Dhano923's Full Review: Leapfrog Leapster Learning Game System
My son got the Leapster Learning System for his birthday last year after his grandfather asked me what to get him. I had seen the Leapster at the toy store, and liked that it was a game system but educational at the same time. My son had been asking for a handheld video game so I thought this would be a nice compromise. Grandpa bought the Leapster as well as the carrying case for him and he was very excited when he got it. As part of his gift from me and my husband, we bought 2 additional games so he would have a variety to choose from.
The Leapster is designed for children aged 4-10. It's a good size for the younger children as it's easy to hold and use. The color screen is about 3 inches wide, which is a bit small in my opinion, but the brightening and contrast setting help to make it easier to see. There are buttons to the left and right of the screen, and a stylus at the bottom. The game cartridges plug at the top (the Leapster comes with a game already installed).
At first, my son couldn't stop playing with his Leapster. He loved that he had a handheld game system. We liked the volume control, the educational factor and that he was learning while playing. With the built in game, he learned ABCs and 123s, and the games we bought separately taught him comprehension and reasoning. We were happy with the Leapster because it taught while entertaining.
But after a month or so, we noticed that the screen had vertical lines running through it. We changed the batteries, thinking they were low but that didn't help. We didn't want my son to play with it because the picture was hard to see and we noticed he was squinting to view the images. I Googled the issue and found a couple of potential solutions, but they didn't work either. But apparently others were having this same problem, which I found bothersome.
I ended up emailing Leapfrog and explained the problem. The rep who emailed me back almost 2 weeks later offered another suggestion, but said that if that didn't work, we would have to send it in. It didn't, so I emailed her for return information. She told me I would have to pay for shipping to and from Leapfrog, that it would take 8-12 weeks to get our Leapster back, and that there was no guarantee that they could fix the problem. they would not replace the toy if they couldn't fix it. I was very upset. Here my father in law spent almost $75 on this toy that barely lasted a month! I explained to the rep that this toy was new, hadn't been dropped or bumped and that this was no fault of our own and that it seemed to be a defect of some sort since others online were complaining about the same issue. She basically told me that I could either keep it as-is, or send it to them and hope they could fix it.
In the end, we chose not to fix it. I was annoyed at the way Leapfrog handled the situation from a customer service point of view, and decided that we will no longer purchase their products. Even thought the Leapster was initially a good product, the lack of support from Leapfrog has turned us off from buying more of their products.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 60 Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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