Order process was simple but you must read everything as you get signed up to a 拢3.99 a month 鈥渄igital vet service鈥? First I knew was when the first 拢3.99 was taken from PayPal and then I immediately cancelled. So no monthly fees is a lie.
The device was shipped promptly from Portugal and arrived quickly. On first impressions it looked good, was easy to setup.
It worked well on our first walk however the 鈥済uardian鈥?(the one you keep) refused to charge unless forcibly held against the magnetic charger. On emailing them I got an automated response to clean the connections.
After our second walk on a particularly hot day where the dogs were playing in a pond, one of the units stopped working. Almost certainly because it got wet.
2 bad experiences so early into ownership was a bad omen so we asked to return everything for a refund. I got an rma very quickly but I had to pay for postage to Portugal.
After a day to cool off we reached out to Findster to ask about a swap, detailing our issues but we still felt the idea was good. There is where we had the misfortune of dealing with their customer service.
1-3 days or more to respond, the same automated responses, very little to make me want to stay a customer. Took over a week of me asking the same questions before I just got fed up.
In the end we sent it back under RMA and got a refund.
If Findster read this:
1) open charging connections on a device designed to get wet and muddy in a dog is poor. Either cover them or better yet use wireless charging. My toothbrush and headphones can do it.
2) relying on magnets to keep a charger connected never works reliably. Just use a clip
3) use better waterproofing. I could see water dripping from the faulty unit.
4) your customer support response times are terrible. 鈥淛ane鈥?seems to be the only person you have and is very slow. Get more people. Better yet, address 1-3 and I bet your support calls half.
5) don鈥檛 make a big deal about no monthly fees when you try and hide and make it opt out for your e-vet.
Your product idea is good. The execution, not so much.
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We needed a reliable tracker with a good range/coverage as we live remotely, and the very small fast dog doesn't vocalise when lost.
Why Findster/Pros:
Having tried different ways of keeping her safe, we thought we'd found the perfect tracking device- good options (the leash and the fences- great!), no contract (always a bit worrisome to tie yourself into a contract if you're not sure that it will be "all that"), good range, and (most importantly for us)- reliable (or so we thought).
Findster consists of three physical parts and an app- 1) the Findster module which you attach to 2) a silicon strap with a mounting for attaching to the collar when in use, and 3) a Guardian module which you keep near your smart phone running 4) the Findster app.
The modules were easy enough to set up and battery life, though not great (note that we did use it in non-eco mode as we really needed to keep a close/constant eye on the wanderer and knew that battery life would not be perfect), was acceptable.
It was a bit of a hit and miss with all the features' workings, but that is to be expected where electronics are concerned in this day and age where instructions are a few words on a piece of paper with the need to use an app for anything else.
Why NOT Findster/Cons:
The metal screw fastener on the silicon strap that holds the mount for the Findster to the collar was not a good feature as it was not possible to rely on it staying fastened. So there was that worry. Times when the tracking appeared to suggest that the dog was stationary we worried that the module had dropped off (turns out that it really did just lose connection, but more on that later). The screw's unreliability resulted in us losing the mounting (fortunately not the module, which we had put on charge that day). We note that the screw's design has since been changed, and appears to have been replaced with single-use plastic versions
(Edited to add in) In fairness and for transparency's sake- Findster have said that they would provide us with a replacement fixing free of charge, presumably because of an acknowledged issue with the screw?
The Findster module which fastens to the collar is fairly substantial and drags the collar around. I guess that attaching the mounting to a harness is a solution but unless your dog's large and the harness is fixed/weighty- it will be dragged to the side too.
But the worst was that on at least two occasions we lost connection with the module and could not track the dog. When this happened, we could have lost the dog completely, and were in an understandable panic. It is the very thing we had hoped to avoid having happen after all! So we ended up not using it for months as it was not doing its job (which is when it became outdated in its firmware, not before!).
Fast forward to this June, when the mounting was lost from the collar- contacting the vendor was easy enough.
But dealing with their customer "support" is absolutely not. We have basically been called liars over something as silly as whether or not they instructed us to update firmware before or after it was done. As it happened one module had been updated already, and the other we did after they asked us to. Why? Because the devices kept shutting down (despite being freshly charged) and because the firmware updates failed. And yet we were told that it had not been done until after they asked us to, because they can "see it online". The utter irrelevance of this trite argument, and the doubting of one's veracity over something so inconsequential, makes for an unpleasant experience.
