We needed a simple set of earbuds. What could be easier?

We work and play on the water, so we thought it would be nice if they could be waterproof, or at least water resistant. We Googled. We found. We bought.

So far, so good, right? What could possibly go wrong?

The earbuds we bought for $60 with shipping were from H2O, called "SURGE". See below:

• Years of research, development & collective feedback from our team riders has created a music experience that is unmatched. Sound-isolating, watertight earplugs harness the full range audio experience provided by Surge's waterproof 8mm neodymium drivers.
• Waterproof & Sweatproof
• The ultimate sport headphones
• Submersible to 12ft/3.6m underwater
• Acoustically engineered
• For exceptional clarity & bass
• Ergonomically designed earplugs
• Includes 5 sets of earplugs to provide an
  individualized fit and watertight seal.
• MotionFlex™ strain relief Connector
• Compatible with standard 3.5mm jacks
• H2O Audio carrying case included

 

The earbuds arrived a week later from B&H Photo and Video and we eagerly plugged them into our brand new Sandisk MP3 Player. The sound was BAD. We read the instructions and they recommended allowing the earphones to play for some time to "equalize" any "pressure differences".

Huh?

Well, whatever. We did so. We played them at high, low, and inbetween volume for about 24 hours. There was zero improvement in the sound. We finally concluded that so-called "waterproof" headphones probably just weren't going to have good sound, due to the steps and manufacturing processes required to waterproof the speakers. We used to experience this trouble ourselves when we owned a deep-sea diving company. We would pipe stereo music into the coms speakers in our helmets. Those speakers were waterproof and produced horrible sound as well. We resolved to simply live with the atrocious sound and nearly absent bass from the H2O Surge headphones. At least they were waterproof.

We used them in real life for the first time a few days later when we went boating in our 14 foot outboard boat. We arranged everything at the dock, cranked up the volume, set the earbuds just right, and motored off into the bay to go have lunch a short distance away. After about 60-120 seconds, however, the volume of the earbuds went to exactly zero. Dang! The batteries in the MP3 Player must have died! We stopped, examined the SanDisk player, realized it could only be recharged at home (thanks, SanDisk), and so plugged the earphones into an IPOD. The sound volume was back. Great! We took off again; all was well with the world. But, amazingly, within another few minutes the volume through the earbuds had fallen to nothing again. We stopped, amazed at the odds, but soon discovered the batteries in the IPOD were just fine. After ten more minutes of testing we realized that the problem lay with the earbuds themselves. For lack of any other explanation we deduced that the H2O Surges contained some sort of weird circuitry that decreased the volume depending on the ambient noise level. That's all we could think of.

We completed the trip in silence and, once back home, set out to test them some more. In the home we were unable to duplicate the problem; the headphones played just fine regardless of ambient noise levels-- terrible sound, but plenty of volume. What in heck was going on?

We scoured the Internet and the H2O site for any explanation. There was NO mention of ANY problem having to do with ambient noise. Surely we didn't have the ONLY faulty set?!

Finally in exasperation, we went back to B&H Photo and Video to ask for a refund. By this time we'd done a BUNCH of research on the H2O Surge earbuds / headphones and found no shortage of unhappy customers. Many lamented that one or both sides simply quit after a week or two. Many folks were astounded at the poor sound quality and lack of bass response. We finally concluded that we just didn't want to be associated with H2O in any way, so we asked for an RMA from B&H. We explained that when we first opened the package, we were prepared to keep the product, so we threw away the packaging. We expected, we explained, to pay a restocking fee, though we wondered why the packaging would be even necessary because B&H certainly wouldn't try to resell a faulty product, would they? No, of course not.

B&H went to the H2O site on our behalf and dug up the following information:

H2O Audio Surge Waterproof Headphones feature sealed, watertight
speaker chambers. During initial use, your headphones may sound
distorted or operate at very low audio levels due to a vacuum formed
in the speaker chamber during air travel or shipment.

