processing so of course I opened a help desk ticket and finally got a response back today.

"We greatly apologize for the huge delay in the shipping process. We began having issues due to a manufacturing problem that is now fully resolved, but caused the initial delay in shipments which has been fully resolved. We were battling Mother Nature, as our manufacturing and shipping facility is located in Houston, Texas, and they had been experiencing inclement weather.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will be doing everything in our power to get these shipments out now that the weather has cleared and we have been able to ship units.
This should ship late February, first week of March.
Thank you for all you support and patience,
Jason?"

Now read their response carefully and let me know if you see anything wrong with it (besides the fact they took my money

Now I see that some (very few it seems) have received their product and the reviews have been good and bad. So is Clamcase scamming people (using money they charge to pay for production of units and then repeating the process) or is it just poor management?

 

[iPadPil]

That's why I am not buying from a company which introduces a new hot product. Wait until the dust settles and if I need it I will ask the ones who bought about their opinion.
Sorry, to hear your horror story. Usually legit companies charge credit cards when the product(s) are shipped. Talk to your credit card company before it is too late. My two cents. Good luck.

 

[ipadfanatic]

That's why I am not buying from a company which introduces a new hot product. Wait until the dust settles and if I need it I will ask the ones who bought about their opinion.
Sorry, to hear your horror story. Usually legit companies charge credit cards when the product(s) are shipped. Talk to your credit card company before it is too late. My two cents. Good luck.

Yeah I have already contacted my credit card company. Also for those interested seems there will more competition in the future.

Adonit Writer: iPad Case + Keyboard by Kris Perpich — Kickstarter

 

[diyrev0]

Ya, I think I got scammed.

 

[Wingr]

Perhaps they didn't handle their manufacturing start up very well or maybe even their initial communications. I wanted a keyboard that had the cursor keys and the additional function keys. I also wanted a case that had a bit more protection and didn't require any type of protectors or any other additional coverings, nor would let the iPad fall out of it.

So after ordering back on 12/27, I waited to see what would happen. I emailed them 3 times to see where they were at, once at the end of January and twice in February. All 3 times I received an answer and real enough sounding apologies within hours or by the next business day. They offered to reimburse me if I didn't want to wait. I figured I would continue to wait since no other current product matched my requirements.

Glad I waited. I received notice last Thursday mine was shipping and it arrived yesterday. Works as promised and I haven't found any issues with it over the last 36 hours.

 

[tzimisce]

Well, I don't know if over-eager buyers have themselves partly to blame as well...

 

[xaggie95]

My Card Just Got Charged

Though I put in the order in January. I'll give it a week or so before i get worried.

 

[ipadfanatic]

Just a quick update. The finally responsed to my support ticket as reversed the charges so I got my money back (at least one account so far). I may contact makers of the Crux360 case and see when they can ship (last time I checked their website it was 30-40 days).

 

[xaggie95]

I received the Clamcase last week...Pretty pleased with the product.

 

[NotMyRealName]

I just got my ClamCase two days ago. I like it alot. Works great, no issues so far. It was worth the wait.

 

[LoriJeanSD]

I agree, it took them a long time to get it OUT and available... and while they charged my credit card WAY ahead of actually sending it out, I'm still UBER happy with the purchase and have told so many other people about it that I deserve to work off of commission at this point.

Super happy with the purchase. Don't regret it one bit. Hope the company fixes their problems in light of the long time between ordering and the shipment arriving.

