Exactly. I’ve purchased 3 Roku devices and even upgraded to the more expensive remote (with volume & voice control) in hope that it would resolve the issues the others have had.
Yet not only did the more costly remote prove to be even more problematic, it’s been worse than the originals. First off it’s very cheaply made. When dropped on the floor from only two feet, the front piece flew off and the battery inside apparently came loose (now rattles around). So apparently no durability tests were performed prior to release (or they simply didn’t care).
Yet even before dropping the remote, I’ve had nothing but headaches from the start; which initially were frustrating but not frequent enough to return the device. Though after just a few months, (almost like clockwork) the remote (the Roku itself) would become increasingly worse.
It’s only been maybe two years since the last remote purchase, & 95% of the time no buttons work, unless I first hold the pairing button on the backside. You can imagine how annoying this is every time I have to adjust the volume, hit mute, pause a movie, or cycle through an app, etc. This despite being only 7 feet or so away, the remote having a direct view of the Roku & being fully charged.
But wait, there’s more… I also have the wonderful experience of my Rokus randomly restarting on their own, which is usually preceded by the interface slowing to a crawl, freezing completely, or experiencing overheating (despite an ambient room temp of 70 degrees & ensuring adequate ventilation).
I of course have attempted all of their typical suggestions of restarting the devices, unplugging & plugging back in, ensuring that I’m using the proper cable, making sure there are no loose connections, & performing the resets (both on the remote & app). By now I could find the ‘restart device’ setting with my eyes closed.
And the fact I’ve e coined the same exact issues with 4 Rokus & 5 remotes, tells me these issues are widespread and well known by the company. I’m actually surprised there’s no class action case against Roku for selling known faulty equipment (but what’s the point when all they do is enrich some greedy attorneys while the consumers get a measly $3).
If you’re reading this and wondering why I continued to buy Roku products despite the issues I’ve encountered… well, it’s because most of them were initially bought around the same time, and the last purchase was in hope that the company addressed the problems (at least you’d think so considering they’re basically selling the same exact devices and remotes they were a decade ago, aside from a few minor tweaks).
Plus, I’ve grown accustomed to the Roku interface; despite its lack of innovation & creativity after all of these years (there are so many ways to improve the UI). Also, they’re more affordable than Apple TV (which I currently can’t afford), and didn’t have much luck with an Amazon FireStick I had bought (not really surprising considering my Echo is basically a useless paperweight & Amazon also likes to sell cheap made in China products that aren’t made to last).
I guess this is just what us consumers who can’t afford the more premium products are left with these days… poorly made throw away electronics with lousy warranties (which even if are applicable aren’t usually worth the time & hassle to even mess with), non existing or useless underpaid foreign support reps that leave you more frustrated & confused than prior to your help inquiry.
Here’s an idea… make a product that actually works & doesn’t include the same problems they did a decade ago, add some rubber bumpers to your remotes to prevent them from falling to pieces when dropped, hire support staff who do more than regurgitate the obvious, & stand by your products when you know they’re faulty. But anyway.
