Recently I had a couple trail cameras malfunction. Both were outside of the 1 year warranty offered from each manufacturer. I decided to contact each company and see what could be done to help me out. I had a Moultie M-80 that I believe was 3 years old and a Covert Red 40 that was 2 years old. I was willing to pay to have the cameras repaired. Moultrie M-80 Defect - The camera would no longer power on. Response - Asked me to do a hard restore. I followed the instructions and still had no power. I was informed that Moultrie no longer repairs cameras and the since my camera was outside the one year warranty that there was nothing I could do. My Thoughts - That's just plain terrible customer service. I was not looking for a free lunch, but I feel that a trail camera should have a life of over 3 years considering the cost of these cameras. They gave me no alternative like a discounted on a new camera or anything. Basically they gave me no reason to stay loyal to Moultrie in any way. In fact, they lost any future trail camera dollars from me. Covert Red 40 Defect - Moisture leaking into the case, camera still functioned but allowed moisture into the case around the batteries. Response - The customer service associate issued me a Return Authorization Number and gave me the address to ship it back to them on my dime. A little over a week later I received a brand new, still in the package HD40. My Thoughts - Obviously I was very happy with this experience. The process was easy and had a great outcome. I run a lot of trail cameras and spend a fair amount each year on them. No reason not to spend that money with Covert.
You had me scared when you mentioned the Covert Red 40, I have three of them and never heard anything negative about them until now. Mine have had no issues, but it's nice to hear how they handle customers who did.
I had an moultrie M-80 and a M-100 (I believe), the m-80 was about 2 years old and the m-100 was a year old. I got ahold of them because the cams would no longer power on and the m-100 wouldnt save photos. They had me send the cameras back for repair or other options...after I sent them back, without contact, they sent me two Moultrie M-whatevers to replace my cameras I sent in. Out of the box neither cam would work and too be honest they were not near the quality of the cameras I sent in, the M-100 hada LCD view screen. Wasnt happy with their decisions so I haven't bought anything moultrie since.
Moultrie M80 is the biggest piece of junk I have ever bought when it comes to hunting related purchases. Enough unhappy experiences with their cameras and CS that I won't buy them any longer. Way better camera makers and camera CS out there to keep buying anything from them.
This is in no way an endorsement for Moultrie but I have an M80, and in the 5yrs I've had it, it's never been in the house. I really don't understand companies in this age of the internet, where a bad word spreads fast. I always research everything before I buy and if I read a lot of negatives about a companies CS I will not purchase from them. Blessings..........Pastorjim
Honestly, I really like my M80's. They have very nice night time pictures and the day pics are pretty good too. The battery life was decent and I really like the wide angle pictures. Their lack of customer service however, is not excusable.
First one I had died a week after a year. I was lucky enough they were fine with it and got a replacement. That one made it 4 months. Got another replacement that made it 5 months. I simply gave up after that and didn't even bother with a new one. With the shipping expenses I could have almost bought a new, different camera. Tried seeing if I could try a different model but they weren't willing to do that even if I paid up to something better. Covert (mp6 black) I bought last year started taking really white pictures after about 5 months. Sent it in and had an MP8 black back in three days. Shouldn't have to deal with CS that soon either but top notch CS goes a long ways.
MOULTRIE>>>>BLOWS.......another fantastic service is from Browning Cameras, not to mention they also take fantastic, Photos, Videos, etc........Strike Force HD is a hell of a camera Creeks
I have had several M-880's for a long time and loved that camera 2013's, last year bought the newer version M-880's and they were okay'ish but not near the quality overall of the older version...not happy with the decision to rework it...why? It was stupid. Now I have a couple of the newer versions that aren't working just right, the select button doesn't function to over ride the delayed pic trigger so to test it when I replace the card to make sure it's taking pics on the card, I have to wait for the 30 sec count down. No biggie but it isn't "right". Been happy with the G42 NG stealths, when I have to replace cams, that's what I'll go with. Coverts are okay but not happy with my black mp8's so I doubt I'll go to Coverts. I won't go back to moultrie at this point, too many horror stories about their CS and I'm extremely not happy that they reworked the old M-880's to a newer version and screwed them up bad. I can't abide poor CS or stupid decisions that ruins an already great product. The newer versions are higher priced and with so many CS problems they can eat it as far as I'm concerned.
My thoughts as well. In my opinion, the Red 40's are the best camera on the market. Granted, Covert, nor anyone else can make 100% perfect products, 100% of the time, but at least they realize that and are willing to help you out.
I only buy covert cameras anymore. I've got an MP6 that has been on the same tree for over 3 years. Sent from my SM-S820L
I have had amazing success using Covert cameras. I still have first MP6 that I bought over 3 years ago and it has over 100,000 pics on it. Still going strong!! My favorite of all the Coverts is the Red40 with the MP6 and the MP8 coming in after it. Their CS is outstanding!
Thanks for the info guys. I was just reading through this thread. I've been looking for a new camera but still unsure of what to get. Definitely know one thing, it won't be a Moultrie.
Interestingly enough, after I had spoken with their customer service and was dissatisfied with their lack of interest in helping me, I posted a letter to their Facebook page. Not trashing them in anyway, just expressing how disappointed I was in their lack of ability to offer a solution. They didn't even have the decency to respond back to me. That says a lot in today's in world where bad reviews can spread like wildfire.
Customer service can make or break a company. I make a lot of my decisions to buy, based on consumer reports on CS.
Customer service is a top factor in trail cams. With the exception of Reconyx, they are all Chinese made electronic devices subjected to the elements. They will develop problems at some point. Would you rather buy from a company that has great customer service and backs there products time and time again, or from a company with terrible or non-existent customer service??
I think a lot of it has to do with the person that you are dealing with. I have a Covert camera that still turns on but will not record any pictures or videos. It is out of the warranty and when I called them to see what my options were I was told they could not do anything for me and I was out of luck. I have on other occasions dealt with Covert on issues out of warranty and they were great and even sent me a replacement free of charge.
Thanks again for the info Skywalker. Moultrie is definitely off of the list for sure!! I'm all about how customer service is. If they at least try to help out I'm in. It's those that act like they could care less about helping that piss me off!!!
The panoramic camera is the only moultrie I still have. I really like it for covering a food plots.. Last 2 I purchased where a browning and a stealth can.
