geoffs said:
The PowerTap hub updater has an MSRP of $99.99 plus tax, as stated on the Saris website. It's too bad you paid so much more.
The point of sending it back is so that they can be properly recycled, rather than thrown in the garbage. If you prefer to not send the updater back in an effort to decrease the carbon footprint of the product that's great! Just please recycle the updater in the appropriate manner.
The updater is not a gimmick. It's a tool that allows users to use older wireless hubs with a different display device, such as the 705, which also operates on a different wireless network. It's also the first time an update has been made available for the firmware in the hub; this is a pretty significant change to the hub firmware.
Just a few comments first: the price I paid was in Canadian dollars, not US, and this is because of conversion and shipping costs. I never said the updater was a gimmick - I think sending in the updater to receive a t-shirt in return is a gimmick when it is highly likely Saris will then turn around and sell that same updater for US$99 again. And I personally really dislike when companies make individuals responsible for reducing carbon footprints when for products like this it should be the responsibility of the company and not the individual. For example, rent out the updater at a cost the would recoup research and development costs so fewer updaters would have to be made, with resulting less packaging and less waste.
But in defense of Saris, the PowerTap product is excellent and I have no complaints about their products, in fact the opposite. I do appreciate that I can use an ANT+Sport device, in my case a Garmin Edge 705, with an older unit and that Saris research and develop an updater so I don't need to buy another hub just so I can use an ANT+Sport device. And lastly, their communication with customers is also very good. I received the following reply from Saris today:
"The move to ANT+ has not been an easy or cheap one. Saris has invested a great deal of time, money, and resources to improve the wireless technology to where it is now and has worked with multiple partners to make it happen. In order to prevent previous wireless customers from being left swinging in the wind without an option other than buying a new hub, a team of designers, engineers, and product managers developed a way to reprogram the hubs and update them to an ANT+ protocol. It involved our staff of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers as well as a whole host of support staff working together over a long period of time to make that possible. The purchase price for the hub updater has been made as reasonable as possible to recoup the cost of development and production for the short period of time that it will be necessary, as the only product is will be applicable to is the standard 2.4 wirelss. Its not a matter of financial extortion by any means. Saris has taken a responsible action to ensure customers can stay with the current technology for a reasonable cost rather than forcing the previous wireless product into obsolesence.
As far as waste goes, we purposely created a product in the updater that would keep electrical and circuitry waste to a minimum. The t-shirt is not a gimmick, but is a way to encourage environmental responsibility by sending the electronic product back to us to be recharged and reused. Then the customer doesn't throw away the electronics and we don't have to keep making more for more people to throw away. The majority of the packaging is paper or cardboard product that can continue to be recycled.
Saris has and will continue to take action to make sure that our customers are taken care and satisfied with our products and support in an efficient, effective manner that is financially and environmentally responsible.
I've tried to make as complete of a response as possible, but if I've missed something, I apologize. If you have any future concerns or further questions, please feel free to contact us directly."
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