Smarthome.com

The best way to describe Smarthome.com is that it is an electronics paradise for gadgeteers (like me), but at the same time, a wholly confusing and frustrating visit for novices (like my wife) who want to venture into home automation. That said, ...

There is a saying in the programming business. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you SHOULD. Roughly translated into English from geek, it means that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. ...And I think that just about ...

Introduction After we finished our home theater, my husband and I realized that we wanted to ...

This is a web store to visit if you love gadgets, and have some idea as to what you want. Those with limited technical inclination should avoid this store, it requires a bit of geekness. If however, your inner geek feels called by the products offered, ...

SmartHome are one of a very few companies providing products into the home automation sector. These products are aimed at professional and DIY (Do It Yourself) installers of home gadgets. These gadgets range from garage door openers that are triggered by ...

I had spent quite a bit of time researching different ways to take care of an air conditioning problem I have in my home. I have 4 different units (zones) that control the temperature in my home. One of the thermostats was placed in a hallway that ...

I had done business with Smarthome.com a couple of times over the previous few years. As I am doing a major home remodel I decided to investigate some of their product offerings. Smarthome.com has a large assortment of hard to find electronic and ...

when purchasing home automation equipment there are very few places to choose from. the two main pla ...

***This actually contains two reviews: a negative review of Smarthome's auctions, which somehow overwrote a very positive review of Smarthome's INSTEON products. The positive review has been attached to the end of this, scroll about halfway down. - ...

SCAM - SCAM - SCAM DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AT THIS STORE - They offer extremly faulty products that break after a very short time. They do not stand behind their products AT ALL - And their customer service is the worst. After you are on hold for ...

After about 1 year of hearing good stories about Smarthome, I had an experience today that really changed my mind about good customer service. I had ordered a powerlinc controller in December to link my ELK control to Insteon. After repeated attempts ...

I ordered an Ambient Orb from Smarthome.com. The website was clear and the tab "Why Buy From Us?" represented that they will match any lower price and there is a 30-day no-hassle money back guarantee. As they put it, "If you're not happy, we're not happy."

The product arrived quickly. Unfortunately it was broken upon arrival--an internal circuit board became dislodged and bounced around during shipping. I called the manufacturer, Ambient, and spoke to a customer service rep who said that it was fairly common for this to happen.

Because of this shipping issue, I decided to purchase a product locally and called Smarthome to return the product. They said they would be happy to take it back but they will not refund shipping. I spoke to a supervisor, Ryan Christianson, who said that although it was not specified and although the product was defective Smarthome would not refund the shipping charge.

Overall they were very easy to order from and difficult to return to.

If you're a gadget/home automation geek you will almost always find what you need on the SmartHome web site BUT you will pay a premium price. SmartHome carries adequate (not superior) products backed by average (on a good day) customer service. If you search the web or eBay, you will in many cases find the same or similar solutions for a lot less money. This company needs to either provide some value to customers to justify its inflated prices or price more competitively.

Update, September 2007: Some of the components of the Insteon home automation system that I purchased from SmartHome.com failed early on. SmartHome.com replaced them without any hassles. Kudos to them for improving their customer service! I am updating my review to upgrade customer service from average to above average.

Also, on my more recent orders, I've noticed that the timeliness of shipment has improved somewhat. They are still among the slowest shippers among online merchants, but they're trying to get better.

I ordered an item three weeks ago and it never showed up. They kept on telling me it would be here soon as it was backordered, but new shipments were coming any day. Finally, today I called and they said it was not due until August 25th! That would be nearly 2 months. They never emailed me and told me that... they just emailed me several times saying they would be getting a new shipment shortly. Very poor comunication. Most places just cancel the order and not string you along.

Smarthome is consistently one of the best web retailers. Their customer service is great, their return policy flexible, and their products are good quality.

I've actually had them ship me odd replacement parts at no charge, often fedexed to me the next day.

They're not the cheapest place to make a purchase, but it sure is nice to do business with a retailer that essentially guarantees satisfaction and actually delivers.