Plantronics PC Headset Speaker Switch (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

The switches are very good 4 stars...But it seems that Amazon are messing customers about these days...so for Amazon 1/2 a star...it seems to me clearly working on past reputation earned, they are now gambling messing customers about and damaging their customer trust and Amazon's integrity. Within about a 24 hour period 10/21/08 to 10/22/08 I have seen this item change price and seller six (6)times. This isn't me accidently hitting different sellers, I bookmarked the page and even linked from my order for this item to the page. Following is how things changed in the short time I tracked the switch. First it was shown as "Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC" $15.28. I went back and it was listed as "Ships and sold by Beach Audio" price $8.95 + $8.14 shipping. Then later last night I checked back and once again it was listed as "Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC" $15.28, I ordered x3. I linking to the switch from my order at about 11am 10/22/08, it was list then as "sold by ANTOnline" $9.91 + $6.98 shipping. Within the past few hours or so I checked again to find that it now back listed as "Ships from and sold by Beach Audio"$8.95 + $8.14 shipping...and finally, with that page still open I used my order & bookmark to link to the page and it is now listed again as "Ships from and sold by ANTOnline" $9.91 + $6.98 shipping. So that is 6 changes in about 24hrs. I'm not a gambling man, but I may take odds for it to go back to sold by Amazon sometime through the night. Buying from Amazon has become like playing roulette! I even have the last two versions open on my PC now.Then it seems to me that if one opts for "FREE Super Saver Shipping", Amazon will intentionally hold up some of your orders at their distribution warehouses. Amazon offer quick delivery if I choose One-Day Shipping, it will arrive within two days max, so one can assume that the product is in stock (It usually says if it isn't) but my switches aren't getting processes, I am given "Shipping estimate: October 29, 2008 - October 30, 2008". It seems clear that Amazon are penalizing their customers intentionally hold up service if one uses "FREE Super Saver Shipping". The reason seems equally as obvious, Amazon are trying to coerce it's customers into paying for shipping (which seems to have really increased these days) or to sign up for "Amazon Prime membership" and gouge customers annual membership fee of $79.This maybe just my opinion, but I observed what I saw and have tracked what seems to me to be happening. For me it takes the pleasure out of using Amazon, it is pot luck and being messed about, disrespect for the customers who pay their salaries. As customers tumble this it will damage Amazons reputations for straight dealing and one can but assume business will suffer....After writing this it would surprise me if my orders are held back even longer. Time to look for some good competition for Amazon I think...or is that the problem, there isn't any?24th Oct:UPDATE ON ORDER: Since I posted this 22nd Oct, this order has suddenly been shown as "Items shipped on October 23, 2008" !!! So the original "Shipping estimate: October 29, 2008 - October 30, 2008" has been well and truly beaten. Why the change? Would I be a cynic suggesting it was due to my posting this? I hope it is and that Amazon read and take on board what is good customer feedback, the opportunity to keep our business in the future, not such a small thing as we go into what should proven to be a hell of a recession; it could be a very hard Christmas. My message to Amazon meant constructively is, customers like to business with straight companies that they can trust and not feel like the price is going to jump around turning buying into a gamble, Amazon roulette. We don't mind when there is an honest hold up, even the odd mistake can be excused; but when a company sits on our shipments in what looks like merely spiting because we choose "FREE Super Saver Shipping", or the like, it doesn't do much for trust or reputation, the very thing that I believe has got Amazon where it is today. Go back to the old good business ethics.

This is a great devise. Just a bit pricey but worth it in the long run. It is essentially an A-B switch for headphones and speakers. I prefer listening to audio content via speakers but sometimes I am working in the vicinity of another person - typically my husband - who does not want to hear my audio book or whatever while he is working in the same room and needing to concentrate on what he is doing. I simply flip the switch and now the sound goes to the headphones which are already connected and ready to use. No need to waste time fining the headphones, unplugging the speakers, plugging in the headphones then repeating the whole process when the time comes to undo the connection. In less than one second, the switch is made and everyone is happy.....and undisturbed. When he leaves the room after finishing whatever it is that he was doing, I can simply flip the switch and I am back to speakers again. It is a very useful devise and works with anything which has an audio output an a headphone jack. Such would include a TV, a radio, a computer, CD player or whatever. If there are times when you use speakers and other times when you use headphones, this devise allows you to effortlessly switch between the two. It is ideal for anytime two people are sharing a room and one of them does not want to listen to what the other person is playing.

This product works fine and does exactly what it says it does, no complaints there. But c'mon, it's a toggle switch, nothing more. It could be 1/3 the size and 1/3 the price. Then it could be nicely tucked away somewhere, out of site, even double-sided taped to the underside of a desk, back of the computer, etc. (I suppose you could still try, but options are much less limited due to its size.)See, nobody actually NEEDS this device. Anybody can just switch a cable in two seconds vs flipping a switch in one second. But that extra second becomes annoying if you're switching frequently. So this device's purpose makes perfect sense along the lines of streamlining little everyday annoyances. But it comes at the cost of adding a new minor everyday annoyance in the form of taking up precious desk space and adding visual clutter. Curvilinear design notwithstanding (and pointless here), it fails at the basic tenets of elegant design. The switch has an absurdly large footprint -- about the size of a mouse -- for a single button the size of a Red Hot. And then a gaudy oversized logo. This product was made larger than necessary to fool people into thinking it's worth $20, plain and simple. It's mostly empty plastic, lightweight, cheap feeling, and certainly cost no more than a buck to produce. I hate to reward this kind of deception and crappy design, but I was unable to find any suitable alternative. I wish somebody made a good version of this. In the meantime, I'm looking for places to put it where it doesn't stick out like a guitarist's footpedal on my desk.