Is Thinkware deliberately distancing themselves from features they sold us? Time for class action suit?

Peter Ang

Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Messages
55
Reaction score
17
Country
Singapore
Dash Cam
Thinkware F800 Pro Dual Channel with Thinkware 128GB
The video that showed Parking Incident Notifications and Remote Live Streaming are part of the cloud features has been deleted.

"Coincidentally" on the day I replied to this thread linking the above video, the same day Thinkware uploaded a new video minus these 2 cloud features.

I do not know if the video was deleted on the same day in response to the post.

If it was deliberate, Thinkware had better realise there will always be digital footprints.

Not only was the deleted video playing in the background, the presenter also mentioned Parking Impact Notification at 3:47.

This is part of the original full video that shows both Parking Incident Notifications and Remote Live Streaming.

What do you guys think?

Is Thinkware deliberately distancing themselves from features they sold us?

Time for class action suit?
 
Hmmmm that's interesting - bought the F800 pro because that was one of the features.
 
Hmmmm that's interesting - bought the F800 pro because that was one of the features.

Yeah that's too right as I'm sure many of us were sold on that.

However, it has been long enough wait but still no news, no official announcement as of now. Coupled with their email reply shared in the other thread I linked and this "coincident" deletion and replacement of the video minus the 2 said features, one can't help to wonder if we are taken for a ride.
 
When products are featured at CES, are these products the release versions? Also, do the retail versions you buy at point of sale, either instore or online, state that the product has these features that are subsequently missing?
 
When products are featured at CES, are these products the release versions?

often not

Also, do the retail versions you buy at point of sale, either instore or online, state that the product has these features that are subsequently missing?

never saw it advertised as such
 
Probably no legal basis for "class action suit" then?
 
Probably no legal basis for "class action suit" then?

I think for any class action you generally need an angry mob, half a dozen people doesn't spell cash to the lawyers so long odds of getting them involved without ponying up the cash first
 
I'd simply ask for a refund making note that everything they do is being posted on the world's largest Dash Cam website as well as elsewhere on other well-read Dash Cam sites. They will probably think it better do a few refunds rather than have a lot of negative publicity affecting their sales ;) Since they've apparently dropped those claims, future buyers won't expect them which IMHO is a suitable outcome for all even if things could have been done better :whistle:

Phil
 
My previous dash cam was a top of the range 2ch Blackvue (the one with the built in screen) which died a couple months ago after about 2 years use. I decided to buy another but loathed the idea of buying another expensive dud, I did a lot of research, watched a lot of youtube reviews and came to the conclusion that the F800 pro suited my needs. I am sightly miffed that one particular feature is not included as advertised. I wouldn't in reality demand a full refund but at least a partial refund of the £350.00 I paid for the unit as advertised.
 
Anyone who had seen their promo videos and sales literature for F800 Pro had also seen CES 2017 Innovation Award being prominently splashed about. There was even a contest on Facebook where contestants have to watch a video of F800 Pro during the official launch in Singapore to win one. The video below started at 1:24 with F800 and a list of its key features followed by grand slam of award CES 2017 Innovation Award, RedDot and IDEA. CES 2017 award appeared to be edited out now but reference to grand slam remains. However, they forgot to delete their own comment referencing the prize F800 Pro as CES 2017 honoree award as screenshot and highlighted below.

1521842606300.png

The below is the facebook uploaded but edited video with CES 2017 award reference removed. The same video starting from the intro was also widely available to the world wide audience least non owners or those who purchased without watching this or any similar video would mistakenly thought the impact would have been minimum. Those who had purchased based on the misleading references would of course would not forget and would not need any reminder as the references were everywhere so much so we thought we were purchasing the award winning dashcam.

These award references were inserted in between F800 Pro introduction of the list of key features and the detailed explanation of its individual features so there can be no argument the references were not made for F800 Pro.

All 3 awards were for F800 Air (with full cloud features including the missing 2). It was also mentioned in a lot of media that the F800 Pro would be the same just without the cloud firmware yet as it was not ready. Once the cloud firmware is ready F800 Pro will be renamed and launched as F800 Air and existing users only need to update the firmware to have the same features. I was also told the same thing by their Singapore distributor ZMC.

If F800 Pro after the final firmware upgrade is going to be a different product to F800 Air, there is absolutely no lawful reason to reference these awards.

Not 1, not 2 but 3 award references.

So no there was no confusion but ballant false advertising with intention to mislead many to purchase the F800 Pro.

The only argument they can fall back on is that they indeed sold us "Air".
 
Last edited:
Granted, there's only a handful of us bitching about this misleading approach Thinkware has taken but I'd take a full refund if they offered it, or even a replacement of my F800 Pro with one that offered what they eluded the Pro would have.
 
It's a darn shame we can't have the F800 Pro upload to the cloud as well as record onto the microsd at the same time. The thing I wanted the most was being able to connect to my dashcam when I go shopping at the mall to live view the surroundings.
 
I'm seriously considering selling my F800 Pro and buying the BlackVue DR900S-2CH 4K Dash Cam. Blackboxmycar has it for pre-order now. It has the ability to send push notifications to you while the car is parked. I've asked them if you'll be able to view a live feed from a app while the car is parked and was told they would be testing this capability and get back. If it does, I'm ordering it and dumping the Thinkware.
 
For a class action suit to work with a decent payout (i.e. > $400 dollars and not $10 - $25 dollars), you need a lot of people complaining and you have to have evidence that can be proven in court. What the OP (Peter Ang) has shown us will not fly and it is not defendable anywhere. Furthermore, there is very little interest from people here based on the low number of replies.

I would suggest drop the subject (or let it go) and then move on.
 
I'm seriously considering selling my F800 Pro and buying the BlackVue DR900S-2CH 4K Dash Cam. Blackboxmycar has it for pre-order now. It has the ability to send push notifications to you while the car is parked. I've asked them if you'll be able to view a live feed from a app while the car is parked and was told they would be testing this capability and get back. If it does, I'm ordering it and dumping the Thinkware.
I don't think you can get too soon the 900S because they are honest and accepted that releasing a 4K dashcam is much more complicated because of night time footage. The biggest problem right now that there is no 4K CMOS which can offer good image during night. The good 4K night image is not achieved by chipset, firmware engineer, everything starts with the CMOS. No CMOS = no product. EOS.

How is connecting BlackVue to internet so it can send push notifications?

enjoy,
Mtz
 
They say they'll have them end of this month or early May. Either way, I'm moving on as I want to be notified when my car is hit or tampered with while I'm away which Blackvue does via the cloud.
 
Blackboxmycar just received the first unit and they will release the daytime and nighttime footage soon. I myself don't really need cloud recording and 4K but other's needs might be different. Nevertheless, I am interested anyway.

Alternatively, it might not be a bad idea to install something like a Nest Cam to keep an eye on your car. That way if your car cam fails you have a back up.
 
Alternatively, it might not be a bad idea to install something like a Nest Cam to keep an eye on your car. That way if your car cam fails you have a back up.

I have a cam in my garage. It's when I'm parked and away from the car that I'd like the push notifications.
 
Back
Top