Faulty Medion Power Adaptor or GPS Mouse ?

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

... both with the Royal Mail and with Medion.

The Royal Mail helpline person, I'd last spoken to, said they'd send me a Recorded Delivery envelope for me to return my Certificate of Posting, to make a claim for late delivery of my parcel to Medion.

So what arrives ? A reply-paid ordinary First Class envelope !

So I ring the number on the accompanying letter and ask to speak to the sender of the letter.

'She doesn't work here, I'm afraid. You've come through to Manchester - she works in Portsmouth.'

This is quite a surprise, as the letter I received had a Barnsley address on it !

So I'm put through to Portsmouth, where the person concerned is at work, but not available.

So someone else has now promised to send me what the first person should have sent me !

So I then rang Medion. where the operative told me that the GPS mouse would appear to have been despatched to me, and I should receive it either today or tomorrow, but they'd have to ask someone else about the car power supply, and they'd ring me back either today or tomorrow.

I tried to suggest that it would be pointless sending the mouse without the power supply, as one won't work without the other.

He said he understood, but that they would have to send the mouse out to me if it was in stock, rather than waiting for the power supply to be repaired or replaced.

Due to various problems at work, I missed his return call, but he left me a VoiceMail message, to the effect that the mouse had been despatched, but the power supply was out of stock and they had no idea when stock might arrive ! WONDERFULL !

So I find when I get home a light jiffy bag with a replacement GPS mouse in it (I wrapped both returned items in several layers of bubblewrap and put them in a sturdy cardboard box), with a delivery note, but no covering letter or 'sorry we haven't sent the power supply - you should receive it in x day's time' note.

So, if I hadn't rung up, I would have been fairly mystified by this package, with a single item in it !

My plan is now to ring Medion's sales line tomorrow, and ask if they would be able to supply a substantial number of their GPS systems from stock at their warehouse.

If they can, I'll be asking to speak to the managing director and asking him when they will be getting replacement stock of power supplies to replace my faulty unit, now in their possession.

If he can't guarantee me getting my replacement within a week, I'll be demanding they open one of their unsold complete systems, test the power supply and send it to me overnight !!

It's doing them no good it sitting unsold in their warehouse, when they've got an extremely unhappy customer who's paid for a working system, and currently hasn't got one, with no idea of when he might actually have a working system !!
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

Well I spoke to a different person at Medion this lunchtime.

He repeated what I'd been told before, i.e. that the power supply was out of stock and that they had no idea when they would be getting stock, adding that their target period for a customer problem to be sorted out was within 28 days.

A month !?! Well it could actually be much longer than that (in theory), as that's 28 working days !!!

So I tell the operative that they actually do have stock of the power supply cable, since their website shows the complete units in stock and ready to ship. So I ask why they can't send me the power supply from one of those units ?

Initially he thinks I'm asking for a complete unit (PDA and all !) to be sent - so we sort that out, but I'm told that's not how they deal with replacing faulty parts.

I persist that, since they can't tell me when they might have a replacement available and I effectively can't use the system which I've paid for until they do send a replacement, it seems quite reasonable to me that they open a box and send me a cable !

But I'm told that's not how they deal with replacing faulty parts.

So I ask to speak to a supervisor. I'm told that the supervisor will tell me just the same thing.

So I ask to speak to a supervisor. I'm told they are all in a meeting.

So I ask to speak to one of the directors (by name). The operative had never heard of him - but then again, this is a name I've got from their delivery note, which, although it was sent from Swindon, had details of Medion's parent company, which is based in Germany.

Just then, I'm told the meeting is breaking up.

A couple of minutes later, I'm flabbergasted to be told that a power supply cable will be posted to me today !!

It just shows what a bit of 'being awkward', especially when all you're asking for is that something you've paid for is able to actually function properly, may have paid off !!

I'll see what arrives tomorrow (or, possibly, Monday), hoping to get everything tested and re-installed before I set off for my business trip to Scotland on Tuesday.
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

So the GPS mouse arrived on Saturday and the power supply adapter arrived today (Monday).