Volume and sound quality will return to normal once the pressure
equalizes. Playing the headphones at 90% volume for 30 minutes
typically solves this problem. Some users have also found that
headphones equalize more quickly if they gently suck air out of and/or
blow air into the sound tube of the headphones (we know it sounds a
bit funny but it actually works!). Compressed air shouldn't be used.

You may also find it helpful to tap the sound tube of the headphones
face down into the palm of your hand as this can aid in relieving any
built up pressure as well.

If the problem still occurs, wait 24 hours and test them again as the
headphones will usually equalize within a short period of time.

If your headphones do not equalize or if you have any questions,
please contact H2O Audio Customer Service at 800-708-6080 or
support@h2oaudio.com.

It also says on their website that as you swim underwater the water
pressure pushes the headphones deeper into your ears thereby
compressing the sealed air cavity. This forces the speaker diaphragm
to work harder against the added resistance and subsequently lowers
the volume. You'll notice the volume increases as you get closer to
the water?s surface. I am not sure why the volume is decreasing when
there is ambient noise.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with.
Thank you, we appreciate your business.

Leon B.
B&H Photo Video and Pro Audio
The Professional's Source.
E-Mail Sales Department
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
The Professional's Source

AHA! It clicked and we saw the problem clearly! We wrote back to B&H Photo - Video as follows:

Thank you! I think you’ve solved the mystery! It appears that it’s not
the ambient noise that causes the earphones to shut down, it’s the
wind pressure of moving. So riding a bike, scooter, riding in a boat –
it will ALL cause the same problem! Even jogging, if you were a fast
runner, unlike me, or if the wind was blowing against you, or maybe if
you were just standing still on a very windy day, or at a beach, you’d
have the same problem. Any kind of significant air movement past the earbuds will
cause the volume to decrease, ultimately to zero. That being the case,
these are of ZERO use to us. This is NOT your fault. No one could have
foreseen this. We’re betting you’ll see a LOT more identical
complaints due to this peculiarity. We obviously need to return these,
but we stupidly threw away the packaging because they worked fine when
tested sitting here in the living room. We expect to pay a
“restocking” fee or whatever is appropriate. If we were you, we’d let
H2O know what we (you) thought of this, and we’d either discontinue
them, or put a HUGE warning and disclaimer on the product page. Any
movement through the air (faster is worse) will cause the volume of
these to decrease significantly or completely turn off. We found in
the boat that at speeds of about 15-20 mph, not even fast enough to
pull a water skier, the sound decreased volume after, say, 30 seconds.
Once we stopped, it took 30 to 60 seconds for it to come back to
previous levels. Very bizarre and, ultimately, useless. Please advise
how to return them. We’re sorry that both you and us are victims of
short-sighted engineering.

We finally understood the problem with the H2O Surge earbuds: Any appreciable wind will change the pressure dynamics inside the earbuds and cause them to produce decreased (OR ZERO) sound volume. Great! An "outdoor" earphone system that cannot realistically be used outdoors! Riding a bike can cause these to shut down, as might any number of regular activities, such as jogging, standing still in a wind, skateboarding, biking, scooter riding, boating, water skiing, wake boarding, horseback riding, kite-flying, ultralight flying, riding in a convertible--- you name it! If there's any appreciable wind (and when isn't there?) these will simply SHUT. DOWN!

We wrote to H2O to complain; they wrote back to say they'd be happy to replace them. WITH WHAT!? Another set that will do the exact same thing and STILL have horrible sound quality on those rare occasions when there is any sound at all?

We asked for a refund from B&H.

B&H Photo and Video immediately wrote back and said they would not accept the return because we didn't have the original packaging and, in their own words: "We couldn't resell them." (!)

Period. End of story. Fini.

We objected; B&H reiterated: NO RETURN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

We objected more strongly; B&H merely repeated their decision.

We then demanded that B&H remove and delete our "account" with them (we've spent many thousands with them over the decades), as we would not be doing business with them again. B&H refused to respond.

We then went into our bank account to file a chargeback on the transaction. Unfortunately, we couldn't FIND the transaction in our regular bank account. Dang -- we must have used Paypal for some reason.

