Thermal Camera

Eazyglider

Hi Everyone,


I bought a thermal camera from a company advertising on the web via a phone call as I was not sure which model to choose. It was delivered on 11th or 12th June. The model I chose boasts detecting a man at 450 metres based on the advice of the salesman as I wanted it for wildlife spotting. I have just returned from a holiday where I struggled to detect Herons at 30 metres though I haven't tried a man at 450 metres. I am so disappointed with the performance of this unit. Should I be able to return it for a refund as I paid quite a lot of money for this unit? So far they are asking me to return it to them and they will send it back to the manufacturer to check it's performance.


thanks for your time, any help much appreciated.


Kind regards,
Eazyglider.

peachyprice

Is a heron as big and hot as a man?

shaun_from_Africa

The model I chose boasts detecting a man at 450 metres

Which it may well be able to do in optimal conditions, and I would almost guarantee that what the advert actually states is "up to 450 metres".
Advertising blurb generally needs to be taken with a very large pinch of salt as although the claims may be able to be met in certain conditions, this doesn't mean that every user can get the stated results all of the time.

One of the main factors that will affect how effective the camera is will be the termperature differential between the target and the surrounding area.
A heron on a frozen lake will probably be seen easily, but the same bird on a hot carpark will be a different matter.

gik

The thing is herons have feathers and down which act as insulation for the bird and the surface temperature of the feathers are probably close to that of the environment they are in.

browneyedbazzi

What Shaun said.

I also think it is reasonable to send the item to them to check if it is faulty - it may be that it is faulty (ie it should have worked in the circumstances you tried to use it) in which case they'll have the option to repair, refund or replace the item.

If the unit performs as they would expect it to but, for whatever reason, it won't work for your intended purpose you may be able to argue that it doesn't conform to the contract - given that you specifically asked for an item that would do a job and it doesn't. That could descend into a disagreement about what exactly was said though and without some proof of who said what it may be difficult to get your money back.