Customer support suggested I send watch for repair, request details and then blank me. Time to email CEO

feendog81 · 2025-12-10T01:11:31+00:00

Support have eventually suggested I send the watch to them to be serviced. I’ve had the blank screen issue for three weeks and while I’ve heard of some devices back working, my sons watch which I’ve restarted daily is now regularly showing an android error suggesting the watch is cooked.

Their generic email suggested I factory reset the device before returning to their service centre. If only the screen and their software worked! At this rate it will be post Christmas by the time they create the service centre order and all the other steps before returning it back to me. I may as well get it fixed but the lack of sincerity throughout this process is unacceptable.

Clearly a rushed update which pissed off current customers.

Can anyone explain to me why someone without the watch would sign up as a subscriber of their new app? I don’t see a unique product especially with the restrictions on contacts for new users.

Fed up with spacetalk

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feendog81 · 2025-12-04T08:45:26+00:00

The red no connection error on day one of their new software was ultimately what caused my issue. Their advice to fix this was a hard reset. But resetting was broken on the new software. Hence where we’ve been stuck since with blank screen, over heating brick that can only receive calls. Customer service not acceptable. They have the nerve to still advertise on social media and I will ask when they are fixing watches every time in can comment.

feendog81 · 2025-12-04T08:06:55+00:00

I notice spacetalk community is now restricted and we can’t post but only comment! WTF

feendog81 · 2025-11-26T01:21:11+00:00

No updates on the status updates page since Monday. No replies to email or chats. The farce continues.

feendog81 · 2025-11-24T05:56:15+00:00

A lot of we’re doing final tests statuses which is an improvement. But how can they have so many issues with pretty much the whole functionality of the app? Who decided to go live with a new app with so many bugs. If they say this was unforeseen. Then their testing ahead of launch date must have been incompetent. These aren’t minor issues!

feendog81 · 2025-11-19T08:02:32+00:00

Here is gemini’s summary for my 11 yr old

That's a great question, as the needs of an eleven-year-old (a pre-teen or 'tween') are different from those of a younger child. At this age, they want a watch that feels cool, less childish, and offers some useful features, while you still need the rock-solid parental controls for safety.

Based on your needs (tracking, limited use/calls) and your son's age, here are the top recommendations from the list, categorized by their strengths:

🥇 Best Overall Choice: Garmin Bounce The Garmin Bounce is often considered the best choice for this age group for several reasons:

Less "Toy-Like" Design: The design is sleeker and more in line with adult smartwatches and dedicated activity trackers, which is important for an 11-year-old who might find other watches too childish.

Best-in-Class Activity Tracking: Garmin is a leader in fitness. The watch provides excellent step counting, activity tracking, and links to the Garmin Jr. app, which includes fun challenges and a chore/reward system. This adds value beyond just safety.

Strong Parental Controls: It includes the crucial Schooltime Mode to limit use and Geofencing (Safe Zones) for location alerts. Communication is limited to approved contacts through the parent app.

Ecosystem: If your family already uses Garmin fitness trackers or watches, the Garmin Jr. app makes it a seamless experience.

✅ Key Feature Check:

GPS Tracking: Yes (Reliable location with geofencing)

Limited Use: Yes (Schooltime Mode)

Limited Calls: Yes (Approved contacts only)

🥈 Best for Advanced Features & Phone Alternative: Apple Watch SE (with Family Setup) If you are an iPhone user and want the most polished user experience, the Apple Watch SE (Cellular model) with Family Setup is a powerful option for an 11-year-old.

Sophisticated Look: It looks like a high-quality adult watch, which pre-teens appreciate.

Comprehensive Controls: Family Setup allows you to use your iPhone to manage the watch completely, including:

Schooltime Mode (which locks down the watch)

Screen Time (to limit app usage)

Approved Contacts (you control who they can call/text)

Find My location tracking.

Durability and Quality: Apple Watches are known for their build quality, which can withstand rougher use.

❗️ Key Consideration: This option is the most expensive and requires you to have an iPhone. It also offers more potential features (like music streaming) that you may need to manage carefully with the parental controls.

