Philips Lumea Precision Plus IPL

PHILIPS GET THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE STAFF TO LIE & MISLEAD THE PUBLIC – We purchased this unit approx 5 yrs ago (and yes, we are aware it is out of manufacturers warranty). I've now gone to use the unit again after 6 weeks of not using it and IT NO LONGER CHARGES; it doesn't even register that it's plugged in. We called your Customer Service only to be told that we must recharge after 1 month if not using. This is… Read more

a blatant lie by your employees who are clearly trying to mislead people. YOUR USER MANUAL CLEARLY STATES THAT YOU MUST RECHARGE EVERY 3-4 MONTHS EVEN IF NOT USING, so having your Customer Service employees mislead the public by saying 1 month not going to turn out well for your company. We have reported this all to authorities. We have contacted your company several times to get this sorted out however, we received a reply stating the obvious, which is that it is out of warranty and then you state that you want us to pay to send Phillips the unit and also requesting us to pay to have this assessed. Phillips is FULLY AWARE that this unit has a problem with charging as the complaints about this issue has gone viral all over the internet and Phillips has also responded to these complaints yet you choose to ignore this very vital point. THIS IS DISGUSTINGLY DISHONEST! We will make sure you are held accountable. Start being honest and assist all those customers you have lie too.

Useful tip if lights flashing & Phillips Lumea Prestige will not charge. (Update 06/22 my product no longer works) – Update (July 22 - Mine no longer works & I have not replaced it as too expensive for how long it lasts. If Philips listened to the many dissatisfied customers & sorted the charging issue out (ie the flashing lights where the unit no longer charges, as many have reported) then it would be a great product. So many people are having the same issue &… Read more

the product is too expensive to replace after having it for only 12-18mths.

Having to charge it every so often to keep it working is poor, Philips need to resolve this issue if they want customers to be satisfied with the product.

Although I am dissatisfied with the amount of time I had the Philips Lumea Prestige, overall the results were really good for me. My hair growth is still slower today & I have much less hair than before I used it so I still think it is a great product. If Philips sorted out the charging issue (so you don't have to worry about charging it to keep it working) then I would reconsider buying again it in the future. For this reason I have reduced my star rating from 5 to 3.

Original response:- After having the product just over a year it stopped charging, all 5 lights flashing! I had used it regularly but had a gap of around 2mths, I was going to contact Phillips when I spotted a YouTube video - if you press & hold the flash button & press the on switch, it resets it. I tried it & the fan came on & it worked again. Love the product & be would be lost without it - give it a go, hope you get lucky.

Disappointment – I used this product 4-5 times and I was already starting to see result. I recommended it to a few of my friends. Then I had to stop using it for a while. Yesterday I decided to start using it again, but unfortunately it wasn’t working. I jumped online and found out that it is a common issue that the battery just dies if you don’t charge it… Read more

monthly. I was very disappointed as I looking forward to using it again and I obviously feel ripped off as it is such an expensive product. I thought Philips was a reputable company with a range of quality products but using such a low quality battery is just unacceptable. I wish I read the reviews before investing in this product.

Managed to remove most unwanted hair permanently – I've had mine for about 5 years, it only just ran out of flashes as I was told that it only had some 50000 flashes, which was probably about what I got. I could probably have done with another year for those random hairs that pop up but I can shave them easily. The machine continues to charge though and I probably went many months without using it or charging it. I was very happy with it.  Show reply

Best thing i have ever purchsed – I used to have hairy legs and would need to shave all the time. I would shave ine night snd the nect day i would get lots of thick stubble growth. Gross, not very girly! I would have to think and prepare alot before wearing gym leggings or a dress abd so quite often ended up -covering up. After use of this, i now shave once every 3-6months and can… Read more ·  1

throw anytning on. It had been a big chsnger fir me. I have some areas with no hair growth and other with some thin hair which uou can barely see. It worked on other areas than ny kegs to abd so getting ready fir beach hol is great! Whoever invented this is amazing and it really has made a difference in my life. So, thanks!

