written by on 19/01/2013
I ordered a lecture mate and I never received it. I tried to contact the company several times and they were awful at responding. They only responded once to say they would send out another lecture mate which I did not receive. I contacted paypal who advised me to contact lecture mate once more by this time it was too late to put in a claim with them. I then contacted trading standards who advised me to contact lecture mate in written, quoting the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 act. I was advised to send it recorded delivery and they had 28 days to respond. I sent 3 letters all of which were sent back as their registered address was incorrect. I was given a different address which was also incorrect. After over 6 months and 7 letters and 4 emails to lecture mate, trading standards took over. They faced the same difficulties contacting them so I dropped the case after 9 months due to phone calls with trading standard and getting now where. Please do not throw your money away by purchasing a lecture mate. £40 is a lot of money. And lecture mate you should be ashamed of yourselves. I purchased the item to help my in university and did not have £40 to lose.
written by madog1230 on 15/10/2012
Brought a dictaphone from them a month ago. Took my payment, then I heard nothing. Tried to contact them but the contact form on their website didn't work. No phone number available. Emailed them over and over again on every email address I could find, contacted them on facebook. Nothing. So I emailed paypal as I had paid by card and didn't have an account. They opened a dispute for me. Would usually take over a month to get a refund but I noticed that lecturemates website had vanished so I emailed paypal again and I was issued a refund today. They are con artists and theives. Don't buy from them!!!!
written by on 09/09/2012
you,re ripping off. you won,t be getting a review from me. you owe me money you horrible thieves judith lamerton
written by zootz on 31/08/2012
avoid like plague order this for nearly 40 quid and when i received it first of all it looked like something that had been made in china secondly it didnt even work properly
written by on 08/03/2012
For starters it took three weeks to arrive. And then... I'm using a Mac OS X Lion - it doesn't show the recorded files in my computer anywhere on the dictaphone (once it's attached to my Mac). I can listen to some of them on the dictaphone itself but I haven't found a computer that would be able to read its contents i.e. get the files from the dictaphone to the computer. I've sent an inquiry to the company as well as to why that is but well after four months, I'm really not expecting a reply. Basically it is a very cheap model that is probably produced somewhere en masse - and most likely then sold to resellers - e.g. Lecture mate. Many different companies (other than lecture mate) use the same dictophone with their logo on it. Basically by buying it - as I understand from the controversial reviews of the product - you either get a working model and are content with the price/value but either likely is that you'll get a not-working piece of technology with a non-existend customer support. Please cough the double price for a dictaphone from a company you know by name - that was my ultimate result anyway - with the little unfortunate time and money wasting with Lecture Mate.
written by on 27/02/2012
I ordered two of the lecture mates but heard nothing from the company, even though they had taken my payment. They did not respond to emails or phone calls. Eventually they replied and sent one item. Again I emailed & phoned to chase the second item - No reply. I referred the matter to Paypal - Now sorted but not without lots of hassle! Frankly, I would keep well clear of this company!
written by ppperkins on 30/01/2012
I bought the lecturemate as a Christmas present in Nov 2011 it arrived promptly and on visual check appeared to be fine. HOWEVER!!! When my friend used it he found some of the functions were NOT WORKING PROPERLY. The contact button on the website came up with a fault and we had no reply from the other e mail address. The director's name is Mr Matthew Brigden from internet searches I found 2 addresses, one listed on his website and a second one. I wrote to both and got NO REPLY Lecturemate's website is designed by Fine Box Media who were very helpful but had not been able to contact Mr Brigden for months themselves. DO NOT BUY ANY FAULTS WILL NOT BE RECTIFIED
written by timmise539 on 14/11/2011
Delivery: Received this 2 days after I bought it. Packaging: Well packaged and protected Product: Got this for my birthday after spending a fair amount of time researching with my parents. It has good recording quality, it is easy to transfer files on to the computer (using the USB that’s built in) and it is windows 7 compatible. Very easy to use. Just press record at the beginning of the lecture and again at the end to stop the recording. It has two lecture recording modes. One for when the recorder is far from the lecturer and one for when you are close. The rechargeable battery is a massive positive for me because you don’t have to buy batteries all the time. Iv only just used it for my first week but I haven’t yet had to recharge it.
written by laura_dixxy on 12/11/2011
Good value for money and prompt delivery. This company are offering 'money back' if delivery is late. Unfortunately mine was delivered on time (was hoping mine would be a little late so i could get some money back) Recordings are of good quality and the recorder is smaller then i expected. I guess some people may take this as a positive and some as a negative. Given the size of the buttons its perhaps not suitable for the elderly but being small it is very light weight and portable. The packaging isn't anything to get excited about, but the manual is fairly comprehensive and the recorder itself it quite attractive.
written by timysimith on 12/11/2011
I bought this last week and received it the next day, delivered by first class i think. Tried it in lectures today. One lecture sitting far away and one lecture sitting close to the lecturer and the quality it what i expected given the reviews below. Very happy. The recorder has two modes which adjusts the recorders microphone to match whether you are sitting far away or close to the lecturer. The only criticism i would have would be 40 pounds seems expensive for a student aimed product. Having said that the other recorders i considered were 60+ pounds.
written by GeorgeReview on 05/11/2011
I purchased my voice recorder of lecture mate and was told that it would be with me in 2-3 days, its been over 2 weeks I’m starting to wonder whether this company is a fake, as I’m pretty sure my item was never posted in the first place looking at the other worrying reviews. Nether the less i start to contact them directly and upon sending my message a page pops up saying "Sorry this links broken". I paid £44 out of this item and don’t see anyway of receiving it or a refund so i am in the process of taking further action of this business scam.
written by bethbight on 11/04/2011
I purchased this to record group meetings and have found it very Intuitive and the recordings clear enough for me to type up the minutes. Something I underestimated prior to purchase was the advantages of having a recorder which is rechargeable. It seems this is the way gadgets are going and it's been nice not to have to worry about having enough batteries in the cupboard at home!
