ComplaintsforGemmy Industries Corp

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  So I had purchased Christmas inflatables from lowes but gemmy industries is the manufacturer. I needed them replaced and got bounced back and fourth with them and lowes but gemmy should be the one to replace them. I was not impressed with customer service via email or phone which they never answered. Emailing them was a nightmare just absolutely no regard for the customer or anything or even trying to help.

  Business response

  10/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/19) */ Mr. ***** ****** contacted us this week about 2 inflatables that he purchased 2 years ago. We explained to him that his extended warranty is with a 3rd party company and he needed to contact them to use it. Also we offered to replace both items although he is beyond our 90 day warranty. Mr. ***** ****** has been very aggressive and continues to argue about the details of the situation although we have offered to replace the items. The warranty claim is open and he may contact us again he if wished to continue with it and have the items replaced.

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought around 4 to 500 dollars worth of Christmas lights from Lowes right before Christmas and they don't do what they say you have to connect them to wifi using a hub from them that wont stay connected so they tell me after the update it will all work so I put up all my lights only to see that it does not work no matter what so I was unable to have working Christmas lights that I spent hours putting up. When I try to contact they never contact back and when I start emailing and calling for weeks I get in touch with them only to tell me to take them back to the store I bought them at. The store does not accept holiday items back after Christmas. But the manager said he could if they give ma a return authorization number. Got in touch with them again and they said they don't give those. They want me to ship them to them at my own expense and they said they don't give refunds on shipping and they would have to test them and see if I can get a refund. This is not right. They advertise a product that cannot do what they say it can and then they really don't want to help other than charging you more money on a chance that you may or may not get a refund. This should be illegal. I was given a direct email and number to a manager named shayne morales and she just keeps saying try and take them back to lowes which will not take them or me pay to ship them to them so they can maybe give a refund on the items only no shipping cost.

  Business response

  02/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/01/25) */ We have informed the customer of our company policy for a warranty claim. The claim has been approved for some time now but the customer refuses to ship the items to us for the refund. The offer stands to refund with a receipt once the items have been shipped in to us. We have also provided the quality assurance form needed as well. The offer remains but the customer does have to ship the items to us for the refund which has been communicated to him. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/01/26) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They should send me a prepaid shipping label. I don't think I should have to pay for shipping to them with no reimbursement. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/01/27) */ Hello, we do not offer RMA's (prepaid) labels per our company policy. The customer has all the needed info to proceed if they wish to, the offer remains if they change their mind.

• Initial Complaint

  12/21/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased the projection package and 2 of the projectors have stopped working and this item has since been discontinued from Lowes and the manufacturer.

  Business response

  02/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/01/25) */ Please have the customer open a warranty claim at www.gemmmy.com and we will further assist.

• Initial Complaint

  12/14/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a Gemmy Orchestra of Lights hub from Lowes to link my Orchestra of Lights products. Upon trying to setup the Wi-Fi hub, which is required to link all Orchestra of Lights products, I was forced to update they firmware. The software update disable the hub and bricked the device. This seems to be a very common issue this year. It no longer connects to the internet, my phone, or the other orchestra of lights products. I've attempted to use android and apple devices to make the hub work with no success. I also purchased a second hub and tried to connect the new hub, but got the same results. I contacted gemmy following their instructions and submitted a ticket on 03DEC2021. I received an email saying ticket was resolved on 09DEC2021. In that same email Gemmy requested I contact once of their representatives via phone for troubleshooting assistance. I called and left voice messages on 09DEC2021, 10DEC2021 and 13DEC2021. As of 13DEC2021, I have not received any assistance, communication, or resolution from Gemmy.

