To Caudabe or not to Caudabe!

[levels]

This is what Caudabe has turned into since last year, and one of the reasons I won’t order from them anymore. Whenever a new phone launches, they literally can’t handle the volume and can take up to a week to respond to you, and they have no phone number you can reach them at. Just not really acceptable these days - and I’ve told them that- that whether busy or not you can’t take 4-7 days to respond to emails.

That combined with their issues last year- MagSafe ring showing to some extent on all cases, stiff buttons that they needed to update, and the cutout that they also updated- just too much to deal with.

Gl to those who ordered, they are nice cases, but the customer service has definitely slipped lately and they don’t seem to have any plan to increase employees to handle their volume.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Yeah it’s poor they know every year what might happen,spigen other manufacturers can get cases out on time but Caudabe seem to struggle

these Should be good to go for availability on launch,it’s piss poor and let’s be honest they aren’t cheap

but this is probably my last year of using them they don’t seem to want to grow the business ,let’s be honest these should be available on Amazon etc but they aren’t and probably my last year as they don’t seem to be able to run a piss up in a brewery lately rant over lol

Do you guys realize how small a company like Caudabe is compared to someone like Spigen? These larger companies have TONS of people where the smaller brands have maybe less than 20.

Folks have to realize how slammed they are during the new iPhone release. I talk to them all the time and even during new iPhone release, I don’t even get a timely reply back from them. iPhone release is hectic for these smaller companies, you have to keep that in mind.

I’m not trying to smooth everything over since I have a working relationship with these brands but I just don’t think people know how small employee wise these companies have.

 

[NJRonbo]

Do you guys realize how small a company like Caudabe is compared to someone like Spigen? These larger companies have TONS of people where the smaller brands have maybe less than 20.

Folks have to realize how slammed they are during the new iPhone release. I talk to them all the time and even during new iPhone release, I don’t even get a timely reply back from them. iPhone release is hectic for these smaller companies, you have to keep that in mind.

I’m not trying to smooth everything over since I have a working relationship with these brands but I just don’t think people know how small employee wise these companies have.

Watching your video where you are telling people countless times to "calm down"

Basically, what I get out of what I watched, you are saying that these case companies are throwing out what they think will work with the new iPhone 16 camera control button.

However, nothing is certain, and if it turns out that what they released doesn't work, then they have to revise their case design.

So, in that case, what happens to those of us who gambled and bought one of the cases that need to be revised? Are these case companies, like Caudabe, going to take care of us?


I think I can speak for Caudabe as they have a 30-day money-back guarantee (though you have to pay for return shipping).

But telling people to "calm down" multiple times over (and it was waaay too often) isn't exactly calming to viewers who may be forced to take in one of these non-compatible cases and go through the hassle of returning them with an additional expense involved.

Quite frankly, what scares many of us is that Apple put a sensor button on their case which translates touch to the iPhone. They, more than anyone else, designed it that way because they tested in-house and found it works better than a cutout.

 

[levels]

Do you guys realize how small a company like Caudabe is compared to someone like Spigen? These larger companies have TONS of people where the smaller brands have maybe less than 20.

Folks have to realize how slammed they are during the new iPhone release. I talk to them all the time and even during new iPhone release, I don’t even get a timely reply back from them. iPhone release is hectic for these smaller companies, you have to keep that in mind.

I’m not trying to smooth everything over since I have a working relationship with these brands but I just don’t think people know how small employee wise these companies have.

No sorry, that’s now how it works, even for a smaller company. If you’re doing more business/know it’s going to be busy, you have to figure out how to support the business you do. That’s how all companies work as they scale, or at least all companies that care at all about customer service.

Nobody is saying to have the same staff as a larger company like Spigen, but you need to be able to maintain your customer service level with increased business. Increased business=more money, so hire more people, even if it’s just part time for the iPhone release.

There’s really nothing to defend here- they are not operating correctly and have made no efforts to correct it. There’s not a single other company I know that will take a week to respond because they are busier.

The funny part is- they specifically advertise(or at least they did until last year) that they respond to queries in 24 hours. You can’t go out of your way to advertise that, then tell people “oh sorry that’s only when it’s not busy.”

 

[Zensō]

Do you guys realize how small a company like Caudabe is compared to someone like Spigen? These larger companies have TONS of people where the smaller brands have maybe less than 20.

