Related
For reasons too dull to go into, i, or rather the company i work for, will be selling a few XDA's over the next few months - starting with about 20, but ultimately i'll have about 100 to get rid of, some II's, mostly IIi's, and a few IIs's.
The nick they're in varies from "scratched to buggery" to "brand new".
I have no idea what a fair price to put on them is - i was going to shift them on eBay, and just offer a "buy it now"price, depending on conition - say £50 for a working but ugly II to £150 for a shiny new IIs, still in its packaging - i can crack them, obv.
So, what's a sensible price that will get the company some money - thats my job after all, while still being reasonable considering what it is i'm actually selling -
Thanks
There are specialist companies who will liquidate your old phones but they pay silly low money eg about £20 per PDA style phone...
You need to complete the accessories bundle for as many of the good condition ones as you can and if you have any of the installation CD's perhaps copy them so all have one - a pdf of the manual is a good idea too. Use pictures of the actual item not a generic photo, unlock them using the tools on this site and maybe even throw in a PAYG sim - available cheaply on ebay, but above all be honest in the description of the unit. And test them all if you can. Note the seriels and if the warranty sticker intact before sending ( if not, apply your own)
Even faulty ones with smashed screens get £50 so your 'rough but working' should make at least £70 hopefully.
Hope this helps.
Richard
Thank you Richard - I should have mentioned i have all the accessories, though i'm perhaps 10% short on stylus's. I could easily offer two each of charger battery and case, if that would be an incentive.
Personally i'm a fairly well established eBayer, so i'll be inclined to use my own account rather than start a new one, and i wouldn't want to do anything that would merit negative feedback, so i'll be scrupulously honest -
if it would be in the spirit of the thing once i've decided a sensible price, i'll offer them here first less 10% or so
i've stuck a sort of "feeler" on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=9715068209&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MESE:IT&rd=1
i KNOW the pictures are awful, but i'm assuming most people who would buy an XDA know what it looks like. Feedback appreciated as i'm REALLY good at buying on eBay but not so good at selling.
Too cheap? :lol:
Richard
flip!
it sold already!
i'm obviously not asking enough
If you are considering a pre-order, I would read this first: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/1...e-return-policy-are-arousing-suspicion-anger/
I am a web systems admin, and deal with security from an Operations standpoint. With that in mind, I have been watching this over and I am VERY wary of this company. Imo, I would avoid the pre-order and wait until release.
A few things are red flags to me:
- They mentioned that the FCC request is well hidden. Why would they do that? Why the mystery?
- There are ZERO videos of this thing, other than the original prototype from months ago.
- The pics we've seen seem to be photoshopped. Granted, other companies do this but where are the real pics?
- Why hasn't a newer prototype been given to Engadget yet, for review? Again, what are they hiding?
- I have heard that, with the initial pre-order screen, there was no SSL and your SSN was required. Why in the WORLD would they need my SSN?
- $50 shipping. Huh????
- This is not Apple or MS, this is a start-up company. There's no history here.
- I heard that your credit card is being charged, with the pre-order. That is a major red flag. A legit company would put a hold on your CC, but not actually charge you until it is shipped. A recent example of this is what happened with the Archos 101 pre-orders from J&R and Tigerdirect.
I'm not going to go as far as to say that this is a scam, but it sounds very suspicious to me. Again, my 2 cents on the matter. It's a shame because I was considering this device, myself.
I agree completely! I too was considering this device as a preorder option... but I think I can wait now.... I kinda feel like they are just trying to raise the money necessary to START full production.... which is a big NO NO in my book!
--GoJimi
______________________
VEGAn-TAB Developer
Roebeet,
Did you see the Liliputing article from about a hour ago:
http://liliputing.com/2010/12/notion-ink-adam-launch-runs-into-some-roadbumps.html
Well said Roe. I think everyone was considering pre-ordering this thing, but I was expecting a couple videos and plenty of pictures. We got none of that. Therefore, no dice. The mickey mouse ordering system w/ tons of problems being reported and so many questions left unanswered made it easy for me to decide not to preorder one. Anyone who preorders one of these is naive and dumb if you ask me.
roebeet said:
If you are considering a pre-order, I would read this first: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/1...e-return-policy-are-arousing-suspicion-anger/
I am a web systems admin, and deal with security from an Operations standpoint. With that in mind, I have been watching this over and I am VERY wary of this company. Imo, I would avoid the pre-order and wait until release.
A few things are red flags to me:
- They mentioned that the FCC request is well hidden. Why would they do that? Why the mystery?
- There are ZERO videos of this thing, other than the original prototype from months ago.
