Sena (Lack Of) Customer Service

[bill lumberg]

Positives-
Sena 20s Evo, purchased new from Revzilla, sounds superb. Those speakers are awesome. Sena customer service very responsive (on the phone). I don’t have information to return the unit yet, but I got a ticket number and an email.

Negatives- unit arrived new in box with no cover on the charging port. Cover was in the box but not attached. Since it’s on the bottom of the unit, a non tethered port cover is a rain problem.

Also, unit will not function properly. “Hello Sena” works sometimes, briefly, then stops working. Once voice commands stop, nothing short of powering off and back on will restore function. Firmware update and going through diagnostics with Sena did not fix the problem.

Quite irritated to have a new unit with two different problems. Either would have required a return though. I was actually happy when they told me they could provide a new head unit if I returned mine, rather than dismantling the helmet and pulling everything out of the RF-1200. Considered returning it for a refund. Time will tell if sending it to Sena for warranty replacement was the right choice. My primary, Sena SRL for Neotec 2, continues to function flawlessly. Which is important. Because I like a party in my helmet.

[jwilly]

It's you man.. sorry you had issues. My 20s has been bulletproof over the past 100k miles.

[Festus]

My view has been, when the Sena works, it’s the best thing ever. When you have to deal with customer support, you’ll be warming the bike up, googling their address in hopes of driving there and beating someone to a pulp. I question whether or not anyone in their customer service has actually used their products.

Their shit starts the same every time. Hit reset and call back later. Didn’t work? Update the firmware and call back. Didn’t work? Hit the reset and call back. Didn’t work? Try going backwards one firmware and report back.

[bill lumberg]

This isn’t a hardship, just a hiccup. With another sena equipped helmet, and shure monitors as tertiary, total first world problem.

I think the 20s (20s Evo and Sena in general) are a solid model/vendor. That’s why I bought a second/third, (someone has a Sena SRL to match my primary already under the Christmas tree). First Sena operator only wanted me to send it back to revzilla. But he disconnected while I was following his diagnostic instructions. Second operator (no record in their system of the first 25 minute call ever taking place) immediately told me to send it back to them. Still waiting on shipping info.

[El Toro Joe]

My 20s shit the bed at CFO...probably from the monsoon I rode through getting there. Called Sena support from the hotel, the technicians fix did not bring it back to life...so he got the ball rolling to ship it back. Once I got back home, I sent it off to them, and about a week later had a new replacement.

[bill lumberg]

Just got off the phone. They have all the info they need, but RMA is a department you don’t get to talk to, and, according to tech support, they’ll take a few more days to generate an RMA ticket. Then expect three to four weeks before a working replacement is shipped. If I don’t get something from them tomorrow I’m calling revzilla. Sena CS sucks.

They always send me a summary email after I talk or correspond with them. And it’s always wrong and has random shit in it. It would be entertaining if it weren’t holding up getting me a working device.

[wheatonFJR]

Sorry to hear that. I love how easy my SMH10 operates with gloves on. I don't ask it to do much, maybe I'll ask it to do more on my trip to Red Lodge and the Pacific Ocean in 2020 with wifey and griff.

[bill lumberg]

I like the wheel on the 20 better than the tiny buttons on the SRL. I can get by with either. Love the voice commands feature.

[bill lumberg]

Revzilla-1 Sena-0. Revzilla said “whoa, dude, sweateth not. We got this.” They are shipping replacement as soon as they see movement on the shipping label they provided. Sena could only mumble about cows being sacred or something.

I’ll be well versed in taking apart RF-1200’s after this.

[wheatonFJR]

Revzilla-1 Sena-0. Revzilla said “whoa, dude, sweateth not. We got this.” They are shipping replacement as soon as they see movement on the shipping label they provided. Sena could only mumble about cows being sacred or something.

I’ll be well versed in taking apart RF-1200’s after this.

Scribbling in notepad, "buy Senas from Revzilla when the time comes..."

[bill lumberg]

Revzilla or Black Hills Moto. Can’t go wrong with either.

[jwilly]

Scribbling in notepad, "buy Senas from Revzilla when the time comes..."

Another thing i will offer, If you have a Cycle Gear store close by it's a good place to buy Sena. They offer a 2 year extended warranty for something like $10. No questions asked, walk in with troubled Sena and walk out with brand new one in the box.

[wheatonFJR]

Scribbling in notepad, "buy Senas from Revzilla when the time comes..."

Another thing i will offer, If you have a Cycle Gear store close by it's a good place to buy Sena. They offer a 2 year extended warranty for something like $10. No questions asked, walk in with troubled Sena and walk out with brand new one in the box.

Oh, this could be good.

[bill lumberg]

And, cycle gear will put it in your helmet for you all free-like. Further, cycle gear is in cahoots with Revzilla. Buy Sena from Revzilla, they send you an email coupon to get your shit installed at the nearest cycle gear. If you’re into that.

[Uncle Hud]

It's you man.. sorry you had issues. My 20s has been bulletproof over the past 100k miles.

Mine, too; well, 70k miles. And my rubber cover for the charge port fell off about 2 years ago. Still works fine in the rain. (No shit.)

[jwilly]

And, cycle gear will put it in your helmet for you all free-like. Further, cycle gear is in cahoots with Revzilla. Buy Sena from Revzilla, they send you an email coupon to get your shit installed at the nearest cycle gear. If you’re into that.

In case you don't realize, Cycle Gear and Revzilla are now both owned by the same parent company. I expect to see more cross marketing and I would guess a merge of the brands in the near future.

[bill lumberg]

Lemmy owns them both. Seriously though, party line is they’ll continue to operate independently but will be owned by the same ownership group. Supposedly the three primaries of Revzilla will have partnership with another and all oversee both. I’ve spent a lot of money with Revzilla because of their shopping, shipping, and customer service experience. And I’ve cherry picked through the cheap stuff to find some really good gear at cycle gear (if you have not tried their JWiLLY “JailBate” signature line freeze-out neck warmer, you are missing an essential piece of gear). Win win for riding fools.

[bill lumberg]

I shipped the return yesterday morning. By noon, Revzilla had shipped (expedited) a new replacement. Still no RMA from Sena.

[bill lumberg]

Update- second 20s Evo has the same malfunction. Two units, identical problem, updates, hard resets, etc do not work. Talked to Sena again they said they’re going to try to escalate to their team in Korea, and maybe there will be a software update some time in the new year that will fix the flaw. I figured out a workaround to “wake up” voice commands, but it kind of defeats having voice control. I love the wheel. It’s a very intuitive control. Volume was more than adequate with earplugs in, at highway speeds, even before I turned volume boost on.

[jwilly]

I assume you know that if you poke the button on the bottom of the unit it wakes the chick up and she listens good... Haha