u/burningbirdsrp

I bought my Ozlos December 2024. After two of the updates last year, bluetooth failed in my left ear bud. Ozlo was kind enough to replace it, but a scant four months later, the bud will no longer support bluetooth more than a few inches from the base.

I did NOT update with the last update. No, this was an issue with the bud. When I put it in, there was a loud crackle, and that was it.

Ozlo sounds still work. And I can leave the left bud in the case and get bluetooth in the right bud, which I did last night.

So now, I'm left with less than ideal options.

The sale is still going on for new Ozlos, but it's still a hefty price. I could try buying a replacement bud, again but I'm pretty sure these are refurbished and considering how fast it died, probably not a great option. I won't spend $75.00 on a bud that dies in four months.

Not interested in Anker. I've read about the problems they've had and I won't sleep with that bulky thing in my ear.

I could stick with the built-in sounds, but Ozlo never has matched Bose when it comes to the quality of sleep sounds. I find them irritating.

Or I could put a speaker by the bed, turn up the sound, and bag using any kind of sleep buds.

Sigh. I really miss my Bose sleep buds.

This is a shout out to the folks who recommended the Alex Verdus books by Benedict Jacka during the last huge sale.

I now own the entire series and the books are a delight. I don't think I've yet discovered a more perfect pairing of book and narrator then these books and the narrator, Gildart Jackson.

The writing is excellent, the stories and characters engaging, but that narration really brings it all together.

I'm assuming this post will be deleted, but it needs to be said:

This is not a neutral group, where you can discuss HELOCs openly. This is a group where companies can sell people HELOCs. Because of it, you're not going to get the best advice.

I posted recently on issues I had with companies portraying home equity loans as HELOCs, specially Achieve...a company that seems to be frequently mentioned in comments to this subreddit.

It was deleted by the moderator.

There are other subreddits that actually are neutral where you can get better advice. Now, I'm out before I'm banned.

Looking at HELOCs now and have run into companies 'offering' HELOCs, but they're really Home Equity loans masquerading as HELOCs.

Chase does this by offering a HELOC but you have to immediately withdraw 80% of the HELOC. So, for all intents and purposes, it's really a home equity loan. However, they do allow an interest only payment period, so, technically, they are a HELOC.

Achieve, which an unusual number of people in this forum seem to promote, doesn't even offer the interest only payment period. I checked yesterday, and how it works with Achieve is you basically get a home equity loan with a fixed rate, but they give you all the money up front. Then the suggestion is to 'pay' all that money back, and for the next five years you can draw that sum as needed.

But you're not paying interest only at this point, you're paying interest and principal...ie, it's a home equity loan.

Checking online the difference between a HELOC and a HELON is

HELOC - flexible ongoing borrowing during draw period

HELOAN - money, up front, all at once

HELOC - interest only period

HELOAN - nope

HELOC - variable interest rate (though there is some flexibility with this with some companies)

HELOAN - fixed

There are some other differences, but these are key. So, from my understanding, Achieve is a HELOAN, not a HELOC?

Am I missing something?

Update: I did find this from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - a PDF describing the differences between financial options. And evidently, the interest-only payment during the draw period is NOT standard for HELOCs. Common, but not standard.

However, flexible accessing of funds during a draw period vs getting the funds as a lump sum upfront is a major difference between HELOCs and HELOANs.

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_heloc-brochure.pdf

After the last update, my Ozlos are working perfectly. I am happy.

And now, every night when I access the Ozlo app, you're pushing me to do an update for a BETA release of a sleep pattern functionality I DON'T WANT!

A BETA release.

The problem with you all, is the engineers may have come over from Bose, but you didn't bring over any customer support people to realize that this is not something you want to do.

I do not remember at any time signing up for a beta release.