FIRMWARE UPDATE VIA BLUETOOTH CONNECTION FOR SMH10A

Comments

59 comments

  • Neilwaldeck
    Neilwaldeck

    Sena. I bought my unit just under a year ago. I should have been told that a new model was available or imminent I receive your mail regarding an upgrade and it is just illogical what you are offering . I paid R3500 rand ( South Africa) and now you offer me a trade in which is simply not economical> Based on a current exchange rate of R10.50 =1 Euro  total costs would be 89 x 10.5 = R934.50 per head piece + vat = R1065 .33 .I have a twin head set so the costs  @ R2200 will negate any benefit of trade in? Why is it that the upgrade offer elsewhere is $49 and i am offered a trade in at almost double that rate..Sena..you are simply not playing fair in this regard

     

    0
  • Neilwaldeck
    Neilwaldeck

    Correction to my previous comment Total per headset = R1210.33 ,upgrade for the dual head set R2400 ..Ridiculous..why am not being offered the 49 Dollar$ rate? 

    0
  • Matthew Griffin
    Matthew Griffin

    I ended up buying a single SMH10A for their "special" price ($137.95). Did this to allow V4 SW for a trip (which I just completed)!!! The SW was suppose to be ready early March but it has yet to appear.

    0
  • Pjpearson
    Pjpearson

    Have just come across this,it may be  interest to UK owners.Would expect expiry date to be 2012.

    http://www.motorcycle-tourer.co.uk/sena-smh10-upgrade-main-module-limited-offer/

    0
  • peter glancy
    peter glancy

    had a look at £89 pound offer, its for the module/cable only, if i buy this and and the other bits individualy its not far of the same price, maybe saving a tenner, not such a great deal sena. i love this product and c

    0
  • peter glancy
    peter glancy

    had a look at £89 pound offer, its for the module/cable only, if i buy this and and the other bits individualy its not far of the same price, maybe saving a tenner, not such a great deal sena. i love this product and can

    0
  • Ra
    Ra

    I got a new smh10a a few months ago. I paid top dollar and now find that it's a technological dead-end. I can't return it and I can't upgrade it.

    Sena, you guys Screwed Up.  If you make a major change like this, there's a way to do it.

    1.  Put a discount on the end-of-life device to clear out the channel.
    2.  Put out a new model with a slight change in name+appearance

    The change could be as simple as a screened color dot on the jog dial--something inexpensive.

    I understand the expense for Sena to do a free upgrade, and know that it's hard for a new/small company to do this. I also know that these older units are dangerous for Sena's reputation since new buyers can't tell the difference. 

    A $49 upgrade makes sense to capture/destroy these old units, keep the customer base loyal and also cover the relatively minor production cost of the devices.

    0
  • william DeVore
    william DeVore

    SENA, Hello SENA...

    18 days and counting....What have you decided about  extending the $49 offer to the rest of us????

    Thanks for the timely reply,

    Bill DeVore

    0
  • Sena
    Sena

    Thank you for all your advices. We feel sorry about the situation that we cannot be able to fully satisfy all your needs.

    1) If you are a user from North America, then please contact sales via sales@senabluetooth.com or 408-448-1997.

    2) If you are a user from other countries, please ask it to your local retailers or contact us by sales@senabluetooth.com.

    0
  • william DeVore
    william DeVore

    Sena-

    Thanks for the reply. That's great that most of us will be taken care of with the extension $49 upgrade! I will call them right away!

    Thanks,

    Bill DeVore, Another satisfied Sena customer!

    0
  • peter glancy
    peter glancy

    I have not been offered $49 ?   ive had several comunictions with sena , $119/ £89  for a module/lead only,  someone wrote on this forum that they accepted this offer and was able to set up old units for his son and son-inlaw ?  they would need to buy the rest of the kit, the cost of buying the module and the individual parts would be about same price as just buying the whole thing again.where is the logic in this? is this somone from sena ? is there other customers on this forum being offered the $49 deal and if so is it just American customers.