- The pics we've seen seem to be photoshopped. Granted, other companies do this but where are the real pics?
- Why hasn't a newer prototype been given to Engadget yet, for review? Again, what are they hiding?
- I have heard that, with the initial pre-order screen, there was no SSL and your SSN was required. Why in the WORLD would they need my SSN?
- $50 shipping. Huh????
- This is not Apple or MS, this is a start-up company. There's no history here.
- I heard that your credit card is being charged, with the pre-order. That is a major red flag. A legit company would put a hold on your CC, but not actually charge you until it is shipped. A recent example of this is what happened with the Archos 101 pre-orders from J&R and Tigerdirect.
I'm not going to go as far as to say that this is a scam, but it sounds very suspicious to me. Again, my 2 cents on the matter. It's a shame because I was considering this device, myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the BIGGEST warning to me, and I pointed it out in another thread as soon as I saw that. To me, this means that they have no money left, and need the pre-order payments right now to fund manufacturing and the company...
Butch1326 said:
Roebeet,
Did you see the Liliputing article from about a hour ago:
http://liliputing.com/2010/12/notion-ink-adam-launch-runs-into-some-roadbumps.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm reading up on their replies, right now - a lot of it sounds like bull, to me. Yes, it's also possible that this is growing pains for a start-up, but the bottom line is that I just don't trust this enough to give them my money, yet.
- The shipping rates. They could have raised the price $25, and then dropped the shipping to $25. My feeling on this is that shipping is not refundable - that means that if you return the item they keep the shipping and make some money off you. This is same thing that eBay sellers do, and it's not a good way for me to trust them. The device is only a few pounds, it's not a heavy device and $50 is excessive.
- No Mastercard payments. They had more than 6 months to fix this, it's Internet commerce 101, as well as SSL. Not having these scares the carp out of me, as a consumer. I have no faith that my credit card info is safe with them, and that is not a good thing.
- No pics of the device. That takes about 10 minutes to fix. Take pics, upload to blog, done. Same with a video -- why the delay? Again, very suspicious here.
The "mystery" factor works for a company like Apple, as they are an established company who has a history. This company is a start-up - as far as we know, this device doesn't exist and the CEO is about to take all your money and disappear.
Here's NI's reply:
http://notionink.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/introspection/
I'm with you. I was on board to pick one up, in addition to my Gtab. I had my CC out and even stayed up waiting for that first 3am preorder. Then details started leaking out and I came to my senses. You are assuming a company will come through because we're used to dealing with large corporations. These assumptions are wrong in this case since this is an uproven company, with unproven people, in another country (legality), with a product that they refuse to show.
My guess is that this is a company run by young enthusiastic engineers getting railroaded hard by the people financing them. However, I'm not going to put my money out their first. The last straw was their sneaky method of jacking the price of the top version, the one I wanted, by 20%. First they increased the base price $50 and then changed free shipping to $50, ending up with a $500 to $600 price.
I hear you Roebeet. I was one of the so called family and got the link and it was a disaster from the onset. Thank God I couldn't get to the purchase page because the server kept crashing and the 12pm PST thing.
What saved me from ordering the adam is that I had to go to work. I was already running late. When I got off work it said they were sold out. WTF! How can something that is not in production be sold out?? If it does exist, I'll wait until it is in a real store.
I am now confident it is still vaporware. I feel for those that bought it without actually seeing a demo video or real pictures. I just hope they didn't get scammed.
Yeah, liliputing echoed my thoughts. I really don't think NotionInk is being deceitful. For those that follow the blog you know they genuinely care about making a great device and I have little doubt Adam exist.
In my mind there is no question the device will be great. The real problem isn't about developing a great device, its about introducing, manufacturing, distributing and supporting your first ever product. That in itself is a huge undertaking if you just planned to sell to one region let alone the world.
I wish them the best of luck and hope this thing does take off. I kind of just wish for their sake they would have started off a little less ambitious.
[My guess is some models 'sold out' because pre-sales numbers where tied to their initial parts inventory and the number of tablets they can produce in a month. That imo is a good thing.]
Too much money to commit for a product with nothing but vapor to show so far. The company appears to be very naive or this is a sham. Hope for the former, none the less.
I am happy with the G and the way I use the device, the viewing angles are fine and the device has 8gb more space and not sourced from India with a VERY dubious January ship date. Gtablet is $150 more for the good display
Some stuff going on does not add up, so if naive or something else, neither is good.
This launch could make the Gtablet seem iPad-like, in comparison
I was about to order mine last night but I couldn't pull the trigger. Too many red flags. The $50 shipping and asking for SSN was what finally made me come to my senses. If this tablet is really awesome why they didn't send demos to any tech blogs ?
