Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/25/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased this ear piece just over a year ago from N-Ear. It was useful when I was in a uniformed officer position and worked great. I took good care of this ear piece and made sure to always follow the care instructions included by N-Ear. Fast forward to recently I tried to use it again and the speaker is completely blown. Whisper quiet unless fully turned up but when fully turned up audio is inaudible as it is crackling and muffled. I called N-Ear looking for some support or help in regards to this situation. I am not looking for a replacement i just wanted some help on maybe how to fix this as it is an expensive ear piece I use daily in my law enforcement duties. Instead of helping or directing me to maybe some trouble shooting I was met with Sorry warranty is up, cant help you and they basically just left me with a Sorry they have absolutely zero customer support and leave you with a one time purchase that may fail In just over a year which is of course out of their hands. There is zero customer support its either you get a replacement as they see fit which is next to never or you have to just **** it up that you blew 250 bucks on equipment that doesnt work and a company that wont help trouble shoot it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/25/2025

  ****,

  I appreciate your message here. Our 1 year warranty covers all circumstances including blowing a speaker. We would like to help you make this right! I will contact you shortly to the email you provided to go over your options. Going forward, please contact me directly for any concerns or requests. To answer part of your response, our earpieces are a single unit that cannot be fixed once there is a fatal damage to it. Most likely, the speaker was input while the radio was on high volume which blew the speaker itself. I look forward to help you with a new earpiece. We appreciate your business and as always, our customer support comes first!

  - Rich

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/25/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  please call at ************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/08/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have purchasable numerous products from this business during the previous ***************************************************************** another. Recently I returned an earpiece to the business, shipped at my own cost, in order to have a replacement sent as part of their own advertised warranty program. I was informed by a service representative with the business that my item didnt qualify due to wear and tear issues. I only used the item on 3 occasions, during the last of which the item failed. I have attempted to remedy the issue by requesting contact from a member of their management and have been ignored. I feel as though replacing a product that is deemed defective, through your own advertised warranty program, is a fair expectation. Considering the fact that I have encountered issues with three different products from this seller I am considering this a bait and switch business that is being operated under false pretenses, leaving the customer feeling as though they are the victim of a scam.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2025

  ***** has agreed to refund this customer.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/14/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 1/7/24 I placed an online order with N-Ear directly through their website for a N-Ear 360 Original Single Earpiece for $149.99 plus $15.00 shipping for a total of $164.99. During the week of 10/21/24 I observed that the rubber coating on the wire was fraying off near the coiled part of the earpiece. On 10/23/24 I contacted N-Ear ******** service regarding a warranty replacement of my earpiece due to the failed wire coating. The first ******** service rep ***** I talked to first advised me that they don't offer a 12month warranty any longer and that they only have a 30 day warranty. She would not believe me telling her they have a 1yr warranty that's listed on their website. The *** also blamed me for the failure of the coating. From there I contacted **** *********. **** also informed me that I was to blame for the failure and that it was not a warranty issue. After talking with **** on the phone, **** stated that he'd give me a discount on purchasing a new earpiece, but would not tell me what that discount was. **** also stated that they were aware of the weak coating and have since upgraded it, but would not acknowledge they had a defective product prior to the upgraded coating.**** also would not acknowledge the fact that they have the ability to replace items even outside of warranty per their own website, which states: "Regarding goods which do not conform to the warranty, our liability is limited, at our discretion, too. refund of the purchase price for such goods less a reasonable amount for usage, 2. repair of such goods, or 3. replacement of such goods; provided, however, that such goods must be returned to **, along with acceptable evidence of purchase, within fourteen calendar days after you discovered the lack of conformity or ought to have discovered it."I would like my product replaced by *****'s stated warranty with a brand new earpiece, same item as I had purchased. Shipped costs incurred by N-Ear.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2024

  We reached out to the customer. Explained in detail our warranty and our position on such matters. Customer agreed for a full refund.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/14/2024

  On 11/13/24 I received a phone call from N-Ear. Our conversation was polite and beneficial for both sides. I was offered a full refund of my purchase including shipping costs, which I accepted.  

  I consider this matter resolved upon issuance of the refund and no further action required. 

