Ceiva, Chapter 2

It's time to update the Saga of Ceiva. A tale of joy and frustration. If you're not familiar with Ceiva, they basically invented the connected digital photo frame. Such frames are more common now, but none approaches the level of sophistication that Ceiva brings to the table. But with great sophistication, comes headaches.

This chapter in my ongoing tale began when my in-law's frame stopped working. They love it, and it's paid up for the next several months, so I called Ceiva and learned, to my surprise, that they've recently added extended warranty coverage to their Picture Plan fee. This is a very smart move as it adds a lot of value to the service, which I've previously called overpriced. Ceiva said they'd send me a replacement frame at no charge, I just had to return the dead one.

About a week later I received a call from Ceiva. I thought something was wrong, but it turns out they were offering to replace my second, unused frame (which I never could get to dial-in correctly from our condo) with a wireless version instead. The cost was $100 (including the $10 Wi-Fi adapter) but that includes a year of Picture Plan. A good deal, so I accepted.

The new wireless frame arrived quickly. It's much nicer than the older models. The screen is brighter, it holds more images, transitions between images are available, and now there's an IR remote control. But what surprised me most is that this new frame will also display photos from a memory card. This means that even if you cancel the Picture Plan, the frame remains useful. A welcome touch. Update: The manual isn't clear about this, but I've been informed I'm mistaken. A Picture Plan is necessary for the frame to function at all. Bummer.

In the next chapter, I'll talk about the replacement frame they sent for my in-laws. Here the tale will take a less enthusiastic turn.

Comments

[Dave P.]

Looking forward to your write-up of the Ceiva, Gordon.

Dave P.

[Sherry]

I have had my Ceivashare picture frame for just over a year, and I am not so thrilled with it. I didn't want to renew my subscription, so immediately, my memory cards stopped working. I paid for the darn thing, so I should be able to view my own pictures. If I choose not to use the share option, it shouldn't turn into an electronic paper weight. Not a happy customer. The way they advertise, leads you to believe it works with the memory cards. NOT TRUE. pfffffffft.

[Jean P]

We were given a Ceiva by our children so we could see pictures of our grandchild. This was great for a year but wasn't worth the renewal charge Ceiva demanded. I really liked being able to look at the pictures and thought I could just upload my own pictures to the frame. Not true!! Must have Ceiva service or the frame is useless.

This is outrageous! How can they sell you something that is useless unless you continue to send them money. This certainly wasn't clear in the literature they provided. Seems like the stuff class action suits are made of.

Does anyone know how to get the Ceiva to show picture from a SD card or USB wand without Ceiva service?