I wanted to clear the air regarding previous issues I have posted concerning UEI, specifically their Q50's.

The short version:
..I am a DIY'er with significant experience with Prontos and other customizable remotes
..had no response from my local "dealers" when trying to purchase through the "proper" channels
..found a Q50 and NevoConnect on eBay from a reported "dealer" [73 pos. feedback on same units]
.."confirmed" they were a true dealer via email prior to purchasing
..bought unit
..The Q50 "locked up" [would not fully boot past the home screen] when attempting the first firmware update
..no response from seller after repeated attempts
..filed PayPal buyer protection dispute...suddenly correspondence with seller became easy
..after many emails with UEI support, I was asked to send the remote directly to William Belle at UEI, for him to attempt to resurect the unit. After much effort, Bill conceded defeat. The unit was "bad". This man is a true asset to that company!!
..He then overnighted the unit back to me to keep me within the "dispute window" in PayPal.
..I sent the unit back to the seller.
..seller replaced with new unit
..New unit arrived yesterday and works flawlessly!!!! [I've had weeks to tweak my config!!!]

With that said, I would like to retract my previous negative remarks regarding the volatility of these units and UEI in general. I got a bad one. It happens. This one functioned right out of the box, as expected. I truly appreciate all the valid input from this site's members. Of all the remotes I have programmed, StudioPro is by far the most user friendly application. Being a DIY'er, my system is not nearly as complicated as some of the pros that post regularly are designing/installing, however I am using a NevoConnect, Nevo voltage sensor, 3 zone Yamaha receiver etc. My hat's off to UEI tech support division [William Belle specifically!], and the members of this forum that provided me "constructive" advice.

Although I am not a fan of the "dealer only" sale policy for the UEI products [StudioPro is so easy to learn, I feel they could definitely carve a larger market share if they sold to the public], the moral of my story is: buy from a true dealer if you expect to receive support.

Evohome, let's call a truce :)

Best Regards,
Blake

That's fantastic that it all worked out for you, Blake! I'm really glad, as I am a big fan of the Q50 myself (I now have two of them), and I know that they can be great remotes.

It's very decent and considerate of you to post that update. Many people don't bother, and I think the complete picture of your Q50 experience is far more helpful and informative to other members than just the initial frustration.

And I do agree that it simply makes more sense to buy from authorized dealers. I certainly understand those who want the sophisticated capabilities of a remote like the Nevo, but just can't afford the MSRP. Puts them in a real tough spot since there are so few purchasing channels for this equipment. If they want to take the risk of a cut-rate eBay alternative, that's their prerogative. But they need to understand the inherent risks of going that route. I think your experience helps with that.

Again, really glad it worked out for you!

All:

Forget what I said above. The replacement unit backlight is already inoperative. Two faulty units in 4 months is unacceptable and obviously shows a weak product. I've spent $50 in shipping, above the initial purchase, and have to stop the bleeding. Unless your dealer is willing to reimburse for "in warranty" shipping costs, I would stay away from the purchase of this unit if it requires shipping. I write this based upon my first hand experience.

Sincerely,

Blake

Well, that is just bad luck. These units are very solid, in my opinion and we have probably sold more than anyone in the US.

Asking the dealer to cover two-way shipping is really not a good solution. The dealer already pays out of pocket to ship a defective unit to the client. In general, all we ask is the client pay shipping in one direction. This is our typical policy not sure how other dealers feel.

Not sure about other dealers but we offer an reasonable service contract which would just about get you a new unit for free and the service contract company pays us a samll fee for sending a new unit. This is an option, although certainly not a requirement. A service contract is not required for this product. It has been very solid.

[email protected]

We've sold over 210 of these remotes since Sept 07. Only have had 1 bad remote with a backlight issue.

Cheers,
Drew