  **** ********

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 12/03/2023 I ordered an earpiece directly from the manufacturers website utilizing the same e-mail I have utilized to create this complaint. Within the last couple of shifts I have experienced rapid, unwarranted, volume changes from the n-ear speaker making it unusable and hurting my ear. I am within the listed 1 year warranty period and want a replacement unit. This is important considering how unnecessarily expensive this product is. I would have used the warranty submittal via the website, however, after logging in it shows no previous orders. I have attached the screenshot showing the order number and e-mail used. ****** would be to send an e-mail to support. But, there is not such an e-mail listed. Thats pretty interesting considering you have no problem listing several e-mails for salespeople. I guess theres no need to make it easy to take care of your customers, only easy to take their hard earned money. Ive included the order number in the appropriate box during the complaint process, so you have all my info, its still the same. I dont have time for the back and forth BS. I work 12s and night shift. Hence why Im not calling to file a warranty claim when I should be asleep. Youd think someone selling almost exclusively to LE would have a clue about their customer base. So now you get a warranty request via BBB complaint. I will say that prior to this I had been very happy with the earpiece but if youre going to offer a warranty then you should honor it and not make it unnecessarily difficult to submit a claim. Not everyone works M-F 9-5. e-mail solves that issue by allowing us to respond within the confines of our respective schedules. Imagine having a customer explain the significance of availability via e-mail to a business in 2024.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2024

  N-ear has absolutely no problem supporting this customer. ***** supports a global market. By supporting a global market, we are hopeful our customers understand we are not a ******* organization, and we would never purposely close our facility impeding communication from our valued customers. Customers that call beyond our daily working hours typically leave voice messages. Our support staff contacts every call that enters our system. To file a complaint regarding the inconvenience of a singular customer while supporting a global market is very concerning. We are certain most companies exercise business working hours. By having a standard business hour, this does not equate to a lack of caring for our customers. Being this specific customer works a later shift, N-ear is not purposely attempting to not communicate with this customer. He was emailing our no-reply email address. If any customer responds to a no-reply email, we would not be able to support that customer. Our attempts to reach ****** have failed due to his work schedule. Possibly if he has a day away from work, he could reach out to us during normal business hours Mon-Fri 9am -5:30 pm EST, we will be more than happy to support him. We will replace his earpiece without question.  As for observers of this complaint, please contact N-ear during normal business hours. We have a live chat feature that does both text messaging and allows the customer to speak directly to one of our sales representatives. You may email us simply at **************************. We only ask to have a fair chance to support our customers prior to reaching out to the ********************. This matter could have easily been handled with a replacement without using this platform to display his frustration. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 22495950
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Its hilarious to me that the email you provided was not listed anywhere on your website at the time of this complaint. As I previously mentioned, only emails for direct sales. When I leave a voice message you will call me back right? Will you call me when Im asleep? Do you see how thats an issue? Lets stop pretending you completely misinterpreted the point of the complaint.

  Number 1 - The account my original order was placed under shows no purchase history. I believe this is intentional. Youre purposely making it inconvenient to file a warranty claim. Requiring me to jump through hoops I shouldnt have to jump through. If the account portion of your website was accurate and  functioned properly this complaint would have never happened. Yet you made the comment referencing there were other means to resolve this issue before filing a BBB complaint. I thought I spelled it out pretty clearly in the initial complaint. Im not sure how someone that lacks basic reading comprehension was tasked with replying to BBB complaints.
  

  Number 2 - There is no support email (or was not at the time of complaint, havent checked back) listed anywhere on the website. You couldnt be bothered to list one because you dont care about dealing with those whom youve already got their money. But you sure could list multiple sales peoples email, h*** you even included their pictures, how sweet. You really couldnt make your ill intent anymore obvious. 
  

  Number 3 - The product doesnt meet expectations, especially considering the price. The poor value is only expounded upon when you consider you only offer one over priced shipping option and charge ridiculous prices for accessories that are essential to the products use, yet not included. Multiple complaints on here and other websites clearly indicate critical issues with the product and customer service. 
  

  Final thoughts: Youre committed to resolving the issue? Wheres the replacement then? I mentioned in the initial complaint you had my name and order number and what was wrong with mine (that didnt even make it 1 year). What are you waiting for? Dont you think that wouldve been the best way to resolve this issue? Send me a replacement, that you owe me. Then a short sweet reply. . Hey, were sorry that you didnt find our online warranty claim process acceptable. We take this issue very seriously and will be working towards a resolution. In the mean time, we have confirmed your information and have sent a replacement. If you have any more concerns please reach out to me directly at (email) as your schedule allows. Thank you for being an N-ear customer. 
  