Battery died then came good! – I'm very happy with the results of my Lumea. I bought it about 3 years ago and used it for my under arms first. I had always shaved my underarms, not waxed, and results after about 3 or 4 treatments was awesome. Very pale skin and dark hair. So I braved it and had a go on my face. I had a few dark hairs on my jawline. I couldn't bring myself to… Read more ·  1

shave first tho so just went ahead and zapped. Skin slightly tanned and hair lighter than underarms but after 4 sparodic treatments all was good. Both underarms and face only get a treatment about every 2 months now. Yes a few hairs grow back but are very fine they are very hard to see and a 2 monthly treatment works good. I had previously had professional IPL on my bikini line etc and I treat that area about every 2 months as well and that has kept it from coming back. Again a few strays that are very fine. I decided to do the tops of my feet (prob about 20 hairs on each foot that I've always waxed) and quite tanned. Have just done my 4th treatment (been slack and been 3 to 4 weeks apart) and prob only half a dozen or so hairs left now! Impressed because of the tanning on my feet. So bit the bullet this morning and shaved my legs for the first time in more than 20 years. I decided I would have a go at zapping. I've been waxing since was about 20! But now about to travel Aus and can't be bothered being organised and booking appointments with a beautician! Plus I paid $700 for my Lumea and that's only about 10 waxes. So full charge I got nearly a full leg done (took me about 20 mins or so). Next charge I got the rest of that thigh and my lower left leg done. Just gotta do the last thigh. So 3 full charges to do both my legs. Legs are tanned so guess it will take quite a few treatments to see good results. Was a difficult decision to shave my legs and zap. Not looking forward to the scratchy feeling again but hopefully it won't be for long!

The battery did initially die within the first 12 months. I bought it online from the shaver shop so contacted them and was instructed to take it to one of their stores as it was about 10 months old. It wouldn't charge and I had been using it approximately every month. Got it to the store, plugged it in and the damn thing started charging. Think the shop assistant thought I was crazy! It definitely hadn't been charging. So whether the movement in the car jiggled it enough to get it going I don't know. And it's charged no probs since, about 2 years now! I guess one day it will use up all the zaps so will have to buy another one. I guess I would be concerned about purchasing the newer one if there are still the battery problems. I was lucky with the one I have but may not be with a new one. But I will most likely buy another Lumea. Basically it's between the Remington and the Lumea. Though I have not been able to find how many zaps the Remington has.

This product was good – My husband bought this product as gift couple years ago and it works perfectly until last year, the battery had been dead and could not use it any more but it was a good product, good quality. Show details

It was a great device, until the battery died – Hello Philips, I bought your device 5 years ago and it did a great job. I was very happy with it till 2 days ago. I didn't use it in the last 3 months and the battery stop working. You should print with big print everywhere on the package and in the leaflet that the the device needs to be recharged obligatory every 1 month!!!! You have just 1… Read more

short sentence in the leaflet that everybody missed. Like many others on this website I am not happy. I spend $800 on it and I expected that after years the laser life will finish, but not that the battery can't be replaced. When I and all your customers buy device with this high cost we expect the device to be serviced and fixed. It's a shame for Philips that your customers try to fix the device themselves, because your service centers refuse to do it. I hope that nobody will be hurt. A company with your brand has to have solution of the problem and to provide replacement of the battery of the device on minimal cost or compensation to customers. If the battery of the device is such a big problem why you didn't replace the unreliable battery with cable?? I'll appreciate answers to all these questions. Thank you in advance.

Not worth the investment – Phillips would have to be the most infuriating company to deal with. I have sent countless emails to them, all have been ignored. Their product was excellent for about a year but the battery died and cannot be charged. It was rarely used. Do not waste your money on this brand you'll be extremely disappointed.

