My experience with "SPOT"

[Dirty Nails]

Last year I got a SPOT satellite GPS Messenger before hiking the 100mi Wilderness in Maine. It's the second generation, lighter (5 oz.) unit.
I thought since it's pretty light and small, I would give it a try. Also, since I was in a more remote area than usual, poor phone coverage, my family liked that I could check-in nightly.
I'm not the type that needs to stay connected, I assure you, but it made family more comfortable. Having the ability to summon emergency assistance for me, or someone else is a nice feature as well, of coarse.
After the 2 week trip I found that it worked reliably well, transmitted every message I sent. It also was quite fast, typically sending a message in just a minute or two. The batteries are still in it from last year and OK. I have sent a brief message about 30-40 nights in the last year. That's powered ON for just a few minutes each time, no tracking.

When I activated my account last year, I paid $99 for the annual basic service, they offered the tracking feature and replacement plan at no additional cost...last year.
THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS.
THIS YEAR WAS ANOTHER STORY!!!
I saw what appeared to be a suspicious charge on my bank statement. Upon further examination I found it was a charge from SPOT. They charged me this year: $99 for the annual basic service fee, $17.99 for the replacement plan, and $49.99 for the tracking plan, and $12.99 for something else. After taxes I was billed $180.92.
I called them to discover they automatically renewed my subscription, added fees for the features I got free last year,deducted funds from my checking account and, best of all, did not send a bill or even so much as an e-mail notification! This was no mistake. They told me that according to the terms and conditions from last year I had agreed to this and they do not send ANY notice...NONE! If I inspect my SPOT account details I will find the bill posted there. You can be damn sure I got their newsletter selling me stuff though!
I was able to close my account and they say they will credit a full refund. Good thing I caught this in under 30 days or they would charge a $50 cancellation fee. I remember having a bad feeling last year when I found their customer service reps to be rude and not helpful.

Conclusion:The device appeared to work as advertised for my uses. Customer service was CRAP, and the billing policies are misleading and under-handed. I refuse to do business with any company that treats me this way...period!
They lost me as a customer!

If you own a SPOT, do you feel the same?

[Attila]

Same experience here. Two years plan charges were added to my credit card. Cancelled my account in August 2011.

[Spokes]

You ought to forward the link to this thread to SPOTS contact us page ( below). Be sure to tell them Whiteblaze.net is a forum for AT enthusiast with a large following and see what they do. You can also post a rant video on YouTube.

Most companies don't want experiences like yours going viral.

http://www.findmespot.com/en/contactus/index.php

[bulldog49]

Last year I got a SPOT satellite GPS Messenger before hiking the 100mi Wilderness in Maine. It's the second generation, lighter (5 oz.) unit.
I thought since it's pretty light and small, I would give it a try. Also, since I was in a more remote area than usual, poor phone coverage, my family liked that I could check-in nightly.
I'm not the type that needs to stay connected, I assure you, but it made family more comfortable. Having the ability to summon emergency assistance for me, or someone else is a nice feature as well, of coarse.
After the 2 week trip I found that it worked reliably well, transmitted every message I sent. It also was quite fast, typically sending a message in just a minute or two. The batteries are still in it from last year and OK. I have sent a brief message about 30-40 nights in the last year. That's powered ON for just a few minutes each time, no tracking.

When I activated my account last year, I paid $99 for the annual basic service, they offered the tracking feature and replacement plan at no additional cost...last year.
THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS.
THIS YEAR WAS ANOTHER STORY!!!
I saw what appeared to be a suspicious charge on my bank statement. Upon further examination I found it was a charge from SPOT. They charged me this year: $99 for the annual basic service fee, $17.99 for the replacement plan, and $49.99 for the tracking plan, and $12.99 for something else. After taxes I was billed $180.92.
I called them to discover they automatically renewed my subscription, added fees for the features I got free last year,deducted funds from my checking account and, best of all, did not send a bill or even so much as an e-mail notification! This was no mistake. They told me that according to the terms and conditions from last year I had agreed to this and they do not send ANY notice...NONE! If I inspect my SPOT account details I will find the bill posted there. You can be damn sure I got their newsletter selling me stuff though!
I was able to close my account and they say they will credit a full refund. Good thing I caught this in under 30 days or they would charge a $50 cancellation fee. I remember having a bad feeling last year when I found their customer service reps to be rude and not helpful.

Conclusion:The device appeared to work as advertised for my uses. Customer service was CRAP, and the billing policies are misleading and under-handed. I refuse to do business with any company that treats me this way...period!
They lost me as a customer!

If you own a SPOT, do you feel the same?

You aren't alone, I've read numerous reviews of others with the same experience. It's why I haven't bought one.

[snowsusie]

I've read this other places and knew it before I bought my SPOT. The only time they contact you is if your credit card is expired. I've since lost my SPOT. When I reported it lost, they wouldn't cancel my account but they did try to sell me a new one. So now the responsibility is on me, at renewal time to contact them before they charge me. It's still a valuable gadget to have but it's important to know their policy up front.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I've read this other places and knew it before I bought my SPOT. The only time they contact you is if your credit card is expired. I've since lost my SPOT. When I reported it lost, they wouldn't cancel my account but they did try to sell me a new one. So now the responsibility is on me, at renewal time to contact them before they charge me. It's still a valuable gadget to have but it's important to know their policy up front.

Sorry you lost the gear (I hate losing/misplacing stuff), but there is something that strikes me as inherently funny about a location reporting device that is not able to be found using its location reporting capabilities.

