2009-01-05 16:31:15

Indestructible Film Very Destructible

For more than a year, I have used an Invisible Shield from Zagg. My first Shield was for my Motorola Razr2. I keep my cell phone in my pants pocket and wanted a way to protect it from change and keys and anything else I might also put into my pants pockets. Normal cases were out of the question. Too bulky, even for the thinnest of cases. The Invisible Shield was a great fit.
Around July of 2008, I bought a 3G iPhone. Again, I wanted to protect it since it would be in my pocket. Enter the Shield again. So far, it's done it's job and lived up to the advertisements.
Let's get one thing straight though, I've never abused my phones. I never even did the key test that Zagg says will not affect the Shield. A friend of mine, however, did.

He got a Shield for his PSP and, following the instructions, correctly applied it. A couple days passed and his brother was around. His brother also has a PSP, so my friend wanted to show him how great the Shield was. He decided to do the key test to show him it was indestructible. Unfortunately, as you can see from the pictures, it's not.

But the story doesn't end there. He sent an email to the president of Zagg explaining what happened. He got a response, but not from the president:

Hello <REMOVED>,

Thank you for contacting ZAGG, home of the invisibleSHIELD! Robert G. Pedersen II, our president, has read your email and requested that I respond on his behalf. My name is Kari and I appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

There are a number of reasons as to why an invisibleSHIELD will scratch even when using the techniques demonstrated in our videos. For example, if the invisibleSHIELD is not given 12 - 24 hours to dry and mold to one's device, it is more susceptible to scratches and imperfections. We've had very good experiences when our customers use our key test in the past, and we apologize that your experience was not satisfactory. We would like to assure you that this is an isolated incident, and that your experiences in the future with our product are more to your liking.

I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions or comments. My contact information is detailed in full below.

All the best,

KARI PATTERSON
Office of the President

Interesting. They basically tell him that he didn't wait long enough for the Shield to set. Actually, he did. Their max wait is 24 hours, he waited at least 48. But that aside, this is just plain bad business practice.
Their product is cheap, at least for the PSP. Give him a new one, free of charge. They would argue that they do offer free replacements on defective items, however they make you pay for shipping. Crap! If your product fails, make your customer happy to keep them as your customer. If you made better products, you wouldn't have to worry about this in the first place.
But let's not get off topic. I'm not trying to say that the Shield is a crappy product. It clearly isn't. Myself and thousands of others love them. But even in this one isolated incident, the response was poor. I'm reminded of a video I had to watch as a sysadmin at my last job. It was called "Give Them The Pickle." The gist of the story went like this. A guy owned his own restaurant; a very personal, comfy place. He strived to have happy customers. One day a customer came in, ordered food, and asked for an extra pickle with her sandwich. The waiter wouldn't give it to her. He told her that she had to pay for the extra pickle. The lady, angry, wrote to the owner and told him how mad she was. Thus came the videos teaching professionals who have to deal with people on a day to day basis how to keep their customers happy. You might have to lose a little bit of money doing things to keep your customers happy, but in the end you'll gain more business and thus, more money.
Zagg, what's your problem?

Back

11 comments

2009-01-16 13:10:10

DeVito says...
Maybe they figured if you're going to perform the key test then you must be a little behind the IQ curve. Which means that you might buy the companies Bullsh*t line..."We would like to assure you that this is an isolated incident, and that your experiences in the future with our product are more to your liking." and buy another one. I wonder if this person bought another invisishield only to try the key test again. I hope so!!!

2009-02-06 18:34:29

Kari P.! says...
Hey,

I'm sorry that your friend didn't feel satisfied by the response he got. When customers e-mail Robert Pedersen and ask for a free replacement (Shipping fees waived, etc.), they get them! Is it possible that he just mentioned that the key test failed, and didn't mention that he wanted a replacement? Regardless, though, the system and (especially) I failed your friend, and I'm sorry. I get the disappointment here, and I'd love to change you and/or your friend's minds. We'd love to get a replacement out.

