Customer Reviews

CEIVA 7-inch Digital Photo Frame with Card Reader

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This review is not about the product. We have two first generation Ceiva frames that still work. The technical model of managing pictures in a frame at a location that has power and telephone but no Internet connection is unique and works well.

This review is about Ceiva, the company.

We purchased these frames as charter subscribers from Ceiva when they were a fledgling company. As a promotion, we paid 3 times the annual rate for lifetime subscriptions. This was a good deal for us and good word of mouth advertising for Ceiva. The promotion was only offered for a few months, limiting Ceiva's financial liability.

In the intervening years, Ceiva posted a policy on their site defining "lifetime" as the life of the device or seven years. This limitation was not disclosed in the original offer and the only email I have received from them has been monthly newsletters: a marketing brochure.

When I noticed our lifetime subscriptions soon expire, I contacted their customer support. After working my way up to the manager of customer service, he denied my request to honor the original deal. He did offer me a discount on buying new, current product. In other words, he tried to turn a significant customer service incident into a sales opportunity.

The product provides a unique solution but considering the subscription cost, it is very expensive. Since it would have cost Ceiva so little to honor the few lifetime subscribers they have, I can only infer that their business model is not working and they are desperate for new revenue. Since the product relies on the services Ceiva provides later, my recommendation is to steer away from this company.

Instead, buy another product; spend a dollar a month and mail grandma an SD card. She can learn to change it.

I purchased 5 ceivas for our family, and I am completely unsatisfied. Ceiva frames are a nice idea, but for the hundreds of dollars you will spend for pure frustration with the web site and customer service it is not worth it. I have tried countless times to correct Ceiva's mistake with my gift subscription for my mother and they will not correct it. When you call, you have to wait 10-15 minutes on the phone with no correction to your problem. When you email, they tell you to call. When they make promises they never follow through. This is the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED FOR AN OUTRAGIOUS PRICE! I will never recommend this product to anyone. There are better and cheaper alternatives to digital frames out there. Don't Buy Ceiva!

Both of my grandmothers, my mother-in-law, and my grandmother-in-law have been given Ceiva frames by family members, and we love them. I've never had any problems with customer service, and I've handled the purchase of 4 frames and I've set up 3 of them. To my knowledge, there is no other frame like this one on the market.

Unlike most digital frames, which require a person to connect to a camera or to insert a card to download pictures, the ceiva frame connects to your phone line or internet connection (I hear they now have wireless, too). You invite friends and family to set up a free ceiva account so they can send you pictures. Each night, ceiva dials in (if you're on dial-up) and downloads any new pictures you've been sent.

This allows you to set up Grandma's frame, invite all your family members to send her pictures, and go. Family sends pictures, Grandma sees them, no maintenence required.

If you purchase this for someone who is not computer savvy, I suggest setting it up for them (it is very easy if you follow the instructions, and when one of my grandmothers had to set it up herself, she called in and was able to figure it out over the phone since she does not have a computer herself). I maintain the online account for both grandmas, and I do go in ever now and then and clean out old pictures (I have their frames set to "recycle," so no pictures are ever completely lost unless I delete them--they just go away and cycle back through). The old frames display 30 photos at a time; the new ones display 50.

You do have to pay a monthly service fee. To me, that's worth it. Plus it simplifies gift giving. Instead of killing ourselves coming up with new gift ideas, my cousins and I pool our money every Christmas and buy Grandma another year of ceiva!

I don't understand the poor reviews posted. This is seriously the greatest digital photo invention ever. No other digital frame compares to this one for ease of sending pictures. A must for every grandma without a computer!!

I suggest buying from ceiva directly. If you or someone you know already has a frame/account, you can get a coupon for $50 off, and when it's used, the original account gets a few months of free service. They also have packages with multiple frames/bundles of service.

This is a great idea, and the frame works as advertised, allowing one to upload photos to a website that will be downloaded automatically to the frame.

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm too happy with the company. The frame is rather low quality, especially for the price. The buttons feel like they are about to break, and my screen had three bad pixels. Not impressive for an XVGA-size display! The field of view on the screen is rather poor, which is unfortunate given that a frame is going to be viewed from around the room.

However, the worst part about this is the fact that they charge $10 a month. That's ridiculous for what they are doing. At the very least, they should offer a cheap (or free) service to those using the Internet (not their dialup service). In fact, there are many digital frames out there which will download photos from over the internet without a service requirement! The only reason I bought this frame was the fact that my grandfather's assisted living home doesn't have internet yet. The second they do, I will drop this frame and never look back.

Given Ceiva's reputation for poor customer service, their overpriced frames, overpriced service, and the fact that the only people who need to pay for service at all are the few of us remaining who are forced to use dialup, you have to wonder how long this company can stay in business. Give that some consideration when deciding whether or not to buy three years of service all at once...

I received a Ceiva for review purposes last year. At the time I did have a slight problem connecting the device; perhaps issues with the phone line, nobody knows exactly. However, it didn't take that long for the problem to resolve. Today was a nightmare!

I connected the divice to find that Ceiva deleted all my images because my Ceiva service expired. There is just no need for me to continue with the service since the family seldom if ever utilizes it, regardless those images were in the divice before I connected. There weren't even that many. It took hours for the problem to resolve. Ceiva did not want to accept that I had no intention of renewing my service and I did not intend to lose those photos that I uploaded a year ago when the service was active.

Ceiva had no intention of rectifying the situation unless I gave them money, I was adamant that I wanted the problem rectified so they reluctantly agreed to give me a day of free service: with an attitude I might add, to retrieve my old photos. Well here goes another ordeal. It took all day to get Ceiva to re-connect. I mean around four hours of time that I do not have.. I never had this much problem in the past and I had just gotten it connected that day, so I do not feel there was a legit connection problem.

Ceiva sells their frames as a service, but then if that is the case don't charge an arm and a leg for the frame. Should a cheap plastic frame cost over $100? Ceiva is a complete rip off.

The information about this product stated that it could use the XD memory card. THIS IS INCORRECT! An adapter is needed, which adds to the price of the product. Also the picture does not seem as clear as some other picture frames I have seen.

I was just shopping for yet another Ceiva to give to my sister as a wedding present (2nd marriage) and began reading the reviews others have written.

Well, I am not going to review the obviously "planted" negative reviews, but I am going to review this product.

Ceiva Picture Frames are wonderful. In this day and age where cheap quality prevails I am glad to be able to buy something as wonderful as a Ceiva Digital Frame.

I have personally had a Ceiva frame now for over 7 years and have given a few as gifts. I have friends and family members who have bought them on their own too. We all are now connected (at last count 17 frames, this one I am giving makes 18)to each other. The fact that we all can share our pictures right to any and/or all the frames in one easy send is priceless.

I am not technologically inclined, nor are most of the older people in our gang of Ceivas, which by the way is all over the US and now CANADA too. The 2 times I have called in to Ceiva Tech Support I was greeted by very pleasant and helpful people. Again, a rarity today.

I am pleased, have been pleased, and will continue to buy these AMAZING digital frames by Ceiva that allows my family to share our lives and keeps us so lovingly connected.