DSTV remote ripoff

friedpiggy

friedpiggy

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Ok so we have the dual view decoder. Channel 1's remote has been acting up lately (read, impossible to use) so went in to the DSTV offices to enquire about fixing or replacing it. Guy behind the counter reckons they are R229 for a new remote. Told him hes insane. Went down to my friendly Pick n Pay and picked up an ellies one for R78.99 It looks identical to the original one, minus the DSTV logo at the top and the printing on the buttons is slightly smaller. The impressions on the battery cover are identical ass well. Put some batteries in and it works like a charm.

So yeah, if your remote conks out. do NOT go to DSTV. I just find it funny that DSTV reckon R229 and Ellies can make it available through a reseller for R79. Only R150 more. Or triple the price lol.
 
This reminds me ...

If you want to see if your Infra-Red remote control still works, view the bulb side using a digital camera, you will be able to see the bulb light up on the digital camera's view of the light bulb.
Can be really helpful when trouble-shooting the invisible infra-red remotes.
 
Old remotes issue was that you had to bash it about a helluva lot to get the thing to do anything. so it was time for a new one. Had been dropped a number of times etc. But I'll be buggered if im going to pay an extra R150 just to get some bigger writing and a logo.
 
Also a lot cheaper at SpaceTV no doubt. Monochoice -1
 
This reminds me of what Microsoft are doing for their XBox USB Flash Drive option.
After updating your Xbox 360 firmware, you can use ANY USB drive as long as it's between 1Gb and 16Gb.

However, Microsoft are now selling their own Xbox-branded USB drives for around 5 times as much as it would cost to get a non-branded one.
For instance, it's almost R600 for a 16Gb Xbox flash drive.

I don't understand Microsoft's logic here. Who in their right mind would pay R600 for something they could get for around R100 just because it has the XBox logo on it?
It's like they're trying NOT to sell their own devices. Weird.
 
Just out of interest regarding the ellies remotes compared to the original DSTV remotes.
Keep in mind that I am in no way at all defending DSTVs prices.

I replaced my old duelview remote allong time ago and got myself an ellies from pick n pay because the price was quitre a bit cheaper than buying the original.

My first clue as to why this remote is cheaper, is when I opened the battery cover and pices of plastic literally broke off in my hand and I had to use tape to keep the cover on after that.
The second difference that I found was that the buttons are allot tougher to press than the buttons on the original.

All in all, the quality difference between the original and fake remotes is very, very evident and it comes down to the old saying..."You get what you pay for"
 
newdeal said:
The second difference that I found was that the buttons are allot tougher to press than the buttons on the original.
Click to expand...

Oh indeedio. Once bought a cheap generic DSTV remote from Space TV. After you have pressed, pressed again and re-pressed those buttons a billion times to get the unit to respond, you will gladly run back and pay MC R229 for their remote ;) Also, some of those cheap remotes are so f'ing fussy about distance and angle.
 
If you can open up the remote with a knife or screwdriver,take out the Printed Circuit Board(PCB) and clean it with a damp cloth and also the rubber push button section.It will extend the usability of the remote.Have done it with all types of remotes.There seems to be an oily build up that makes you push the remote harder:)
 
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