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Drift Innovation - Ghost Cameras

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Drift Innovation - Ghost Cameras

Old 09-09-22, 11:56 AM
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Thumbs down Drift Innovation - Ghost Cameras

I generally ride with a rear facing camera for safety. My purpose for having one is that most of my riding is in the City and right hooks are a major concern. Having a rear camera will hopefully catch the plate and car description if you are right hooked and the driver speeds off...

I've been using a GoPro Session for years with a USB battery pack in my saddlebag for longer power and this combo has worked great.. Recently though my Session (now 5+ years old) has started having issues so I was in search of a new rear camera.

Enter Drift Innovation and their new Ghost XL Pro camera. It looked to check all the boxes I was looking for in a rear camera so I ordered one. A few days later I get notification it has shipped but no tracking # given.

Drift does not have phone support and it's email only. I email them asking for the tracking and received a response from 'Bob' who said he would forward to his supervisor for response. More on 'Bob' later but I believe it's automated and they slap the name 'Bob' in it to make it look like you've received a response from a real person.

I never received any further responses to my request for tracking. The camera arrives and I set it up as a rear facing camera and head out on its maiden voyage. Get home and want to review the quality of the footage only to find it recorded for 5 minutes and turned off.. Thinking it was a setup error on my part I double check everything. Nope, properly configured for loop recording. I try the same SDCard and let it sit in living room and it auto turns off 2 more times after 5 minutes. Try a different SDCard and get the same results.

I send Drift a support email and get the same exact response from 'Bob' as before. He will forward to his supervisor... No response so I again contact them again, this time asking for a return for refund. I do eventually get a response from someone who asks if the package was opened. I say yes as it obviously had to be for me to know it's defective. He responds back a few days later and says since the box was opened they cannot do a return and refund.

Their website clearly says 100% satisfaction guaranteed within 2 weeks so I guess this guarantee only applies to you being 100% satisfied with the shipping box. Once you open it, it's yours.

I again describe the issue I am having and they respond a few days later asking for the camera settings I am using and what SDCards I have. I respond with the requested information and have not heard a word back since...

I started a PayPal dispute and so far, even that can't get them to respond.. I guess it's possible that 'Bob' responded to PayPal and let them know he'll forward it to his supervisor.. LOL

If you attempt to contact them you'll get a brief response from 'Bob' letting you know he'll forward it his supervisor. That's about the extent of the support you'll get..

The 100% satisfaction guarantee? Well that only applies to you being 100% satisfied with the shipping box it arrives in.

Bottom line? Avoid this company like they have the plague.

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Old 09-09-22, 01:18 PM
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excellent rant!
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Old 09-09-22, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
excellent rant!
Haha thanks.. More about warning others before they have to deal 'Bob'...
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Old 09-10-22, 04:43 AM
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maybe it was just a lemon. maybe just chuck it & get another? I know other BF members here have them & like them
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Old 09-10-22, 08:20 AM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
maybe it was just a lemon. maybe just chuck it & get another? I know other BF members here have them & like them
It may very well have just been a lemon but I can't really get anyone, other than 'Bob', to respond. The one person who finally did respond asked my for my settings and SDCards used, I replied with that information, and have not heard a word back since..

My post is not a review of the camera itself as I can't really tell if it's any good since it powers itself off after a few minutes of use. The one time I took it on a ride it recorded 5 minutes of video before shutting off. That 5 minutes looked good and the stabilization was fine.

Chuck it? I am not about to toss a $250 camera in the trash just because the company has the worst customer support on the planet. I can't return it and I can't exchange it because they refuse to respond. They still have not responded to PayPal about the dispute I started.
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Old 09-10-22, 09:25 AM
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I wish you luck with Paypal. In my experience they will only cover you if you were sent something other than what you ordered, or never received anything. If the product was delivered and defective, they adopt the "not our problem" attitude and tell you that you have to work it out with Bob.
Since then, I seldom use Paypal, and will use a credit card - after doing my research to make sure the company I'm sending payment info to is legit.
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Old 09-10-22, 09:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Bald Paul
I wish you luck with Paypal. In my experience they will only cover you if you were sent something other than what you ordered, or never received anything. If the product was delivered and defective, they adopt the "not our problem" attitude and tell you that you have to work it out with Bob.
Since then, I seldom use Paypal, and will use a credit card - after doing my research to make sure the company I'm sending payment info to is legit.
Yeah I am not holding out any huge hope for a resolution but it's my last resort.. 'Bob' might do better if he were a real person and didn't need to forward everything to his non-existent supervisor..
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Old 09-10-22, 10:56 AM
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If there's any chance that something nearby the camera has the physical ability to touch a button or smack the body, it could cause for a poor experience.
I recommend doing a hard reset, pull the battery, press the power button, & install the battery.
then, download the APP, set it up how you want it, paying close attention how it functions when you power it on.
The power button has two abilities. Quick press brings it on to function how you set it up to record. A long press should power it on to the system selection status.
the camera does not like getting wet, so using the clear protective case is highly advisable if it's exposed to wet tire kick up.

