Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Subject: Complaint Against Night Owl SP, LLC for Unethical Business Practices Dear Better Business Bureau,I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Night Owl SP, LLC ************************************************ (website: ***********************************) (phone: ****************)regarding my ongoing issue with their customer service and product support.I ordered a doorbell camera (among other products) directly from their website that required reprovisioning which I was informed they could not do so they would replace the product free of charge. Despite multiple emails providing all requested information, including proof of purchase and shipping details, I have yet to receive confirmation or tracking information for the promised ************** experience with Night Owl's customer service has been horrendous. During interactions, I spoke with an incredibly rude, lying representative who provided no assistance and failed to address my concerns adequately. This level of service is unacceptable, and I believe the representative should be held accountable (fired).I was assured over the phone that my malfunctioning 1080p Video Doorbell ($59.99) would be replaced free of charge. However, I have not received any follow-up communication or resolution regarding this matter.Ive been trying to resolve this issue with them and have my replacement doorbell sent as promised since December 18, 2024.I request your assistance in resolving this issue and obtaining the replacement doorbell as promised.Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  Business response

  01/31/2025

  Dear BBB,
  I wanted to provide an update regarding the complaint filed by ******* *****. We reached out to him today and were able to resolve his case through a warranty claim for his doorbell.
  ******* has been informed of the resolution and may follow up with us after receiving his replacement unit to ensure his full satisfaction with our brand and the outcome. At that time, I will also remind him about the BBB complaint case, should he wish to update his review based on his experience.
  Please let us know if any further action is required on our end. We appreciate the opportunity to resolve this matter and value our partnership with the BBB.
  Best regards, 

  Customer Care Team

  Customer response

  02/07/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  01/09/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  A little less than 2 years ago I bought a n8ght owl security system with nvr and 3 cameras. About a year ago month ago I bought an additional camera because one of the cameras quit showing video. About 9 months ago I bought additional batteries from night owl. The batteries do not have the life night owl advertises on their website. They claim a year of battery life which is a lie. The majority of my batteries won't keep a camera going for a day. My home was vandalized and all my cameras were dead. They have falsely advertised the life of their batteries.

  Business response

  01/10/2025

  We reached out to Mr. ********** He accepted additional batteries and a charger as compensation for the inconvenience. Weve created a warranty claim for him and sent an email with the details. He has agreed to the resolution.

   

  ****** G | Tier 4 - Product Support Specialist
  

  Customer response

  01/14/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a Night Owl security system and paid to have it placed in my home. The technician set up initial account with my husband. My husband and I called on 12/23/24 technical support and submitted receipt of purchase and picture of DVR. It was escalated to higher support. Ticket #*******. We were told we would have someone reach out. No one called or emailed. I called on 12/26/24 and spoke with support that said someone would call me in 2 hours. No one called. Today 12/30, I spent 1 hour on hold finally got a support person only to have them hang up on me. I then went to the Chat box and was able to get someone to try to help me but without success. I was on the Chat for almost 2 hours. They tried to direct me to set up my account, but nothing worked. I am very frustrated that I can't get someone to help me. I have a new system that I can't use. If I had known the customer service was this poor, I would have never used this system.

  Business response

  01/06/2025

  
  Update, 
  We provided tech support to this customer by creating her account, but her app account still does not show a product attached to her device. 
  
  I just emailed her to ask if she needs further support. 
  
  ****** ******
  less than a minute ago
  Hello April,
   
  This email concerns the account creation Issues you had on December 30, 2024. Our support agent, ****, resolved this support case. As per the call conversation, you were helped to create the account in Night Owl Protect so that you could later add the *** unit through either the website or the app. You stated you would do it later because you were not close to the *** Unit. We would like to know if you could finish the setup by adding the product to your application. 
  As our records show, you were able to create the account below: 
   
  Account Info
  *****************
  Phone:************
  Phone Verified:true
  Email:*********************************
  Email Verified:true
  Created Date:December 31, 2024
  Last Modified Date:December 31, 2024
   
   
  If you have other concerns or issues, please let us know when you are close to the product. 
   
  If you have been satisfied with the resolution, please revisit your Better Business Bureau Open case, write a review on how we did, or close it as resolved. 
  Regardless, please let us know if you still need help. 
   