Then there is the repeated insistence to do something which cannot be done (which was to use it and then send an error report IF it happens again, which cannot be done for 1) because there's no way to attach it anymore, and 2) because we cannot risk it).
I can only agree with other reviewers- woe betide you if you have problems with your expensive purchase and need to contact customer "support/service"! It's "Buyer beware", I am afraid. If you do proceed with investing 拢140 in your dog's safety, I can only hope that you have better experiences with this company than we did. Or that you find something altogether better designed and supported.
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Findster refunded me the 2 months鈥?Findster Care fees they had taken from my Paypal account. I have to say that in a very short period they have dealt with my issue, changed their policy and rectified the position. I have therefore changed my review score to reflect the fact that I like this product and am satisfied with the response received. If you use Findster properly it works – we have lots of rescue dogs and cats on our farm as we run a rescue charity. The secret is to ensure you are disciplined hitting start and end walk to get the most out of the battery. Performance is good if you鈥檙e patient and remember that it鈥檚 GPS based so, like your sat nav there are limitations; it isn鈥檛 going to perform indoors!
UPDATE:
Findster emailed me yesterday to tell me that they had changed the way they sell Findster Care at checkout.
They no longer commence charging for this service on activation but provide a 30 day free trial. However, when you checkout it appears that you are still authorising Findster to take money from your account monthly after 30 days, unless you cancel the service.
We would prefer to see an opt in option via the App rather than a need to opt out of a pre-authorised monthly debit if you don鈥檛 want Findster Care.
We have often recommended this product but won鈥檛 again until we see what happens when one of our clients buys one. For now, we still think it鈥檚 a good product but beware of this charge. If you鈥檙e willing to pay a monthly fee then look at a product which uses the mobile phone network to augment Findster鈥檚 GPS technology.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I like this product. It鈥檚 the second one I鈥檝e bought. We run an animal rescue charity on a large farm and some of our little friends need tracking when they first arrive.
The first Findster worked well for almost 2 years. It had a hard life and eventually the battery life started to drop off. However, we got good value in my opinion and it came to our aid on several worrying occasions.
So we bought a second unit with three tags in May. All was going well when we noticed we were getting charged 拢3.99 a month for Findster Care; basically a virtual (maybe actual?) vet with whom you can have online chats. Ok, but we didn鈥檛 need that as we have our own vets. We didn鈥檛 even realise we had paid for it until we went back to have a look at Findster鈥檚 selling platform.
Wow! Talk about naughty! Emblazoned all over the Findster brand is the expression 鈥淣o monthly fees鈥? It鈥檚 repeated everywhere….and when you go to buy the product it says 鈥淔indster Care 拢0.00鈥? Frankly I looked no further. Straight purchase, no monthly fees. Easy!
Wrong! In the lightest, smallest font it actually says 鈥溌?.99 per month until cancelled鈥?or something similar.
In the UK the prominence of terms is governed by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The CMA鈥檚 guidance on the Act suggests the deceitful way Findster has included this term is unlawful.
I鈥檓 not going to get too cross about 拢7.98. But in the UK we prefer honesty over sharp practice. The system works well for us but we shall be putting up posters in a number of clinics from tomorrow highlighting this dishonest behaviour.
Here in the UK almost all vets will give you advice over the phone without charge. And these are the vets that keep the files on your pets rather than someone who has never seen them.
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Similar to the other reviews I thought I had found a winner with a dog tracker that didn't require further subscriptions but the device they sent me wouldn't even turn on, it was DOA.
After opening a help case on the day I received it, I had to jump through a few days of questioning and sending photos, before I was eventually told it would have to be sent back for a replacement. At this point I was quite fed up with the way I had been treated to date and said that I would prefer to just cancel my order.
There was a confusing email telling me they wouldn't pay for shipping if the device is not replaced – I thought they were talking about the replacement device, as not paying for the postage of the broken device, is a breach of the UK Consumer Rights law. I've now posted it back to Portugal! at my own cost just so I could get my original product cost back, but they are refusing to refund the postage.
You can only contact them by very slow email, expect 1 response a day and they appear to be working on US timezone. They doubt any faults lodged against them, despite their FAQs clearly being loaded with lots of different problems that customers keep finding. You will need to jump through hoops if your device develops a fault, which from the looks of these reviews is quite likely!
Do not trust the safety of your pet with these people!
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Was contacted within 24 hours of posting this review to say IF I REMOVE MY REVIEW FROM TRUST PILOT they will 'make an exception' and not charge the cost of my faulty item being shipped to Portugal. I would rather keep this review up, ensure no one else ends up in this situation, and cut my losses.