 

[dsamuel24]

I had a Clamcase for iPad 1 that I bought on CL for half of what they sell for on the clamcase.com website. I LOVED IT! It was the best keyboard, the best case and the best stand all in one unit. THEN, after about a month and a half of consistent use with little to no issues, it stopped charging, stopped pairing, and many times, stopped working or turning on at all. I ended up ditching it altogether since it was out of warranty (Clamcase has the shortest, most insulting "warranty" on the planet, I'd say) AND since Clamcase will NOT support any Clamcase unit that is not owned by the original purchaser. If you buy a Clamcase from a friend, of eBay or CL, whatever, even if it's only a few days or weeks old, it has NO warranty whatsoever. (These guys are quite the customer service beacon. lol)


Anyway, I just had to give it another shot, since despite it's massive drawbacks (super short warranty, high cost, one bad experience already), it is still the coolest thing on the iPad case/keyboard market. So after I got my iPad2, and waited many weeks for the "Trooper" version of the iPad 2 Clamcase to come back into stock (BTW - who manufactures something that is out of stock 90% of the time? is this company even a real company with any capital to invest into its own product being available or is this a couple guys in a garage? seems so sketchy to me), I finally pulled the trigger last week and bought an iPad 2 Trooper Edition Clamcase right from the clamcase.com website. It came quickly, which I was happy about after having heard web rumors that they ship super slow, and after charging it overnight, I paired it with ease and was back in the Clamcase saddle. AWESOME!!!


Not so much. End of day 1 = totally dead Clamcase (and I used it less than 1 hour the 1st day - 90% or more of the time was standby). Charge overnight again (way more than the 90-180 minutes Clamcase says you need to get a full charge), NEVER get a green "charged" indicator light (it always stays amber, even after a 10 hour charge), and the same experience day 2... dead by 7 pm. Charge overnight AGAIN, used more in day 3 (which was today) than either of the previous 2 days, and the Clamcase unit stopped coming on or showing any indication of battery life by 5:30 pm.


Thankfully I am in the warranty period, and I will be lodging a complaint and going through the HASSLE of getting a new unit sent out to me to replace this one, but based on several reviews/comments on the www, I have a feeling that the charging issue is a CLAMCASE-WIDE issue, not a few exceptions to the rule. If I get another Clamcase that is DOA like the last 2 I have had, I will demand my $ back and never buy another thing from them again.


BTW - I also have a ZAGGfolio for iPad 2, and it's a cool unit with a super awesome keyboard (even better than the Clamcase as far as just the KEYBOARD goes - nicer looking, better feel, more space btwn keys, etc.), but the CASE of the ZAGGfolio just doesn't do what the CASE of the Clamcase does. However, IT STAYS CHARGED FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS without ever having to be re-charged (I've had it for 3 months now and have had to charge it ONCE). Zagg is a super sharp company with an AWESOME return/exchange/warranty policy and great customer service. Clamcase should really take some lessons on how to deal with the public and support their products from Zagg.


IF (and that's a BIG if) I can get a Clamcase that actually WORKS for months on end with no issues and no charging bog-downs, I will trumpet the product and the company to everyone I know with unbridled enthusiasm. If not, well, I think that speaks for itself.

 

[Wingr]

Hope it is resolved quickly. FYI - I am happy with mine. Been using the first version for 11 months and it charges fine and works for several weeks on a charge. I did need to use a Xacto to trim the plastic a tiny bit around the port for my Apple camera kit plugs to fully insert.

 

[Canberra]

Clamcase for ipad2 Battery failure

Hi,
I have a comment about Clamcase for ipad2.
I live in Australia & Clamcase won't sell to overseas people, so when I wanted a white Clamcase, I had to use a forwarding agent. This cost me $75 extra on top of the Clamcase $149 & postage to the forwarder. Ok, I paid it because I really wanted one. Arrived in Oz about a week later & was great, for about four months. Then the battery stopped holding a charge & needed to be charged daily.
I contacted Clamcase, which isn't easy, I was told the warranty was 120 days, so tough luck, no assistance.
Yes, its a fantastic product, while its working, but when the battery stops holding a charge, you're on your own and Clamcase are not interested in helping.
So for an expensive case that lasts four months, you really have to decide you want one.
Buying a Clamcase was the most difficult and disappointing online purchasing experience I have had.
Priscilla

 

[sporter323]

I AM PRETTY FRUSTRATED. IT WILL NOT HOLD A charge anymore.