Bold Claims - but does Wyze Really deliver?

Why do those who have constructive criticisms or negative things to say need to “lighten up” or why are they cast in a “negative light”. Failures are a part of any successful business. Those that want to put a happy face on all attempts and pat people on the back even when they haven’t earned it are a detriment to progress. If you don’t want to be critical, then don’t, but understand that I am doing what should be done when a product doesn’t meet a defined standard (one defined by the company itself and not me).

You are disappointed that the $20 camera doesn’t meet your $200 expectations. Be more like a $200 camera isn’t constructive in ANY way. As I said, sell them and move on. No matter what Wyze does, they will not satisfy you.

Well hopefully they can read, because you certainly haven’t demonstrated the ability to read more than one phrase. You seem to be taking what I am saying in any post out of context and ignoring everything else. What I wrote in the original post was not a wishlist but simply a list of what the camera does and doesn’t have in comparison. While this isn’t news to anyone, what should be disappointing is the fact that the company then turns around a releases a second version of the camera just months after the first.

The first is glitchy and tech support can’t even tell me what the error codes mean. I have to do all the leg work to help them understand their hardware. That is what alpha and beta testing are for.

I am also trying to point out that the aspirational goals of the company do not match with the products they are producing. Certainly this is a $20 camera, but to claim that they are saving people money is a lie. It is a $20 camera, no matter who is selling it. Don’t claim to be brining great tech at reduced prices when you are bringing cheap tech at cheap prices. Why is that so hard for people to understand.

I am still a fan of the product in the overall, but I am not a fan of the release of V2 (timing wise) nor the shear number of glitches and failures I have suffered. The camera has potential if the people behind it would take supporting their product as seriously as they take developing new ones.

negative commentary can be very constructive. If you don’t think so, then that is your opinion, and one that is unsupported in any framework. Sure everyone wants to hear a that-a-boy and gladhanding, but that isn’t the only form of constructive commentary. if you don’t like negative comments, then either don’t read them or don’t post them, but it is a valid method of commentary.,

As far as judgemental, guilty. I am judgemental. I feel that anyone willing to throw their hat into the startup arena should be prepared for harsh, judgemental and sometimes outright vicious commentary about their product, their practices and the decisions. If they aren’t, they don’t belong in the industry.

There are lots of the same camera from different retailers but have a look at one. http://a.co/4eTJ0B3 As I said before $20 is a pretty cheap investment to watch a new company make its try. Every company has issues. I see Wyze stepping up to try and solve the problems.

I have been hyper critical in one thread… this one, yet the shill brigade has decided that any commentary that comes off as negative or not outright supporting the company with happy thoughts and well wishes should be quashed.

Guess what, all your well wishes, hopes and fantasies about this company mean jack if they can’t get their act together. I wouldn’t be the least surprised to see Wyze release a V3 by the end of the year and start to phase out all support for V1 cameras. Their motivations seem to be building a company with products as fast as possible. I missed the signs and jumped in too early.

I still like the product and there isn’t anything on the market right now for a fair price point that gives me what I am looking for.

I will be honest. Had Wyze not released or announced release of V2 at this point, I would not be upset. I would accept the cameras for what they are, but when a company “pulls a fast one” on consumers, using them as beta testers, yet charging them for a allegedly market ready product, I get angry and I lash out. Don’t like my commentary, then stop reading it. I have every right to say what I am saying and you have every right to either return comments or stop reading. There is no right to shut me up though. I am not violating any rules.

As far as my commentary to zarthan. I was simply pointing out that reading isn’t just about seeing one thing that upsets you, and boiling down a response to that single sentence. Reading is taking in the whole picture and comprehending both intent and message. I was simply stating that I hoped the Wyze Labs folks have that capacity, because zarthan did not demonstrate such (not that he/she couldn’t).

“I see Wyze stepping up to try and solve the problems.”

I don’t. I see Wyze releasing a second version of their camera only months after initial release.

My commentary was never intended to be about cost/benefit but simply to demonstrate that what Wyze is stating they are all about is just not the truth. They are selling cheap cameras for cheap prices. They are selling the low end of tech for low end prices. They make bold claims in their “Our Story” section that just don’t hold water. That is where this started but the shill brigade has decided that any negative commentary must be quashed.

Please read what I am saying in full rather than taking one sentence and presuming that this encompasses my entire thought process or motivations. I like the camera. I think it is a little light on features, but the biggest shortfall (lack of geofencing) is an easy (although pricey) fix.

