Altec Lansing IM3 Ipod speakers

...the customer service team at Altec Lansing. Every time I have rang the company they have been very polite and helpful to somebody who is on their fourth set of speakers and I have not had to wait hours in a queue listening to music with the occasional "please hold". Another plus is the fact that the call centre is not based in India and so you a helped by an experienced customer service team who knows how to tackle the problem quickly.
...I rang up the company, Altec Lansing, the customer service manager told me that I was experiencing a common fault that they were working hard to redesign. So if you do want to purchase them
a) Purchase then directly from the company and not an auction site etc as it makes it easier for returns
b) Buy the newer model which is now available in Black. Since they have sent me the newer model as a replacement five months have passed without ... more

I received these speakers as a Birthday present in March from a friend. I was thrilled with them as I had been desperate for a docking station or speakers to play my iPod on.

The speakers:
The speakers are very attractive and compact yet produce a rich deep bass sound, which is not always present on speakers of this size. They are very lightweight and fold to close at 15 ounces and 8 inches wide, 5.4 inches deep and 1.2 inches thick. The box the speakers come in quotes "With four AA batteries your speakers will play continuously for twenty-four hours" which sounds brilliant but in my experience on 2 x AA batteries they will play for 19 hours.
As well as built in controls there is a wireless remote but you do have to be quite near to the speakers and at the right angle for the remote to actually work!
The speakers also act as a docking station but the USB lead is not supplied but you should already have this if you are able to put music on your iPod as the lead comes with your iPod.
The Accessories
The speakers come with a range of useful accessories that are very important.

• There are universal power adaptors so you can use your speakers in any continent of the globe (very good for when you are on holiday),
• A soft, black, padded, protective case to put your speakers in when you are travelling. The case also has a compartment for the speakers and iPod.
• A remote control so you do not have to keep getting up and down (you just have to get the right angle) and it actually comes with a battery!!!
• Different attachments to accommodate all iPods such as new iPod nano's and old iPod minis! This is good as it means your friends can plug their iPods in as well!
• Detailed instructions, which guide you through problems you might have and solutions without sending the speakers back to the company.

Compatibility
These speakers are compatible for the…

• iPod mini
• iPod nano
• iPod video
• iPod

Problems
I have had to send three pairs back to the company for different reasons. The first time was my fault but the other two were due to a design fault.
The first time I blew the speakers as there is no volume dial and I turned it up to high.
The other times were not my fault as when I went to turn the speakers on after previously using them they would not turn on again! Although power was coming through via the mains supply (my iPod was charging) the green light at the front would not turn on. This is due to overheating apparently but the new design has resolved this design fault.Faults and tips:
1) The speakers are badly designed as there is no volume control/dial which tells you how much further you can put the volume up so be VERY careful as you can blow the speakers!! The speakers do go very loud for such a small object but do not think "I'll just turn them up a bit more" or you will blow them.
2) Do not leave the iPod and speakers unattended for a long time (two or more hours) if it has reached the end of the playlist. This causes them to overheat and damage the electrics inside, as it is not playing anything. This means that next time you go to use them they will simply just not turn on.
3) Always turn the button at the back to "off" if the speakers are not in use and are plugged into the mains. This can also cause them to overheat.
4) Be very careful when you put the battery inside the remote as the instructions don't tell you and if you put it in the wrong way it gets stuck in there!
5) A major design fault is the fact that when the speakers are charged via the batteries or mains supply it constantly charges your iPod and there is no auto-turn off to stop it doing this! I have found the more that my iPod is charged the quicker it runs out of batteries so I find this very annoying and unhelpful.

Customer Service
I can fault the design of the speakers but I cannot fault the customer service team at Altec Lansing. Every time I have rang the company they have been very polite and helpful to somebody who is on their fourth set of speakers and I have not had to wait hours in a queue listening to music with the occasional "please hold". Another plus is the fact that the call centre is not based in India and so you a helped by an experienced customer service team who knows how to tackle the problem quickly.
You can contact them by the address that is clearly marked on the documents inside the box the speakers are in. It is much better to contact them by phone as you do not have to wait weeks for a reply.
If you do need to send something back they will ask you to repackage the speakers well (I recommend you keep the original packaging the speakers came in for a few months so you do not have to buy more) and it will be collected at a date and time that suits you. As soon as you have returned the item you will receive the new one.

Warranty
The speakers come with a year's warranty but I recommend you do get them insured in case there is a problem after the year is up.Value for money?
Currently the speakes pictured above - InMotion3 speakers retail for

• On ebay used speakers (not inc. P&P) have a starting bid of £35.00
• On ebay brand new speakers (not inc. P&P) can be bought for £70.00
  The newer model - InMotion3c black retails for
• On ebay used speakers (not inc. P&P) have a starting bid of £55.00
• On ebay brand new speakers (not inc. P&P) can be bought for £85.00
  I know that it is your decision to buy them or not but they can be very good value for money if you treat them very carefully. I might have just been unlucky with my speakers but at the moment the IM3c (black) are still working after 5 months and are showing no signs of breaking on me. if you do still go ahead and buy these speakers do bear in mind what is written in this review as it will prevent you from doing what I did.

Recommend?
I would not recommend this speakers if you are looking for something very long lasting and durable. You may be reading this thinking "she obviously doesn't know how to take care of a pair of speakers" but I can assure you when the speakers just would not turn on I was not to blame. In fact when I rang up the company, Altec Lansing, the customer service manager told me that I was experiencing a common fault that they were working hard to redesign. So if you do want to purchase them
a) Purchase then directly from the company and not an auction site etc as it makes it easier for returns
b) Buy the newer model which is now available in Black. Since they have sent me the newer model as a replacement five months have passed without any problems!!! (fingers crossed)Other brands
Many of my friends have spent a lot less money on iPod speakers and have had much better results. A set, which is available from Argos, is very compatible and durable with a reasonable sound and only £25.00!!! Another friend picked up a cheap folding pair at £10.00 and they appear to work just as well. However if you enjoy listening to music and have a good ear for it you will appreciate that the Altec Lansing speakers do have a richer and more pleasing sound.

The end decision is up to you but I hope I have helped.

Natasha

Please rate this - thanks xxx 

...less