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/01/04) */ We were in contact with the customer throughout the process. We communicated with the customer on 12/9/2021, 12/16/2021, 12/27/2021. We did ship the customer a new hub to assist. He sent us a message today 1/4/2022 that the new hub we shipped is not working. An agent will be reaching out to him before the close of business to troubleshoot the item over the phone. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/01/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) A customer Service representative reached out on 04JAN2021. We went through troubleshooting steps on two different mobile device. I deleted the app on both devices and reinstalled it (among other things). The agent was unable to help resolve connectivity issues, and escalated the service ticket. This issues still has not been resolved. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/01/11) */ The issue has been escalated to our developers per our conversation with the customer. The customer has the choice to wait for the updates or they can be refunded. Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2022/01/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I received another hub from Gemmy. It still doesn't work. I will wait for the developers to update. This case should not be closed until the issue is fixed. Business Response /* (4000, 17, 2022/02/03) */ We did last speak with this customer on 1/5/2022, agreed to ship him a working, tested hub. We shipped out a brand new Orchestra of Lights hub, which is the item needed to pair his Christmas lights on 12/16/2021 and it was delivered to him on 12/23/2021. We shipped another one on 1/5/2022 that was delivered on 1/10/2022. Since the delivery of the the last hub we have not heard back from him about the status of his pairing. Consumer Response /* (4200, 19, 2022/02/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I did receive the hub and tried to pair, but still had the same issue. The last conversation I had with the customer service representative on 1/5/2022 was a troubleshooting session. We walked through all the steps, and still could not get it to pair. As a result, she said a developer or manager would be reaching out to me because she couldn't offer any additional support. I never received a call or email from Gemmy's development team. I did try to pair again before writing this response. I updated the hub and still could not get it to pair to my android or apple device. I'm open to talking with the Gemmy team to further troubleshoot. They can reach to me any time. Business Response /* (4000, 22, 2022/02/11) */ If the customer does not call us back and let us know that something is wrong we have no way of knowing. He has not called back and said anything regarding still having issues throughout this process. After he spoke to us on 1/5/2022 we have not heard back from him. The items can be replaced under warranty but he has to contact us for that, we have communicated this to the customer. When we talk with him he is not expressing this with the agent he spoke with. If he has to tell us when we talk with him so we can replace his items and move forward. It seems he may have defective light sets that have nothing to do with the pairing or he does not have the required WIFI needed to support and operate this item. We have know way of know if the customer truly has 2.4Ghz WIFI we go based on what he is saying. Consumer Response /* (3000, 29, 2022/02/22) */ This case should still be open. First off, Gemmy has all my contact information. A good way to find out if the problem has been fixed is to follow-up with the customer and follow through when a Gemmy representative says that a developer or manger will contact the client. It has not been communicated to me that I would need to reach back out again once I received another hub. I think part of the issue may be that the Gemmy representative keeps closing out the ticket before confirming resolution. In my communication via email to Gemmy on 04JAN2022, I requested the ticket remain open until the issue is fully resolved. Second, after my conversation on January 5, the representative and I decided it wouldn't make sense to continue to send another hub as the first two replacement sent by Gemmy wouldn't connect. I've explicitly expressed that I can't connect to the hub. If I can't connect to the hub how am I supposed to connect to all my lights? Now I have a third hub from Gemmy that won't connect. As stated previously, I was told a Gemmy Developer or Manager would be reaching out with me to further troubleshoot the issue. Again, I received no communication from Gemmy. Third, I can most certainly provide images of the two different routers I've used to attempt to connect to the hub. The model numbers are Netgear Nighthawk R8000 and Netgear Orbi RBR750. They are both tri-band routers with three separate channels (two 5Ghz channels and one 2.4Ghz channel). If you'd like, I can send pictures of me in front of the router so you can TRUYLY know I have 2.4Ghz wifi. I can also do a live video call with a Gemmy representative. Another option would be to post videos of the whole connection process with failures. I'm open for suggestions. As stated previously, I'm more than happy to try to get this resolved. I would like my hub to work so I can connect my lights for the 2022 Holiday season (since I couldn't use the full functionality of my Gemmy lights for the 2021 season). I have reached back to Gemmy via email to the original ticket on 22FEB2022. Business Response /* (4000, 31, 2022/02/28) */ We understand the events of what occurred and the customer refuses to respond back after he receives equipment. If the hub is not working there is nothing else we can do as all efforts for escalation to the developers has been exhausted. The final option would be to replace the lights themselves as the issue could be with the sets. After 3 hubs have been shipped and the customer still has an issue, it is not the hub, he either has an wifi issue that we have no control over or the sets of lights need to be replaced. I have updated the customers ticket with the warranty info and form to ship the items to us for replacement. We can test everything before it ships to ensure that all lights are connecting to the hub. Consumer Response /* (4200, 33, 2022/03/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I have not refused to respond after I receive equipment. I've been waiting on a phone call for further support, which they refuse to do. There has been absolutely no outreach from Gemmy Customer Service other email and feedback here. Neither of which provide useful information or support. I acknowledge Gemmy has responded to my reopened ticket via email with an offered to replace the lights. I don't see how Gemmy can think the lights are the problem when I can't get a mobile device to connect to the hub to control the lights. Again, I cannot get a single mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy) to connect to the hub. Again, I've used two separate wifi networks. When I attempt to connect the hub to a mobile device, I begin setup of the hub and get to the point to connect it to the internet. I select the network, type in the password, it connects, and then the hub immediately resets (Both blue and red lights flash solid, and then it begins to blink red again). All signs point to Gemmy software issue unless they can provide evidence they can connect a mobile device to their hub. If they can, I would like to see it and learn about what settings they use on the mobile device to do this. My Stance remains, this case should not be closed until I can connect a mobile device to a hub.

