On Your Side: What to Do When Vox Won't Talk

I purchased the Vox N1, an external NAS hard drive, because it was advertised as a Digital Living Network Alliance-compliant product. A user should be able to stream media from one DLNA-compliant product to another. I wanted to use the NAS drive as a media server plugged into a router, but it worked only when plugged into a USB port of a booted, networked computer. Vox promised me a full refund if I sent the N1 back. Vox has my N1 now and has yet to refund me. Can you please help?

Rajah Chacko, Charlotte, North Carolina

OYS responds: We attempted to contact Vox Products (also known as Vox Inc. and Vox Digital Corp.) multiple times, but never received any response. We called the phone number on Vox's Web site and left two messages, but a full mailbox (most likely from other unsatisfied customers) prevented us from leaving more.

Vox Products has a history of being un­­responsive: The Better Business Bureau has logged 69 complaints about the company over the past 36 months; of those, 30 have gone unanswered.

If you run into an unresponsive company like Vox, file a complaint with the BBB and with your state attorney general's office. We also recommend notifying your local district attorney office's consumer protection division and filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

To verify a vendor's claim that a product is DLNA compliant, check the list of such devices at www.dlna.org. Certification by the Digital Living Network Alliance ensures that a device has been tested and proved to be compatible with various consumer electronics designed to meet the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines.

Friends in High Places

Mark Stolzenburg of Chesterfield, Missouri, was generally happy with his Canon Faxphone L80's print results, but continual paper jams and partially printed documents led him to contact Canon tech support. Given the option of exchanging the unit, he clearly specified that he didn't want a used machine.

Nevertheless, when Stolzenburg picked up the unit, he found that it was a used, remanufactured machine. Exasperated, he contacted Canon's president directly and cc'd us. Canon sent Stolzenburg a new printer, which he says is working great.

We can't be sure whether including On Your Side in his e-mail got Stolzenburg better treatment, but it's worth a try. If you don't receive a satisfactory response from customer support, we recommend escalating your complaint to the customer service manager and cc'ing the company president and On Your Side.

HP Notebook Battery Recall

Hewlett-Packard, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 70,000 lithium ion batteries used in assorted HP and Compaq laptops. Product lines that may contain an affected battery include Compaq Presario, HP, HP Pavilion, and HP Compaq (see "HP Notebook PC Battery Pack Replacement Program" for a list of models and battery bar codes). There have been two reports of batteries overheating, but to this point no injuries have been reported. HP recommends that consumers immediately remove the recalled battery from their notebook and order a free replacement battery through the Web site mentioned above. Call HP at 800/889-2031 for more information.

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Posted in: Apple,Apple Tips and Tricks