    0
  • MC Enthusiast
    MC Enthusiast

    I am surprised the buyers of the "A" units expect Sena to give them free or $49 B units. Unless the retailer mis-lead them by claiming the firmware was upgradeable I don't see the logic? Even then the beef would be with the retailer not Sena.

    I bought a new  2006 Toyota Camry and then Toyota came out with a new body style and improvements in 2007, should I expect Toyota  to send me a new Camry at no charge or even half price?  How about the guy that bought an LED flat screen TV one year then the next year the same TV comes out but with more features? Is he entitled to a free or $49 upgrade? How about computers? If Sena came out with a "C" unit the day after I bought a "B" unit I would not feel Sena owed me anything.

    It is a given that the technology world changes at lightning pace and you can wait for years to buy something or jump in and expect new and better models to be introduced almost immediately.

    If the A units performed as advertised and are good units then you got a good deal. The fact Sena even offered anything to the A buyers is commendable.

    0
  • Ra
    Ra

    MC Enthusiast,

    I understand and agree with your perspective for people who were "early adopters" and have had their product for a while. What about the people who buy a kit today? There are still "old" A units available, being sold alongside the B units, both being sold as "new". The buyer, in most cases, won't know the difference and, quite probably, the sales staff won't know either. Both versions are being sold at the same price.

    In your car example, you differentiate the two models by saying that one is a 2006 and the improved verion is a 2007 and has different styling. This will signal to the buyer that there may be some differences, causing them to investigate. Sena is making no attempt to distinguish the old and new versions, and this is my complaint.

    The "B" version should be called and labeled the SMH10+. A simple, inexpensive step that let's people know there's a difference. I understand there's a financial cost to this as the old "A" units will drop in value. Sena knows the retailers will be upset to have new stock that suddenly drops in value. Rather than accept this loss, Sena is hiding the facts and allowing the end customer to buy old technology. This is not the action of a customer-friendly company.

    The sad thing is that most of the money in tech products is in the R&D, not the production. Sena could easily do a buy back of the new and recently sold A units and crush them. Caveat Emptor.

    0
  • MC Enthusiast
    MC Enthusiast

    RA- While I would agree many consumers are not as "tuned in" to the year/model differences in electronics like they are with cars we must recognize Sena does label the units SMH10A and SMH10B. So their is a difference. Like iPhone 3 vs. iphone 4 vs,  iPhone 4s. If someone is shopping for a MC intercom system I gotta believe they have a little consumer savvy as a MC system is not a very common purchase and most people would do a little research like they do with smartphones.

    But I will grant you this, Sena could have made the model number difference more obvious. Like SMH10-4.0, SMH10 Premium, SMH10 Gold, SMH20 ,etc

    I will still say if the retailer did not mislead you and you unit has performed as advertised then Sena has fulfilled their obligation.They should be commended for the discounts they have offered the A customers.

     

    P.S. I do not work for Sena and am in no way related to Sena other than a satisfied customer (so far).

     

     

    0
  • Ra
    Ra

    Sena DID NOT clearly label my version A model as such. I'd LOVE to see your photo and explanation of a "version A" label. If such a beast exists, it's most likely either an end-of-run label (as they were preparing to launch the B models) or photoshopped.

    I have to believe that if they were thinking ahead enough to label a version A, they would have made the firmware upgradeable. If they were customer friendly, they would have been more open about what they were doing.

    I respect open and honest companies, not companies that like to bury important details in the fine print. Look at Nordstrom or LL Bean, or even Amazon.com. Sena has an interesting product. They need to mature into a reliable company. (Don't believe for a moment that the multiple continents presence means squat--these are minor operations).

    I hope Sena learns about the business practices of respected companies quickly. For now, they've made mistakes and I hope they are learning from them.

    I stand by my comment that the Version A devices pose a risk to the Sena's reputation.