Wow! Terrible! – Like others I got this and had a kid so took a break. I used this twice. I am absolutely disgusted by this rip off product. Disgusted. No conscience by this company whatsoever.

Piece of – Worked great for the first year. I think it was purchased about 4 years ago now. I fell pregnant and was breastfeeding and then fell pregnant again so could not use it as IPL is not recommended during that time. Have just got it out to use again and nothing happens when i try to charge it. Nothing in my information manual told me I had to charge… Read more

it every few months or it would die!! $800 completely down the drain, i should have just paid for a salon treatment as that might actually have been completed for that amount of money. Very very unhappy. And now no doubt it is out of warranty and no longer the companies problem. Wouldn't have a clue where the receipt is. Do not buy this piece of. Clearly many many other customers in the same boat as me. Will not be buying a phillips product again.

It stopped charging long time ago was going to throw it out – Purchased it few years ago for about $800. Used it for a few times at home it was working very well. Then I joined a laser treatment plan at a laser clinic and have not been using it until a year later (for maintenance at home), when I realized that it stopped charging. Walked past the store that I purchased from think it's Shaver's shop… Read more

they said do not repair (I've lost the receipt). Since then it has just been sitting in the cupboard doing nothing for a few years. Recently moving house and got it out again, tried charging it, still won't work. That's when I found out through online search that most people have the same problem!

I'm so annoyed this thing wasn't cheap at all. I hope Philips would offer a repair/replacement for free otherwise sounds like I have to invest more money to make it work again on top of that $800..

Waste of money – Worked fine for 18 months. Only used about 10 times then completely died. Definitely not worth the $800 that my children forked out for it for a Xmas gift Sorry Phillips but definitely won't be buying one of those products from you ever again. Extremely disappointing

Has not stood the test of time – We bought our Lumea a couple years ago and it worked ok for a while, was fine actually. We used it only once every month or two. But then it wasn't used for a good six months and last month I pulled it out to use before going on holidays and it wouldn't charge, the light on the charger wouldn't come...i'm not sure what the problem is, but reading… Read more

other peoples experiences, it seems to have poor batteries which simply die, that or the charger died.

Regardless i'm annoyed this thing wasn't cheap at all. Perhaps it will be covered under Consumer Warranty Law as two years of occasional service is insufficient durability for the price!

battery time – I bought my philips lumea almost a couple years ago I've seen significant results after the first year of use but the hair grew back when i stopped using it for 2 months ....now for the last 4 months whenever i put it to charge it only charges for 2min and stops and I can only get 5 flashes out of it . dont know if it is a battery problem or not… Read more

?

I have no idea how to fix it I am not willing to buy another one if it will just brake again !! I was hoping to get a long lasting device with long lasting results specially for a price that high !!

I managed to fix the no charging issue – If you do not charge it or use it within 3 months time; it will stop charging! No where it clearly says that it must be used / charged every month or so. No repair shop is willing to repair it and even if it is still under warranty; it is massive hassel to get Phillips to honor it. Evidence of this can be seen all over google search! I do not want… Read more

to blame Philips for design constraint on Li-ion batteries, as this applies to all products that use such kind of batteries. However, they should be held accountable to communicate to their consumer. The original batteries are 4.2 Volts(I could not find replacements). I then went and bought 3.7Volt batteries and resoldered them myself. Having done that, I also had to retire the charger that came with it and instead now use a 5V charger which delivers around 2 amps of current. Evidence can be seen in my youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jso6978eI1c

2 days old and its dead! – I bought my lumea on saturday. Managed to do 1.5 legs. Tried to charge it earlier and it tripped all the electrics in my home. It wont turn on at all. Will be returning to the store tomorrow. Not sure I want another one either if its causing power surges.