I'm not a rep, just a user.
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Old 09-10-22, 11:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Troul
If there's any chance that something nearby the camera has the physical ability to touch a button or smack the body, it could cause for a poor experience.
I recommend doing a hard reset, pull the battery, press the power button, & install the battery.
then, download the APP, set it up how you want it, paying close attention how it functions when you power it on.
The power button has two abilities. Quick press brings it on to function how you set it up to record. A long press should power it on to the system selection status.
the camera does not like getting wet, so using the clear protective case is highly advisable if it's exposed to wet tire kick up.

I'm not a rep, just a user.
Built in battery, nothing anywhere to accidentally press the button as when it's mounted to my seat post all the buttons are facing the non-drivetrain side of the bike with nothing but air hitting them. I've also tried it sitting on my coffee table.

Yes I've reset it a few times. I just tried it again this morning and it shut off after about 2 minutes. I've now tried 3 different high quality SDCards from 3 different manufacturers and it's the same. It's defective, no way around it.

Thanks for offering to help though, it's appreciated..
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Old 09-10-22, 11:35 AM
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That's a change I wasn't aware of. They ruined a good product going to a built in battery imo.
do you have the app?
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Old 09-10-22, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Troul
That's a change I wasn't aware of. They ruined a good product going to a built in battery imo.
do you have the app?
Yes I have the app and double checked everything through it.. I don't mind a built in battery as my old Session had one and it held up well for 5+ years.. I did use a USB battery stick with the Session because the battery in it would only last about an hour. With the USB stick I could get 6 or 7 hours from it.

The Drift XL Pro has significantly more battery and would be able to last for most, if not all, of my daily rides and should only need me to charge it nightly.

At this point it's a paperweight. "Bob' the bot can't process simple requests or facilitate an exchange and his phantom supervisor must be on permanent vacation. If PayPal does not help me out then to the trashcan it goes I guess as I am out of options and things to try since their support (I use that word lightly here) is a joke..
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Old 09-12-22, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by raqball
At this point it's a paperweight. "Bob' the bot can't process simple requests or facilitate an exchange and his phantom supervisor must be on permanent vacation.
I think Bob's supervisors name is Rob. Rob Ot. He's currently taking some time off, recharging his batteries.
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Old 09-12-22, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Bald Paul
I think Bob's supervisors name is Rob. Rob Ot. He's currently taking some time off, recharging his batteries.
Hahaha.. Bob and Rob, the tag team customer support duo of the year!



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Old 09-13-22, 10:18 AM
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Could it be Bob's & Rob's part time job?
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Old 09-13-22, 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Troul
Could it be Bob's & Rob's part time job?
Could be.. I assume they work a one hour shift per week and have a contractually included 55 minute break during that shift.. That only leaves them with 5 minutes to provide 'support' to the masses...
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Old 09-15-22, 08:44 AM
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2 weeks after my last contact with them I get am email from Drift blaming my SDCards. They suggest I use a Sandisk class 10 card and since they've determined the issue is with my SDCard, there is nothing more they can do.. LMAO! They asked for my settings and what SDCards I've used and that was the extent of their customer service so I am not sure how they came to this conclusion.

What makes their response even more laughable was when I responded to their request for info a few weeks ago I sent them 3 different SD Cards that I've tried... And.... ummm, well, ahhh... One of them was a Sandisk card. Yeah, you can't really make this stuff up..

In over a month in of trying to get support I have received 2 actual emails from someone other than Bob the bot and they've determined the issue is SDCard related... Easy cop out except for the fact I've tried the card they recommend.

