ColorMunki Photo - Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler
by X-Rite
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: X-RiteFormat: CD-ROM
Platform: Mac OS X, Windows XP
Model: CMUNPH
Color: Black
Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of ColorMunki Photo - Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler
Customer Review: Simply Didn't Work; Terrible Customer Support
Summary: 1 Stars
A summary:
-It flat-out didn't work, which would have lead me to distrust it's accuracy even if it had looked passable.
-The tech support people were very, very slow troubleshooters, and couldn't fix my problem.
-This was apparently a hardware AND software problem; the replacement unit they sent was better, but still bad. They said that the replacement wasn't broken.
-It was very hard to get my money back.
-THE WHOLE PROCESS TOOK A TOTAL OF 142 DAYS.
The details:
I got this as a gift, after asking for it.
Once I got it, I installed the software and followed the directions to calibrate ('profile') my monitor. The result was AWFUL! Very green. I easily could have calibrated it much more accurately with my Mac's built-in calibration software.
So, I assumed that there was a problem on my end. I sent an e-mail to their technical support department, via their website.
I got a nice, prompt response. They blamed the USB port on the MacBook Pros (WHICH IS NOT THE LAPTOP I HAVE; I said, "black MacBook") and suggested that I try using a USB hub. I tried, and nothing. Naturally, I replied to the email, telling them (again) which computer I actually had, as well as the result of their proposed test.
I got an automated "Message received. We anticipate that we will respond within 4 business hours" message. I never got any other response of any kind.
I gave them the benefit of a doubt and tried agin.
Exactly the same result: NOTHING.
I was busy at the time, and had to wait a bit before pursuing this further.
Just before I was going to try again, I got a short email from someone higher-up. This one had an ACTUAL CASE NUMBER. It finally gave me a phone number, and asked me to call them. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. They're on Eastern Time, and I Pacific. They are open 8:00-5:00 their time. I can't call during the day (like most people), and the three-hour time difference meant that I couldn't call after work (they were gone).
I finally got a day off and called then.
She asked me to send them the ICC profiles that their software had created so that they could be reviewed by a "color scientist".
WEEKS LATER, I HADN'T HEARD A THING from them. I was able to call again, and she said that she would try to hurry thing along a bit.
Finally, she sent a message saying that it was clear that there was a problem. (Ya think?)
They thought it might be a hardware problem with my particular unit, and said that they would replace it. This was a good idea, I thought. They very pretty good about it, even paying for me to ship it back to them.
The new unit arrived. The results from this one wasn't as green; rather, more blue. Still NO WHERE NEAR ACCURATE.
I sent them the profiles again. The 'color scientist' looked at them again.
About ten days later, she asked me to try CHANGING ONE THING. Well, guess what: It made NO DIFFERENCE.
Since they were still giving me nothing (literally, no contact at all), I tried calling again. I got ahold of the woman who was supposedly helping me, and she had me try changing a few values. The result was darker (what we expected) but it was STILL BLUE.
A while later, with NO MORE PROGRESS AT ALL, I had had enough. I reminded them that I had been working on this for a long time (at this point, it had been 86 DAYS). I said that I unless we had made some significant progress in fixing these problems within two weeks, I would be asking them for an RMA to return the product.
She responded relatively promptly and said that she would re-forward all of the data to the color scientist (admitting that he HADN'T EVEN LOOKED AT IT YET), and said that she would do all she could to expedite the process of finding a fix.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING happened between the time she sent that email and the time when I had said that I would ask for an RMA.
I asked for an RMA.
She said, "I am sorry to hear that you were not able to get the ColorMunki to work for you." That was more than a little annoying. Here came the next problem. Since this was a gift given to me by someone, and it was purchased here on Amazon, ColorMunki/X-Rite (CM's parent company) couldn't help me. I would have to go through Amazon.
Well, that wasn't ideal (Amazon didn't what had happened), but I was willing to try it. My mistake.
I asked for a return from Amazon.