  Best regards,
  ****** ****** | Tier 4 - Product Support Specialist
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On January 31st of 2021 I purchased a night owl security system from ********** of ****************** at 7:11 pm. for the purchase price of ****** I installed the system and downloaded the mobile app which never worked very well except on live feed. playback has never really worked as described to. last year my power supply to the *** failed so i replaced that and then I stopped getting notifications to my phone and constantly having to delete the app and reinstall it just to log into my account. the system went from intermittently failing to load video playback to basically not working on playback at all nor detecting motion on the cameras. it is critical that i have access to my mobile app and notifications are critical as well. The system is basically useless unless now unless im sitting in my home looking at my monitor. I may have gotten 2 yrs of fair service at best. that comes up to a cost of over ****** per year. Even for a budget system you expect a minimum of 5-6 yrs of reliable service. I just want them to either refund my money or replace the system. And reconsider their policies of how they handle customer support as well as the length of time they support the devices, ********************** and apps that are critical to their customer base.

  Business response

  01/15/2025

  Good Morning,
  
  I want to apologize for not updating the status of this BBB complaint earlier. Please note that this issue was resolved on January 2, 2025, through a warranty claim. The following items were shipped to the customer as part of the resolution:
  
  Tracking Information:
  USPS Tracking #**********************
  
  Customer Information:
  
  Name: *** *****
  Email: ****************************
  Address: *******************************************************************************************************************
  Shipped Items:
  
  1 x DVR-BTD2-81
  6 x CM-DP2L-B-V2
  6 x AC-CAB604KV1
  3 x PA-12V2-4
  1 x AC-ETHERNET-6
  1 x AC-HDMI-6
  2 x AC-PS4-4
  1 x AC-USBMOUSE-4
  6 x SP-CM-MHW-S
  The shipment was completed on January 2, 2025, at 1:19 PM by our support team. We ensured all items were either brand new or in pristine condition, as required.
  
  Thank you for your understanding, and please let us know if you require any further details or documentation.
  
  Best regards,

  ****** G | Tier 4 - Product Support Specialist

  Customer response

  01/17/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *****

• Initial Complaint

  12/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The night owl product literature states that the camera operating range i between -4 DegF and 140 Degf.I have multiple cameras stop communicating when the outdoor temperature goes below approximately 30 ******* requires i climb a ladder and remove the batteries to get the camera to communicate again.There support staff has not responded to multiple emails and phone calls regarding this issue, and i believe they are ignoring me until the warranty return period expires.

  Business response

  01/15/2025

  We contacted the customer, and a full refund will be issued once he completes the *** process.
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have bought 2 night owl products and they are both the WNVR201 Series. 1 for my restaurant and 1 for my home and they were both bought from ****** around 2-3 years ago. The 1 at the restaurant one day had "No Videos Available" on all of the cameras. I reset the wifi and tried to reset the recorder but it prompted me to log in another time with an "admin" username prefilled and no clear password. The one at my home is just stuck at "connecting" status even though my internet is working perfectly and the recorder is connected to internet via landline. This product is complete garbage and I cannot recommend buying this at all.

  Business response

  01/08/2025

  I have been in contact with this customer, who is requesting a replacement DVR purchased several years ago. However, he does not have proof of purchase. He mentioned buying it from ******, so I suggested he ask them to look up the purchase, but he said they were unable to assist. I am currently trying to schedule a call with him to discuss possible resolutions. I will provide an update once Ive had a chance to speak with him again.

  Best regards,

  **** L | Technical Support Manager
  

  Customer response

  01/09/2025

   
  Complaint: 22730590
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  1. They were not able to connect to my devices that I lost signals to for 2 of the cameras. This tells me they lack the backend mechanism for troubleshooting. They mentioned that the app I was using is something that they do not maintain anymore and told me there are newer devices with newer apps but i never got notified that i need to upgrade my devices nor need to download a new app. 

  2. It doesn't seem like they have any idea on how to repair my devices. I have seem many other complaints on reddit and Apple app store and users were all complaining about the same issues. 

