Customer Reviews

Callpod Chargepod Bundle Pack with 6 Adapters - Silver

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I bought this Chargepod bundle pack after reading a good review of it in a computer magazine. Our household has around 5 different mobile devices which need recharging at one time or another. The area where we keep all the charging cables was beginning to look really cluttered. Plus, we were fighting over shared charging cables (e.g. for two blackberries).

This neat little system really cleaned things up. Now we have one cable instead of a bunch, and the unit itself is quite attractive, with blue LED lights softly glowing. Although it has a travel case, I don't think I will bring it on travel. It comes with a set of tips for different devices. The only downside is that I still had to go and buy a couple of tips separately, at around $10 each. This can add up over time, but I have the same problem with my iGo travel charger and don't see any way around it. Overall a clever solution to clean up clutter.

Admittedly, when this first became available, it sounded like a fabulous concept. Over a six month period, I purchased three Bundles, and subsequently bought many different adapters. I was highly annoyed, BTW, with the absence of the iPod adapter (IPDA-0001) from the Bundle, as others have written here.

None were used in a mobile environment; mine sits on my desk, my wife's on her desk at work, and my step-daughter's on her desk at college, where they are not subjected to stress or abuse.

Then the adapters started to fail. The first two iPod adapters split longitudinally along the plastic housing and died. The 3rd iPod adapter just croaked, period. And therein lies the story of the next two-and-a-half years, failure after failure: Two generic USB adapters (CHUA-0011), one mini-USB (MUSB-0001), one Plantronics (PLNA-00001) and two others. What is the problem?

I'm convinced it's poor and shoddy manufacturing. Most of these adapters arrive out-of-the-box with the two ends out of sync, forcing the user to twist them in order for the charger hub and device-to-be charged to lie flat together. No matter how little force you exert, it is still too much for the obviously flimsy wiring connections inside the connector housings.

I also noticed, as I replaced them, different wire lengths between the two connectors, especially on the iPod unit (they have also now changed the housing on that adapter, obviously due to the shell-splitting problem I mentioned above). That's another sign that whoever is producing these is not adhering to a specification, or Callpod changed suppliers, or both.

Remember, all of this was just from simple desktop use, never detaching the adapters. I cannot imagine the failure rate if one were to utilize this system in a mobile application, where the adapters would be subjected to constant attachment/detachment cycles from the hub. The tines on the herkin' AC adapter do not fold into the housing, and, astonishingly, the tines on the optional "mobile" AC adapter don't either, so both are pretty much useless for travel, unless you want to damage items inside your case, or the case itself.

I'm sick and tired of returning and replacing these adapters. I'm going to sell all three of the chargers and revert to outlet strips and multiple chargers. I strongly suggest you avoid this product... it was a great concept, but ownership is an absolute annoyance.

September 2010 update: iPod adapter #4 R.I.P. Oy friggin' vey, I really hate this thing.

Beware that this is a discontinued package and not the same package that's on the chargepod website. This does not include any tip vouchers or tips that work with modern phones. If you miss this fact, like I did, you're stuck paying $10 + shipping to get tips, which adds up really fast. There should be big bold letters that this DOES NOT HAVE A TIP FOR IPHONES OR DROIDS. It would be fine if they would at least throw in some vouchers via customer service but no, all they had was a coupon code for 25%, which doesn't even cover the shipping charges on the website which start at $4. Shipping things from China costs less! This is a good idea but way too expensive once you factor in the tips. I hope some Chinese company starts making knockoffs for the tips, so this thing would actually be worthwhile. In the meantime, stay away form this thing until they figure out how to get tips to us for $3 each, which shouldn't be hard to do considering how many ebay companies sell entire cables and chargers for less.

To top it off, as pointed out on other reviews here, the tips are nothing special. They seem as flimsy as the $3 cables you can get on ebay.

Be sure to check the availability/compatability of the adapters. HINT: Not easy to do. Don't assume that all your items will have an adapter. There isn't one for my bluetooth, leaving me with nothing but a superfluous and expensive charger for my iphone.

this is a nice little idea in my opinion. i especially like how it has both ac and dc adapters. its nice to not have to carry an individual charger for each of your devices. i can charge my phone, psp, palm, headset among other devices. not sure if it charges my dvd player though. you can also buy adapters for individual items for 5-10 bucks if they don't come in this starter kit. check the website to see if your device is covered

I think the 6 way charging device is convenient. However, I decided to try the Uno FuelTank and was not happy with the size. Upon trying to return it to Callpod directly within 30 days, I was told NO, they only accept unopened returns. Then, when I asked to speak to the manager, I was further told "I am the Manager" by someone named Jessica. I explained that I was a dedicated customer, that I ordered several products, but this one just didn't work for me. She said "policy is policy and we will do nothing for you". With this type of service, I vow to never buy their product again! Not only that, I am going to trash all of my Callpod products. I just feel that consumers need to be treated with respect and within reason, they should honor any and all returns within a reasonable amount of time and reasonable condition. To each his own, but in my opinion, Callpod as a company will not make it with poor service....and they will never get any of my support, nor recommendation.

Okay, between my husband and I we have a blackberry, an iphone, a couple of bluetooth headsets, a couple of ipods, a Kindle, and a camera... not that much, but modern enough to make this charger NOT compatible with anything we have. Beware, this adapter is for older cell phones and headsets some I hadn't seen in years!

I love the idea of having an all-in-one charger, but the bundle comes adapters that are useless to me.

Adapters included:
Motorola (MUCA-001)
Pam (PTCA-0001)
Samsung (SSCA-0003)
Nokia (N3CA-001)
Sony PSP (UUCA-0016)
iPod/USB (UUCA-0011)

It does also include AC power supply & Car charger.

Other than the adapter issue, seems like a great product.

The product is great, it just when purchased thru amazon, I received an older version of the product, without any of the adapters needed to charge any of the devices I have. If I would have bought it from the manufacturer I would have receive a coupon for additional adapters, since I didn't I have to pay extra for the adapters I needed, the overall cost was about 25% higher then just purchasing the product from the manufacturer.

Moral of the story is Don't use amazon to buy specialty products!

This bundle is not a good deal. It's cheaper however the adapters are only suited to older electronic items. One must then purchase updated adapters for smartphones, Ipad, Mac etc...A waste of money and time