The device stopped working after first use, plz help – It turns on , and the lights at the back keeps flashing, Nothing works, i cannot select the strength. Please help me I cant say more because I didn't use for long, this happened after the first use

Does not stay on - only 6 weeks old – Bought a lumea for my wife about 6 weeks ago. Worked fine and charged every week for the 6 weeks as it was used every week. great results for the 6 weeks. Put it on the charger today for about 5 hours went to use it tonight and it won't stay on for more than one zap. Very poor. Will be returning it tomorrow morning. Never again after… Read more

reading the other reviews on this site.

Why don't Philips just make it a wired device if they can't get the battery right.

Works beautifully although the battery deficiency is incredibly disappointing – I have had the Lumea for about a year and a half and it worked perfectly. I was very happy with the product. It eliminates dark hairs within a few treatments as promised. I hadn't charged it for around a month and plugged it in this morning. To my horror and extreme disappointment it wasn't charging. The battery had died. I had no idea this was… Read more

a common problem until reading the many reviews stating the same issue. It's incredible this problem has not been resolved with the newer versions and even more incredible the product can be sold considering it isn't an inexpensive item and has a manufacturers fault.

So disappointed – Great machine, worked brilliantly but the same issue as everyone else - battery would not charge. Breville (Customer "care", Australian distributor of the machine) could not have been less helpful "We'll be sure to pass your thoughts onto Phillips". Worked out it cost about $170 per use.

Battery is terrible – The goods news is that it works for hair removal although even with very fair skin and dark hair it can take a while. However after buying the machine and with regular use the battery stopped working out if the blue. I took it into the Shaved shop with full receipts and they swapped it over as it was less than 12 months old. But this second… Read more

machine now has the same problem. Whilst it's 2 years old I did expect that for the cost it would last a while. The Shaver Shop told me not to bother contacting anyone as it had already been swapped once before - disappointing now that I see so many people with similar issues.

Battery life – I must admit I was very happy with my Lumea, until the battery died. After contacting Philips customer service, not only I was told the battery can't actually be replaced/fixed, but I was offered a 20% discount to buy a brand new product! They want me to spend other money on their products when they were not even able to fix mine!

I am so upset :( – This machine was my saviour and gave me confidence in my body. Then all of a sudden I went to use it yesterday and it wouldn't charge. So I left it on charge for a day just incase the light was broken or something but no, nothing. Why is my lumea not working??? I'm so upset!  Show 2 replies

Im so upset – I bought this product thinking it would last years because it was so expensive there was a period of time where i couldnt use it because i was pregnant and breastfeeding . If i had of known it needed to be charged monthly when not in use i would have done so. Im so upset because it was over two years ago nothing can be done i tried using it as… Read more

soon as i stopped breastfeeding so theres no way i could have known it didnt work sooner such a waste of money im very upset about

Right out of the box, didn't work – This is actually model SC2009. I just got this for Christmas and wanted to use right away. Charged it up to full charge and then turned it on. Got green light and then set to setting number four. Pressed on skin and pulled trigger - nothing happened. No flash and no green ready light. Tried other settings and also checked to make sure fully… Read more

charged. Still nothing. I will take back to store tomorrow and demand money back. My husband said he was really reluctant to buy another Philips product because we've had bad luck in the past with other Philips products, but store salesman talked my husband out of other brands and steered him towards this one. In a way I am glad it does not work because checking this site I see that the product is a lemon and I would probably be very unhappy with it anyway. My husband and I know better now and will definitely stay away from all Philips products in the future.

