Gear Diary UPDATED!  Tales In Packaging Insanity  Default Case  photo

Larry has commented on Default Case a few times. Most recently he made the case that Default Case needs to stop talking and start doing. I agree- good customer service and a funny one-liner only go so far.

After Larry’s first encounter with Default Case I ordered four more of the cases. Two came fairly quickly and then… nothing. Then I got word that one of the two remaining cases had finally shipped.

It came today.

The first issue I encountered was the fact that, unlike my first black case, this new white one is loose on the iPhone. There is a fair amount of give when the iPhone is inside and it makes the case feel cheap and… to be honest… unusable.

Well, actually, that was the second issue. Here’s the first.

Gear Diary UPDATED!  Tales In Packaging Insanity  Default Case  photo

Here’s the box I got…

Gear Diary UPDATED!  Tales In Packaging Insanity  Default Case  photo

And the packaging inside. A fairly big box with air cushions inside.

And all that is there to ship…

Gear Diary UPDATED!  Tales In Packaging Insanity  Default Case  photo

This????

Gear Diary UPDATED!  Tales In Packaging Insanity  Default Case  photo

Seriously Default Case? You shipped one (unusable) case in a box this big? SERIOUSLY??? What a remarkable, incredible, ridiculous waste. Honestly, for this reason alone I won’t be ordering more of your cases. That and… of course, the fact that this latest white one is unusable. As Elana always … you get what you pay for.

Update- Today I got another package from Default Case. Same size box. Same bubble cushion inside. Same single case inside. Two days, two boxes, to cases of total waste.

Oh, and the new cases are different from the first one I got. They feel cheaper, fit worse and are a complete and total disappointment.

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Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.
  • http://www.geardiary.com Douglas Moran

    Hmm. Fail, or Epic Fail?

  • Travis Ehrlich

    Well, at least I will get to wait even longer for all of mine to arrive! LOL

  • http://twitter.com/dmcohen/status/25917490875 Dan Cohen

    RT @geardiary: UPDATED! Tales In Packaging Insanity- Default Case #Apple iPhone and Touch Gear #Rants and Raves http://bit.ly/dy2SaJ

  • http://twitter.com/lgreenberg/status/25925107162 Larry Greenberg

    Packaging Fail courtesy of @dmcohen & @defaultcase http://bit.ly/cdTA4X

  • http://twitter.com/travisehrlich/status/25929072361 travisehrlich

    RT @geardiary: UPDATED! Tales In Packaging Insanity- Default Case #Apple iPhone and Touch Gear #Rants and Raves http://bit.ly/dy2SaJ

  • http://twitter.com/danielchow77/status/25935024618 Daniel Chow

    Tales In Packaging Insanity- Default Case http://goo.gl/fb/WT0wW #ipad

  • http://twitter.com/lgreenberg/status/26104760407 Larry Greenberg

    @uncletone99 No, it's not just you. @dmcohen wrote an article about it a couple of days ago. http://bit.ly/cdTA4X

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Pamplin/29800297 Ryan Pamplin

    This is Ryan from DefaultCase.

    I apologize for the excessive packaging. We have corrected the problem with our fulfillment centers. From now on, small orders will ship in envelopes and big orders will ship in boxes.

    We appreciate this being brought to our attention. We really listen to feedback from the iPhone community and continue to make improvements in order to make our customers happy. We welcome and sincerely appreciate feedback from everyone.

    Thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Ryan @ DefaultCase

  • Dan Cohen

    Ryan,

    I truly appreciate your coming on and posting a response. After seeing the extreme waste your company has exhibited with JUST MY CASES I am glad to see you are changing your approach. 

    Quick question while I have your attention- the packaging issue got me wondering. I did a comparison between the first case I ordered from you and the additional ones that prompted this post. This first case felt MUCH more substantial than the subsequent ones. After noticing this I went on line and checked into similar cases. The current ones you are shipping look EXACTLY like some Chinese knock-offs I found on the web which cost under $3 each in bulk. Since you charge more than that in shipping it got me wondering if you are using these cases and charging a penny but then adding enough shipping and handling to make it worth while. Is this the case? Are these your own design and production or are you simply repackaging cases you buy from overseas?

  • palmfox

    Hey Dan

    I just received my Default Case, a black one. You are correct on the packaging… it is overkill. I did not see the looseness or poor fit that you experienced with your wife’s case. I also ordered a red one that should be here tomorrow. I will also see how that one fits.

    Your question regarding the knockoffs is interesting. I hope the company can provide an answer. The case doesn’t have any branding anywhere, which is unusual for a case manufacturer. Even if it is subtle logo, most case companies want folks to know their brand. (I would find this especially true of a company who is trying to get there business started up. Seems they would want to SHOUT it out!)

    I hope you follow up if you don’t hear back from them.



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