I am now guessing this issue is related to them changing the server. I could be wrong, but judge my rationale for yourself. First on 1/18/21 Wyze announces:
So Wyze is saying that anyone with the old firmware would no longer be able to connect to the server they were implementing, so you had a few days to upgrade to the new firmware before losing access.
Then a couple of days later the server change takes effect. This lines up with the timeline given above:
So, what this is saying to me is that Wyze changed the server, and updated the firmware to work with these changes. Unfortunately, it appears that RoboVacs were still being shipped out with the old firmware that no longer connected to the new server change. Since it could not connect and had never connected before, it couldn’t be told to upgrade firmware to the new version that works with the new server change. There is no way for customers to flash the firmware manually (no SD card slot), so there is nothing Wyze can do to fix it (except maybe to try to revert the server changes for everyone…which may not even be possible anymore depending on the particulars involved). Therefore, all they can do is have the vacuums returned and manually flash the firmware in a more complicated manner, then they can resell those vacuums (probably as refurbished). That was a terrible oversight. Wyze should had some kind of forwarding or something in place for a few months to resolve this issue until nearly everyone was taken care of first.
Apparently Wyze has since fixed the firmware on all other vacuums that will be sent out since the 27th, so now everyone’s setup will work…but those with the old firmware won’t work anymore and need to be returned to be fixed manually.
That’s what I am getting out of all of this.
Also, the reason they want the first vacuum returned before shipping a new one is because too many people will try to keep both if they do it that way. Too many companies get screwed doing this “I’ll trust you to send the old one back later,” and the customer never does, and they can’t legally just charge their payment system again, and it causes a big nightmare of issues for the company because too many people don’t have the integrity to followthrough. I blame all the lazy and dishonest people, not the company for this policy. Still, they can mail or email a pre-paid shipping label first.
Just treat it as if your vacuum hasn’t quite shipped yet and will now be delivered within the next 10-20 days or so. Or if it is that upsetting to you, ask for a refund instead and emotionally move on to something else. Life is too short, ya know?