Way back in 2008 we started paying attention to a company called Ivyskin. They first offered a solar iPhone case, which was just ugly, and they they offered something called the SmartCase, an iPad case with a battery in it. It’s basically a more angular Mophie Juicepackfor the iPad.
Sadly, there have been numerous complaints about Ivyskin and one reader sent in a recent exchange he had with Ivyskin. They shipped him the case, but they didn’t include the battery and they don’t expect to ship it any time soon. Our reader wrote:
Dear Ivyskin
You sent me the iPad case a couple months ago and still waiting for the battery.
When can I expect to get a battery?[redacted]
Ivyskin’s response:
Hello [redacted]:
Please note that due to the Apple certification, battery pack portion of your
SmartCase™ will ship separately. You have now received the Quattro™ glass
Touch-Thru screen case that is the base frame of the SmartCase™.We will notify you with the tracking details as soon as the battery pack is shipped.
Please feel free to email or call us with any questions or concerns.
Best Regards,
Sean
IvySkin USA
They’ve also been hit by multiple complains from the BBB for non-shipment and, according to our tipster, “If you get someone on the phone and try to cancel, they insist it’s being shipped soon. When you push hard they insist it’s being sent next week.” To their discredit, they still claim it’s on pre-order but they take your money immediately and then you wait. So far our tipster has been waiting for six months. It’s clearly no way to run a railroad.
We emailed to ask if the devices were shipping and were told they were but, as we see from this exchange, trusting your cash with folks pushing vaporware or, at the very least, delayware, is a risky proposition.