I bought a couple Zooz ZEN76 switches from The Smartest House and when I went to install one I had troubles with the down paddle where it routinely locked up. So I contacted The Smartest House support for a replacement and they wanted me to "grind the tip of the button trigger" to fix the problem. When I told them I would prefer to not have to do surgery on a brand new product they said that is fine and to send it back to them and they will "fix the switch and send it back". Call me old fashion but when I buy a new product from a distributer I don't expect them to make modifications to it and treat it like it was new. It makes me question if something else I buy is really new from the factory or something that has been modified that someone else sent back. Their prices are great but maybe this is why. I would prefer to pay a little more straight from Zooz and feel more confident the product has not been modified by god knows who. Has anyone else had similar dealings with them?
Update: So I did a little more digging and it appears the only place to get Zooz in the US is thru Smartest House (or Amazon who uses Smartest House). So it appears if I want the switch that's my only option which to me is not really an option is it? Very disappointing.
This! I have as well they are very responsive and helpful. @agnes.zooz is usually lurking around these forums.
I have installed a large number of their switches - over 90+ toggle dimmers/switches (Zen23/24) between my house and my clients. I've found you do have to be careful - always use the short screws that come with the package and also be careful about over tightening things which can warp the plate which can cause issues with the toggles (paddles are probably different). Also you have to be careful about the load to make sure it suits your light fixture(s) - in general hooking up to a fan is not recommended. I've used the more expensive GE Enbrightens for that purpose.
I'm having a hard time being upset about Zooz suggesting:
A quick repair on your end that might have had you up and running the fastest way possible. Understand if you don't want to do that, but the suggestion is reasonable and responsive to helping you as quickly as possible.
That they will make the repair and return the switch. If it works when it's returned then you're out nothing (but time) and you get (I would assume) a switch that will be reliable since Zooz folks worked on it directly.
Not saying you have to feel like me, but that's how I would feel about this situation.
If you read my whole post I soon added the fact that I discovered they were the same. My first thought was that a distributer was trying to modify someone else's product. But now I see they are one and the same. I have since asked for them to send me the instructions on how to fix it and I will just do it myself instead of the round trip.
My 2 cents is, since they are usually very happy to replace, is that they are feeling the pinch from all this lockdown nonsense and massive unemployment, and trying to cut corners. I could see if it was a new car, but it's a 40$ switch, just replace it.
1st rule of retail-
The customer is always right
I think the whole thing is sorta weird. I have seen and purchased open box and refurbs before from many companies. I am sure that some of it were returns like this, maybe a minor rework or something needed but not 100% new.
I am sort of surprised that they didn't just do a return.
I would love to hear @agnes.zooz feedback on this topic.
Not quite. He would have to pay to ship it to Zooz. I had to replace 2 Zen30s a little while back because one was DOA and the other died after a couple of hours. Cost me $12 to ship them back in for a warranty replacement. Was a little disappointed by that.
In this case they did send me a pre-paid UPS label so that would not have been the case with me. Once I found out Zooz was the in-house brand for The Smartest House I just asked them for the modification instruction which they sent me today. I plan to modify it later but it looks pretty simple.
Man...I would never ever pay shipping if I had DOA products, which you essentially had (dying w/in a couple hours is DOA). In that case I would have raised h_ll until I got to the right level person to agree to pay for shipping.
First of all, sorry for any confusion and hassle around the purchase and thank you for your patience @akelly! This is a brand new model and the paddles are replaceable on it. It's a new design + the first production run on these and we're seeing some small machine-related issues on selected paddles. This is being addressed on the manufacturing side and will not be a problem with the next production run (so far we were only able to replicate it on selected switches for the ZEN76 model, no other 700 models haven't shown this issue at all). And again, this is not a modification to any of the electrical or electronic parts but a cosmetic change to the plastic paddle which is now replaceable on the user side.
Yes we do! So even if a product is sold out we'll typically have extras for replacements and samples if needed.
As mentioned above, the issue @akelly experienced with his switch was a small manufacturing defect on a product from the first production run so in this case not related to the product condition. If anything is sold as open box or refurbished (or even used) on The Smartest House website, it will always be pre-tested and fully functional (so it won't require any modifications on the user side).
Thank you to everyone who vouched for us in this thread and for tagging me to comment, I hope it's helpful!
I had a switch stop working correctly a while back. It had been in quite awhile and I just kinda wrote it off. I took it out and it was sitting on the bench for a couple weeks. I wondered if it might be re-pairable. I contacted Thesmartesthouse. They immediately said it was still under warranty, which surprised me. They asked a few more questions, then said a new one was on it's way and to send back the old one when I got the new one.
This is the kind of support I have always gotten from them. They are super in my book.
I think you got lucky. Here's what their refund policy page states
Exchanges
We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange a defective product for the same item, please send us an e-mail to info@thesmartesthouse.com so we can initiate a replacement for you.
Shipping
You will receive return instructions with return authorization once you contact us via info@thesmartesthouse.com
You are responsible for shipping costs associated with the return. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
@waterboysh I have to believe that is only for returns associated with products that are not defective and that buyer simply wants a refund. That is how I interpret that and to me makes the most sense.
I'm speaking from personal experience. Here is Zooz support directly telling me I needed to pay the return shipping when I sent in two Zen30s for a warranty replacement.
and for tagging me to comment, I hope it's helpful!