  Do you see how easy that was? 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This piece of gear is absolutely not worth 175$ The cable de-laminated after a short few months of normal use. N ear has a 12 month manufacturer warranty they do NOT honor! They referred me back to Amazon who referred me back to N ear! The emails I got from *************************** were snarky and unapologetic for both their shoddy product and worthless 12 month warranty. I've almost 20 years in uniformed patrol and I can unequivocally say bad product and worse customer support!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2024

  This response was taken verbally by the BBB: 

  At this time we have sent the consumer new product and feel that the complaint has been resolved. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21643530
  
  I am rejecting this response : 

  This company refused to help me until I notified them that I was filing a complaint with BBB and leaving bad feedback and other reviews.

  Once I did that they requested I fill out a form from their company that detailed who my immediate supervisor was at work and his supervisor and the chief of police for my department.  I thought this was strange as one thing has nothing to do with the other. I am a police sergeant and I bought their product that was defective but what does my boss and my chief have to do with me being upset about them not honoring their manufacturer warranty!?

  Well I found out..*************************** emailed me to say my complaint was escalated to *********************** who would be contacting me. **** called me and wanted me to re explain to him what my problem was to him? I asked him if he had read my emails and he said he had not? I explained to him my problem again and he essentially restated what ******** told me. I hadn't bought additional insurance through Amazon(asurion) and they were not liable for defects since I made my purchase through Amazon. I stated that if he wasn't going to repair or replace my product than there wasn't a point in having the same conversation with a different person from his company. 

   **** told me I was threatening him and I wasn't going to rush him off the phone? **** told me he had no other choice but to contact my Chief of police??? This behavior is outrageous and is mostly obviously designed to deter people from complaining about their products or poor customer service. This behavior is reprehensible and obviously part of their business model since they have a form set up just to collect irrelevant information and later use it to threaten unsatisfied customers. 

  A short time later N ear told me they could ship me a different ear piece other than the one I had bought as they didn't have the one I bought on hand? This was odd because it would seem based on the conversation with **** that N ear was unwilling to assist me.

  I told them I would like to wait for the one I ordered to come in stock. They shipped me a different ear piece that appeared to be returned merchandise as it did not come in OEM packaging.  They said they would replace my ear piece when it came in stock. I am waiting for this to happen before closing my complaint. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  purchased a radio ear piece made by this company and sold through their amazon store front. Product comes with 1 year warranty. Apparently they only honor their manufacture warranty when purchased through their specific website. This company needs to specifically advertise this and stop claiming their product has a warranty when it does not.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought an earpiece through n-ear's Amazon hosted web store last August. The earpiece speaker recently failed. Per n-ear's warranty police/terms and conditions, this would be a manufacturer's warranty issue. The warranty period is 1 year. See the terms here - ************************************************ rep is stating since I bought the item through Amazon, it's not covered. I explained they are the manufacturer and the terms state manufacturer and not retailer warranty. Plus either way, it was n-ear's Amazon store. The Amazon website even states that n-ear is the manufacturer and that it is the n-ear store. This is not an Amazon product. Amazon is just a host website for n-ear's products. I've attached our email communication and receipt. Please don't be confused by my signature in the emails, this was a product I personally paid for...not my employer. I was just using my work email for the transaction since I was using this product for work purposes. I'd like them to honor their warranty. Thanks!!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/26/2024

   

     We reached out to ********************* and explained to him our policy. We fully understand the complexity in understanding purchasing a product from an authorize reseller of our products vs directly from ********* site. Each reseller will have their own warranty. N-ear can be purchased throughout the US and ****** from online sites and stores commonly called "Cop Shops". This particular situation, ****** purchase directly from Amazon.com, who offers a warranty through their dedicated warranty provider *******. Each N-ear product purchased from Amazon, populates the option to purchase a warranty through Asurion. The customer has to decline the offer. Typically, once an issue has occurred, the end user reaches out to Amazon, they are reminded they did not purchase the warranty, which leads the customer to ************* direct as a last-ditch effort to have their equipment replaced. 

   We agreed to replace his earpiece as sheer gesture of customer service and not to imply any wrongdoing from N-ear. We have thousands of products being sold through many platforms all over the world. To gain a complaint for this matter is very uncommon for us. However, we have chosen to appease this customer. The customer provided his pertinent information such as physical address, email and contact info and we shipped him a replacement as requested. This matter has been handled.  