Folks have to realize how slammed they are during the new iPhone release. I talk to them all the time and even during new iPhone release, I don’t even get a timely reply back from them. iPhone release is hectic for these smaller companies, you have to keep that in mind.

I’m not trying to smooth everything over since I have a working relationship with these brands but I just don’t think people know how small employee wise these companies have.

I’m sympathetic to these boutique companies, but one of the main differentiators they have over the big players is their ability to offer exceptional customer service. I don’t think they can afford to let that slip even in times of high volume.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Watching your video where you are telling people countless times to "calm down"

Basically, what I get out of what I watched, you are saying that these case companies are throwing out what they think will work with the new iPhone 16 camera control button.

However, nothing is certain, and if it turns out that what they released doesn't work, then they have to revise their case design.

So, in that case, what happens to those of us who gambled and bought one of the cases that need to be revised? Are these case companies, like Caudabe, going to take care of us?


I think I can speak for Caudabe as they have a 30-day money-back guarantee (though you have to pay for return shipping).

But telling people to "calm down" multiple times over (and it was waaay too often) isn't exactly calming to viewers who may be forced to take in one of these non-compatible cases and go through the hassle of returning them with an additional expense involved.

Quite frankly, what scares many of us is that Apple put a sensor button on their case which translates touch to the iPhone. They, more than anyone else, designed it that way because they tested in-house and found it works better than a cutout.

They can of course design a case for it because it’s in house, so people expect 3rd party companies to do the same?

Some of course did and we will see how they work once we get the cases in hand.

I think this is a little blown out of proportion a little too much and I’m sure people will have to figured out in no time. Anytime there is a change, it’s going to be some static when it comes to accessories.

 

[Sal09]

Estimated delivery date for me 23-25 Sep. Can’t complain.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

No sorry, that’s now how it works, even for a smaller company. If you’re doing more business/know it’s going to be busy, you have to figure out how to support the business you do. That’s how all companies work as they scale, or at least all companies that care at all about customer service.

Nobody is saying to have the same staff as a larger company like Spigen, but you need to be able to maintain your customer service level with increased business. Increased business=more money, so hire more people, even if it’s just part time for the iPhone release.

There’s really nothing to defend here- they are not operating correctly and have made no efforts to correct it. There’s not a single other company I know that will take a week to respond because they are busier.

The funny part is- they specifically advertise(or at least they did until last year) that they respond to queries in 24 hours. You can’t go out of your way to advertise that, then tell people “oh sorry that’s only when it’s not busy.”

I understand what you are saying 100%, let’s be really honest and with all due respect m, what’s complained about in these forums is something they hardly here when it comes to the average person who purchases their cases. We have spoke multiple times about it and then amount of people who complain to who doesn’t is minuscule.

Now is that right? No because the majority of people isn’t in a website forum talking about cases and us in here are sticklers and want things to be right and I don’t blame anyone in here for that.

Caudabe customer service is one thing that’s brought up in here all the time and you hear people saying it sucks and then you hear people say it’s great, it’s hit or miss and I also bring this up to them when we speak and the one thing that they pride in is customer service so I’m not sure what is stopping through the cracks.

If you don’t want to buy their cases because of bad customer support then do your thing, nobody can fault you for that. I just feel like it’s tons of entitlement when it comes to these case brands around new iPhone release and half of the inquiries that they are probably getting is questions about things that aren’t super pressing. I can gurantee you there are tons of emails asking about the cutout and button and not one single person knows how they are going to work or feel because we don’t have the devices.

This is all out of respect by the way because I know how these conversations can come off.

 

[Amplelink]

Estimated delivery date for me 23-25 Sep. Can’t complain.

Mine has an estimated delivery date of tomorrow. No complaints here either.

 

[Sal09]

Mine has an estimated delivery date of tomorrow. No complaints here either.

Mine is travelling to UK 🫣

 

[SteveJawbs]

I've had a Sheath on my 13 Pro for almost the whole three years I've owned it. For the 16 Pro it will either be the Sheath or a Speck Presidio 2 Grip (still undecided). The Sheath has been a great case, has held up well, and works really well with MagSafe chargers/accessories, but I had the Presidio Grip on my XS and liked how grippy it was.