For now I'm very happy with my G-Tablet. Thank you roebeet for your hard work.
You know, I kind of think that they might actually have a product and they might have had enough mfged already for the pre-order guys, but ran out of money doing those and hence need to charge new orders immediately.
I thought that they had pictures of an actual unit, that red one in one of the Nov/maybe early Dec blog posts? Still kind of disconcerting that they have no videos and no more better pix of the thing...
Well, since I decided to skip this one anyways since I kept the gTab, I can afford to wait and see what happens, hope that they ship something close to what they claim, and then see if they survive to do a Tegra 3 tablet, which IF they do better in pricing and get me a 7" form factor, I MIGHT spring for...
Maybe just wishful thinking but I guess we'll see when they start shipping, after all remember open pandora? I think they finally started shipping more than prototype versions earlier this year, when they were SUPPOSED to have started shipping over 2y ago! OP is kind of a joke now at the price it's listed at, and what it is...
Took my WPDN back to BBB today. They didn't even open the box, just printed out a form for me to sign and handed over the cash and a receipt showing my return.
After that I wandered over the B&N almost next store and took a look at the Nook Color... was SORELY tempted to just buy one, but decided to wait and see a bit. Nice 7" form factor, nice screen, light(!), and fairly speedy for only being a8 @ 800MHz and 2.1! Woman at the counter claims that they're planning OS upgrades and flash support when I asked her about it. Browser still had problems with the many more button on /. then again so did the WPDN & GT. On the gTab it loads them almost as quickly as my nb... still thinking about NC...
As much as I'd like to think they are just being naive and made some mistakes in the SSL / Mastercard / SSN area, I don't believe that's the case. And for one reason only - no photos and no videos of the product since earlier this year. That is very suspicious.
This is not rocket science - all they need to do is upload a few real photos and a quick video of the device in someone's hands, to allay fears. It's been 24 hours now and that has not happened (yet). If they stop being so darn mysterious and show us that there's really a product out there, then I won't be so cautious.
But, I still wouldn't pre-order it if they charge me before shipping. This is like meeting a stranger on the street, giving them $450 on the honor system that they will come back in 2 months to your house to give you your product. At least we have Visa protection but you might still have a deductible.
Not disagreeing with anyone here, but the whole SSN thing was the credit card companies verifying your identity. That has nothing to do with notion ink, i order internationally all the time and whenever you do so the banks require verification a lot of the time. Also, it doesn't ask for your entire SSN, just the last 4 digits.
I ordered one, nervously. We'll see what happens.
LeftysRule22 said:
Not disagreeing with anyone here, but the whole SSN thing was the credit card companies verifying your identity. That has nothing to do with notion ink, i order internationally all the time and whenever you do so the banks require verification a lot of the time. Also, it doesn't ask for your entire SSN, just the last 4 digits.
I ordered one, nervously. We'll see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was the last four digits, that's not the same thing - agreed. I heard it was the whole thing, but I didn't see this myself.
I actually hope that I'm wrong and that these devices are shipped in January and are just as good as we all hope they are. But them charging you before shipment bugs me - I heard that was true, correct?
roebeet said:
If it was the last four digits, that's not the same thing - agreed. I heard it was the whole thing, but I didn't see this myself.
I actually hope that I'm wrong and that these devices are shipped in January and are just as good as we all hope they are. But them charging you before shipment bugs me - I heard that was true, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No company should or by law use your SSN to identify you!
This is looking fishery than ever, sadly...
roebeet said:
But them charging you before shipment bugs me - I heard that was true, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what made me most nervous, it's true. I was kinda hoping it wouldn't charge immediately. Dec 18th will hopefully alleviate some concern.
Well, maybe when it eventually comes out, if the firmware is as awesome as Notion Ink says it is, it can be ported over to other devices? I'm sure it would make a pretty awesome Android tablet with their supposed custom interface and apps.
I've been waiting on the Adam for the past year because of its Qi-Pixel display, but the lack of videos/photos and important information kept me from pulling the trigger. For some reason they refuse to release specifics such as whether the damn thing will support the Android market. That's B.S. If you want people to give you $550+ for something, you need to tell them what they're getting in return.
The reason they're not showing pictures on their site probably has to do with US law which would hold them accountable if they shipped a device that didn't match the photo. That may be the same reason why they're not discussing some of the specs. Who the hell knows.
I'm going back to Sears tomorrow to see if I can get the price difference between the $379 I paid and the $349 sale. Hell, if Sears is cool to me I'll probably just pick up a 2nd G-Tab and forget about Notion Ink.