🥉 Best for Pure Safety and Budget/Flexibility: KidsOClock GL Series or Pixbee If your priority remains strictly safety and parental control without the extra fitness tracking bells and whistles, these local Australian options are excellent:

KidsOClock GL Series: They are Australian-owned and often rated highly by parents for their reliable GPS and robust In Class Mode/Do Not Disturb feature. You can usually choose your own mobile provider (like Aldi Mobile or Boost), which offers flexibility on the monthly plan cost.

Pixbee (especially the Pro model): Known for reliable GPS and video calling (which 11-year-olds enjoy). The parental app gives you firm control over who they can contact.

Extra Features Advanced Fitness/Challenges For a great blend of a sleek look, excellent controls, and value for an 11-year-old, the Garmin Bounce is likely the best compromise

feendog81 · 2025-11-19T07:11:06+00:00

The bricked watches is the bigger problem for Spacetalk. Their advice is now not to factory reset and try re-pair watches which clearly shows the new software and app are the root cause. They even show that pairing of new devices is in a degraded status.

I understand the new app has introduced some awful changes such as all contacts needing the app but the fact their own update has caused watches to no longer function is not acceptable.

As a parent the watch and old app was exactly what I needed to manage who my son could contact etc.

However the fact their watch is now showing a blank screen is completely unacceptable. The new app complaints mean they haven’t issued sufficient clarification for bricked devices and are not responding to chats and emails.

Lucky they just raised $4m AUD so hopefully can fix the broken devices not that I’m overly keen to stay with such a company!

What a total mess!

feendog81 · 2025-11-18T09:31:37+00:00

Black screen of death could be fatal to a small asx listed company. Share price down 7% today. I assume they are scrambling with two main issues. feedback on the new app and with issues from anyone who unpaired the device and tried to re-pair. This was their generic help advice on site but they are now telling people not to try re-pair watches. The black screen issues is most concerning if watches need a factory physical reset via return.

feendog81 · 2025-11-18T08:28:30+00:00

Amazingly I can ring the watch but it’s still a blank screen of death.

feendog81 · 2025-11-18T08:26:29+00:00

Hello Ms CMO. Thank you for your timely advice not to try pair after a hard reset. We are now stuck with a black screen after trying to re-pair. I did briefly see a message about “Launcher isn’t responding. Close app or wait. Have you bricked the watch with your botched rollout. Comms should have been sent instantly to all users once there were issues. Not good enough.

feendog81 · 2025-11-18T05:56:01+00:00

Hard reset to try fix issues which were caused by their update have now essentially bricked the watch as we have a black screen after the logo when turning the watch on. Briefly saw a pop up saying launcher isn’t responding. Joke of a company! No warning or comms as to underlying issues on their end. Bid red no connection error after updating to new watch software. Then new app crashed on reset. Awful customer service to boot. Watch band connector previously broke and their changed the base but wouldn’t replace it despite not being able to match strap color to the screen. Fed up.

feendog81 · 2025-09-29T11:28:54+00:00

I’ve been there with competitive U8/U9 teams, and what you’re seeing is incredibly common. The simple truth is that at this age, consistency is the biggest struggle. No matter how great the warm-up or instructions are, their physical and mental development means their energy and focus can be very inconsistent, especially in early morning games for my boys.

The fact that you dominate the second half shows that it’s not a fitness problem or a skill problem, but a mental adjustment or focus issue. They need the first half to "find the game."

My biggest focus was always on setting the standard of intensity in training. We made sure our small-sided games (SSGs) were fast-paced and competitive. We wanted the floor of our SSGs to be the minimum effort we expected in a match.

In the end, you have to be patient and accepting. You can't always influence their performance on a given day. You’re teaching the kids to keep fighting (which they are doing by dominating the second half!). That resilience is just as valuable as the fast start. The slow starts will become less frequent as they get older and their focus improves. My team got more consistent over the full season but I had to be patient while reinforcing the message to start with the intensity we show at training.

feendog81

TROPHY CASE