I don’t think that satisfied customer are shills. I think that people who will defend a company who has made questionable decisions and has possibly undermined the trust of consumers by using the capital raised through sale of an allegedly market ready device to finish R&D are shills.

This is not best practices for any company and any business consultant or advisor would have told them not to do this. What is shocking to me is how many people are willing to just accept that this is how business operates, putting up false arguments and comparisons that don’t hold water. The comments that there is a shill brigade come from the fact that no one is willing to admit that what Wyze Labs is doing with V2 is wrong.

Let me illuminate that last comment. If V1 was ready for market and was to be the flagship product, it should have been able to stand on its own for at least 9 months, if not a year. They hyped it, they got it out there and it was popular. Sure it was flawed here and there, but it was new. Wyze made little fixes here and there to try to handle glitches, but from what I can see they were piece meal reactions and not overhauls of the firmware or app.

Then low and behold, V2 comes rolling down and it has new internal hardware. Well why is that?? Is there something wrong with the original hardware? If so, why aren’t you replacing it Wyze? If not, then why the need to replace your internal hardware? Did you know that the hardware was defective/obsolete/incompatible or otherwise flawed when you sold V1 to so many consumers? That would all be forgivable except for two things. 1. It was done so quickly after that highly hyped and profitable release of V1 and 2. The fact that V1 is being pulled from sales (I say this because both iPhone 8 and iPhone X are viable products being sold simultaneously). V2 has completely replaced V1 just months after release, which tells the savvy consumer that there is a flaw in V1. If that is the case, then Wyze should be recalling V1 and offering replacements with V2s. That isn’t the case though is it.

No matter which way you come at it, the release of V2 just a quarter after the release of V1 is not consumer-centric business practices which is the claim made on this website. That is the crux of my complaint.

Not to pile on, but, OK, I can’t help myself…

“That is such a millennial entitled attitude.” Your response to my original post which had enough smileyfaces and happy images to qualify for its own situational comedy show, made no sense. If I felt so ‘entitled’ how could I be so 'easily satisfied? Btw, I’ll be 75 in the Fall. I’m guessing your are older than a millennial. If, in fact, you are, I would suggest that your rank disappointment with WYZE not meeting its ‘aspirational’ goals suggests that either you don’t understand the definition of 'aspirational, or are somewhat naive in not equating aspiration with ‘hype.’'You have some valid points and interesting suggestions, if not overblown, for a $20 camera, but your approach is quite confrontational.

p.s. Isn’t expecting too much somewhat ‘millennial.’

You’re welcome, WYZEned

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I have likely read every word you wrote and some of it more than once. You twist things around, slide in assumptions add a new word or two and make a new argument. In the end, you are just pouting that someone made a new device and you have the old one. Well boo hoo. Everything you have presented is the world that centers around your view of it. Sorry that the world isn’t just for you. I wish it could be but it isn’t. Grow up.

Once again, not expectations. The list was simply pointing out what others have and Wyze doesn’t. For the most part, outside of geofencing, every real feature request I have is app-based. I have a workaround for geofencing, so I am fine there.

The real crux of my commentary is the discernable development & release plans and quality coding. Those are things that no matter how cheap the camera is, should be spot on. Quite frankly it would be more understandable to have an abundance of errors if the cameras were more complex, but they are not, so why all the problems? That is a fair question.

My millennial comment to you was likely transference of issues with some of my co-workers and the somtimes pervasive attitudes they have (which I felt were embodied by your somewhat defensive and sarcastic response in the face of serious commentary). Apologies. It was a callous comment. Entitled likely wrong word as well. Pampered. Everyone wins attitude. Those would have been more fitting to describe the millennials. Not all ideas are good ones. Not everyone executes their ideas flawlessly. Not everyone is going to succeed. Failure is a necessary stepping stone to success. I am more than willing to point out those failures in hopes of pushing them to overcome and exceed expectations (it is not to say they should fail and go away).

Keep defending them. SHILL. No self-respecting CEO would ever think it was a good idea to release a replacement version just months after initial release of a flagship product. It doesn’t happen. Show me one example of this happening. Before you use the Echo Dot, let’s consider that the Dot is actually the follow-up product the the Echo and it was still 7 months between initial Prime only release to V2 release. That is still a tight time frame, but not exactly apples to apples. Amazon caught hell from consumers like me for that decision. Why should Wyze be any different? It’s actually worse because this is their first product, something that should be vetted to high hell before release but you have to question if that was done here. The answers will never be forthcoming. No one at Wyze is going to admit why V2 followed so closely to V1. There is no reason they can give that doesn’t come with blowback.

