I’m a first time poster. Been riding Dressage for 35 years. I have been in Pixio HELL for 3 months. I have a thread of 24 emails to and from Pixio since January. I bought the newest Pixio package including their more expensive camera, Jan 2018. The robot has never tracked me correctly. It does the same exact thing every time…I’m never in the center of the video. I have taken a dozen videos in 5 arenas, both inside and outside. You can only see the horses head or tail, depending which direction I’m going. I have sent Pixio videos with my phone, showing them how I set up the system. They have hundreds of excuses. There needs to be a 200 page book on trouble shooting. They have had me send them files (which I had to download off the SD cards from both the camera and robot) 3 times!!! I haves spent hours and hours trying to get my system to work. Customer service is very good about responding to emails, they tell you “don’t worry, we will get everything working perfectly”…well it’s been 3 months and it still doesn’t work. I threw my hands up Monday and told them I wanted to send it back for a refund. (Their website states…100% satisfaction, or your money back). Their response was …refunds within 14days of purchase, don’t worry we will get everything working perfectly. The unit didn’t work the first time I used it (I have an email telling them that, a week after I bought it) customer service has strung me along promising they would get it working perfectly and now they are saying sorry, no refund. Yesterday they sent me a new configuration (not in the manual) for setting up the beacons, and then try to video again. They want files again, from both the camera and the robot. (I have to download the SD cards onto my computer and then convert the data into a “file” and then email the the files)
I think it’s wonderful that many people have had no problems with their Pixio systems, but mine has been a nightmare. Pixio has a Facebook page, many of their posts have dozens and dozens of comments…but when you go to see the comments, most have been deleted.
Im curious if anyone has been successful getting a refund?
Besides my major robot issue, the system is fussy. You have to have all your ducks in a row and have the patience of a saint!
Well, unfortunately their website does say the refund is available within 14 days of purchase. I imagine that because you were willing to try to have them fix it, instead of just initially asking for a refund when they offered troubleshooting, that you can no longer get one.
Perhaps you could ask them to send you a brand new system, and you can send them back the faulty one that they can inspect themselves?
On email #23 to Pixio. See above. They now want me to place beacons in a different configuration , than in the manual. I had two more failed attempts today. Robot still not following the watch. Just sent email #24 with video of failed attempt. So much for the refund, and so much for the 2 year warranty.
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Call rather than email, and do not accept any more “We will fix it”-- respond each time " No, I require a full refund. If you are not authorized to issue a refund, please connect me now to a manager who can authorize a refund." Rinse and repeat. Don’t get angry, get persistent and don’t hang up until you get to a manager, and their manager, and so on.
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Get on Twitter and @ the heck out of them with your complaints. They can’t delete your tweets.
I wonder if one of your beacons is mis-labeled. I had so much trouble getting mind up and going, I finally learned how to just look in the files myself. They are just txt files, and my problem was immediately obvious when I looked in them. Once I sort of understood the drivers, I realized that one error I’d caused by misplacing the beacons had corrupted the main robot driver and I needed to delete it from the sd card and reload it. Kind of irritating that such a simple mistake would cause that sort of problem!
At this point, I’ve spent twice as much time troubleshooting the thing as I have spent using it. I’m not sure if I bought a robot camera man or got a unpaid part time job as tech support. The whole experience was so tedious, I’ve only been able to muster the wherewithal to use the thing three times (since November!), and one of them I very carefully trained the robot on beacon 2 instead of 1, so it perfectly tracked about a stride behind my horse for my entire lesson.
Bip, I appreciate your response ! I have sent the files twice to Pixio. I’m not a tech person, my husband was able to download and convert data to files, to email. I have had two other people tell me they that took there robot to geek squad. I feel your pain. I’m just furious I had a problem from week one, and they won’t give me a refund! Sadly I have had a dozen more people tell me they got so frustrated , their units are sitting in a closet …Yikes!
Hello,
I am really sorry about this rare issue you encounter with your PIXIO.
We have first tried to solve the issue remotely because if we can fix it from afar, it’s better for you. This is why we had to send several emails. We have always answered to your emails within 24 hours because we really want to fix this quickly so that you can enjoy your PIXIO quickly.
This morning I have sent a return document so that we can have your PIXIO back for repair. It is not normal that your PIXIO is not working which is why we are going to test it here and make sure you have a perfectly working device.
Please check your email and let me know if you need any further help,
Kind regards,
PIXIO Customer Care Center
i have been SO pleased with my Pixio and use it regularly. (Well, not so much in the winter when its freezing cold!)
But perhaps there needs to be local reps that can visit on site and help with initial set ups and use for the technically challenged folks? I don’t know, I’ve just not had any major issues with mine! I downloaded the appropriate camera files to the robot, charged everything and off we went!
I wonder if it could be the arena lighting emitting EMI waves disturbing the PIXCO radar aiming/tracking? or electrical transformer?
What is the milliwatts of the PIXCO system?
More than once we were able to track a problem with RF interference to a Cable TV line connector
Clanter, I have been unsuccessful using the system in 5 different arenas, 3 outside & 2 inside. Same exact problem. Pixio has now sent me a RA # and I sent back the unit “for repairs”.
Update…Pixio sent me a RA number to return the robot, beacons, and watch. They said they were not functioning properly and are sending me a new system!!! They said they would refund my $59 USPS shipping, to send the defective unit back, and hopefully I won’t be charged from DHL again for duty or tax’s when I receive the new system next week!
That’s great!
Update? Thinking about ordering this or soloshot.
I have no direct experience, but after the Soloshot 3 finally came out, I joined a couple of the FB groups. Not many happy customers there at all.
I have both. If you are ok with only using it outside, SoloShot wins hands down. It has a screen that prompts you what to do and allows you to figure out what’s wrong if you’ve set it up wrong. It has indicators so you can tell how much battery the robot and tag have. It connects to WiFi for updates. The Pixio has no screen. The user interface is just a flashing green or red light that you have to interpret (is that a fast blinking green light or slow blinking?) No battery life indicators. You have to put the SIM card in a computer to update, and then update all components (robot, three beacons, watch) individually. It’s also very easy to accidentally set it up so that it is tracking behind/ahead/above you. Camera appears to track you around the arena but when you check the footage you are not actually in frame. I’ve not had that happen with the SoloShot.