[-SEEKER-]

You ought to forward the link to this thread to SPOTS contact us page ( below). Be sure to tell them Whiteblaze.net is a forum for AT enthusiast with a large following and see what they do. You can also post a rant video on YouTube.

Most companies don't want experiences like yours going viral.

http://www.findmespot.com/en/contactus/index.php

If you, do you can add me as a person who was going to by one for next year, but after reading about their customer service on REI's site and here decided NOT to buy one.

[snowsusie]

yes, 4eye, I found the humor in that also. After I lost it, I checked my email to see if someone had found it and pressed the button to alert me of it's location. I did also ask the customer service rep if there was a way for them to track it. There isn't. What they do is record the serial number as lost/stolen. If someone tries to register it, they will be denied and have the option to return it to me.

Sorry you lost the gear (I hate losing/misplacing stuff), but there is something that strikes me as inherently funny about a location reporting device that is not able to be found using its location reporting capabilities.

[Tipi Walter]

I don't know why you guys insist on supporting, buying or using the SPOT contraption. Have the SPOT people (maybe STAINED is a better name) brainwashed us all with fear? Your story reminds me of a story I heard recently about the Wells Fargo bank charging $20 per month on their checking accounts if your balance goes below $1,000.

[q-tip]

I had the same experience with Spot. They charged my credit card $149.00 and when I tried to get the money back, they said it would take six sweeks to process cancellation. I got so pissed I called the President of the company and his assistant got my refund in 8 days. I was thinking about using the Spot on the CT next summer, but upon second thoughts, I'll risk my buns before doing business with them again.

[topshelf]

Little update on my SPOT, I have one and I thought it worked great(after we sent back our first because it stopped working all together), my parents and girlfriend said they always got my messages but we never checked the times the messages were received. This past August I was hiking and injured my foot bad enough I could not hike. I hobbled slowly, almost in a crawl, to the nearest road and sent a Come get me message to my parents and girlfriend. I sent a message every 15 minutes for over 8 hours. I then began to set up camp when they showed up almost 10 hours after I sent my first one. They got the first message 9.5 hours after I sent my first one. They continued to get messages over the next few days. It took a full day to get the 2nd message. We are getting a new one, this will be our third. It's a good thing I didn't hurt myself where I wasn't able to take care of myself. Another reason it's good to know first aid if you're out in the woods. If it was an emergency...no telling how long until the authorities would have gotten the message.

[4eyedbuzzard]

yes, 4eye, I found the humor in that also. After I lost it, I checked my email to see if someone had found it and pressed the button to alert me of it's location. I did also ask the customer service rep if there was a way for them to track it. There isn't. What they do is record the serial number as lost/stolen. If someone tries to register it, they will be denied and have the option to return it to me.

You would think that it could be programmed to turn itself on once a week, or month, or some user selected interval and send a report. Provided of course you kept fresh batteries in it. The current draw would only be enough to keep the clock chip running, which is very minimal. But, I often expect too much.

[Kermitt]

Thanks for the heads up on the spot renewal. I do have on myself & used it for my famally's peace of mind has I offten backpack along.

[bfayer]

I don't know why you guys insist on supporting, buying or using the SPOT contraption. Have the SPOT people (maybe STAINED is a better name) brainwashed us all with fear? Your story reminds me of a story I heard recently about the Wells Fargo bank charging $20 per month on their checking accounts if your balance goes below $1,000.

Because it gives my wife a level of comfort when I take my kids out into the mountains. That is the reason most people I know have one. It's not for ourselves, it's for the ones we leave at home.

If you don't have that issue, then don't buy one.

[Tipi Walter]

Because it gives my wife a level of comfort when I take my kids out into the mountains. That is the reason most people I know have one. It's not for ourselves, it's for the ones we leave at home.

If you don't have that issue, then don't buy one.

What's wrong with a simple Trac Fone or cellphone? Sure, it won't pull a signal in many places but it works okay. And a contract Trac Fone has no hidden fees or hoodwinking SPOT fine print.

[Spokes]

The mantra nowadays is to rely on yourself not your technology.

[bfayer]

What's wrong with a simple Trac Fone or cellphone? Sure, it won't pull a signal in many places but it works okay. And a contract Trac Fone has no hidden fees or hoodwinking SPOT fine print.

Phone batteries go dead pretty quickly especially with the GPS turned on. The spot batteries last for months.

At times we can be without cell coverage for a few days at a time.

If you want to get a Mom worried very quickly, call them on a cell phone in an area with poor coverage do the "can you here me now" thing for a minute or two and have the call drop with out them knowing if it was a "We're fine" or a "We need help" call.

A phone and a spot fill 2 different needs. Like I said, if keeping people at home in their comfort zone is not an issue, then don't buy one. An ELT like from McMurdo or ARC is a much better tool for emergencies anyway and there is no fee, but the spot is perfect for what it is designed for.

[Dirty Nails]

UPDATE: SPOT did refund my money within about a week.

The intent of this thread is to share information, perhaps to assist anyone who is considering buying/using the device. Also to inform folks who may be in their first year's billing cycle and to warn them they may be in for a surprise.
The intent of the original post is NOT to influence, criticize, or qualify anyone's choices or reasons for using it or not. I have described my FIRST HAND experience and opinion with the product and associated crappy service. I feel it is more useful to focus on the original topic and try to provide fair and useful info.