Reviews on Side Deal - the suction cup speaker…
2How does one write a review for a side deal item? I got the suction cup Bluetooth speaker that’s selling for $29 right now in an IRK (no box, but same brand on the item) and it is one of the worst speakers I’ve ever heard. I’m not upset because it was in an IRK with other stuff and I only complain about IRK items in a reveal thread, but I’d like to warn potential buyers about this (and save customer support some angry emails). Do not expect $30 sound if it’s anything like the unboxed unit I got. But I’m also torn because I don’t want to talk too much trash about the items for sale because I want all of the sites to do well. Thoughts?
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Pro tip: don’t leave reviews for items that people will buy new in box based off an item received in an IRK as you don’t know if the reason that it’s in the IRK is because it’s not functioning properly.
@Ignorant I’d agree generally, with the caveat that it’s pretty easy to tell if it’s a refurb/open box return vs a new/sealed product, and this information should be included in any review. If the reviewer doesn’t remember, they should disclose this as well (along with the fact that they got said product in an IRK).
In concept, I agree, however, I think that in this case, the unit I got functions, but just is a pretty crappy speaker. Based on the unit I got I think $5 would be worth it (charitably). If the sound was ‘ok’ but i just didn’t think it was quite worth $30, I wouldn’t have mentioned it at all. But for $30 I think that people might expect something that far exceeds the quality of the item I have experience with. It is very much the case of having to be a catastrophic defect with the one I got. This isn’t a case of the $9 Tzumi mini waterproof speaker not sounding like a Sonos (although those little Tzumi speakers were a steal at $9 i thought…I ordered several and people loved them for being a great product at the price point). At $10 I probably wouldn’t have mentioned anything, and fair play for open IRK items probably not being representative of a best case new item, but I’d love to see what someone who laid out $30 thinks of their new in box version of this speaker. I’d bet my lunch money they’d agree with my assessment. By the same token, I’d love to be wrong and learn that the one I received really does have some kind of massive defect, because I’ve never had a problem with the price::quality ratio with any of the meh family of sites.
Can you describe how and why exactly the speaker is crappy? (Build quality, sound quality, functionality/UX, etc.)
EDIT: I also find it unusual that the SideDeal listing makes no mention at all that the speaker is (apparently) branded AXE, as in the shower gel company.
The branding is something that confused me as well…in fact, after I charged and paired it, I assumed by the sound quality that it had been a free speaker included with the shower gel at some point when BT speakers were cheap enough to be throwaway gifts, but new enough to be an effective enticement to buy soap. The build quality isn’t awful, but the materials are clearly standard OEM-grade plastic. The button surfaces are larger than the small pegs that they cover (pressing the buttons sometimes requires more effort/concentration than many of us are probably used to due to the surface::peg ratio). The suction cup on mine is clear and does not work well enough to hold up the speaker, but I assumed that it was an IRKy thing and that the pictured suction cup would work better. The sound quality is perhaps the most surprising thing, and why I was shocked to see it selling new for $30. It’s lacking clarity, volume, and range. The speakers I’m used to having in the shower are the $9 Tzumi round speaker from several years ago and a $24 refurb Anker that I think I got from woot a year or two after the Tzumi (which was so good I bought more of and gave to people who have really enjoyed them). As much as I like those speakers, they’re not going to win sound quality awards other than maybe for $X the sounds is surprisingly decent. I don’t know how well the speaker would float, and with the suction cup/lanyard attached I’m not sure it wouldn’t flip over. (As it would happen, years ago I bought another $10 floating speaker on meh ) that also seems superior to the Axe in build quality, sound quality, and my impression of ‘floatworthiness’.
Update, of sorts. I now know that if one orders an item, the opportunity to review the item will be provided as a link in the deliver confirmation email. Sadly, I learned this when I received ear buds rather than the $80 speaker I ordered (and whined about in another thread I started this morning). I’m not going to write THAT review just yet…