Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Alarm Clock Deluxe Bedside Lamp, Graphite
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Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Alarm Clock Deluxe Bedside Lamp, Graphite Details
Manufacturer: VeriluxBrand: Verilux
Release Date: 2006-04-19
Model: VA02BB3
Color: Graphite
Product features:
- 4-in-1 functionality includes alarm clock, AM/FM radio, nature sounds and reading light
- Natural Spectrum Xenon bulb simulates a full range of natural lighting conditions from soft to bright.
- Synchronized light and sound simulate nature's dawn and dusk cycles
- Eight authentic, soothing digitally mastered nature sounds
- Easy to read large, crisp LCD display with clearly marked controls and choice of 7 different color settings
- Verilux HappyLite Deluxe Sunshine Simulator
- Verilux Original Natural Spectrum Deluxe Desk Lamp, Graphite
- Verilux Natural Spectrum Deluxe Book and Travel Light, Silver
- HappyLight 4500 Sunshine Supplement Light System
- Verilux Heritage Natural Spectrum Deluxe Floor Lamp, Antiqued Brushed Brass
Customer Reviews of Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Alarm Clock Deluxe Bedside Lamp, Graphite
Customer Review: Verilux Rise & Shine: COMPANY WON'T BACK WARRANTY
Summary: 2 Stars
If you want my review in a nutshell, here it is: Two Defective Rise & Shine Lamps. One Call to Verilux. Verilux Refuses to Help.
If you wish to learn how this sorry state of affairs came to pass, read on.
My Verilux Product Experience:
I exchanged my first Verilux Rise and Shine Natural Alarm Clock & Bedside Lamp due to a non-functional internal speaker, ostensibly from loose wires that were shaken loose during shipping (if I am to understand the Verilux' company president's response to a similar defect report in these reviews). The good news: The speaker in the second unit now works. And contrary to some of the other reviewers I feel the Mylar speaker sounds quite good -- although dual stereo speakers would have been an even better choice (with a line-in jack for CD player or iPod). The bad: Despite the jumbo LCD display that might lead you to assume that the AM/FM tuner is digital, the radio is completely analog. The station IDs are printed in roughly 7-point type on the tuning dial instead -- small enough that some owners will need their glasses AND a magnifying glass to select a radio station. By contrast, I own an alarm clock by Conair with a similar analog tuner, with the exception that it uses roughly 8-point LCD digits to represent the radio frequency in the lower right-hand corner of the backlit LCD display. On Verilux' comparatively enormous LCD, I am left to wonder why the design team failed to consider that option. An analog tuner without a station display is something I expect from a $15 drugstore alarm clock, but not from a product of this type, which is otherwise very well thought out.
Unfortunately, due to an apparent flaw in the shade and/or the lamp itself, the shade on my replacement lamp -- the lamp I received from the store in exchange -- won't sit straight! One can remove the shade, look at the lamp on a level surface, and see the lamp "shelf" slope downward such that the shade itself also is similarly slanted! Making the situation worse, the lampshade is also slightly off insofar as the ring is not centered. There are three metal supports attached at the top of the shade that are bent downward and welded to a ring that sits about half way down (as typical of most lampshades). The ring, in turn, sits on the lamp body (or shelf). The whole assembly is cockeyed, including the socket into which the bulb sets (at a VERY obvious angle)!
Cosmetically speaking, there are also problems that are surprising to see in a product of this type. Whereas the first lamp I purchased has a very prominent nick in the plastic edge alongside the LCD panel, the replacement lamp has a scratch in the ivory plastic lamp body about an inch below the shade shelf, and it, too, must have been obtained in manufacturing.
As for the shade itself, it came out of the plastic wrap with a beige blemish, roughly 3/4", that looks like a pale stain against the bright white linen. So while the second lamp did not have a DOA speaker, I apparently traded one problem in for another. Worse, the lamp appears lopsided even from the opposite side of the room (and would probably appear that way from down the street if I were to set it on the curb). In short, the Verilux Rise & Shine lamp is just not up to the quality that the price/warranty suggests. And in case you are wondering if this might have been "gray market" merchandise, it wasn't. I purchased my Rise & Shine lamp straight out of a high-end, authorized retail store, new-in-box.
The AM/FM clock radio paired to the sunrise-simulating full-spectrum light, finished off by the eight high-quality digital nature sounds -- contained in a space-saving design roughly 6.5" wide at the base and 20" tall -- makes for an outstanding combination and concept. For this reason, I hope Verilux will continue to refine the Rise and Shine model, particularly where quality control is concerned.
Given that I am a gadget fan, and someone who has rated products 1/5th the price of this lamp very highly, it should be understood that I really wanted to give this a positive review. But two duds in a row?
IRONY
The Rise & Shine user manual emphatically instructs consumers to contact Verilux directly instead of returning defective products to the retailer. Given that my replacement lamp is also defective, I followed these instructions. But in reality, Verilux wants defective merchandise to become the retailers' problem, not theirs (as per the instruction I received to make a THIRD 40-mile trip back to the store where I purchased it). Conclusion?
VERILUX DOESN'T BACK THEIR WARRANTY (in my experience/opinion).
Nor, apparently, does Verilux care what kind of impression they leave on first-time customers. So if you think the impressive three-year warranty will help you if something should go wrong, consider what happened less than 72 hours into my ownership experience. And believe me, there was no rudeness involved to provoke this kind of reaction on the part of Verilux' customer service department, either.
What Verilux has apparently forgotten is that this is the age of the Internet. As it so happens, I supplement my income writing product reviews for Websites. In fact, I am a writer by training/trade. Translation: Verilux chose the wrong customer to let down. I have no intention of smearing Verilux' reputation -- unless telling the truth and nothing but the truth about my experience qualifies as such.
Would I recommend this product to a friend? Yesterday I might have said yes, chalking up the non-operative speaker in the first lamp to a fluke. Today, coupled with the fact that Verilux seemingly does not wish to stand behind their products even when it would take a mere lampshade to keep a customer happy, my answer is a resounding NO.
Should anyone at Verilux read my review, I wish to close with this thought: I could have learned to live with the cosmetic problems I noted, but a ~$5 lampshade, to replace the one that was blemished right out of the box -- and doesn't sit straight, to boot -- is that not worth keeping a first-time customer happy?
Description of Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Alarm Clock Deluxe Bedside Lamp, Graphite
Sleep well, wake refreshed! Circadian rhythms -- on your own schedule. Here's a radio, alarm clock, nature sounds, and lamp all in 6.5 of space. Come morning, the Rise & Shine lamp slowly brightens and the high-fidelity speaker increases volume over 5-60 minutes so you wake gently to your favorite AM/FM radio station or birds, harbor, village, brook, ocean, forest, rain, or breeze sounds. At night, the process reverses to help you sleep. Lamp also provides Natural Spectrum light for reading. Display color adjusts to 7 different hues and high/low brightness. Graphite or Ivory. Linen shade, snooze button, adjustable color display. includes FREE pillow speaker ($19.95 value) so that sounds only wake you.Health, Care, Beauty Products
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