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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: November 2nd, 2024

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  • If a device relies on any kind of external service to initially set up or function thereafter, do not buy. Regardless of brand.

    Or accept that it has a finite lifespan that you cannot control. It’s not a matter of if the rug will get pulled, but when.

    There is a grey area for things that can be reflashed or rebrained, but I prefer to not rely on this. Local access methods like ZigBee, Z-Wave and 433Mhz are immune to this kind of enshittification by design. Even WiFi devices can fit in here, with appropriate restrictions in place.

    An acceptable middle-ground would be for EOL devices to be offered (with a big disclaimer) a final update that removes the reliance on the service but retains the core function. That’s a pipe dream though.




  • SwizzleStick@lemmy.ziptoMildly Infuriating@lemmy.world*Permanently Deleted*
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    3 months ago

    For every person like you that won’t take the shit, there are many more that will just give up. Just like unemployment and insurance claims - denial is the first step in protecting the bottom line.

    If nobody accepted such bollocks, it would be more economical to actually investigate, provide service & improve processes - rather than trying to bin complaints at the first hurdle.

    Prime (lol) example over here is with Amazon not making it easy to return shit after 30 days, by hiding all the easy return options at that point. You can still do it by contacting customer service and they will generally acquiesce, but just having the extra steps there is enough to save a ton of money by keeping the uninformed in the dark.

    Fuck em. Make it difficult for them. Be the goddamn squeakiest wheel you can possibly be.






  • Whatever way you go for setting up the systems themselves, I’ve found dwservice.net to be perfect for accessing systems with only a browser.

    The host component is Mac, Windows and Linux compatible. The clients need only an account at DW. Hosts tied to your own account can be shared with others.

    Depending on host OS, you get screen, terminal and fire transfer access. Sessions are logged if you need to review who’s accessed what.

    Free. Donation optional.