Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, I'd just like to provide some context. I first discovered Archos back in summer '08 when my Elgato EyeHome died. For those of you who aren't aware of this product, it was basically a device that could be used to watch computer files (avi, mp4, etc.) on an old school, standard-definition television. When my EyeHome went kaput I was very disappointed to discover that the product had been discontinued. The search for a similar product finally led me to the Archos TV. At this point I've had the Archos TV for more than a year now. It's a fantastic product and, at least so far, has worked flawlessly - I couldn't be happier with it. In fact, it was because of this good experience that I decided to invest in the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet. I think it's important to give this backstory because some of the more enthusiastic Archos fans on here and on certain internet forums seem to think that any criticism of their favorite company means that you're nothing less than a drooling Apple fanboy - blinded to reality and incapable of giving a competing product a fair chance or accurate assessment. So, to continue, late last year I was in a situation that will probably be familiar to all of you. I was interested in buying a portable media player. Would it be an iPod Touch or... something else? Ultimately, I opted for the Archos 5 based on two main factors: 1) Greater storage capacity - 250 GB as compared to the maximum 32 GB on an iPod Touch 2) File flexibility - the Archos 5 can play just about anything, whereas the iPod Touch is restricted to the mp4 file format. This was an important consideration for me, since I already had a small library of avi files that I wanted to enjoy without having to convert to a different format. I read some bad reviews right here on Amazon and elsewhere, but, because of my good experience with the Archos TV, I still decided to invest in the Archos 5. HUGE mistake. To be fair, the Archos 5 worked just fine for the first few months. The problems seemed to begin after I installed the latest version of the firmware - 1.6.53. Basically, the unit seized up and became nothing more than an expensive paperweight. Pressing the power button would initiate the startup process, but, rather than going to the main menu, the introductory "Archos - Entertainment Your Way" screen would simply flash on an endless loop until all the battery power was drained. Now, I'm extremely capable when it comes to tech. I'm the guy that friends and family call to help with stuff like installing an additional internal hard drive, deciding between plasma or LCD, setting up their Blackberry to get email from home... you get the idea. The Archos 5 is equipped with some rudimentary built-in problem solving tricks. I tried these as the instruction manual advised - but nothing worked. At that point I went to Archos Customer Service - this, folks, is where things go really haywire. In a word, Archos' customer service is appalling. If you don't want to take my word for it, just read some of the other comments on here and take a look elsewhere on the net. Their sheer incompetence is legendary. My experience with them is hardly typical, but I'll summarize here - Step One - Contact customer service. Explain problem. Obtain an RMA (Return to Manufacturer Authorization.) Step Two - Send unit in for repairs. Step Three - Wait expectantly. Step Four - Receive unit back from the RMA warehouse. Step Five - Unpack unit and test. Discover that nothing has been fixed. Repeat process beginning with Step One... My last round with Archos Customer Service ended when I received my unit back from the warehouse and found that they had simply given me another unit altogether. I knew this was the case because the new unit was mysteriously missing the sticker on the bottom that included the serial number. I'd also fitted the original unit with a Lexerd Screen Protector - something that was conspicuously absent from the new model. Mind you, replacing my unit with another model of the exact same type isn't necessarily a bad thing - it might have worked out just fine. The only problem was, this replacement model has a damaged power button, and, on the rare occasions that I can turn the thing on, it has the exact same problem as my old unit - stuck in the "Entertainment Your Way" startup loop. When I called customer service to discuss these issues, they claimed that the unit was fine when it left the warehouse (big consolation, huh?) and that the broken power button was probably caused by someone at UPS unpacking the device and "messing around with it." Say what? Now, to be fair, we all know that our electronic gizmos aren't perfect. The Archos 5 certainly isn't the first device I've had problems with and it won't be the last. The big problem is that Archos simply doesn't have the infrastructure to deal with issues like this when they occur. Just for comparison, I had some problems with my Mac G5 when I first got it - but a quick trip to the Apple Store for a tune-up solved everything. Archos isn't like that. The company is based in France and, by virtue of necessity, their North American customer service is outsourced to a shoddy firm here in the U.S. staffed with reps who can do little more than tell you to try pressing the reset button again and/or make pathetic excuses. To all of those people who have a functional Archos 5 and enjoy it - terrific. I'm happy for you and I know from experience that when an Archos product does actually work, it's brilliant. BUT - God help you if you run into trouble, because you're basically screwed. I'm writing this in the hope of convincing some of you still on the fence that you really ought to go with another product altogether. Pick whatever you like - Cowon, iPod Touch, whatever. Just don't get an Archos. Trust me on this, it's basically a crap shoot. And, at the end of the day, do you want to gamble, or do you want a product that actually works?