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=LPowc1yM0NQ
I would've preordered it if I hadn't bought the G tab which I didn't return due to the awesome 'trio' we have here, working all day & night to make this tab better and better.
I think those Notion Ink guys are facing some problems due to their inexperience and lack of support.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b1 using Tapatalk
Someone posted that over 10,000 were sold yesterday. I always wondered about that site and how they could make any money, but figure this, if they made $10 a piece on each that is one incredible day for even many of the larger retailers.
I thought this was going to be great for the G tablet community with which it would make Viewsonic take notice and develop more for this product.
But what if many who bought were resellers jumping on a bargain (my bet). Still eventually if they sold it would still be good.
I always thought the Apple fanatics were really out there standing in lines to buy the latest until it was explained that many were buying to resell and sell higher than retail. Still dopes to pay but does explain more.
The thing is there's little to be made for any who plan to resell. These retail for $350 to $370 and after ebay, paypal, and shipping fees we're only looking at maybe a $20 to $30 profit. Plus with woot limiting the amount you can buy I really think most of the G-Tablets sold yesterday were to people genuinely interested in the product. Well, at least I was one.
D Wright said:
Someone posted that over 10,000 were sold yesterday. I always wondered about that site and how they could make any money, but figure this, if they made $10 a piece on each that is one incredible day for even many of the larger retailers.
I thought this was going to be great for the G tablet community with which it would make Viewsonic take notice and develop more for this product.
But what if many who bought were resellers jumping on a bargain (my bet). Still eventually if they sold it would still be good.
I always thought the Apple fanatics were really out there standing in lines to buy the latest until it was explained that many were buying to resell and sell higher than retail. Still dopes to pay but does explain more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that our customer support group purchased quite a few of these yesterday .
I had been prodding them toward getting these as our mobile platform for a while, was super happy they came up on woot
I agree that most who got woot deals yesterday were buying for home use and not re-sell. People have been seeing the Gtab, and even through all the exxcitment of the xoom, interest in it was picking up. This just goes to show people are smarter with their money than given credit for and it gives a clear message that we are not willing to pay 6 to 8 hundred dollars for hype and a carrier contract.
I bought mine for personal use. I've been on the fence and could not pass up this deal.
I honestly had my heart set on the iPad 2 pre release, but then once I saw it didn't have retina and the price was still relatively expensive (for a 32gb 3G), I figured I might as well save my money. Once the woot deal came on, I did some research and stumbled across this community, and how couldn't I buy the product for just $280? I just signed up to this forum this week and I'm already addicted reading up on how everyone is modding their gTab. Thanks in advance to all the mods who will make my experience a pleasant one..
Bought mine for personal use as well. Been on the fence for a while over a tablet saw the woot, liked the price and after some research here and elsewhere decided with some fairly simple tweaks this would fit all my needs in a tablet.
Bought mine for personal use and work. Part of my job is providing support for my company's mobile apps, and it is much more convenient to have my own than dig up where the company hardware is hiding. I also have a toddler and we are going on a 4 hr plane trip next month, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity for an electronic babysitter for the trip at this price. (There may be toddler/mom deathmatches over who gets to use it as both of us are geeks)
Bought mine for personal use yesterday too.
I can't wait
Hi purchased the nook color when it was 200 bucks for ebay. and i love it.
It is used at my restaurant as digital photo album / menu
the face that you can grab it with one hand and do demonstrations with it is awesome.
But it is lacking in some ways.
Purchased the gtab for personal use, front facing camera etc. I dont know how usable it will be, but I am hoping the dual core processor helps things out more.
honestly loading webpages on the NC with dolphin or skyfire was ok. but not great, and it definitely could not unseat my netbook that i also carry around with me wherever i go.
I think 285 bucks delivered for a dual core tablet with these specs and the best user group community on the planet (XDA) which has always helped me with my droid1, fascinate (for a friend) nook color, and now gtab... is a super steal. to borrow the words of another forum post: Lucky mofos.
Enectic said:
Well, at least I was one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So was I! This is going to be my first foray into tablet computing. At such a low price with real hardware, this going to let me get my feet wet, and if I hate it, i'm sure i can sell it at just a slight loss. Hoping I love it though!
Was in for one as well, though I'd just grabbed a Nook Color (just before that eBay deal); was impressed with how much more usable the larger screen was, and how much it felt like I was trying to work with a postage stamp when I swapped back to my G2.
Then this came up, and couldn't resist long enough for them to sell out.
Actually ended up sucking a few friends in as well..