     

    0
  • A Delrosario
    A Delrosario

    I think it's time to elevate this to a higher level. We are going around in circles here. If the big boss says can't extend the $49 program, then we shut up, take our business somewhere else the next time around.  

    I was going to bite the $119 discount but I found these comparo.  http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=649720. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxAA5njR7Wg

    0
  • MC Enthusiast
    MC Enthusiast

    RA-  I guess you have a point, I am not well versed in the SMH10-A so I guess when I said they were labeled SMH10A and SMH10B I was wrong. They must have been labeled SMH10 and SMH10B? Does it matter? Splitting hairs a liitle bit, still a  difference (think iPhone 4 and 4s), but could have been more distinct as perviuosly mentioned by both of us.

    I guess you tell me, when you purchased at the agreed upon price did you expect to get a firmware upgradeable model? If so,you have a legit beef with the retailer or Sena. If not, you are looking for a handout and probably would not be satisfied regardless.

     

    AD- The you tube video and the linked review did nothing to convince me the Scala is better. In fact the review seemed to favor Sena. How often will the distance difference come in to play compared to the sound quality and ease of use issues? According to the video It sounded like the Scala sound quality starts to deteriorate starting at 1000 ft (about the same range as the Sena) For me,  I might take a ride with other Sena owners maybe 4 times a year , and how often will they be more than 1000 ft away when I want to talk to them? Not a big factor.

    On the other hand, every time I use the Sena on every ride the sound quality and ease of use will be very important. Sena wins hands down.

     

    0
  • A Delrosario
    A Delrosario

    MC Enthusiast.

    You missed my point. Totally.

    0
  • MC Enthusiast
    MC Enthusiast

    I don't think I missed your point at all. You were trying to rally some people together to go buy from Scala if Sena did not give you the $49 deal. You included links to one of Sena's competitors products. I simply pointed out that one of those links led to a review that seemed to show that Sena's product was better. Am I wrong?

    Seriously, did Sena screw you out of something? Or did you just happen to buy just before they  introduced a new feature to the product? It is as simple as that.

     Why is it that people don't treat companies with the same respect they treat individuals? Deeper pockets? Faceless?

    I am a small business owner and as you can probably summize I am not real fond of consumers that bad mouth and try to bully companies by posting negative, threatening, and baseless  comments on the internet. Companies like Sena work hard to develop and make a good product for us riders and unfortunately a few consumers that don't get their way want to paint them as a bad company. If the units you bought do not perform as advertised when you bought them then you have a legit issue and should pursue it, but if they work as advertised then what you are doing lacks integrity. All I am suggesting is DO THE RIGHT THING (either way).

    I still have yet to read a logical reason why the SMH10A owners should get a free or $49 upgrade. The fact that Sena offered anyone that $49 or free deal amazes me and just confirms my high opinion of Sena.

     

    0
  • A Delrosario
    A Delrosario

    MCEnthusiast,

    You still miss my point. Really! Seriously! 

    0
  • MC Enthusiast
    MC Enthusiast

    A Delrosario,

     

    Did I miss it or did you not make it? Really! Seriously!

    0
  • David McMenemy
    David McMenemy
    MC A lot of text here about nothing. If you are happy, find the I'm a happy punter section of the forum and sing Sena's praides till you're content. You're interventionist not really helpful. Sena must have been aware of the advances and improvements they were making and could have warned recent buyers that a new model was in the offing, but they didn't, a sales ploy that backfired or they would not have made the original reduced price exchange. The only reason that some of us did not find about that is that some people don't find registering products immediately that important,doesn't mean that they should be punished for that or Sena should make that clear at the start of the easy set up guide as a warning. Stay well and keep the shiny side up.
    0
  • David McMenemy
    David McMenemy
    Just been offered an exchange by supplier for £90 or $146. Ah well might buy a new unit, but which make, NOT Sena. So much for extending $49 exchange offer.
    0
  • peter glancy
    peter glancy

    I did not want to get pulled into this, but theres so much dribble. ... the car comment.!!!  would you spent the same money on an older model of a new car for the same price as the new model. No, I do not think so, and if you did, you would not be happy, and the iphone comment !!! my 8 year old knows the difference between an iphone 3 and an iphone 4, thats great advertizing/promoting of their new model. No comparison.