I seriously wish I would have purchased the camera from Amazon instead of directly from these clowns...
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Old 09-15-22, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by raqball
2 weeks after my last contact with them I get am email from Drift blaming my SDCards. They suggest I use a Sandisk class 10 card and since they've determined the issue is with my SDCard, there is nothing more they can do.. LMAO! They asked for my settings and what SDCards I've used and that was the extent of their customer service so I am not sure how they came to this conclusion.

What makes their response even more laughable was when I responded to their request for info a few weeks ago I sent them 3 different SD Cards that I've tried... And.... ummm, well, ahhh... One of them was a Sandisk card. Yeah, you can't really make this stuff up..

In over a month in of trying to get support I have received 2 actual emails from someone other than Bob the bot and they've determined the issue is SDCard related... Easy cop out except for the fact I've tried the card they recommend.

I seriously wish I would have purchased the camera from Amazon instead of directly from these clowns...
That is poor CS. Any luck with paypal?
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Old 09-15-22, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Troul
Any luck with paypal?
Nothing yet but when I just checked the case, they have not responded to PayPal yet. Not sure what happens if they don't respond but I seriously doubt they will..
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Old 09-15-22, 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by raqball
Nothing yet but when I just checked the case, they have not responded to PayPal yet. Not sure what happens if they don't respond but I seriously doubt they will..
There's a set number of days that they're allowed in order to reply, & iirc, once that window closes, you should be receiving a refund...
What I think will happen is that, Drift will respond to paypal in a crafty manner, resulting in paypal favoring the retailer. I hope that does not happen, but just be prepared for that as a possibility.
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Old 09-15-22, 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Troul
There's a set number of days that they're allowed in order to reply, & iirc, once that window closes, you should be receiving a refund...
What I think will happen is that, Drift will respond to paypal in a crafty manner, resulting in paypal favoring the retailer. I hope that does not happen, but just be prepared for that as a possibility.
Yeah I am not holding out any hope for a refund but it's my last ditch effort to get it resolved.. I think it said they have until Monday to respond.
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Old 09-15-22, 07:55 PM
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I think the Drift Ghost products use Micro SDHC cards. I don't know what the difference is. I'm guessing you tried the correct cards and no luck.
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Old 09-15-22, 08:11 PM
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Originally Posted by seypat
I think the Drift Ghost products use Micro SDHC cards. I don't know what the difference is. I'm guessing you tried the correct cards and no luck.
According their website:

You’ll need a class 10/UHS-1 MicroSD card, up to 256GB in capacity. Most brands will work fine, but we particularly recommend Sandisk memory cards, as we’ve found them to be very reliable.

Link: https://us.driftinnovation.com/blogs...t/ghost-xl-pro


Scroll down to "Which Memory Card Should I Buy"

All that aside I have 3ea high quality MicroSD cards. All 3 of these cards work just fine in my old GoPro.. One of the 3 I have is actually the one that the clown from support suggested I buy even though I had previously told them I had tried that card.. They are clowns..
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Old 09-15-22, 08:54 PM
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They need to get the facts straight/clear on the website. I bought 2 Ghost XL and checked before I purchased the cards.

https://us.driftinnovation.com/pages/faqs
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Old 09-15-22, 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by seypat
They need to get the facts straight/clear on the website. I bought 2 Ghost XL and checked before I purchased the cards.

https://us.driftinnovation.com/pages/faqs
Different cameras so maybe different firmware and requirement? Honestly, I don't think this company has a single clue...
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Old 09-16-22, 01:56 PM
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Nothing from Drift Support (read: from 'Bob' or 'Rob') nor have they responded to PayPal BUT...

Me, full well knowing it's not an SDCard issue as they claim, I decided to hook it back up to my bike and try using an external USB battery pack to power it. The Ghost XL Pro has a non removable battery so I figured that maybe the battery is bad even though it shows fully charged..

Hooked it up, connected it to my USB battery pack and bam! Rode for 3 hours and it recorded all of it issue free.. Just to further test this after I got home, I removed it from battery pack and tried running it again on its own internal battery.. Same result as previously described as It ran for a few minutes then turned off..

At this point, due to the customer support being so bad, I'd rather just return it for a refund. Since they've made it clear that's not going to happen I'd be okay with an exchange except for the fact that 'Bob' and 'Rob' don't really appear to be interested in doing that either.

Worse case if PayPal sides with them I'll just keep it and run it off my USB battery pack until it's ready for the trashcan.

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