Scam Alert!

[buffumjr]

I have been reading the customer feedback on Amazon.com. What I am about to relate to you may or may not be true, but I have seen it complained of more than once.

We have seen, in the dash cam market, the "real deal" and fakes. Some fakes are soooo bad, all you get is a shell, with no electronics in it. Others are a knock-off by a different Chinese company. The knock-off, if you pursue the chain, gets mostly "1" reviews, while the one you want gets mostly "5" reviews.

Here is the symptom mentioned. You select, based on positive reviews, a dash cam by "XYZ". You see "by XYZ" in your shopping cart. When you click to complete your order, you get a screen showing your order, but, instead of "XYZ", you see "ABC". (Names fictional for illustration) You immediately check out "ABC" and find they send "1" rated junk.

IMMEDIATELY contact Amazon customer service by phone or by chat. Tell them what happened. Ask them either to change your order so you get the correct vendor's item, or cancel the order. DON'T WAIT! Some of these guys have immediate order filling. Your order may be filled in minutes. DON'T say, "Oh well." and hope for the best. TAKE ACTION!

Also, while you have Amazon in chat mode, ask them why they are letting this happen.

 

[Mtz]

Show us a example link.

enjoy,
Mtz

 

[buffumjr]

http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-STI_G...?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0

Multiple reports of fakes on this one screen. Check more than one page.

Lost track of others, but, as I find them, will post.

 

[DashCamMan]

This is due to how Amazon pools inventory. They have a product called "G1W" and will use any supplier to fulfill it (some who sell the original ones, others who sell fake ones). For branded dash cams like BlackVue, this is not a problem since there are usually no fakes. For generic dash cams, this is a huge problem since I doubt the Amazon category manager is that knowledgeable on dash cams. I had to put a warning on the G1W page since Amazon was selling G1W's with the cheaper Novatek processor. And they switch back and forth between the real and fake product. A bit of a lottery in what you will get in some cases unfortunately.

You can read more about this practice in this WSJ article.

 

[buffumjr]

I would think the manufacturer/supplier of the "good" product would be outraged! I would. I would go so far as to negotiate with Amazon to prevent this. Many customers buy these things based on customer feedback. A high "knock-off" feedback could KILL your sales. Of course, if you are willing to tolerate this, it says much about your customer service attitude.

Still, anyone reading this, if it happens to you, follow my advice, above. Get on the horn IMMEDATELY, and badger Amazon to send you the product you ordered, or cancel. If a few thousand people do this, it'll eat into their profits, so they'll change things. In the mean time, it's your responsibility to monitor this.

 

[spytec]

This is due to how Amazon pools inventory. They have a product called "G1W" and will use any supplier to fulfill it (some who sell the original ones, others who sell fake ones). For branded dash cams like BlackVue, this is not a problem since there are usually no fakes. For generic dash cams, this is a huge problem since I doubt the Amazon category manager is that knowledgeable on dash cams. I had to put a warning on the G1W page since Amazon was selling G1W's with the cheaper Novatek processor. And they switch back and forth between the real and fake product. A bit of a lottery in what you will get in some cases unfortunately.

You can read more about this practice in this WSJ article.

This is why we created packaging for certain generic products on Amazon, so that we can prevent other sellers from selling fake (or different version) products on the same page we are on. As you can see from the link posted above for the G1W-c, we have with Amazon's help eliminated all other sellers from this page. We were basically forced to do this by the rush of chinese sellers on Amazon selling fake products.

 

[Mandami]

This is due to how Amazon pools inventory. They have a product called "G1W" and will use any supplier to fulfill it

A crappy way to implement their website. The only solution is to buy only from a recommended seller or only those items sold directly by Amazon. This is one reason why I like more Aliexpress system: each buyer has its own feedbacks.

 

[buffumjr]

As soon as I get back from Cabin Fever Expo, in York, PA, I'm pulling the trigger on a nice Amazon order. It'll include a Sigma 17-50mm OS lens for Nikon, and the GW1-C. You can betcha bippy I'll monitor the "from" field like a paranoiac, and have that chat window open when I click confirm. I want the Spytec only.

Cabin Fever Expo is an annual show and auction where home shop machinists get to show off what they've done, and buy "stuff" that may, or (grin) may not be useful. They have vendors, and staff from Home Shop Machinist magazine. Last year I bought an 1885 F.E. Reed 12" x 76" lathe. I'm still bringing it to modern usefulness.

I'd really LIKE the GW1-C BEFORE I go, but I have to preserve money in case I see a "gotta have" at the auction.

Last year, they sold two Bridgeport vertical mills, a two ton boring machine, and a lot of tooling. Excitement! A steam engine powered canoe! Early 20th Century stationary engines. The stuff goes CHEAP! One of the Bridgeports went for $2,500! That's a $12,000 tool! Antique and modern tools. Tools from failed machine shops being disposed by the bank. Love it!

BTW. If the GW1-C works out, I'm going to consider a radically different setup. Central DVR. Front camera. Rear camera. Glove box spy camera. Using rear camera as backup camera with display on dash. When I'm ready, will start a thread for that.