To Monroi, or not to Monroi?

I’m here at the U.S. Open and I’ve played three games so far, and literally I have been asked by over 20 people how I like my Monroi.  I get asked this question quite a bit, especially in New Mexico, but generally just by my opponents.  People are a bit more talkative out west.  I usually only share part of my opinion about the device, but since I always receive so many inquires about it, I figured I would share my thoughts here. 

So everyone always says, “I’ve been considering getting one of those devices for a long time.”  Well if you want my short answer as to whether or not it’s worth it.  It’s not. 

How much did the Monroi cost?  The sticker price is $359.00, but since it’s from Canada you can tack on $37 for international shipping, and your credit card company will add on a $25 foreign transaction fee.  For a total cost of $421 out the door.  For that amount you would assume it will work perfectly with any problems right?

I remember in the early 2000’s, when they came out with the first smart devices (PDA’s), and everyone went wild about them.  They utilized Nano technology, but as a computing devices they were left lacking in many respects.  Well this is exactly the same technology that the Monroi operates on in 2015!  So it’s rather outdated.  If you’ve never used a PDA, I would imagine it’s like taking a step back in time to another century.   Of course, you’re not using it as a gps, or to surf the web so as long as it works well as a personal chess manager that’s all that counts right?

Well, it’s not great as a personal chess manager.  It does the job, but each device seems to run into quite a bit of problems.  The first problem I encountered,   was after about 10 games recorded in the device, the SD card malfunctioned and stop recording games.  I had to contact Monroi 4 times before they sent me a new SD card, because they said I needed a “special SD Card,” I couldn’t use any regular ole card.  I didn’t believe them, so I decided to try by putting an 8GB SD Card in and it wasn’t recording any games.  So I waited for Monroi to send me a card, which it finally arrived 4 months after I initially contacted them.  So I popped it in, and I was back in business, or at least I thought.  I recorded 18 games with the new SD card, and guess what?  It stopped working again, and It lost my most recent 7 games.  Better yet, my Monroi stopped charging.  Turns out the ac adapter they provided me stopped working.  Luckily, it was still under warranty.  I attempted to contact Monroi, and they ignored my 3 emails I sent them, and I had to call them 5 times before I could get ahold of someone.  They we’re very pleasant when I finally spoke to someone.  They said they would send me a new SD card and a new charger, they stated they sent it “twice,” but I guess someone keeps stealing my packages from Monroi, because I never got them. Now 8 months from when from when I initially contacted them about the charger, and I have yet to receive anything they promised. The best part is that this is a Canadian company, and lucky for them, there is no Better Business Bureau in the province where they operate.  Consequently, there is no reprisal or additional assistance an American can receive for dealing with Monroi. 

I know a couple of people who have purchased a Monroi, and they have had the same problems with the SD card and the ac adapter.  It’s probably safe to say, these are design flaws and not just coincidences. 

What about the Software for you to manage your games on your computer?   The software is extremely glitchy, and it causes your computer to run slower. I wish I never downloaded it on my machine. 

So if I haven’t had received anything from Monroi, how have I been able to use it the past 8 months?  Well Robert Hampton kind of saved me, it turns out that Monroi will work with a 1GB SD card, but it’s too old of technology to recognize anything larger than 2 GB’s.  He gave me an SD card, because guess what, most companies stopped making 1GB sd cards about 4 years ago, you can still find them on the web for a hefty sum. 

The good news is, if you are terrible at taking notation like I am, Plycount now makes an electronic notation taking device.  It costs less than half as much of a Monroi, and it has its own internal memory.  So you don’t have to fiddle around with SD cards.  I know two people who have them, and they haven’t had a single compliant.  So I would say, if you want an electronic notation taking device, I would go with the Plycount any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.