  3. The resolution: they offered me a 15% off coupon on the next device. Why would i purchase a new device when they can't even fix the ones I currently have? I would much rather take my business to Nest or other camera system.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

• Initial Complaint

  12/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have purchased 3 night owl systems over the years and they seem to last about a year or two before having issues. Ive had multiple cameras stop working, for which *** purchased replacements for and this is the 3rd DVR to have issues. I called customer service to walk me through troubleshooting for them to tell me that they arent trained on how to trouble shoot this DVRWHAT?? So my only option is to reference a manual they emailed me to buy a new one with a discount codethis is unreal. How do you not train your agents on troubleshooting what seems like a somewhat simple fix? Seems like its just a ploy to get people to buy new units when ANYTHING goes wrong with what they currently own. I have basically had to replace all of the cameras over the past 6 years, at least once, and some of them twice, and Ive had to replace 2 DVRs, now a 3rd DVR. These systems are made to fail. Highly recommend you never buy Night Owl products.

  Business response

  01/06/2025

  Please be advised that this customer received a replacement unit. See link below for shipping information. 

  *******************************************************************************************;

  Customer response

  01/07/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  The company did resolve the issue but trying to troubleshoot the problem. We were unsuccessful in repairing the one I have so they went ahead and shipped me a brand new one. All is good now.

  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********

• Initial Complaint

  11/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a night owl camera system at ****** for $400 a couple of years back. It was working fine for the first 2-3 years or so and then I started having trouble connecting to the app. I have tried multiple times to be in touch with the company customer service and they finally told me today that every couple of years they make a new app for the newer cameras and expire the old app. Thereby rendering a perfectly working camera system not useable. They also dont offer an upgrade option but theyll give me a small coupon discount to purchase another system (only to have that app expire after a couple of years again Im sure). I am extremely disappointed. I am not looking to purchase another system and have no use for a system without an app.

  Customer response

  12/03/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I wanted to provide an update on the complaint that I filed. A company representative by the name of ****** ****** reached out and was extremely gracious and apologized for how the previous representative dealt with the situation and offered to send me an upgraded system at no cost!! They shipped the system out that day. Thank you for helping me with my issue and for their wonderful customer service in resolving it! 

  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  11/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a camera system from Night Owl in ************************************************************************************ 2022. I filed a claim with my homeowners insurance and all my electronics were replaced ******** purchased and had my new Night Owl System installed. My new camera System went offline and I forgot my password and their tech support was not able to help me and said the system need to be reset. However they need proof of purchase I explained to them that the proof I have is a copy of my claim with Allstate which show that my system was replaced. I emailed the copy to Mr. ** ******* and he said that that is not proof of purchase. Therefore I would have to purchase a new camera when all it need is to be reset Please help me resolve this I have no other proof.

  Business response

  11/08/2024

  We contacted this customer and her issue has been resolved. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We bought two sets of camera system for our business. We have called over 30 times to Night Owl, always waiting over 40 min to get someone on the line. Once they get to talk to us they always find an excuse to try to reboot unplug etc in order for it to work. We have gone thru 3 weeks of calling technical support and waste our time. Trying to warranty it and get it replaced but they dont want to even thou its under warranty because it has been less than one year. They said a supervisor will call us by the end of the day and they never did. We have a business to run and we are wasting time by calling and calling loosing money, and time. This camera system is for our security and safety of not only the business but our customers and employees in case of a robbery. The cameras are not recording nor we cant see no events on our monitor, phones etc. All we want is some help and either an reimbursement or replacement. Cant believe no one will help after what we have spent on it and our hours of being on hold on the phone. Why after so many phone calls and ticket numbers no one has offered to replace it?

  Business response

  10/16/2024

  Regrettably, the customer has returned the product and wishes to discontinue interacting with our support. We spoke with him this morning and apologized on behalf of Night Owl. We also inquired about how we could improve the situation. He mentioned that he has bought a product from another brand and is currently installing it.  

  Customer response

  10/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22398832
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We want a refund since its been only 5 months and system stop working. We did buy a new product some where else. We request a refund since they took way to long to help and give us warrant. This product has at least a 1 yr warranty
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  Business response

  10/28/2024

  We cannot refund this customer directly since he returned the product to the store where he made the purchase. He prefers to communicate with someone other than our tech support team.
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