I ordered a presidio grip for my 16.
I’ve had my 8 protected with a presidio for 5 years.
I just hope it’s mag safe friendly.
They say it is. We shall see.

 

[dfnj123]

Got my 16PM Sheath in the mail today. Overall pretty satisfied. Sheath has been my go-to case choice since the 7 Plus in 2016, so I knew what to expect regarding the overall size, appearance, feel, etc. Not necessarily concerned about accessibility of the buttons and camera control regions, but it's hard to know for certain without an actual phone inside the case.

Pretty confident if there's something wrong with the sizing/cutouts on the case that Caudabe will make the situation right. I remember back when the 12 series came out I was able to get a free replacement for my 12PM Sheath due to a manufacturing defect with Caudabe's first batch of cases that year.

 

[Sal09]

Got my 16PM Sheath in the mail today. Overall pretty satisfied. Sheath has been my go-to case choice since the 7 Plus in 2016, so I knew what to expect regarding the overall size, appearance, feel, etc. Not necessarily concerned about accessibility of the buttons and camera control regions, but it's hard to know for certain without an actual phone inside the case.

Pretty confident if there's something wrong with the sizing/cutouts on the case that Caudabe will make the situation right. I remember back when the 12 series came out I was able to get a free replacement for my 12PM Sheath due to a manufacturing defect with Caudabe's first batch of cases that year.

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Is that black or grey?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Got my 16PM Sheath in the mail today. Overall pretty satisfied. Sheath has been my go-to case choice since the 7 Plus in 2016, so I knew what to expect regarding the overall size, appearance, feel, etc. Not necessarily concerned about accessibility of the buttons and camera control regions, but it's hard to know for certain without an actual phone inside the case.

Pretty confident if there's something wrong with the sizing/cutouts on the case that Caudabe will make the situation right. I remember back when the 12 series came out I was able to get a free replacement for my 12PM Sheath due to a manufacturing defect with Caudabe's first batch of cases that year.

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That’s exactly what I’ve ordered and hadn’t realised the buttons were shiny as my previous 2 Sheaths were not. Not sure on my order status, I paid through PayPal and never even got an order confirmation email, but I have a PayPal receipt, strange. Hopefully get an update soon, although I am in the UK so I doubt I’d get it until the week after next anyway.

 

[dfnj123]

Is that black or grey?

It's black, and the case is definitely black in-person. The grayness is due to the lighting in the room where I took the pictures. The color is indistinguishable from a 14PM black Sheath I've been using over the past 2 years.

I'd say the presentation of the color on Caudabe's website is accurate.

 

[dfnj123]

That’s exactly what I’ve ordered and hadn’t realised the buttons were shiny as my previous 2 Sheaths were not. Not sure on my order status, I paid through PayPal and never even got an order confirmation email, but I have a PayPal receipt, strange. Hopefully get an update soon, although I am in the UK so I doubt I’d get it until the week after next anyway.

Wouldn't necessarily consider the change to shiny buttons as a negative (beyond aesthetic preferences). My understanding is Caudabe has been using metal button covers since the 15 series to provide more of a "button-like"/tactile feel when pressed. Basically the same reason Apple uses metal button covers on their Silicone cases used metal button covers on some of their leather cases back in the day.

 

[iFone88]

Basically the same reason Apple uses metal button covers on their Silicone cases.

They don’t.

 

[dfnj123]

They don’t.

Ah! You're right. I was thinking about Apple's older leather cases before they discontinued them.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Wouldn't necessarily consider the change to shiny buttons as a negative (beyond aesthetic preferences). My understanding is Caudabe has been using metal button covers since the 15 series to provide more of a "button-like"/tactile feel when pressed. Basically the same reason Apple uses metal button covers on their Silicone cases used metal button covers on some of their leather cases back in the day.

I don’t see it as a negative, I think it looks like a cool improvement. My current Sheath is on a 13 Pro Max so a few versions behind.

 

[Pug72]

I much prefer floating buttons to the slitted moulded ones.
Unfortunately my Benks went the other way with my fave case the ArmorPro.

The Mist came today and the metal buttons are still there on that thankfully.

 

[jetlagged]

I bought a Spigen liquid air case for now on Amazon. I’ll probably end up returning it.

Are there any other companies that make good looking minimalist case with good drop protection?

