Sorry James, but same experience here. My thermometer wouldn't even turn on at first. Replaced the battery with one I had, and it eventually turned on. Tried again with the original battery, and it worked. Temp reading compared to my Thermapen is off by e few degrees to start and then it fluctuates when left in place while the Thermapen hold steady in place. Taking out and putting right back in will result in a completely different temp. Read time is close to 10 seconds before it quits climbing to temp. No way would I trust the unit as much more than a probe.