    The sena sh10 is a great product, and i have promoted it on my yamaha,ducati,bmw and IAM forums,  and if sena had not offered a $49 upgrade, i would probably still be happy. but they did ..... only in America/Canada ! is this not a global company who sells all over the world, whats the differance between a British bcustomer and an American one?  when this was pionted out, sena offered us in europe a cheap upgrade deal $119/ £90 and you can keep your old unit. only a fool would think this was a cheap upgrade, sena is just selling us a new module for £90 (good prophit) and then if you wanted to use your old unit on another lid, you would need to buy all the other stuff thats in the kit, bringing it roughly to the same price as a new sh10b.   So there it is, if I was an American and was offered $49 upgrade i would be happy, but Im not , Im Scottish and feel shafted.

    0
  • David McMenemy
    David McMenemy
    Ditto Peter, including the Scottish bit!!!
    0
  • Ctiggemann
    Ctiggemann

    Here it is July and I just found out from my dealer that there even was a different model.  The first time I used the SMH10 now known as the (A) model I was so disappointed in the wind noise that I assumed I had bought junk and just put it back in the box and on a shelf in the closet.  After notice from my dealer I then found out that the model I had purchased was not upgradeable.  I am doing some further testing to see if some how the way I installed the headset was wrong or if I indeed have a bad unit or two since I bought the dual pack.  I did hear from my dealer that there was a replacement module available for $119 (yes I am in the US).  That seems a bit excessive as the new unit which incudes charges/mics/mounting kits is $285.  For less the $50 I get the whole shebang and a brand new 2 year warranty.  Now how is that fair?

    0
  • Douglas Goree
    Douglas Goree

    I am a happy Sena customer and am not very pleased the way Sena is being bashed about the way the SMH-10A and SMH-10B is causing so many frustrated customers. I have a post closer to the top that I have explained Sena is not at fault. I return to read these comments and find it is still no end to the bashing Sena. It is in no way the fault of Sena in this situation. You as a consumer is responsible for researching products before buying to keep things like this from happening. When I was in the market for a Sena, I researched the product for months before I bought it. The cheapest I had found the Sena was $299 on Amazon.com and when I was ready to buy, the price had went up instead of going down. I waited awhile for the price to come down and in a few weeks found on the same site a set for $275 for a pair and jumped on it but was a little leery, they said it was an open box used to take pictures, so I made sure it was the SMH-10B, which it was, and I ordered it. I could not be happier with this product. 

    Most people do not bother with registering their product so therefore did not get e-mailed about the upgrade so missed out. Who's fault was that? It was sure not Sena's fault and that is the way you all are making it to look like. About the going to another brand, you will regret it and just be wasting money. If that is what you want to do, go ahead and stop trying to get Sena to give you a handout. A few leaving Sena will not hurt them with the happy customers they have. The research that I have done on motorcycle Bluetooth has been an extensive search. The Sena by far exceeds all others, in my opinion which are like b holes, everyone has one, and I am sure you will find that two if you do the search.

    So stop all the crying and realize you screwed up and leave Sena alone. Take it up with the dealer you purchased from, because it is not Sena.   

    0
  • Brian Wallis
    Brian Wallis

    Thanks Douglas, needed to be said and I agree fully. I had the old version and it would have been nice if sena had found a way to upgrade it but it wasn't possible. So be it.

    I don't expect that they should replace my hardware at no cost just because they came out with a later version with more features. They did provide an exchange service for a period and now have a retail product which is just the unit without the other bits. 

    The product is not perfect, I've had two clamp units replaced (DOA mic and one of the early earbud ones that the connector breaks off) and the main unit as well, all under warranty. These guys stand by their product and I hope they do well. 

    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.