There is no assumption there. V1 was release in October. V2 is late but supposed to be out in March. 5 months. 5 months for a complete replacement model. Certainly they claim that they will support and improve V1, but a glance at how companies have treated obsolete tech will tell you that it is a matter of time before the product is unsupported, albeit still functional.

 

I may, but understand this conversation was taken the wrong way from the start. It was never about, “put these items in your camera”. It was about pointing out that the claims being made do not match what is actually happening. It was driven by the release of V2 as a replacement for V1 and the questions that raises.

It appears that no one wants to discuss that. It is either defend Wyze or trash me. That’s fine. Mark my words though, companies that behave in manners such as this and ignore the warnings of the consumers have a hard time finding true success beyond a cult following. I have the remnants of their efforts all over my house.

Why are people so scared of confrontation. It isn’t always bad. Confronting a company about apparent bad business practices shouldn’t be frowned upon. Saying confrontational and accusatory is redundant. Being accusatory is being confrontational. No need to say them both. Throwing out name calling. I suppose I deserve that, but it means you are simply stooping to a lower level yourself (no better than I am).

Sure you hear that you get more bees with honey than vinegar, but sometimes you want to clean something up and honey does a terrible job of that.

Who cares that they release a new device. Treat it as a second product. Actually, the Wyze product is really just the firmware, app and infrastructure on a commodity piece of hardware. Many companies release newer versions of hardware without even making note of the change. The practice of putting a new piece of plastic around the same guts is a very common big business practice.

I am not defending Wyze. I am observing. What I see, I like. What they have presented to me is a worthy first effort and I am pleased. And there you go again deciding what you see in users here, is a cult. Your world must be really unpleasant.

Your last line seems to contradict your earlier statements about “I am still a fan of the product in the overall”. Describing them as “remnants of their efforts all over my house.” is no way to show the love.

acting out of line? Seriously? I make my thoughts known. I may have overstepped a time or two here, but it has not been a pervasive practice. So get over yourself and don’t paint a picture that isn’t honest.

“Who cares that they release a new device” - really… obviously I do. Others probably do as well, but aren’t as vocal and willing to speak up as I am

“Treat it as a second product” - but it isn’t. A second product would stand beside the first product. This is a replacement product and that begs the question why?

You call it a commodity piece of hardware, yet that is a huge deal. They have changed the product entirely by changing the internals. The question remains, why? Was there something wrong with the hardware they chose 5 months ago?

“I am observing.” Funny, me too, but the difference is, I get vilified because my observations are not unicorns and rainbows.

I too think that V1 is a solid first offering and as I have stated, my issue lies primarily with the expedited release and replace with V2 without providing replacements for V1 to those consumers who made their business successful enough to fix V1

Talk about twisting words…

“Mark my words though, companies that behave in manners such as this and ignore the warnings of the consumers have a hard time finding true success beyond a cult following.” Some how you read that I am accusing people here of being in a cult. Not what the words mean. It means that companies that fail to curtail questionable behavior and ignore the valid concerns of customers are often relegated to niche or cult-like following. Never said Wyze was there (but they could be).

and

“I have the remnants of their efforts all over my house.” that sentence follows the previous and in the written English language it infers its meaning from the previous sentence. So that means I must not be referring to Wyze, but to other startup ventures that never listed to consumers and just faded away into obscurity, only to have cult followings.

 

It isn’t worth continuing. You aren’t happy. And according to your considerable business insights, companies should not make decisions contrary to yours. Just go away and I can happily watch what develops. If the Wyze decision was a bad one, you won’t be anywhere near the flood of cult follower tears. You can sit back and laugh.

You two, get a room… or, please stop…

 

Btw, how hard would it be for a robot to check that box?

wait, I should go away because you don’t agree with me? Sounds about right for a company shill. I am invested in Wyze now, so I can’t go away. And your companies shouldn’t make decisions that are contrary to mine is an utter mischaracterization of my stance. Companies shouldn’t make decisions that have the appearance of impropriety, intended or not.

Whether Wyze is covering up defective hardware or just made a bad PR decision with a quick V2 release (which let’s be clear it has been delayed by a month+ due to additional supply chain woes), it paints a bad picture. You are obviously a fanboy/fangirl, so there is no likelihood that you would ever allow yourself to see how bad this decision is.