I connect everything together, turn the ignition on, see the LED on the power adapter flash a couple of times, turn to the PDA to turn it on - and notice the power LED on it isn't flashing (to show it's charging).

So I look back at the power adapter - no LED flashing - it's not lit at all.

So I make sure it's plugged in properly and the ignition is really on - no joy !

So I unplug it and unscrew the end of the adaptor to check the fuse - it's failed ! - but with a 'whimper' - not a 'bang'.

So I put in the spare fuse supplied, connect everything back together, and plug it back in.

Still no LEDs flashing anywhere.

So, after a few choice words, I unplug everything to take back inside the house, and notice that the casing of the adaptor is warm (even hot !) to the touch !!

It's obvously faulty and passing enough current to heat it up, but not enough to blow the fuse.

But has it damaged the GPS mouse, or even worse, the PDA ???

Well, I can't tell about the mouse, but the PDA still works, and charges and connects OK to the PC when connected to the USB/charger base unit (phew !)

So, from being overjoyed that the replacement bits had arrived in time for me to re-install everything before my trip to Scotland tomorrow, I'm now so p****ed off I could weep !!

So I'm now going to ring Medion again, to ask whether they actually tested this power adapter before they sent it (as I asked them to) and what they propose to do now to sort out this mess !!

What I don't want is for them to ask me to send the whole package back to them, as I've got the PDA set up the way I want it and I can use the installed map on it's own (obviously, without the GPS-driven program doing the navigating).

On the other hand, at least the complete kit should have been put together and proved at the assembly facility.

But, then again, I've got all the hassle of packing it and arranging to send it back, and claiming the return postage cost, etc.

They also seem to have (so far) 'forgotten' about my claim for re-imbursement for sending the GPS mouse and power adapter back to them !

I'm going to ring them this evening to see what they propose.
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

I've just rung the Medion helpline - and got a recorded message telling me they'd closed at 8 o'clock and to ring after 8 o'clock tomorrow morning !!!!!

I know it would cost more money to have the helpline open later - but it's very frustrating to ring 2 minutes after it's closed, when I actually could have rung earlier !!!!!!!

Tomorrow it is, then !
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

novaya_zemla · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 19, 2004 Posts: 23

Not being funny old chap... But it sounds like your car/van/truck is pumping out more wiggly amps thru the cigar socket than the GPS knows what to do with... Are you sure your vehicle has a standard supply? is it negative earth or 24V? Have you tried a different car? Just a thought! Idea

As I said earlier - Best of luck...
:D

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

No, novaya_zemla.

The system worked perfectly for about a week before failing, and it's a Vauxhall Vectra it's fitted to - so it's absolutely standard 12V, negative earth.

I have actually checked the voltage from the socket (just after the fuse blew on the replacement power supply), which gave about 12.4 volts, centre positive, as expected, with the ignition on, but the engine stopped .

I'm not actually accusing Medion of deliberately sending me a faulty power supply, but I'm suspicious that they didn't check the power supply was OK before sending it.

Oh well, I'm about to set off for the wilds of Scotland, without the aid of the GPS which I had bought just for this exact purpose ! - Wish me luck !!

I'll wait until I'm back before I ring Medion again, 'cos there's nothing I can really do until then (sigh) !
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

wildduck · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 12, 2004 Posts: 24

Just one other thought. We are putting a lot of stuff into vehicles these days that radiates RF. Quite apart from the engine management, which might be transmitting in its own right, there are things like bluetooth, mobile phones and almost anything that has to have an internal inverter to produce an internal voltage above 12v.

I work a lot with laptops and audio, and have a devil of a job removing all the shash that comes from a laptop psu (hold a medium wave radio near one to hear this).

Probably totally irrelevant, but it might be that something in the car is transmitting on a sub-harmonic of, say, a satellite frequency or some internal clock frequency of the PDA.

