Do NOT believe Logitech's assurances re. NTL Pace Boxes

hurstnicholas · 19-10-2005, 12:09

On Logitech's Harmony website, we are assured that if you want to employ a universal remote to operate your NTL PAce box, the expensive Harmony 885 is the one for you, because:
1) "The Harmony remote can control most types of devices that come with an infrared remote control. However, there are some exceptions listed below:........ Pace cable boxes use an infrared protocol called IRDa. Only the 800 series of Harmony remotes can send these infrared commands".
2) "The Logitech Harmony Remote supports thousands of devices from hundreds of manufacturers. Below is a partial list of manufacturers whose devices we support..... NTL.......Pace.....".
When you use the Logitech softwareto program your remote, it even provides you the codes for the full range of Pace boxes - including my 2000.
Surprise surprise then, that when I chose to buy a 885 for the above, specific reasons and IT FAILED TO WORK WITH THE 2000, Logitech Support, advised me that:
"This device has not been tested with the Pace 2000 digital cable-box and hence may not work."
I have just been robbed of cÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£150 and you have all been warned

monkey2468 · 19-10-2005, 12:28

IRda is only used on Bromley platform Pace stb's. (please correct me if i'm wrong!).
Langley Pace stb's use standard remote commands.

What part of the country are you in?

hurstnicholas · 19-10-2005, 12:35

Thank you for your posting.
I am in Dolphin Square, London - but Logitech's website assures one that the 885 works with both versions.

Neil · 19-10-2005, 12:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurstnicholas

Thank you for your posting.
I am in Dolphin Square, London - but Logitech's website assures one that the 885 works with both versions.

So take it up with Logitech.

hurstnicholas · 19-10-2005, 12:57

Sadly, after they told me they could do nothing, they have stopped responding to any of my subsequent emails.

monkey2468 · 19-10-2005, 13:03

Get a refund.

MovedGoalPosts · 19-10-2005, 13:06

If it doesn't work, then they have sold something that is unfit for use. That is grounds for an immediate refund.

Not sure how it can be required to get the website corrected. Maybe a call to the local trading standards?

hurstnicholas · 19-10-2005, 13:24

To be frank, I feel sorry for the retailer (CCL) in this instance, its not his fault that Logitech mis-described the goods, but I guess I will still have to turn to CCL for the refund - I might sadly be unable to recover P&P in either direction, however.

chambece · 19-10-2005, 13:50

Sorry to hear about that - I thought it did support IRDa though, so couldn't you try and manually program it, rather than use their standard config? It might just be that the 2000 config is a little screwy?

Sorry to hijack the thread a little, but, and I know this is a big but, other than the fact it didn't work with your Pace box, how is it?

I was thinking of replacing our pronto with one....

**Chris** · 19-10-2005, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurstnicholas

To be frank, I feel sorry for the retailer (CCL) in this instance, its not his fault that Logitech mis-described the goods, but I guess I will still have to turn to CCL for the refund - I might sadly be unable to recover P&P in either direction, however.

Sad, but that's the way consumer protection works in this country, and in most cases it's to your benefit. You are entitled to a refund because the unit does not do what it was advertised to do. It is then up to the retailer to take it out of Logitech's hide. You have no contract with Logitech, so they are not obliged to help you.

If you paid for the goods with a credit card, then you need to inform your cadr supplier immediately also. Legally, they are jointly liable with the retailer. They should give you a refund on your account, and then they will go and beat it out of the retailer. They will probably have more luck than you. If there's one thing money lenders are good at, it's getting their money back.

In all your correspondence, (which you should now do by traditional letter, sent recorded delivery), make sure they are aware you are keeping full records of all correspondence and will refer the matter to your local trading standards office if the issue is not fully resolved to your satisfaction within 28 days.

hurstnicholas · 19-10-2005, 14:19

The rest of the remote seems quite good - not paticularly intuitive to program, but a definite advantage being abale to do it all on a PC first, rather then fumbling away with a million remote keys.

chambece · 19-10-2005, 14:30

I think it would be worth trying to program it manually - If it can do IRDa you should be able to 'teach' it, usually by pointing the NTL remote at the 885 and assigning buttons.....

Mick Fisher · 19-10-2005, 15:06

Logitech Ugh!!!!
I bought a 5.1 PC speaker set directly from them once. The goods arrived faulty. Blowing fuses as soon as you plugged it in.
Took me ages of phoning all round Europe to get them to take the goods back for exchange.
Eventually they agreed but the deal was I had to pay to ship them back to an address in Eire IIRC. I was to include a receipt and they would reimburse me.
Many weeks and many phone calls later, I received a letter from them stating they were out of stock and would no longer be stocking the item. The letter included a cheque for the purchase price but no mention of the carriage charge I had incurred which was about ÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£46.
After a few more phone calls during which I got the run around for half an hour before being disconnected I gave up on it.
I would never again consider another Logitech supplied product.

Graham · 19-10-2005, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurstnicholas

To be frank, I feel sorry for the retailer (CCL) in this instance, its not his fault that Logitech mis-described the goods, but I guess I will still have to turn to CCL for the refund - I might sadly be unable to recover P&P in either direction, however.

Yes, you can.

See this post for information about your rights on mail order goods etc.

(PS Mods: That thread used to be a sticky, perhaps it can be re-stuck?)

jonbr · 20-10-2005, 13:26

(which you should now do by traditional letter, sent recorded delivery),

In these situiations do not use recorded delivery. The post office explained to me, after a recorded delivery was not delivered, that recorded delivery only means that some one has to sign to say it has been delivered. The post office allow the post person to do this so it is no proof at all the letter was delivered to where/whom you sent it.

Use the more expensive, of course, registered delivery. That has to be signed by the person the letter is addressed to and is tracked electronically so you can easily check where it is, who signed for it and when.