Really disappointing.
Off to a good start where tracking modules worked for a couple of months then became less reliable, then stopped holding their charge, and stop syncing with the app altogether and wouldn't turn on or charge.
I too, like Clive below, have spent a number of months back and forward on e-mail following various procedures and being asked to provide the same answers to the same questions over and over. Today – a number of months after opening the case I've been asked if the device is faulty to return it at my own expense (拢30+) to an international address in Portugal.
I'm now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Why risk spending 拢30 on a possible solution when it's taken 2 months to get the address required to sent the items back? It hard to trust this company with anymore of my money.
P.S I bought 'Tractive' branded tracker in the meantime while all this has happened and it's been cheaper, significantly more reliable (you don't need to be right next to you pet to know where they are…) and battery life lasts for almost a week. Would definitely recommend Tractive.
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By the end of March I had been given some repeated, and some new instructions, none of which made any difference. At this point I was asked to log on with same ID and password on a different phone which I did (my wife鈥檚 (same phone as mine)) and tried it for 4/5 days and again same problems. I was asked for and duly sent a report from the application to which the response was to update the firmware and 鈥渇ollow this procedure鈥?( D茅j脿 vu).
Firmware was updated and again I checked each point of the procedure but no resolution.
At this point in time they must have got fed up with me as I was advised that the ticket had been automatically marked as solved but was asked how I felt about it. My response 鈥渉ow would you feel if you paid 拢180 (GBP) for an item that does not do what it says on the tin and then told the issue is solved and the corresponding ticket closed?
And as a final insult Findster support commented 鈥淐hange your smartphone or find out which setting is causing this and the product will work as advertised鈥?br />
The actual concept sounds great however Findster support leaves a lot to be desired. If your problem is not resolved by their prescripted procedure they give up and suggest you buy a new phone (拢拢拢拢) or resolve the problem yourself.
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I was rude on what? Explaining you how to follow a conversation? Which is stated in our automatic reply and which is something I've told you so many times? Did you know you're the customer who has created more tickets since Findster was created?
I'll just close this case. Next time you want help, I'll just assign your case to a different agent, since I can't explain you something without having you calling me "rude" or something like that.
Would you deal with someone who talks to you like that? Probably not. Would it hurt just to zip up! After all I already had the automatic generated response she set up so why bother to write just to be beastly. Helps the business? No? Upset people? Yes.
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6 WEEK LATER – Much worse scammers than I thought, actually trying to force me to remove my negative review in order to refund my money. If anyone needs additional proof on how dishonest and unprofessional this company is, here is the response I received after 6 weeks. I still do not have my item (which they claim is still on hold in Portugal, even though I am in North America) and they absolutely refuse to assume responsibility and to refund my $200 because they claim they resend this item a month later, while I was on vacation and unable to accept it. Here is the response from Jane Jonson on this matter:
"Thank you for your follow-up.
First, we'd like you to remove your review from Trust Pilot, since it doesn't tell the truth about what happened in the shipping process. As explained previously, Findster has no responsibility regarding the fact you order got on-hold.
In the first time, it got like this due to a change of regulations.
Then, it was ready to be collected, but you didn't accept to pay the customs fees that were requested – and we fully understand your position here – and that's why the order was not delivered. Furthermore, there was a warning regarding these fees at checkout.
As we can see, we did our job, and so find the review you wrote about us quite unfair, though we understand your frustration – we're also frustrated for not being able to anticipate the change of shipping regulations.
Therefore, as soon as you remove your review, we'll issue you a full refund. The only thing you need to do is to notify me after this is done:….."
They claim they didn't know they couldn't ship items with batteries and that is why my purchase was, and still is, on hold in Portugal. They then claim to have resent my order, a month later, and that it was waiting for pickup and payment of custom fees for delivery. I was away on vacation by then and told this same employee I could not pick it up and it would be returned. Still no item (it was returned), still no refund.
In addition to all this, as they claim they resent my purchase but it was returned to them they should still refund it, having received their undeliverable package back. Their own terms of service, on their website, states "You must return the Product to Findster in order to receive your refund. Returned Product(s) must be in good physical condition (not physically broken or damaged). All accessories originally included with your purchase must be included with your return."
Yet they refuse to refund unless I remove this review on Trust Pilot! Pretty sleezy way to do business : blame the customer then digitally extort them!
Beware of any positive review on this company (they clearly are not above buying fake reviews), and definitely avoid buying their product, save yourself the headaches and frustration!
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