Intova's HD technology quality lately?

[KellyAsh]

I've only seen a handful of Intova HDs out there in the past few years and not a single one of them, including my own, are still working today. Their dive lights seem to have the same track record also, even though my Intova dive light works just fine after over 2 years of multiple uses per month.

It's been a few years now and, being the eternal optimist, I'm hoping they've corrected whatever it was that caused these Intova HD's, and lights, to fail like they have.

I have the opportunity at a "good deal" on an Edge camera and am looking for some more experienced input.

I don't see an Intova section here to ask this question on so I'm posting it here. The fact that there is no Intova section here might be my first clue, lol.

Any experienced response would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

There is indeed an Intova section. Here is a link to it: Intova

I have received prompt responses from "Intova Joe" via email as well. I found their customer service to be exceptional actually.

I am curious about your sample base for "not a single one of them" still working? That seems highly unlikely. I flooded my HD but up until that point it was a great little camera. It only stopped working due to user error on my end. I have Intova lights that I have been using for years, sounds like you do too. The majority of underwater camera "issues" (any brand) are due to user error. Why blame an entire company?

 

[KellyAsh]

"A handful" is my sample base....4 of them to be exact. One of them was my own, 3 were friends' and acquaintances'.

This isn't my first or second underwater camera. I know when I have a lemon in my hands and when I just don't know how to use it.

My own and one others' HD began acting weird, shutting off on it's own and not turning on or charging for weeks, sometimes months, then start to accept a charge and work fine for a week or two or three then start acting up again. Sometimes the bottom row of buttons would stop working altogether then start back working after a few weeks. Then one day it got hot when I tried to charge it so I unplugged it and a black liquid showed up in the bottom of the camera housing a little while later and it never worked again.

My sample base for their torches is a little larger. Among the dozen, or so, torches that Coral View had last year, only one torch still worked when I left Utila for Roatan. The culprit with most of the torches is the switch failing. Mine has been rock solid and I love it. I'm looking to buy another, brighter Intova light since I have an Intova dealer on Roatan willing to give me some very good pricing on Intova products.

Rich Astley, at Coral View, on Utila, is/was an Intova dealer so it's what he had at the time I lived on Utila. He was just as unsatisfied with the torches as I was the HD cameras. I chalked the cameras up to being the first model of a design and therefore riddled with issues which would be ironed out over the newer models.

So, Rich also complained that Intova's customer service could be a lot better from where he was sitting since he routinely wouldn't here back from Intova in a timely manner about a camera he had that was acting weird as well as other warrantied gear. I think he ended up buying his newer cameras from a competitor like I have.

I'm not biased again the company for any other reason and I have no direct experience with their customer service so I'm hoping Rich's experience was a fluke for all that time and I will have a much more positive experience.

Like I said I'm an optimist. I hope Intova has corrected these deficiencies so I can once again enjoy their products instead of me buying another GoPro because there are no better options out there. I really, really dislike GoPro as a company and think they're arrogant asshats, who are completely unappreciative of their customers.

I will never buy a new piece of GoPro gear again, so as not to put money directly in their pockets, and will always rant about them when given the opportunity. THIS is what poor customer service gets from me and I talk to ALOT of people along the way.

Thanks for the Intova Section link, BTW!