I don’t want anything bulky. I’ll probably buy caudabe again, their new case offerings looks nice

 

[FranApple]

Got my 16PM Sheath in the mail today. Overall pretty satisfied. Sheath has been my go-to case choice since the 7 Plus in 2016, so I knew what to expect regarding the overall size, appearance, feel, etc. Not necessarily concerned about accessibility of the buttons and camera control regions, but it's hard to know for certain without an actual phone inside the case.

Pretty confident if there's something wrong with the sizing/cutouts on the case that Caudabe will make the situation right. I remember back when the 12 series came out I was able to get a free replacement for my 12PM Sheath due to a manufacturing defect with Caudabe's first batch of cases that year.

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Excellent photos. I’m loving those buttons. Finally they’re doing metal buttons and it looks like they’re doing them right. How do they feel?

My package gets here tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

 

[macher]

Got my 16PM Sheath in the mail today. Overall pretty satisfied. Sheath has been my go-to case choice since the 7 Plus in 2016, so I knew what to expect regarding the overall size, appearance, feel, etc. Not necessarily concerned about accessibility of the buttons and camera control regions, but it's hard to know for certain without an actual phone inside the case.

Pretty confident if there's something wrong with the sizing/cutouts on the case that Caudabe will make the situation right. I remember back when the 12 series came out I was able to get a free replacement for my 12PM Sheath due to a manufacturing defect with Caudabe's first batch of cases that year.

View attachment 2420930View attachment 2420933View attachment 2420934View attachment 2420935View attachment 2420937

The Sheath is the Sh*t!

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

My Synthesis 16 PM and screen protector from Caudabe is not arriving on time for Friday. Bummed about that and might send them back when they do. I should have done the 2 day FedEx shipping and paid the extra. Anyways, I ordered express shipping from Apple will be here Friday Ultramarine Silicone case and screen protector from Walmart. Phone, case and screen protector set to arrive Friday.

 

[levels]

I understand what you are saying 100%, let’s be really honest and with all due respect m, what’s complained about in these forums is something they hardly here when it comes to the average person who purchases their cases. We have spoke multiple times about it and then amount of people who complain to who doesn’t is minuscule.

Now is that right? No because the majority of people isn’t in a website forum talking about cases and us in here are sticklers and want things to be right and I don’t blame anyone in here for that.

Caudabe customer service is one thing that’s brought up in here all the time and you hear people saying it sucks and then you hear people say it’s great, it’s hit or miss and I also bring this up to them when we speak and the one thing that they pride in is customer service so I’m not sure what is stopping through the cracks.

If you don’t want to buy their cases because of bad customer support then do your thing, nobody can fault you for that. I just feel like it’s tons of entitlement when it comes to these case brands around new iPhone release and half of the inquiries that they are probably getting is questions about things that aren’t super pressing. I can gurantee you there are tons of emails asking about the cutout and button and not one single person knows how they are going to work or feel because we don’t have the devices.

This is all out of respect by the way because I know how these conversations can come off.

I get what you’re saying, but you are contradicting yourself a bit. You’re saying the people of this forum are in the minority vs their overall customer base who doesn’t complain. That may be true, but if so, then why can't they support those queries if it’s so minuscule as you say? Especially when you are a company that doesn’t provide a phone number to contact them, many people who are paying for a more premium case do not find it acceptable to wait a week for a response.

As you mentioned, maybe you are not intending to, but you sound very closely affiliated with Caudabe.

One other thing to note- I have used Caudabe cases on and off for 10 years and was always a big fan, so my view is not some random view on only their current situation. It really only started the last 2 years where they can’t handle the email volume for iPhone launches, and I mentioned previously, their cases last year had several issues with quality that many people were not happy with. They literally updated the case(the Sheath)3 times to try to create a better version last year. That’s not ideal- they need to try to create a version that works from day 1 because even though they do provide great service in terms of replacements, it’s just a hassle to have to go through that for something as simple as a phone case.

These aren’t exactly cheap cases, and people expect a lot for a $50 piece of plastic, otherwise they can order a $10 Amazon case shipped next day to their door and process a return in under 30 seconds online if they have an issue.

You want to change $45 + shipping for a plastic case, then you need to provide CS that supports that price level. That’s how all proper businesses work.