Beth
written by rogerb97 on 30/03/2011
Delivery and Service:
Unfortunately the company were out of stock when I bought this so I didn't get it as quickly as I hoped (I was waiting a couple of weeks). However, they were very good about letting me know what was happening and they offered me a discount to compensate for the delay (or a full refund). Having received mine yesterday I assume they have stock now and their website no longer says they are 'out of stock'.
Product:
Smaller and lighter than expected and It's a nice looking recorder. I tried it out today and it seems to work very well. Its easy to use and the sensitivity of the microphone is good. I'll be using this in all my lectures from now on, as a second year medical student this recorder unquestionably helps!
Conclusion:
Providing they now have stock then I would definitely recommend this. It is certainly a good buy, particularly given the specs you get for price.
written by yeoyeo on 28/03/2011
I couldn't do a review without filling out the rating questions but they mean nothing because the thing hasn't arrived yet.
We ordered the Lecturemate on 6th April (delivery quoted 3-4 days) it is now 29th April and we have heard and seen nothing, although they have accepted payment. I've tried to email but no response and I've tried to phone but the number seems to be incorrect. I'm hoping the thing will finally turn up and I haven't thrown my money away.
So if you need a dictation machine in a hurry I would certainly look elsewhere.
Written on: 28/06/2011
Did you ever receive it? I ordered one on 9th June,(money taken from my credit card on same day) now 28th June 2011 but not only did I not receive it but I cannot get any replies to emails or to message left on voicemail. If it ever arrives, I hope it is of better quality than the customer service.
Written on: 13/09/2011
Did anyone ever receive it? I am in the same boat, waiting for a response...?!?
written by on 22/03/2011
Fantastic Product.This recorder is very good value for money!!
The only downside was the company ran out of stock so we had to wait a couple of weeks.....but this was well worth the wait and i see from their website that they now have stock.
I bought this to replace my outdated Olympus VN-5500 recorder following a recommendation from my younger brother who has been using one for his college course! Easy to use, with a great battery life. Would recommend
written by on 20/03/2011
It has been over a month and I am still yet to receive my Lecture Mate. It is absolutely ridiculous, they won't even respond to my e mails. PLEASE NOTE I HAVE NOT OWED IT AT ALL AS IT HAS YET TO ARRIVE, WHAT A STUPID COMPANY!!
Written on: 25/03/2011
I am in the exact same position.
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<br/>I have contacted the company numerous times, inadequate customer service!
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<br/>Ordered on the 1st March, It's the 25th now and still no device!
Written on: 02/02/2012
same goes here. at least please let us know what happened. i would not recommend lecture mate to my other classmates. it will be their loss.
written by on 19/03/2011
I dont care for the people who states that you telling other people that there is something wrong with the company is not a review!
I have ordered a lecture mate for over one month ago. I have send several emails and enquiries from their homepage, but alas i have still not heard from them.
The lecture mate is a bad product because you pay for it and it turns out to be thin air.
Written on: 25/03/2011
I am in the exact same position.
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<br/>I have contacted the company numerous times, inadequate customer service
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Written on: 28/06/2011
I am in same position. No lecturemate, no replies to emails or voicemail. Agree with your comments.
written by on 28/02/2011
Bought this for my daughter for uni a few weeks ago. She says it picks up sound really well. She was really happy with it but has now lost it.
So I am waiting for a second one to be delivered. It is a great item but please don't expect next day delivery - The one I ordered before christmas came after 3 weeks. This second one I ordered a week ago - still no sign of it. I just wish this company could sort out their deliveries.
written by on 19/01/2011
Purchased this to record classes and lectures. So far Its been very good. I do sit at the front of the class to minimise any unwanted noise and have found it to be great. Price is good and battery life is good too. The usb to download onto laptop is extremely useful and one of the main reasons I went for this recorder. Not a bad little gadget for the money.
Tessa
Manchester Uni
written by on 07/01/2011
Product:
Having reviewed a number of voice recorders I eventually went with this one. I have not been disappointed. It records well and is easy to use. The fact that it connects with the computer directly using its built in USB is a feature I didn't really consider before but it's proving to be very useful (i no longer need to carry the USB cable with me everywhere like I did with my old Sony). I'm very satisfied with the purchase and the price.
Service:
Ordered Friday morning and it arrived the following Tuesday. Had an initial problem with it but Lecture Mate managed to provide me with a solution on the same day without me having to send it back which is reassuring.
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Guest's Response to GeorgeReview's Review
Written on: 02/02/2012
i have the same experience. bought it on 22nd january 2012 and have not received it yet. when i send them email, it says that there's an error. sent a few times, but still the same. by what means can i contact them?