-Kari, Office of the President

2009-02-07 09:14:28

Friend with Shield says...
Kari,

I appreciate the feedback here, but I already purchased a replacement as I stated in my email to you notifying you of the failed test. I didn't think I should have to ask for a free replacement. In any case, My PSP has a new shield on it and so does my nephew's. Assuming the Shield will hold up as long as I think it will, there should be no need for a replacement.

I do, however, have another friend with a PSP Slim (2000) that might be interested in protecting his device. You have my contact info from the original email.

Better late than never!

2009-02-10 02:28:09

Kari says...
I actually do not have your contact info! The PC holding my old correspondences was unfortunately ruined, and my old e-mails were unrecoverable. If you'd like to discuss this further, sending me a quick e-mail to kari@zagg.com will ensure a response!

And as far as the guy above -- DeVito --is concerned, as quoted below:

"Which means that you might buy the companies Bullsh*t line..."We would like to assure you that this is an isolated incident, and that your experiences in the future with our product are more to your liking." and buy another one."

We offer a lifetime warranty, and the "line" that you're referring to doesn't even in the slightest imply that we expected this customer to purchase a new shield. The warranty covers any sort of damage to the shield -- it says so all over our website, packaging, and advertisements! I'm always happy to see people save money and ensure that they get replacements. I've personally refunded a number of purchases made because customers didn't realize they had a lifetime warranty. I don't make any commissions from any sort of sales, after all, and I don't get any satisfaction from ripping off hard working people like myself.

Thanks,

Kari

2009-02-17 09:26:24

Friend with Shield says...
A replacement was not sent, but a 50% off coupon code for a future purchase was. I attempted to use the code on the applicable items (PSP Slim and Zen X-Fi)and it was only good for 20% off. I emailed Kari stating it was only good for 20% off, not 50%. I also asked if I could have the 50% off applicable to Sony W350 and Propel phones. She replied and added the phones and apparently corrected the wrong percentage of discount. I used the 50% off for a new shield for my Sony W350 phone and two shields for Samsung Propels. I'll not be attempting any more "tests" on any InvisibleShield protected devices.

2009-02-23 12:53:59

Anonymous says...
Aaaaaaactually!

What happened is that items that were not authorized to be purchased with the 50% were added to the shopping cart. That automatically bumps the 50% off, and instead applies the 20% discount that's applied to shopping carts with two or more items. You're not allowed to stack discounts, and you couldn't purchase an unauthorized item for 50%, so you were offered 20% instead. When the discount code was double-checked, it was still for 50%. We just added the purchase numbers for the additional items you'd added.

Hope that helps. If you need any help with the application process, I'd be happy to help. I'd also like to clarify that a replacement was offered for the shield that was tested on, but the "Friend with Shield" asked for free/discounted shields instead. The replacement offer, of course, still stands, as no mention of "one or the other" was made.

Kari

2009-02-27 13:10:43

Friend with Shield says...
Aaaaaaaaacutally!!!!!

What happened was I attempted to place an order for the stated "authorized" items and the code was for 20%. I then tried to use it for "unauthorized" items and found it didn't apply 50% for those items either. Then I Aaaaactually emailed you and made you aware of the code not Aaaaaactually giving 50% for the "authorized" items and asked if the code could be applied to other items.

So, if you want a customer to Aaaaactually ASK for a free replacement of a failed product, your customer service policies suck at ZAGG.

But since that seems to be the only way to get a free replacement:

Please send me an Aaaaaaactual replacement shield for my PSP.

I am Aaaaactually installing my new shield on my Sony Ericsson w350 right now and it Aaaaaactually sucks. The small piece that covers the camera lens is to wrap up and over the top and also over the sides of the device. The relief areas are not Aaaaactually designed well and it Aaaaactually wants to lift off at the corners where it wraps. I'll most likely Aaaaactually modify the shield with an exacto knife so that the shield doesn't wrap around corners and will Aaaaactually stick in place without lifting. I'll Aaaaactually modify the lower piece as well before attempting to apply it.

