Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I ordered this around Christmas but just played it for the first time three months later. The electronic "Chrono Decoder" feels light and cheap and the first mystery was the odd rattle coming from inside. With the batteries installed, it lit up and appeared to be working. We started the clock and opened the first envelope regarding the prison break. After a slow start, we eventually settled on a code and dropped the four "keys" into the slots only to hear a loud BUZZ indicating an incorrect answer and one minute penalty. We rechecked everything and decided to change one key. Nope--BUZZ! Were we holding the box backwards? Wrong--BUZZ! New idea, maybe we need to insert the keys faster--BUZZ! Right to left--BUZZ! Simultaneously--BUZZ! We consulted the instruction manual to no avail. Eventually we decided to look at the clues because between figuring it out and all our incorrect guesses, our time was now below 30 minutes and no one was having fun. Low and behold the final clue just gives you the code, which we had been trying all along. We tried it again and again with no luck. Because the battery case access requires a screwdriver (why?), I decided I had had enough and opened the entire thing up. It was immediately clear one of the sensors inside the box was dangling freely and the plastic side of the slot that holds it in place had snapped off, causing the unusual rattle. An on-the-spot fix was possible, but probably not permanent. With everything put back together, we restarted the game and very delicately inserted the key into the third slot as to prevent any future damage. Success! We finished the final two stages and all was well. Hopefully this might help someone else before getting frustrated and smashing the decoder against a wall. I contacted Spin Master Games about the issue and this was their response: "We are very sorry to hear about your broken Chrono Decoder. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a replacement for the decoder." They also mentioned a 30-day "customer support period," with proof of purchase, "incase[sic] a replacement is applicable." Not sure if they would be willing to replace the decoder if we had contacted them within the 30 days, so my advice would be hold off on buying this until you are ready to play. Unfortunately there's no way to open the game after purchase and test it to make sure it's working without spoiling one of the four puzzles. I was planning on packing this back up after playing the four scenarios and giving it away, but because the decoder is so flaky, I wouldn't want to put anyone through the frustration we had with this purchase.