Those of you that have gotten to know me this year have likely discovered that i am as faithful as a junk yard dog until honesty and integrity are compromised. I try to point out the truth even when it is the unpopular thing to do. After considerable reflection and input from a few of our trusted VU crowd I decided to start a thread offering some serious concerns about Pioneer4You, their ipv3 150w box, and their customer service. I have tried to keep my comments to the facts i have gleaned and not simply conjecture or opinion. Thanks for taking time to read this post. (If you are having similar verifiable issues with P4Y, the ipv2 or ipv2s, or the ipv3 please chime in.) Thanks for reading.
First, I got two ipv3 units about 3 weeks ago direct form P4Y. I did an initial review about some of the slight improvements to the look of the box, the pros, and some initial concerns. Here is what i have discovered over time and daily use... they aren't very good. Sorry.
The box does look good... certainly an improvement to the ipv2. I will give them that. Having said that the paint is very thin and scrapes off very easily (ie the bottom where it stands up and around the 510 for sure!). Not a big issue but worth mentioning to those of us that are OCD and like stuff to stay nice.
The aluminum material the box is made of seems fairly soft too. Just a tip over on a table it will leave an indentation in the polished edging. Whatever you do, don't drop this sucker. Again, normal wear and tear are acceptable but this box seems to get beat up very easily.
A BIG ONE... The 510 on one of my ipv3 popped out very easily while unscrewing an rda within the first hour i had the box. I discovered that it has NO screws or hardware even holding it in place. (I guess it is press fit and or glued maybe?) SO... I had to superglue it back. It is ok for the moment but it should be more securely fastened. P4Y has refused to replace my broken unit.
My units came without any serial numbers (straight from P4Y) so warranty is impossible (for me personally). I understand they are no longer individually serial numbered but batch numbered based upon vendor sale. More on warranty in a moment.
Here is a HUGE issue of concern. I have discovered some serious inconsistency in testing the voltage, the wattage, AND the ohms read on the box vs the actual readings with a meter. Both of my boxes have inconsistencies. (I first heard of this issue through a guy who got an early unit from an expo in Germany so i decided to start doing some checking into it. Just to clarify... I am not real good with meters and electric stuff so i had to bring it somewhere to get it checked out.) Despite the P4Y YouTube video showing otherwise my boxes were not consistent in all three areas. It may be a box to box issue. They may have fixed it with future boxes shipped. I am just sharing about my boxes.
The warranty is listed/advertised online as 12 months but they have changed the warranty card to now read 6 months. (Then there is the whole Asmodus BS about changing their warranty policy wording and now expecting folks to pay some sort of warranty fee and shipping both ways... don't even get me started on how ridiculous all that is!) BTW i have tried to get P4Y to replace my broken box and even offered to pay for shipping and they refused.
The unit is advertised and sold as having a touch fire feature but the inside of the box shows it isn't even connected to anything! NOPE. The outside of the box looks like it has it. The button combination shows you can enable it or disable it but there are no wires of electronics even hooked up to it inside!
The ipv3 is advertised and sold as being able to be charged via a power port and cord. The power cord is NOT included with my unit(s) and when attempting to charge with various aftermarket cords (based upon the P4Y specs given to me... 9v 1a or 9 volt 2 amp... they keep changing their story) and nothing i try works. A light will come on but nothing charges for hours at a time. I am beginning to think that the charge board isn't even wired up properly to charge dual batteries. (I guess they had to do a separate charge port because you cant charge dual batteries with a USB.)
The usb btw is for firmware only but there is no firmware upgrade offered. Upgradeable is a selling point they seem to emphasize. Despite promises about firmware upgrades on previous units there have been no P4Y updates offered to date. It seems they just release a new unit instead.
Now regarding customer service. I hear from others how hard it is to get a reply from P4Y. This wasn't my experience (at first) until i started having issues and wanted answers to these problems. Now i get run around, lame excuses, repeated delay and stalling, and ridiculous hoops to jump through. They have yet to address the points of concern i have aired. I have asked for the contact information for a manager or supervisor, again nope. Disappointing.
Add insult to injury NOW P4Y is about to supposedly release an IPV3"plus" version of the box that has a working touch fire and includes a working power port and includes a power cord. Really ?!?! (Didn't we have a similar issue when the ipv2 came out and then suddenly they fixed a bunch of stuff and released the ipv2-s?) I cant imagine the headache coming soon with the ipv4 supposedly using the sxv350 v250 chip.
Please note that I have been what i believe to be a faithful supporter of P4Y up until now. I am not a hater nor am I trying to stir up crap. I sincerely hope this thread will be a word of caution and hopefully be a wake up call to P4Y to step up their game significantly. Having said that my opinion of P4Y is less than favorable right now as it seems we are once again beta testing their units and then they quickly release an updated version that seems to work. (ie. ipv2 and ipv2-s). This just seems so wrong to me.
