New app removed activity zones on my arlo wire-free, and disabled one camera

[Eyevnoidea]

I have the Arlo wire-free VMC3030 system in our house for about a year now.

When we initially purchased this system from HSN, I was able to set the activity zones so that I could omit any erroneous alarm triggers. Besides the cameras eating batteries rather frequently, they all seem to go off line at any given time, leaving us with  a useless system that does not allow us to see what may be going on outside at night. 

I downloaded their "New app" a week or so ago, and now I have some major problems;  One camera has gone completely dead! Will not power up, or pair with the base station. Now I have one arlo camera that is now only useful as a door stop!

At almost $200 each, this is not a very economic way to acquire doorstops! And since the camera is out of warranty, I feel as though we have been dealt a bad hand with this system, and we are very dissatisfied with it.

The cameras going off line was an annoyance, but certainly something that could have been dealy with. But now since we were informed that we MUST upgrade our software to the newest version, and it literally killed one of our cameras, Arlo and its camera systems are NOT looking very good at all to us! 

The new "Update" also removed the ability to set activity zones, and that was an original deal breaker for us, and it promoted our choosing this system. Boy, was that a mistake!

So what do we do with a system that cost us over $300 that doesn't work to specifications (If at all!) because of an upgrade we were told MUST be installed, and is out of warranty?

And to add insult to injury, I'm told that if I want to have the ability to set activity zones, that I have to purchase a monthly "Arlo Smart" plan!    NOT RIGHT!!!

We feel as though we have been ripped off by this company and intend to let others know who are looking for security systems NOT to buy or trust "Arlo".

[ShayneS]

Hi @Eyevnoidea

  Have you tried contacting customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[Jesajproduction]

I purchased the smart premier plan and still can't set activity zones

[ShayneS]

Hi @Jesajproduction

Does this occur on the Arlo app & web browser?

[Eyevnoidea]

It occurs as a permanently disabled camera!

As stated, I downloaded the "new Arlo app", and what I got was a camera which no longer even powers up, and the new app also removed my ability to set activity zones.

The activity zones are very important, as they serve as a filter for some of the traffic that passes through the periphery of the areas I am monitoring. Now I get alerts constantly, which minimizes the reliability of the entire system and forces me to question the usefulness of this system.

The fact that the camera is completely useless, and will not even power-up immediately after the "update" is a complete and inconvenient mystery to me.

In addition to the above issues, I have made several attempts to contact "support" and have discovered that it is non-existent!  Whenever I try to email "support" (for over 2 months now!) I have yet to receive a response from them. And when I try to contact them, I am rerouted to the "Arlo community" where I have to answer more questions by "chatting" with people who have various other issues with their systems.

All I want is to TALK to someone on the phone who can give me some palatable answers and inform me of the next steps I need to take in order to get this situation resolved. I DO NOT have time to sit at the computer all day "chatting" with the folks in the "community", nor do I have the inclination to sit and "chat" on the computer with support.

I want to speak to a REAL PERSON and eliminate all of this typing and waiting!

That should not be hard to understand, nor does it sound like an unreasonable request, being it has been over two months that I have been growing more frustrated and negatively impressed by ARLO and ALL ARLO PRODUCTS! 

I just want to talk to a real person and not have to type all damn day!

[Eyevnoidea]

Yes I have, and with frustratingly minimal results.

I'm sick and tired of sitting and having to TYPE my problems out. It only frustrates me more.

I want to talk to a real person about this issue.

Is that too much to ask?

[ShayneS]

@Eyevnoidea

  Regarding my previous post, Have you contacted customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[Eyevnoidea]

Hello All!

After today's conversation with an actual person at Tech Support, I only thought it fair that I let everyone know that after 45 minutes on the phone with a gentleman named Rashish (I believe that is correct), we came to the conclusion that the VMC3030 camera which failed to revive itself after the most recent Arlo update, was in fact dead and stinking.

After several logged attempts to connect the camera to my base station, and the determination that it wasn't going to happen, it was an easy decision for the rest of the support team to recommend that they replace the camera free of charge.

This result did in fact, force me to change my tune and my opinion about their customer support, which was the biggest frustration throughout this ordeal.  And being a person of reasonable intellect, It is only fair for me to tell all that once I   discovered how in fact to reach the customer support team, the rest went smoothly and satisfactorily.

So yes, The team DID in fact resolve the issue for which I am all the more thankful that I no longer have to be frustrated and disenfranchised with the Arlo line of products and its customer service.

Thank you, Rashish, and all the rest of the Arlo support team for handling this situation to its resolve, and to my expectations.

[ShayneS]

Hi @Eyevnoidea

I am glad you resolved the issue. Please let us know if you have any further questions & we will be here to assist you.