Well, no problem. Paypal offers buyer protection for their debit card users, just as any "real" financial institution does. Right? Certainly. --Goes without saying. So we went into Paypal's dispute resolution center and completed all the forms with the required data, and sat back to wait a week or three for this to all work itself through the dispute system. 60 seconds later we received an email from Paypal stating that there was no dispute resolution service available for this transaction because B&H was not eligible for buyer's protection through Paypal. The End.

We re-appealed to Paypal, explaining how ridiculous this was, but Paypal refused to respond. Good ol' Paypal strikes YET AGAIN.

We immediately wrote to Paypal to demand that they cancel our Paypal debit card and other services. Paypal has not responded.

The bottom line is this:

We researched and specifically chose a product designed explicitly to be used outdoors in any weather conditions, including rain (which is normally accompanied by WIND), and even including underwater.

We bought said product.

Said product does NOT work for its advertised purposes -- doesn't even come close.

We don't WANT a product that doesn't work for its intended purpose. NO ONE does.

ANYONE would want to RETURN such a product.

The manufacturer is of zero help.

B&H is of zero help.

Paypal is of zero help.

Our last resort is to file in small claims against B&H Photo and Video. In days gone by you had to sue anyone or any company in their own locale. This has changed, and most courts will now allow a suit to be filed and executed against a bad company clear across the country. The court merely sets up a speakerphone on the judge's bench, certifies that the party on the end of the line is indeed the sued party, and the trial commences. How many judges do you think, across the country, would rule against a customer who bought a product in good faith which was advertised to be used in a certain way and for a certain purpose and which documentably will not perform that function or service? NONE. We'll win, and we'll collect court costs, and we'll post a transcript of the proceeding right here on this page.

We had dealt with Paypal for a decade or so and found them to be exclusively dishonest, unreliable, dishonorable, skunky, slippery, underhanded, unprofessional -- so it's no surprise that Paypal has chosen this solution in this case.

We had never dealt with H2O. We never will again.

We had dealt with B&H for a decade or more and had pretty good luck; the only problems we did have were due to improperly described and advertised products; we're shocked at B&H's stupidity in this case. We will never deal with them again. We need to be able to TRUST a business (1) not to sell us misrepresented junk and (2) to make it right when they accidentally do. B&H has failed on both counts. We're not willing to take a chance on them again.

This will document that B&H has been made aware of this problem with the H2O Surge earbuds / headphones. As of this date (9-25-2009) there is no mention on B&H's product page to warn buyers of this problem. We'll be watching to see if they EVER decide to update their product description to be HONEST about the product they're selling. In any case, any customer who, from this date forward, purchases this product from B&H and finds it lacking, will have an iron-clad case against B&H for return and refund at B&H's expense. Yes, we're happy to provide an affidavit attesting to the fact that we have made B&H aware of this, and that B&H has responded to us acknowledging receipt of that information.

We're an online business, and as such we place from 5 to 25 orders PER DAY to replenish stocks and equipment. This was a personal purchase, but the fact is that whether for personal or professional consumption, we have sharply curtailed our online buying. Far too many experiences just like this mandate that change in policy. We'll go to a brick and mortar from now on, for everything we can obtain locally. At least when the store is right down the street it's easier to extract recourse from bottom-feeders like this.

Bottom line:

We're out sixty bucks.

We've received no product we can use.

We have no way to return the product.

We're now put to the trouble of filing a lawsuit over something that should have, and could have, been solved in eight seconds flat.

Our advice: AVOID THESE COMPANIES.

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Note: When we attempted to notify B&H of this page, we received the following in reply:

Dear Customer,

The B&H E-mail dept. is now closed for Holiday/Vacation.

We regret that we cannot receive your e-mail at this time. We will reopen on tuesday, September 29th at 9:00am.

Please re-submit your inquiry after that date.

 

Again, our advice: AVOID THESE COMPANIES.

 

9-28-09

9-28-09