Our new lightbox

Hi everyone,

I just got a Brightspark from Outside In, and it didn't work when I switchd it on. I got on the phone to their helpline and when she finaly got me to figure out how to open the lightbox I found the lights wobbling about inside the box :roll:

The lightbox was difficult to get into and the perspex diffuser on the front was very flimsy and it breaks very easily, in my opinion, it is also inflexible to bend into position when taking it out and putting it back in place after changing or inspecting the light bulbs. I thought paying over £100 would mean that I would be getting a box that would last a bit longer than 1 set of bulbs :shock:

Are all lightboxes like this? Would it be best to send it back or exchange it for a more expensive model such as the Sunray 2 Max which seems to have a flat perspex screen in the photos so it may not be so difficult to open the box?

I would like a reliable lightbox that will last a while, Outside In have a 3 year warrenty, but the diffuser might not last that long in that model. What lightbox would you recommend I buy, that is sturdy enough to last past the first change of bulbs?

Thanks for your help :)

Yours

Zig-Zag

Perhaps if someone from outside in reads this forum they might comment?

Seems like a quality control problem or needs more packing material around the disfuser.

From The Management
We have been making and selling a version of the brightspark for about 3 years now. This is a new model, and yes, sorry we had some teething problems. I hope those people who wrote here are now able to report that they have a brightspark in 100% condition (I have no way of tracing forum names to real names so I cannot check)

The 3 year warranty certainly covers the window.

The window material is exactly the same as fitted to the old brightspark, it's by no means chosen for economy, it does a great job optically and in normal circumstances it is quite strong enough. We did manage to mess up with a few in such a way that the window was vulnerable to damage.
My investigations tell me that this was a passing phase and it no longer happens. If anyone knows different please email me webmaster@outsidein.co.uk

About the carriers. No carrier company is perfect, we know, we tried most of them. We think the ones we use are the best especially for deliveries to peoples home addresses of large things which have to be signed for.

Look folks, like it says at the front door please contact Outside In directly if there is a problem we need to know about.

The Management

From The Management
We have been making and selling a version of the brightspark for about 3 years now. This is a new model, and yes, sorry we had some teething problems. I hope those people who wrote here are now able to report that they have a brightspark in 100% condition (I have no way of tracing forum names to real names so I cannot check)

We have the previous version; metal construction, generally totally fantastic... a solid workhorse.

Unfortunately, my other half started suffering SAD and nicked my box! Arrrgghhh!

So...

...we ordered this new model. After a fair wait (fair enough given the time of year, I quite understand), we were told last Thursday that the item had been dispatched.

A week later, after contact with you, and some less than truthful feedback from the driver of the courier company (I called earlier , I left a card , address hard to find )...

...the lightbox arrived, and rattling. Oops! Not good a good sign! Just in case, I signed "Not inspected" because of this.

Both lightbulbs dislodged. However, one was dislodged from its internal fitting, with the electrical wires poking it, exactly like happened to someone who posted earlier in this forum.

The bulb that wasn't broken worked fine in one fitting, but in the other it gave only a very dodgy connection -- it appeared to work at first, but if anything moved, the light flickered. Bad electrical connection, presumably from the abuse by the courier company.

I rung yourselves up and was offered a replacement lightbulb. I tried to explain that the electrical fitting seemed to have a loose connection (which could be potentially unsafe), and that I was really less than pleased about this. Frankly, the person at the other end of the phone didn't seem to be especially bothered about any of this, telling me that the fitting would probably be okay.

I felt like I was having to argue to get a replacement -- it wasn't until I quoted the existance of my electrical-oriented qualifications that a replacement was offered.

This is really _not_ on, not for the cost of the boxes; people are paying quite a bit of money remember, and for some of us, that really _is_ a lot of money. Plus, the construction quality of the brightspark looks to be nowhere near that of the previous models, in my opinion.

Please please PLEASE...

1) Consider revising this model, it looks and feel nowhere near the quality of the last one - I'd rather pay a bit more and get something like the old one than have this.

2) Drop those Couriers! We get a _lot_ of stuff delivered via post (been buying things online for nearly a decade now), and so we experience a lot of Couriers... including some really bad ones... however even ParcelForce and City Link are way better than that Courier.

3) Definitely consider using more substantial packaging.... a plastic bag around the box, without any foam or bubblewrap or airpackets?

4) If a box arrives in a state.... consider being a bit more friendly to the idea of getting a replacement sorted out, rather than expecting your customer to become an engineer -- if its broke when it arrives, the customer can reasonably expect to get a replacement arranged without feeling like they need to almost argue.

I've gone from a previous customer who was _extremely_ pleased with your company and the previous version, to one who is _extremely_ displeased with the item, the packaging, the delivery, and to be honest not nearly quite so impressed with your company now.

It doesn't matter how good the item is when it leaves your premises if it arrives at the customer somewhat 'injured' -- it is what arrives that the customer sees, and then what the customer ends up with, that matters.

Ta-ra,
Julie Brandon