Brookstone Weathercast Wireless 5-day Forecaster
by brookstone
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Our Price: $99.49 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Brookstone Weathercast Wireless 5-day Forecaster
Customer Review: Nothing but Problems
Summary: 1 Stars
Being an early adopter and gadget enthusiast, I generally expect a few glitches with products like this. However, the Brookstone Weather station is basically worthless. In short, it displays incorrect cities (not where I live) half the time and the data it does display is frequently inaccurate. Note also the user has no control over the location other than having the ability to scroll through the five cities automatically listed on the device, all of which can be incorrect.
As I work on the investment side of the wireless industry, I have had the opportunity to meet people at Ambient, the company who makes this for Brookstone. So, I was familiar with the technology before I purchased this product. Ambient has been a disappointment in that they have not been able to address the issues with this weather forecaster. Furthermore, when pushing them on a resolution, the customer reps attempt to steer me to "registering" my device. This is effectively a sales pitch as the registration encourages the user to sign up for additional, fee-based services.
This particular product had an important purpose for me in that I am a bicycle commuter who needs very accurate weather information. Additionally, I like to turn my computer off at night to save electricity. It is a hassle to boot it up just to get the weather and then shut down. So I thought this would be a convenient alternative.
Currently, the device is displaying cities hundreds of miles from where I live. When it does display Chicago, the weather information is often totally inaccurate (> 10 degree difference). I mentioned this to the customer service rep who told me Ambient uses data from Accuweather and, hence, Ambient doesn't control the accuracy. However, one can clearly see the data differs from what Accuweather shows on its website for my location.
Given my experience with the Brookstone Weather Forecaster, I would suggest that everyone avoid Ambient until the company can prove their products actually work.
Cons
*Cities for which weather is displayed are wrong and can't be controlled
*The weather listed, even when the city is correct, is erroneous
*Ambient's customer service is weak
Pros
*Small footprint
*Uses less electricity than a computer
*Requires no wires or external power supply
Customer Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
I received this item as a gift 2-1/2 years ago and it worked great up until a few weeks ago. Then it stopped getting regular updates. Last week it went a full 7 days without an update. Where I used to get 2 or 3 bars, indicating I was getting excellent reception, suddenly the best I could get was 1 bar no matter where I went in my house. So I ordered a Bushnell 3-day forecaster that uses the same service -- it arrived yesterday and when I left for work this morning it was still sitting on the window sill with no data. I started doing some research and found a site where people were reporting problems with this device. The bottom line was that there's no real resolution. One reason given for no more updates is that this model is analog and the service providing the feed was switching to digital. The other reason was frequency changes in some of their coverage areas. So I called Ambient Devices' customer service today, they asked me for my zip code, and gave me the "frequency change" story. They told me there was no reason to believe my current old model would ever work properly again but that the newer version of the device, "V2" (SKU 588608) would work with the new frequency. (And for how long, I wonder, before their service provider decides to change frequencies again?!?!) By the way, I live in northeast Ohio and I get the feeling a lot of Ohio was hit with this "frequency change". Based on other customer comments about updates not being received, I think it's just a matter of time before other areas of the country get a similar change. If you must have a 5-day forecaster, get the newer "V2" model and keep your fingers crossed.Customer Review: Avoid this type of product - the coverage may change
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought the previous version of the 5 day weather forecaster from Brookstone via Amazon and 17 months later it is now useless. This device relies on weather data broadcast by Ambient Devices. The Ambient Devices coverage area has been changed so that I can no longer receive the weather data.
I contacted Ambient who apologized for the change, and suggested I contact Brookstone for a return. Brookstone said it was Amazon's problem since I shopped via Amazon. Amazon said "I see that you will not be eligible for a refund under the terms of our A-to-z Guarantee because your order was made more than 90 days ago."
If you check other customer feedback on such devices, you will find that this is a fairly common result.
If you are OK with a 90 day useful life, then go ahead and buy it!
Customer Review: Reception Problems; Shippoing Overcharges
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered this item which came quickly. Intended as a present, it was opened Xmas day. I installed the batteries and waited. And waited. And waited. There was no reception, despite my living in Toledo, OH, a city of 300,000.
Brookstone will refund the payment (they said). However, though the return was a result of a product defect ("inadequacy" might be more accurate), they will NOT refund the over-priced ($10.99) shipping. And, of course, return shipping was at my expense (though it was under $3.00).
In all, a disappointment, especially as a gift.
Customer Review: Don't buy this if you live in the Washington DC area
Summary: 1 Stars
I live just outside of the Washington DC border, and I get no signal, even when I walk outside with it. It's useless. In addition, the signal coverage map on Ambient's website has an invalid URL, so there's no way to figure out if I'm supposed to have signal coverage. I'm suprised that Brookstone sells this in their stores in the DC area. I would not recommend buying this in the DC area - and certainly not as a gift for someone in another location - who knows if they can get a signal. If you do buy it, save that receipt.