As I say, just a (probably stupid) thought, but if the power supply on the replacement seemed to be working (flashing) before the pda was plugged in, it's hard to be convinced that Medion performed no tests before sending out the replacement.

elevonic · Regular Visitor Joined: May 19, 2004 Posts: 69

This is turning into a proper 'whodunnit' saga, no offence to anyone intended. I look forward to the next instalment, same time,same channel? No,seriously, I hope 'we' all get to the bottom of this, as it's a bit worrying.

clansfolk · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 16, 2004 Posts: 23

Not having been at "Home Base" for a bit I haven't been able to contact Medion re the same problem on my Aldi GPS - I'm also in the process of trying to sort the power supply out for my Medion Laptop on which the fan stopped working. They're not the fastest people when it come to replying to emails - 5 days the first email , 4 days the second email and 8 days the third!! now I've got the the reference number, confirmed I don't have to return the laptop as well as the power supply (at first they said they'd have to have the full package!) and now they have confirmed they will pay for the postage (to be refunded within 28 days.) They have also told me I'll have to wait 28 days for a replacement. With other firms I've had to deal with in the past the replacement item was sent out straight away with a return paid envelope enclose for the return of the faulty part - now that's not hard is it?

So now I'll start work on getting the Aldi GPS sorted - or maybe I'll save meself some agro and take it back to Aldi for a, refund they appear to have a good customer relations dept.

Pete

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

Well I'm now back home after my trip to Scotland without the active aid of a working GPS system (although I used the PDA to plan the route and I consulted it when feasible).

Thank you all for your suggestions and concern, although I'm not convinced about sub-harmonics and the like being a cause !

(I used to repair and maintain VHF transmitter/receivers, so I do understand what you mean wildduck !)

As for whether Medion tested the power adapter before sending it, I only watched the LED on it flash twice (literally) before turning away to power on the PDA, which was already connected.

As I understand it, the days of every article coming off a production line being tested are long gone. They just take random samples, to a certain percentage of the production capacity, and test them. Only if more than a certain number of the tested units are defective do they start testing more, looking for a common cause for the failures.

What I'm not convinced of is whether Medion tested the power unit before they sent it to me, as I requested.

I'll be ringing them tomorrow to see what they propose to do, but I'm on the verge of taking the entire thing back to Aldi for a refund (although I don't hold Aldi responsible in any way), as I've seen a trader on Ebay offering a higher spec, well-established brand PDA for less than £200.

He's previously done PDAs with GPS kit as well. I'm sure he'll be able to set me up, and he's fairly local (about 30 miles away), so I can go and see the kit all working before I buy it, and save on the postage cost.
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

Well, the Royal Mail muppets have struck again !

Regular readers will remember that the first person I spoke to at the Royal Mail said they would send a pre-paid Recorded Delivery envelope to me so I could return my Certificate of Posting, to claim compensation for them failing to deliver my faulty GPS mouse and power adaptor to Medion, until after the Guaranteed Time of Delivery.

So I received a 1st class pre-paid envelope.

So I rang them again, asking why they hadn't sent what they agreed to send.

They couldn't say, but said they would send a pre-paid Recorded Delivery envelope.

So what did I receive yesterday ?

Another 1st class pre-paid envelope, along with a snotty letter telling me that if I didn't send the information they had requested soon, they would close the enquiry !

So I rang them this morning, asking ...

So I'm waiting again for them to send what they said they'd send 2 weeks ago !

However, there's now been a revolution on the PDA/GPS front !!

I've bought a refurbished Toshiba E740 PDA, along with a new Haicom HI-203E GPS mouse and power cable, from the Ebay guy I mentioned previously.

It's somewhat larger and heavier than the Medion unit and only has Pocket PC 2002, rather than 2003 - but it's got WI-FI built in, so I don't need to be connected to copy apps or browse the Web.

I went to the guy's premises and he set up the PDA, loaded some nav software onto a 128MB memory card and set it all up, then we connected everything up in my car and checked it all worked OK.

I got home OK under voice instruction, and I'll be doing the full installation in the car tomorrow (weather permitting !)