January 10th 2017 Update: Big Hassle Trying to Return this Poor Quality Product

From Disappointed User: I'm not stupid, and of course I know that the unit has to be pressed against the skin for the green light to work. As I said before, it didn't work right out of the box. Bigger hassle was trying to take it back to the store and get my money back. It was a Christmas present so I only had it for a week and my husband tried to return it to the Saturn store in Berlin where he bought it. The store wouldn't take it back, and the salesman who is an employee from Philips said it was now a used product and had to be shipped to Philips where they would examine it and determine whether or not to reimburse me. My husband said he couldn't believe the change in the salesman. He was really nice and helpful when he convinced my husband to buy what he said was a superior product (Liar), but he turned into a real idiot when we tried to get our money back. Friggin unbelievable! We were told we had to go to the Philips website for instructions where to send it, fill out some paperwork, box it up and pay for postage to send it to Philips. We might get our money within 90 days! My husband had to make a big scene in the store before the store manager intervened and decided to reimburse us because customers were turning away while my husband was ranting on about crappy quality Philips product. My husband and I will NEVER buy another Philips product. However, my husband got a little satisfaction in that he saved another customer from getting burned by buying this same product. While we were in the checkout line to get our cash back, there was a couple in front of us buying the same product. My husband told them of the problems we had and they decided not to purchase it. :-)

Battery dead – Great while it worked then battery dead after 2 years, waste of $600aud, same money gets you professional service and faster results, will never recommend Phillips to anyone, there is probably a reason why you don't see the brand popular in any electronics outlets

Zero Stars. Do Not Purchase – Sadly the other reviews are not exaggerated in regards to poor service, poor workmanship and poor battery. Even if you do read in the tiny print in the massive manual to charge it every 4 months (who remembers to do that) the battery will still go and fail to charge. I am disappointed that a big brand continues to make such a product. I bought… Read more

mine on special 599.95 and definitely did not get my moneys worth. Customer service was especially poor on the customer support phone line I saw from other people reviews (just lots of ums). Not even an offer of service or discount on purchasing a replacement. Do something about this Phillips!

Ready light stopped working – Well, it is large and heavy and difficult to use, but it does slow down hair growth after a lot of use. It didn't work on my lightest brown hair (so didn't slow growth on underarms despite guides suggesting it would). They seem to have an inbuilt redundancy after 2 years. We looked after the battery which is still fine, but the ready light just… Read more

stopped working for no apparent reason. Philips advice was 'look for a local workshop and ask for help in such a place'.

Another Battery Bites the Dust – Great machine until the battery stops charging. Another customer who wasted $899. Could have spent that money more wisely and had a professional service for longer than this machine lasted. Very disppointed as are most of the people who put faith in the product.

Battery stopped charging – This is very disappointing. I cant believe That i recommended the device to all my friends and then they stop charging.. it works great while it lasts and then they cant be replaced.. Im waiting for some compensation for so much money spent ..

More battery issues – The unit operation is fantastic, my wife loved this until a week after the warranty ran out when the battery wouldn't charge. I have tried to research somewhere where the battery can be changed but like so many others I am reading about this is a common fault that is obviously a grab for cash. If it wasn't I would be able to buy a replacement. … Read more

At $899.00 a simple thing like a dud battery in this day and age should not be the end of a products life cycle. Very disappointing.

not worth of money very misleading manual – Bad customer service. They tried to gave different contact number. I wasted my $ 899.00 AUD for not even see the results of this unit Lumea precision. Very misleading manual, They cant replace or do anything about the battery like other complaints my unit is not charging after a few weeks of not using it ... never I will buy any philips products.

Great while it works. Useless once it will no longer charge – I've had my Lumea for around 3 years, and when it worked, it worked well. Easy to use and effective. However, like the many comments I'm now reading, it's useless as it will no longer charge. I'd charged it about 6 weeks ago, went on holidays, tried to charge it last night and not a thing. I've always recharged it regularly (once a month). For… Read more

such an expensive product, I expect a longer life out of the Lumea. Very disappointing. As Philips are clearly aware this is an issue, why not notify customers via social media to ensure they recharge it regularly in order to avoid this problem? I no longer have the receipt, and am not willing (nor can afford) to buy another one.

Device does not turn on/Phillips offer no help – I only used my Lumea precision plus 3 times, had to move home and placed it in storage, went to use it and it would not charge rang Phillips and was told that I should take it back to the Shaver shop-its out of warranty. Advised then to take it to a service shop to be repaired....they cannot be repaired, was told to throw it away! Phillips this is your device and you should replace it!