The joy of getting more than you bargained for

Publish date: 2023-01-19

Late last summer I had the opportunity to review the 1More Colorbuds to see if these aspiring value flagship earbuds could compete with the best wireless earbuds on the market. It turns out, I ended up liking the Colorbuds so much that they quickly became my grab-and-go set of earbuds whenever I went for a walk, jog, or hike, and I even used them around the house while working or cleaning. I found them to be fast-pairing, comfortable, and to be honest, kinda cute.

So fast-forward a few months from that review. I had been on a run when I came across a friend on the trail. Without thinking, I pulled the buds out of my ears and stuck them in the pocket of my shorts, and then began to catch up with my friend (from a respectful six-foot distance, of course). I then walked home, showered, and promptly forgot about my Colorbuds. That is, until the next time I needed to use them.

You see, I never removed them from my shorts, and promptly put my shorts in the laundry basket. They were then quickly dumped in the washing machine before I realized what had happened. Great, I thought. Now I'll have to spend another $100 on a replacement pair. Damn.

Oh. oh no. They're only IPX5 water resistant 😞
Send them in if they don't work after this and we'll get you taken care of. If they still work... you can include that in a review.Oh. oh no. They're only IPX5 water resistant 😞
Send them in if they don't work after this and we'll get you taken care of. If they still work... you can include that in a review.— 1MORE Global (@1MoreGlobal) December 1, 2020December 1, 2020

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You see, the 1More Colorbuds, like many wireless earbuds, aren't rated for submersion, soap, agitation, drying, etc. They do have an IPX5 water and sweat resistance rating, but they're not meant for more than that. I was upset, but I get it. I didn't expect any recourse, but the 1More social team was very generous over Twitter, even offering to replace the buds if they didn't come back to life. But you know what? They DID!

After a day or two of airing out, I put the Colorbuds back in their charging case, and low and behold, they began charging. I still didn't have any realistic expectations that they'd work, or work well. But then I grabbed them the next day to go on a walk, and hallelujah — they worked as if it had never happened! So of course, I had to let my friends at 1More know.

https://twitter.com/jeramyutgw/status/1333870891336413192

It's not often that I make a purchase, and especially a technology purchase, that I'm blown away by how the product, service, or customer service go above and beyond what I'd bargained for, but that's exactly what happened here. I wanted to not only give the 1More team credit where credit is due, but I just thought this story could serve as a nice reminder that the products we know and love are actually designed, built, marketed, and supported by real, honest people. These engineers, designers, marketers, and support staff take a lot of pride in their work and want us to have a good experience with their products/services. It doesn't always work out that way, but sometimes it works out in a big way!

After recounting this story to some of my friends and colleagues at AC, I wondered if they had any examples where they were pleasantly surprised by a tech product or service where they got more than they bargained for. Here are some of their responses:

I don't know about you, but I just love hearing stories like these. Do you have any tech-related products or services that have gone above and beyond your initial expectations? If so, please share your little success stories below, so that we can all check them out!

— Jeramy

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