I urge those of you concerned about these issues, those who want to see quality (tested and ready to be released) products, and insist on integrity in business to visit the P4Y webpage and email or skype to share your opinion. http://www.pioneer4you.com (the contact i have used is David Lau: [email protected] ).
Thanks for reading. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but perhaps this will help folks not waste time and money (and maybe, just maybe get a company to step up and do the right thing).
Vape safe.
First, I got two ipv3 units about 3 weeks ago direct form P4Y. I did an initial review about some of the slight improvements to the look of the box, the pros, and some initial concerns. Here is what i have discovered over time and daily use... they aren't very good. Sorry.
The box does look good... certainly an improvement to the ipv2. I will give them that. Having said that the paint is very thin and scrapes off very easily (ie the bottom where it stands up and around the 510 for sure!). Not a big issue but worth mentioning to those of us that are OCD and like stuff to stay nice.
The aluminum material the box is made of seems fairly soft too. Just a tip over on a table it will leave an indentation in the polished edging. Whatever you do, don't drop this sucker. Again, normal wear and tear are acceptable but this box seems to get beat up very easily.
A BIG ONE... The 510 on one of my ipv3 popped out very easily while unscrewing an rda within the first hour i had the box. I discovered that it has NO screws or hardware even holding it in place. (I guess it is press fit and or glued maybe?) SO... I had to superglue it back. It is ok for the moment but it should be more securely fastened. P4Y has refused to replace my broken unit.
My units came without any serial numbers (straight from P4Y) so warranty is impossible (for me personally). I understand they are no longer individually serial numbered but batch numbered based upon vendor sale. More on warranty in a moment.
Here is a HUGE issue of concern. I have discovered some serious inconsistency in testing the voltage, the wattage, AND the ohms read on the box vs the actual readings with a meter. Both of my boxes have inconsistencies. (I first heard of this issue through a guy who got an early unit from an expo in Germany so i decided to start doing some checking into it. Just to clarify... I am not real good with meters and electric stuff so i had to bring it somewhere to get it checked out.) Despite the P4Y YouTube video showing otherwise my boxes were not consistent in all three areas. It may be a box to box issue. They may have fixed it with future boxes shipped. I am just sharing about my boxes.
The warranty is listed/advertised online as 12 months but they have changed the warranty card to now read 6 months. (Then there is the whole Asmodus BS about changing their warranty policy wording and now expecting folks to pay some sort of warranty fee and shipping both ways... don't even get me started on how ridiculous all that is!) BTW i have tried to get P4Y to replace my broken box and even offered to pay for shipping and they refused.
The unit is advertised and sold as having a touch fire feature but the inside of the box shows it isn't even connected to anything! NOPE. The outside of the box looks like it has it. The button combination shows you can enable it or disable it but there are no wires of electronics even hooked up to it inside!
The ipv3 is advertised and sold as being able to be charged via a power port and cord. The power cord is NOT included with my unit(s) and when attempting to charge with various aftermarket cords (based upon the P4Y specs given to me... 9v 1a or 9 volt 2 amp... they keep changing their story) and nothing i try works. A light will come on but nothing charges for hours at a time. I am beginning to think that the charge board isn't even wired up properly to charge dual batteries. (I guess they had to do a separate charge port because you cant charge dual batteries with a USB.)
The usb btw is for firmware only but there is no firmware upgrade offered. Upgradeable is a selling point they seem to emphasize. Despite promises about firmware upgrades on previous units there have been no P4Y updates offered to date. It seems they just release a new unit instead.
Now regarding customer service. I hear from others how hard it is to get a reply from P4Y. This wasn't my experience (at first) until i started having issues and wanted answers to these problems. Now i get run around, lame excuses, repeated delay and stalling, and ridiculous hoops to jump through. They have yet to address the points of concern i have aired. I have asked for the contact information for a manager or supervisor, again nope. Disappointing.
Add insult to injury NOW P4Y is about to supposedly release an IPV3"plus" version of the box that has a working touch fire and includes a working power port and includes a power cord. Really ?!?! (Didn't we have a similar issue when the ipv2 came out and then suddenly they fixed a bunch of stuff and released the ipv2-s?) I cant imagine the headache coming soon with the ipv4 supposedly using the sxv350 v250 chip.
Please note that I have been what i believe to be a faithful supporter of P4Y up until now. I am not a hater nor am I trying to stir up crap. I sincerely hope this thread will be a word of caution and hopefully be a wake up call to P4Y to step up their game significantly. Having said that my opinion of P4Y is less than favorable right now as it seems we are once again beta testing their units and then they quickly release an updated version that seems to work. (ie. ipv2 and ipv2-s). This just seems so wrong to me.
I urge those of you concerned about these issues, those who want to see quality (tested and ready to be released) products, and insist on integrity in business to visit the P4Y webpage and email or skype to share your opinion. http://www.pioneer4you.com (the contact i have used is David Lau: [email protected] ).
Thanks for reading. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but perhaps this will help folks not waste time and money (and maybe, just maybe get a company to step up and do the right thing).
Vape safe.
