There are lots of companies that produce good products, but the way a company handles customer recovery when they miss the mark is where they really prove greatness. Well, let me tell you, Wyze has missed the mark by miles on both counts. Here is my Wyze story, supported with photographs of the product as well as screenshots of the conversation with Wyze support: I ordered a Wyze Lock Bolt with fingerprint entry to replace a Eufy keyless deadbolt. Keep in mind, the Eufy lock worked fine, but I wanted to try something new and the fingerprint entry seemed convenient. The package arrived on July 12 and I installed it that afternoon. Simple installation, almost identical to the prior lock. Took about 10 or 15 minutes. I put the codes and my family’s fingerprints in, and went about our day. Went out to run some errands, came in and out a few times, everything seemed fine. Same thing the next day. On July 14, I came home from work and put my finger on the lock. It beeped, it “whirred” like it does when opening, but the door didn’t open. Tried it again, nothing. Punched in the code…”Beep! Whrrrr!” But the door did not open. I called my spouse and she could not get the door open from inside either, so she opened the gate and I went in through the back. Inside, I tuned the latch dial…no resistance. It turned all the way but it did not move anything inside and the door remained locked. Now I disassemble the lock. I take the battery box and plate cover off and from the inside of the door and something falls to the ground. I remove the wire harness to get a clear look. The cam, or extender arm (which is the piece that connects the spindle on the back of the handle or keypad to the actual deadbolt latch, and extends it into and retracts it out of the door) had fallen out. Just fallen right out! Worse, this happened with the deadbolt latch fully extended, so now the door is locked shut with no way to retract the latch. Now I’m worried. Can I pull it back? Can I do so without causing further damage to the clearly poorly constructed lock and ensuring my door cannot open again at all? First, I try to figure out if I can reinsert the extender arm and reassemble it into the latch assembly. No dice. It’s physically broken, nowhere to snap it back in, it’s actually physically damaged. Now it’s above my pay grade, so I call Wyze. I sit on hold for about 40 minutes and realize the call is not going to be answered. Now I call a locksmith. The locksmith informs me that they can try to remove it internally, but there is a 50% chance that it will cause more damage and at that point they will have to…wait for it…PHYSICALLY CUT THE LATCH OUT OF THE DOOR, and if so, I’d have to replace my entire door. A second locksmith confirms the same. That’s not a road I want to go down, and certainly not an expense I’m going to take on because a company sold me a faulty lock. Time to try calling Wyze again. No answer. So I use the Wyze app and have a text conversation with customer support. I explain the following points: - [ ] The lock is new - [ ] It has been installed for less than 48 hours - [ ] The internal mechanism which extends and retracts the deadbolt was shipped broken and fell out of the latch assembly - [ ] The latch is fully extended, meaning the door cannot be opened without calling in a pro and potentially causing damage to the door itself - [ ] The remaining parts cannot be removed as they are stuck mounted on the door because the door cannot be opened - [ ] Please help After relaying this information I was told to return the lock and all parts and they will refund or replace. I explain again, first, I cannot send the lock back as it is broken IN the door while it is locked and cannot be removed, and second, that a new lock serves no purpose as I cannot install it into a door that is permanently locked as a result of the faulty product I was sold. This is not a solution. Now I’m very frustrated, but this is someone in a call center that may or may not have ever even met someone at Wyze, but the solution offered resolves none of the issues. This conversation repeats twice and I am told it will be “escalated to tier 2.” When? They will email you. At this point it’s late at night, let’s try again in the morning. I wake on the 15th to an email from “Edison” who is “with tier 2 and handling my claim.” He tells me there is nothing they can do, but if I ship the product back to them they will send me a replacement. Again- this does not solve the issue. I CANNOT ship the product back because I CANNOT remove it from my door because it FELL APART WHILE LOCKED. He again suggests I send it back to get a free replacement. I AGAIN explain - the latch extender broke and fell out of the assembly after two days use. The deadbolt is stuck extended into the door frame and cannot be removed because the door is now permanently locked. Because of this I cannot remove it to ship back, remove it to install a new one, or OPEN MY DOOR. Now I call in. They ask me to send photos. I oblige. They apologize for the inconvenience and tell me if I just send the lock back they will be happy to replace it. This conversation repeats 3 times. You know, even great companies screw up from time to time so they teach client recovery. A standard in hospitality and retail is “LAST”: - [ ] LISTEN to the customer complaint - [ ] APOLOGIZE for the frustration - [ ] SOLVE the customer’s issue - [ ] THANK the customer for the opportunity to make it right It seems Wyze uses the following steps: - [ ] LISTEN to the customer complaint - [ ] IGNORE all relevant information - [ ] PROPOSE a solution that does not resolve any of the actual issues - [ ] REPEAT these steps until the customer is so frustrated they stop giving you an opportunity to fix the problem - a problem that frankly doesn’t end at a faulty product, but is now costing the customer a lot more money and potentially causing physical damage to their house Now Wyze is emailing again. They respond to the photographs and AGAIN suggest that I send the lock back and get a free replacement. Now I respond furiously, and reiterate: - [ ] I’ve owned the product for 2 days - [ ] It broke IN the locked position - [ ] The door is unable to be opened - [ ] The lock is unable to be removed - [ ] I cannot send it back because it cannot be removed - [ ] If you send a replacement I cannot use it because the door can not be opened to install it - [ ] I need to call a locksmith and I should not have to pay for this - [ ] You are not helping - [ ] Who can I talk to that can actually resolve my problem At this point, they stop responding completely. Now 6 hours go by and I have no other options so I call a locksmith. $240 later, the assembly was removed. I sent the piece of garbage back to Amazon and am awaiting the refund but I don’t expect to hear back from them. I work in hospitality. I have a real tendency not not believe negative reviews because I’m aware people make things up to get free things. I don’t write bad reviews for that reason. This, however, is unequivocally the worst customer service experience I’ve ever encountered. I could deal with a faulty product. That happens. I cannot deal with a lack of responsibility, and an outright refusal to address the issue. I will never buy a product from Wyze again. Even if products outside of the locks are fantastic, I can’t give my money to a brand that clearly doesn’t care about doing the right thing by the consumer when something goes wrong.