• Initial Complaint

  12/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am an ADVID gemmy inflatables consumer, I have purchased only gemmy products for every holiday season. I purchased 7 inflatables ALL TOGETHER and 5 of them have died. I have a 9 foot Santa ($70), 6 ft cat boy and chase from paw patrol ($45 each), 4ft Rudolph ($40) and a 3.5 ft snowman ($30). I called Gemmy on 12-3-2021 spoke with Maria. Explained that 5 of my 7 inflatables were dead, and I had same issue in oct with a Dino one they replaced the plug on. So I made sure to tell her I knew it was their motors dead not their plugs. She told me to reply to her email with proof of purchase, then I'll pay shipping to get them back to gemmy and they'll replace the 5 dead ones.. I attached 5 photos and about 8 videos showing all the inflatables plugged in not working, showing that their plugs are perfect (they're brand new). Even took one of the two I had that still worked and plugged it into the plug with the broken ones to prove it's not my plug or the inflatables plug it's the motor on the fans themselves. I've literally called them every day TEN times a day. I press zero, the only option to get a human, and get passed to this hold time for about 2-3 mins of music before it says leave a message and hangs up on me. Over and over and over. They're supposed to send my replacements BEFORE Christmas and it's 12 days till!? Wow. I can't believe they have done this to me and so many others. I understand they're overwhelmed but they should have prepared for the holiday sale season better. I want my money back or ALL FIVE inflatables replaced.

  Business response

  02/24/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/02/02) */ The customer can submit a help ticket at www.gemmy.com under the help center. We have not received any correspondence from this customer and have not spoken to her.

• Initial Complaint

  12/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a orchestra of lights hun and they pushed out a update that I had no control over and now my hub does not work and when I emailed them about it they told me to check my internet I'm not that stupid I did that first before contacting them and now they won't do anything about it

  Business response

  01/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/10) */ The first step of the troubleshooting for that brand is to ensure the customer is connected to a specific 2.4GHZ router. After we asked the customer to confirm that, he never responded. The customer may return the item to the retailer for a full refund if he is not satisfied. Otherwise he may contact us back to continue the troubleshoot. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/12/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I have submitted 2 tickets that simply tell me to connect to my 2.4GHZ wifi, which I have been connected to. They then close out the ticket without the option of any further help. The phone number 1.800.274.6717 that I was given is an automated message that just hangs up on me. I'm not able to speak to anyone to discuss the issue further. The recent firmware update that was forced by Gemmy has rendered my hub inoperable. I though the issue was with the hardware so I purchased a second hub and as soon as the firmware update installed, the new hub became inoperable. I'm unable to connect to either hub and the Christmas lights that were purchased, which depend on the hub to operate, are now unable to be turned on/off, nor can I select any theme for the lights. I would like further troubleshooting to resolve the issue, or I will be returning the $900.00+ worth of lights I purchased. This is a widely known problem and many have had the exact same issue. If the forced update could be removed from the app, and I can get instructions to revert back to the original firmware that wasn't corrupt, that's all I want. attached are images showing the 2ghz network that we are connected to along with the error message when trying to connect. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/01/04) */ The customer has submitted 3 separate tickets which we have answered all 3 asking for some specific information that they refuse to provide. This was our last response on 12/10/2021 @ 10:13am. We have not received a response back to assist the customer further, they must respond back to get help. Hello, Exactly what step are you at? We can help you get connected or identify if the hub is the real issue. Please provide steps that you did and what happens for better assistance. For instance the first step, is your device already connected to a 2.4GHz router? Do not try the 5G as it will not connect, I say this because this is the most critical step in the pairing process. Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2022/01/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We have not received ANY responses from the company, however We no longer own the products, we took the lights/boxes/hubs back to the store for a refund and purchased items from a reliable vendor. You can close the case.

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased per $550 worth of these LED color motion lights after Christmas last year to use this year. We unbox them and now I have 4 boxes that so not work or even come on. Now I don't have enough lights to put around the house. How do you have brand new boxed lights and they do not work? Absolutely ridiculous and now putting us in a bind on what we needed and not to mention the money they cost! Very disappointed in this!!

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/10) */ I don't show that we have spoken to this customer, however we offer a 90 day warranty from the original date of purchase w/proof of purchase. We are willing to work with her on replacements.

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought $850 worth of Gemmy Orchestra of Lights products and set them all up then proceeded to connect the Wi-Fi hub which is required to run the product. Immediately after the hub connecting to the Wi-Fi the orchestra of Lights app forced a software update which then disabled The hub from working. I have tried to contact this company multiple times as I followed their instruction manual perfectly for the hub and have yet to receive any other reply then soon there will be another update on the app which should fix the problem. They did not say when this update would be nor what to do if the update does not fix the problem. Then I looked online and saw there is a problem with all of their new 2021 hubs with this forced update. These products should not be sold if they are defective never mind at the price that they are as they are expensive. The company to date has offered me no solution to my issue. I spoke to someone on a chat app to which I took a screenshot no solution offered.

  Business response

  12/03/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/10/06) */ I find this very odd as we spoke in great detail with Mr. ******. He requested for us to ship him a updated and tested hub for 2020 which is the year he purchased his items. We shipped the hub to him the same day and he should receive it soon. The customers issues was resolved the same day we spoke to him.

*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. ↩