No more Insteon Icons via dealers

[Madcodger]

For those of us who strongly prefer to purchase our hardware via knowledgeable dealers the Insteon Icon line is apparnetly no longer available via this route once the current dealer supply is depleted.

I needed a few more Icon relays (some to replace dead ones that have to be returned) for small loads such as bathroom fans, and tried to order them yesterday from Automated Outlet. Received a return email reply from AO that Smarthome would no longer sell the Icon line through dealers.

So, given that the rest of my house is now almost all Insteon and I'm thus invested in this technology, I just had to order 5 switches from Smarthome. I'm kicking myself for that, but I have no other choice unless I switch to another technology, which I just don't have the time to investigate and support.

One of the reasons I invested in the Insteon line was that I could buy the FULL product line from a dealer I trusted. With decisions like this, I'm going to actively look for ways NOT to spend money with Smarthome.

 

[tech-home]

Smart-Home has been a pain since Insteon. To where I started to cancel my dealer account then they said they were sorry I did it and wanted me back. Anyways they keep changing the policy for dealers and distributors making it a hassle.

Thats why I prefer Zwave


Brian
http://tech-home.com

 

[opie]

I have only been a SmartHome dealer for about four or five months but I have never been able to buy the Icon line at discounted prices so I assumed this was always this way. Unfortunately, I have a job coming up with about 70 Insteon switches and they want to use Icons where practical but it all evens out.

 

[Digger]

I wonder why...................

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

Yes, all we have left is the Icon dimmer switches and plug-in modules.

 

[gregoryx]

tight margins? especially on a product that seems to involve a lot of returns?

 

[BLH]

Are they being pushed in some of the Home Improvement Warehouses?

 

[Digger]

I bet the returns are killing them. But does it really pay to cut off the distributors who do some of the marketing and support? As it is the tech support at SH is not as knowledgeable IN SOME CASES as the distributors it seems.

 

[gregoryx]

Agreed on the support issue.

I sure would love to see communication from SH on these issues. <_<

But last time I made a pitch toward that y'all put me (and SH, I suppose) in my place.

On a "that made me feel better" angle, some of the Z-wave chatter reminds me that Insteon is not the only new HA tech w/ "issues". :blink: :blink:
Different ones, of course...

 

[Mike]

It does sound strange, I'm sure something drove the decision though (and why Icons only, unless it is the lower cost, lower margin issue that was mentioned, which does seem to make sense).

Wasn't there an earlier response on not providing the same swap-out policy for items bought at other dealers?

It could also be something as simple as a new rev/version being released and they are depleting the old ones before restocking?

 

[Alexander]

Fine with me, I think the money should go to the people who developed the technology and products, and I don't need any real or perceived value-add.

 

[tech-home]

On a "that made me feel better" angle, some of the Z-wave chatter reminds me that Insteon is not the only new HA tech w/ "issues". <_< :blink:
Different ones, of course...

Not sure what you mean by that? I prefer something that other manufactures are producing like X10, Zwave, and UPB. Yes they all have certain issues that varies but that is not what the thread was talking about. He stated SmartHome has ended providing them to distributors/dealers for resell. I have not seen any other manufacture like this that keeps changing the policy's.

Zwave,ACT, Intermatic,
soon
Monster, Leviton, and many others competing. Just as UPB and X10 have several manufactures. Where a consumer can buy from another company if not happy with the product.

Where as Insteon is currently only produced by SmartHome.

Brian
http://tech-home.com

 

[Madcodger]

All,

I posted this thread, and similar ones on SH's techmall board and the HS board, because I actually thought SH might reconsider what I thought was a very recent decision. Their representative on the techmall board made it very clear that this was now their policy, and had been for 4 or 5 months. A change in that policy seems very unlikely. I just wish I had known all this when I converted the whole house over to Insteon. My decision would likely have been very different.

I often pay more for equipment I buy via the dealer route, as I avoid SH's frequent sales. I saw the recent "monster" codes and discounts SH was offering, but I waited for my dealer to get the switches that started this whole thread to come back in stock, instead. That's when I found out about the policy change.

I'm at the point where I no longer think we can change corporate policies via grassroot complaints. When I entered this hobby, most of the people who stayed with this were willing to pay a bit more for stable equipment (as much as that existed then) and dealer support. That seems to be an increasingly rare thing, with the HA community now splitting into one group that just wants cheap prices, and another that just wants to write a check to get everything installed. So much for the serious hobbyist, which seems to be a dwindling population that was never all that big anyway...

Frankly, I don't want to debate this. I actually thought SH might change their policy if enough people complained. That doesn't seem to be the case. I'll buy the product lines I want via my dealer, and others can buy what they want where they want.