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/27/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and this transaction. I still disagree with their statements implying I dont understand how warranties work. They clearly dont understand that their companys warranty is a manufacturers warranty as listed in their companys terms and conditions. However, they satisfied my complaint by replacing my product. Its sad it had to come to this point but I appreciate the BBBs assistance in this matter. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an earpiece from this company on February 8, 2023.I purchased the product through Amazon. The total amount of the purchase was ************************* says they have a one year warranty on their product. In August, the plastic started to delaminate.I emailed N-Ear and *************************** (Admin Support), I also sent her a picture of the problem with the earpiece, as well as a picture of my order. ******* said that I am not N-Ear's customer and they would not honor their warranty, because they only fulfill orders for Amazon. Amazon has a 30 day warranty on the product, but N-Ear has a one year warranty. Nothing in N-Ear's warranty states that you MUST purchase the item directly through the ************** in order for them to honor their warranty.What doesn't make sense is that if I purchase an appliance from *********** and was past ************ warranty, the manufacturer would still honor their warranty.I have never heard of a company selling items through other retailers, and then refusing to honor their warranty if you purchase from one of those retailers.I emailed ******* back on August 22, she emailed me back on August 23 and said her manager would be back in the office on Monday, the 28th. I have yet to hear anything from the company, other than they are refusing to honor their warranty.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  ****** ****** ***** takes this concern very seriously. We appreciate our users. We reached out to the customer and attempted to explain our policy. This policy is standard for vendors using the global platform of Amazon. We certainly understand these policies and procedures from an Amazon could be confusing for some. We decided to send a replacement to the customer as gesture of appreciation for using the product. Our goal is to always show gratitude and respect to law enforcement. We do not by any means necessary consider our practices with Amazon to be at fault. This policy that the Amazon customer has in question, is the policy for any purchaser from the Amazon site and not specific to the Amazon customer with this concern. To avoid this issue, simply order directly from the www.n-ear.com site. A standard 12-month warranty will be applied to the purchase. Amazon has a 30-day warranty. Each purchaser from Amazon is offered a warranty from Asurion. If an Amazon customer declines to accept the warranty offered by Amazon, it is not the fault of *****.******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20566871
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I received a call from Ilmar, sales manager at N-Ear. He tried to explain that I couldn't buy a product at Target and return it to ******** He didn't seem to understand that a manufacturer's warranty is different than a store or vendor return policy. I also referenced N-Ear's return policy which states :

  All of our products come with a 1-year warranty and a 120-day 100% refund policy. We do not cover problems or damage resulting from (1) accident, abuse, misapplication, or any unauthorized repair, modification, or disassembly; (2) improper operation or maintenance, usage not in accordance with product instructions, or connection to improper voltage supply; or (3) use of consumables, such as cords. If purchased under a government contract, those contract terms supersede the terms stated herein.

  Nothing in the return policy states anything about buying their product through a vendor, that they chose to sell through. ***** was convinced that when another vendor sells their product the ************* does not make any money. Either way, I spoke to *****, who said he would send me a new earpiece. He then said he is not sure what needs to be done regarding the BBB. I told him I would be happy to show the complaint as resolved when I get the new earpiece, however the earpiece would be just a spare, because it does not hold up to patrol work where an officer is exposed to the elements.

  About 20 minutes after we go off the phone, ***** called me back and told me he spoke to his friend at the BBB and I needed to show the complaint as resolved, or he would not send out the earpiece. I told him that was fine, as I don't have faith in the product, I also explained that he was obviously lying, as he first said he didn't know how the BBB worked, but within 20 minutes he made a friend there and was calling me to tell me what BBB's policy was with regards to complaints. I told him not to worry about sending the earpiece, as I now have a different brand that works great. He told me I had to drop the complaint, again I declined and he hung up on me.

  About a half hour later, I got another call, this time it was from *****************. **** asked me why I was not dropping the complaint. I explained that I would not lie and say there was a resolution, when a resolution has not been reached. **** told me that if I did not drop the complaint immediately he would not send out a replacement. I again told him that was fine, and not to worry about it. I explained there was nothing in their return policy regarding buying the product they manufactured from another retailer, and that I did not trust their product, as three other officers in my department have had the same issues. I also explained N-Ear's customer service was lacking, and asked him to please leave me alone. **** said "that's fine, and your words are perfect, because we don't cover our product unless you buy it directly from us." He then told ******** has never received a complaint from the BBB and I needed to drop the complaint. I told him no thank you.

  I received another earpiece a few days ago, so they did end up replacing the earpiece, which is now in my patrol bag, in case the one I have breaks and I need a replacement for a few days.

  N-Ear either needs to stand by their product, as their warranty states, no matter which retailer they sell through, or they need to stop selling through other vendors. They can't have their cake and eat it too. 

   

  Also attached is the return policy directly off their website.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************