*IT HAD NOW BEEN 97 DAYS since I first tried the product.*
This is considerably longer than the 30 days from purchase during which Amazon accepts returns for this product.
We called Amazon and got a sales rep whom we persuaded to give us a refund. Great!
Once the refund had been processed and I got the invoice for it, I noticed a problem. Since the item had been returned outside of the 30-day window, I had been charged a $69 RESTOCKING FEE. That wasn't okay. The reason that it had been returned so late was that I had been so patient and tried to make a good-faith effort to fix the problems, working with the manufacturer.
I told this to Amazon. They said that I would have to work things out with ColorMunki. I agreed with them.
I told this to ColorMunki. They said that I would have to work things out with Amazon. I did not agree with them.
I told ColorMunki what Amazon had said, as well as my story (which they already knew), and why I felt that they should refund my money.
They gave me the address of someone at what I believe to be X-Rite's parent company (the MAC Group US).
I sent him an e-mail, to which I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE.
I sent him ANOTHER EMAIL, which HE ALSO IGNORED (stop me if any of this sounds familiar).
Finally, I got a curt message from him saying that the fee had been charged by Amazon, and they had nothing to do with Amazon's policies. In other words, he wouldn't help me.
I told the woman whom I was working with originally (again) why I believed that they owed me the $70.
By way of response, she sent an email to another guy at the MAC Group and CC'd me.
A few days later, I received a nice email from the new guy (who turned out to be really helpful) saying that he was sure he could help me, and to give him the order number and receipt.
I verified the information with him.
After a while, having heard nothing, I sent him an email asking the status of the refund.
He verified which fee I was talking about, and asked for my address to send a check!
He said that he would send me a check and then he would deal with Amazon, so I wouldn't have to wait. Very kind!
A week later, I hadn't received a check.
I sent him an email telling this, and a few days later he responded, telling me that the check had gone to the wrong address (he blamed his wife, who had reportedly filled out the label).
He said that he had been in contact with the stranger (five blocks away from me) to whom he had accidentally sent the check. He said that this person had kindly offered to drop it off at my house; and left me her phone number, telling me to call.
I called her, and she said that she had called the man who sent the check, and not heard back after a week. Thus, she had taken the check back to the post office.
I told the man who had sent me the check.
He sent me an email saying that he had been away at a trade show, and promised to send a new check in the morning.
Soon, I had received and successfully cashed the check!
I had finally, 142 DAYS AFTER THE START, gotten a full refund.
==TO RECAP:==
It flat-out didn't work, which would have lead me to distrust it's accuracy even if it had looked passable.
They were very, very slow troubleshooters, and couldn't fix my problem.
This was apparently a hardware AND software problem; the replacement unit was better, but still bad. They said that the replacement wasn't broken.
It was very hard to get my money back.
Description of ColorMunki Photo - Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler
Designed especially for professional photographers and passionate hobbyists, the ColorMunki Photo is an all-in-one spectrophotometer that allows you to adjust and match colors between devices. The ColorMunki is the only device you need to calibrate your computer monitors, projectors, and printers so that the color you see on screen is precisely the same as the color you'll get in print. With ColorMunki, you'll finally be able to stop wasting ink, paper, and valuable time with trial-and-error color correction, and enjoy the benefits of precise color from the beginning. As a photographer, you know perfect color is essential. But with today's complex digital imaging workflows, getting colors to match between devices can be a challenge. ColorMunki simplifies this challenge with its easy-to-use interface and self-guided system, streamlining the process while still delivering optimal results. In just minutes, you'll be able to synchronize your monitor's colors with the colors of your printer or projector.Designed especially for professional photographers and passionate hobbyists, the ColorMunki Photo is an all-in-one spectrophotometer that allows you to adjust and match colors between devices. The ColorMunki is the only device you need to calibrate your computer monitors, projectors, and printers so that the color you see on screen is precisely the same as the color you'll get in print. With ColorMunki, you'll finally be able to stop wasting ink, paper, and valuable time with trial-and-error color correction, and enjoy the benefits of precise color from the beginning.
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