topic Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online in Buying

Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

k1ooo-slr-sales — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 21:10:00 GMT

just saw this news story on ABC website.

For anybody new to the boards, many long term posters have advocated for years to buy expensive electrical gear and phones from a retail store. The advantage of doing so is getting an enforceable warranty, and refunds for items that don't perform as advertised.

Sure, you pay retail price, but the lady in the news story is out $1,000 for a counterfeit phone with little to no recourse to get a refund.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-11/fake-phones-ripping-off-everyday-aussies-counterfeit-crime/104439840

Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

countessalmirena — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 23:31:28 GMT

Yes - It’s reinforcing what quite a few of us have been saying for years. Unless a buyer looks “under the hood”, many of the electronic or electrical items purchased online can look like the genuine thing, but inside - it’s rubbish.

The method described in that article is one example; others include Chinese factories simply churning out the items at the manufacturing level with cheapest possible components whose raw materials are nowhere near spec, where stated functions and capacities were never there, etc.

Caveat emptor is very much applicable to Facebook Marketplace purchases and people need to be aware of the risks that are NOT COVERED when buying from a private individual online.

As you say, k1ooo, it’s just not worth the risk, and I include purchasing through eBay as having a significant risk as well (because unwary buyers often receive what looks like the genuine thing and - tada - buyer gives glowing positive feedback - and doesn’t realise he has a dud within the 30-day MBG period. If buyer does realise, and opens claim under MBG, too many of this sort of transaction will make a buyer a risk - and potentially no longer be covered by MBG in future.

I agree with you; buy Australian, from an Australian business, for this sort of thing.

Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

k1ooo-slr-sales — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 01:49:07 GMT

not to forget, that seeing pics on an eBay listing of a real brand item is no guarantee that the pic is of the actual item being sold.

If a counterfeit looks like a real item the buyer may none the wiser until it underperforms.

Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

sugar249 — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 02:54:06 GMT

@countessalmirena wrote:

I agree with you; buy Australian, from an Australian business, for this sort of thing.

Can I add to that, an Australian authorised dealer

Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

brickworksmarket — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 03:17:28 GMT

To be fair the article is not about buying on ebay and most times it comes down to an inexperienced buyer. I don't see any issue buying a phone on ebay but then I have been doing this for sometime.

It just comes down to price and some are blinded by a deal so caution goes out the window.

Here is a listing form a seller for a phone 305702124587 with 94% feedback which most would tell you to avoid. But then the seller has more knowledge of what they sell than most and I would have no issue purchasing it.

Re: Another reason to not buy Mobile Phones online

springyzone — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 06:46:35 GMT

@brickworksmarket wrote:
Here is a listing form a seller for a phone 305702124587 with 94% feedback which most would tell you to avoid. But then the seller has more knowledge of what they sell than most and I would have no issue purchasing it.

I would agree with you that the feedback score doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. Someone whose score looks on the lower side might in fact be a reliable seller who has had some unfair ratings.

It always pays to look at the actual comments to get a feel for it.

With regard to phones, I guess it depends on how much you know about the technical side of it.

A lot of people are probably like I am, and wouldn't know a fake just by looking at it and certainly aren't competent enough to start taking them apart to check specs etc

For most of us, I think buying from a reputable retail store is the safest option, for all the reasons K1ooo mentioned.

Although the article doesn't specify ebay, I would say the most likely places for these fakes to be sold would be on sites such as marketplace and ebay.

Despite everything, there are still people out there who think that if they see something amazingly cheap on ebay that it is all legit because they are buying direct and ebay is a bargain bonanza.