I've had 1 problem with the kit, in that I couldn't set up an ActiveSync link with the PDA.

Borrowing the USB base unit from my son's E750 proved that the PDA was OK, and the fact that his PDA in my base wouldn't sync on his machine proved that it was my base unit that was faulty.

However, since I'd done a modification on his base unit (to use the USB supply for charging the PDA, rather than having the mains adapter plugged in to it), I knew there was a connector inside the base unit for the USB cable, and it was very 'tight' and under tension.

So I checked inside my base unit - and found the connector completely un-plugged !!

Replacing it and easing the tension gave me a fully working base unit -- phew !!

So I've done a hard reset on the Medion PDA, and packed it all up in the original packaging, ready to take back to Aldi on Monday for a full refund.

I feel sorry about doing this, as the problems I've had were not of their making, although I realise that they are legally responsible.

I shall still be pursuing Medion for the cost of returning the faulty GPS mouse and power cable to them, which their helpdesk person said they'd refund, but haven't done yet.

And there's the next installmant of the Royal Mail envelope saga to come yet !
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

After 3 phone calls and 3 letters from Royal Mail (the second one stating that they would be 'ceasing their enquiries' if I did not respond quickly, when all along I've been waiting for them to send me a pre-paid Recorded Delivery envelope, which 2 people at Royal Mail had promised to send - NOT the pre-paid 1st class envelopes they've actually sent !), I finally received a pre-paid Guaranteed Next Day Delivery envelope the day before yesterday.

So I've sent off my original Certificate of Posting, along with a covering letter claiming the due compensation, and asking why it's taken all this effort so far !

The Tracking Site tells me it's arrived, so I'm now awaiting their response.

I've rung Medion to ask when I'll receive reimbursement for the cost of returning the original faulty parts to them, and they say they'll be sending me a cheque shortly.

I've also spoken with a 2nd level technician at Medion about the further problem I've had with the replacement power adapter.

He agreed it would be best to return the definitely faulty power adapter and the GPS mouse (which the faulty adapter might have damaged) to them to test, and return or replace.

He said there'd be no problems getting tested items back to me fairly quickly, as they have both items in stock now, and he was going to reserve 1 of each for me.

We also agreed I could claim for the cost of returning these items to them.

So I'll be editting my original covering latter shortly, and paying the Post Office a visit tomorrow !
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

Well, Royal Mail have done the honourable thing and sent me a cheque for failing to deliver my original package back to Medion, until after the Guaranteed Delivery time.

They apologised for failing to meet their standards, but failed completely to answer (by totally ignoring the question !) why I'd had such a hassle with my claim.

They have, however, managed to deliver my second parcel back to Medion on Saturday, according to their tracking webpage.

So I'm eagerly awaiting a parcel from Medion in the next few days.
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

davecrowley · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 11, 2004 Posts: 13

Philip, having also returned my Aldi bundle and bought an alternative PDA, I'm looking into getting new Nav software. What software did you go for with your new PDA ? If it's not the Navigon, is your new setup any good / better than the Navigon ?

philip4242 · Regular Visitor Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 123

Dave,

I took a copy of the Medion Navigon MMC (for test purposes only !), but the Navigon 3.1 software wouldn't run on the Toshiba E740, as that runs Pocket PC 2002, not 2003 as the Medion PDA does.

I currently have 'trial' versions of TomTom Navigator 3, Destinator 3 and Navigon 4 available, but I've only briefly had the chance to play with the first 2, as the Haicom GPS mouse I'd bought died, part way through a journey !

Since the Ebay vendor I got the kit from is on holiday for another week (I just managed to visit him, and see everything working OK before he went on holiday the next day), I've bought a replacement cable for the PDA, as well as a cable so I can use the GPS mouse with my laptop.

Swapping these about proved it was the GPS mouse that had failed.

So I'm waiting for him to get back from holiday, before I can organise a replacement.

Perhaps I'm fated never to have a reliable GPS !!!
_________________
Getting older and more senile by the minute !

Philip

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