I won't Aaaactually expect any sort of warranty coverage after I modify the shield for my phone. I just want it to fit well and not leave air bubbles. In addition, I won't Aaaactually recommend any Zagg products to anyone I know in the future.

2009-03-02 18:39:51

Kari says...
The issue with the code was that it was originally made for two specific items -- the PSP Slim and Creative Zen X-Fi -- and nothing more. If anything else was added to your cart, the discount was deactivated and our website promotion of 20% or 30% was added depending on which one it applied to. We're sorry that the code caused trouble when placing your order, but we're glad it's resolved now.

We'll be sending a replacement for your PSP out, and we've waived the shipping and handling fees. A free replacement would have normally been offered right away, but it was stated in the first and third e-mails we received about this issue that a replacement had already been purchased ("Instead, I purchased another new shield for my PSP" / â��As I stated previously, I already purchased a replacement for my PSP. I do not see a need for a new one anytime soon.â��). I apologize for the misunderstanding, again.

Also, you mentioned that the invisibleSHIELD for your Sony Ericsson w350 doesn't fit well. You said "The small piece that covers the camera lens is to wrap up and over the top and also over the sides of the device." None of our designs include coverage for camera lenses. If you place the invisibleSHIELD over a camera lens it will distort the image and lessen the quality. I'd be happy to explain where all of the pieces of this design go on your device.

As for the corners not sticking well, we recommend our "palming" technique for getting corners to stick down, where you gently hold the device with the invisibleSHIELD on it in your palm for a small increments of time. You can also use a blow dryer to dry the SHIELDspray application solution on the corners during installation to get them to stick faster. We only recommend using a blow dryer for a few seconds at a time as we don't want any heat from the blow dryer to damage your device. You can read more about installation tips at: http://www.zagg.com/company/application_instructions.php

If you would still like to cut/modify the invisibleSHIELD you received you are welcome to. It seems that you already know that cutting your invisibleSHIELD voids the warranty on it, and you'll be unable to get any replacements in the event your invisibleSHIELD is accidentally damaged.

Thanks,

Kari

2010-05-10 07:05:19

Rajesh Nahar says...
Why waste so much time on trivial things ? Why not just get a GadgetShieldz for your PSP slim at the cost of a replacement shield from Zagg. Simple things are not always obvious.

2011-02-07 07:27:39

Carlo says...
I initially wanted to get a replacement for my FT80 Zagg Shield. I purchased it last August, 2010 and in less than a year the shield is starting to peel off around the edges. I am very disappointed with the product. According to the website it is required to send back the old shield in order to complete the replacement. On top of that you have to pay for the shipment and handling. I use my watch everyday and I can't afford to have 7 to 15 days of unprotected screen. Frankly, I don't see my product being replaced as I refuse to send my old shield back and risk damaging my screen. Also, I do not believe Zagg will put an effort to please a single costumer. I am very disappointed and will make sure other people would not have to go through this problem. This is one of the worst purchases that I've made and will make it public over the web. Thank you.

2011-02-17 21:22:49

Anonymous says...
Wow, you're kind of an ungrateful douchebag, aren't you? When was the last time you worked a customer service job? Instead of giving people a hard time -- people who have no choice but to support families on their call center wages because this economy is shit -- why don't you try e-mailing the fucking president or customer service manager? People like you and Carlo are such pieces of shit. It's abhorrent the way that your entitlement complex makes your heads so far up your consumerist asses that you lack basic human empathy.

2011-05-03 12:04:56

Trever says...
Agree with the last Anon post! What is the problem here?? Would you like ZAGG to come to your house and put the shield on for you too? Maybe they could help you pay your taxes as well??
You tried the test. It failed. You whined about it and got more than enough response from the company in an attempt to appease your frustrations. What else are you looking for?
Quit complaining and get back to life!