I had no idea the makers of my TV made a tablet. I jumped on this when I read the specs. Hopefully Woot doesn't take more than a month for this thing to ship out.
to good a deal to pass up....needed a new toy to play with
I just picked up the NC a few days ago. I never even heard of the gtab until it popped up on woot. I've returned my NC.. the hardware on the gtab for the price can't be beat.
Just watch ebay. Yesterday there was one gTab listed with 7 days left current price of like $180. I think there will be lost on there and the price will end up falling on ebay and people wont be able to sell them for much (if any) more then they bought them for.
I plan on keeping mine. Bought it for personal use. Wanted a galaxy tab, but didn't want a contract or to spend 400-500.
I can survive a $280 fight with my wife, not a $500 one.
Good deal, bought for personal use also.
grandebob said:
Just watch ebay. Yesterday there was one gTab listed with 7 days left current price of like $180. I think there will be lost on there and the price will end up falling on ebay and people wont be able to sell them for much (if any) more then they bought them for.
I plan on keeping mine. Bought it for personal use. Wanted a galaxy tab, but didn't want a contract or to spend 400-500.
I can survive a $280 fight with my wife, not a $500 one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One closed yesterday around $315 after paypal and ebay fees you'd lose a bit of money on the deal. Personally I bought one for me, just wnated to see ebay pricing in case I didn't like it.
Given that only about 3% of purchasers purchased 3 at once I doubt that very many were purchased for resale.
same with me, you took the words right out of my mouth
Ok so the navy exchange is being retarded. Still thinks i have the transfprmer on order but i just got a email saying its discontinued any one else here of see that. Ill post the link when i get to work im driving to it now.
Dear Exchange Patron,
This email is in regards to your order for (X672H - TRNSFRMR TABLT DK BRN EEEPAD)
that you recently placed with us. Our supplier has informed us that the item has been discontinued. A full refund will be processed for this item. Please allow 3-5 business days for credit posting. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact customer service by phone at 1-800-527-2345 or via chat at www.shopmyexchange.com . Email replies must include your order number and contact information in order to receive a prompt response.
Respectfully,
Sheila Easter
Sr. Customer Service Tech
Marketing-Exchange Catalog /Online Store
Army & Air Force Exchange Service
Phone: 1-800-527-2345 Fax 1-214-465-2197
[email protected]
Visit our online store! www.shopmyexchange.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe because the TF101G is coming out. (3g model) (it's on their support site now)
or... tf102? Transformer 2 but most likely just a buggy system message.. But I doubt transformer 2 lol, icecream hasn't even been released on the "Nexus Prime".
hmmm i edited my OP to show what i got. i orded the 32GB 2 weeks before it came out.
the way etailers are undercutting the price, I would imagine the TF101 is past the curve in its lifecycle.
I doubt it's discontinued, the transformer sells very well. So I don't see why asus stops selling it. My guess is Exchange can't provide you with the device for some reasons, but said it's discontinued.
Newegg has it (or did two days ago) bundled with the dock for $50 off the full price. unless you're getting a better price through the exchange, just order it from the Egg.
Better not be
I just got me and my girl transformers for our birthdays and she got us the docks, and unless the 3g version is free its not for me I have enough wireless dollars going out.
Might just mean that they have discontinued carrying it especially in light of all the maneuvering (Multiple orders/ cancellations) that went on after initial release
It wouldnt make sense to discontinue such a popular product
This just worries me more about buying this, now :/. I was very interested in purchasing the Transformer but if something better is going to come out really soon then I won't bother.
It's so frustrating that I've come in at the time the current TF101 is becoming out of date. That's my own fault for not being current enough, I guess. Should the people who've wondered about buying (such as myself) hold off for a little while longer, perhaps?
There's always something better coming soon. And a Transformer is a good buy.
This doesn't mean anything, because their supplier is not necessarily Asus. Most probably some other 3rd party wholesaler and they must have discontinued selling it. That doesn't man the product is discontinued.
Just keep in mind that even if a product sells extremely well, if it's a low margin product like a tablet where a seller is only making a little profit to begin with, it doesn't take a lot of returns/swaps before it becomes an item a seller doesn't want to sell. How many posts have you seen here where people had returned a transformer 2, 3 or even 4 times to get a perfect unit? Although low margins/price don't mean that a consumer shouldn't expect a good unit, as someone who works for a consumer electronics retailer I can assure you that if any product bcomes a liability in terms of cost we stop selling it. Obviously although we pride ourselves on customer service we are ultimately in the business to make a profit, so regardless of how popular a unit is it has to pay its own way. This is especially true for a company selling on the internet, since the Walmart idea of having loss leaders doesn't work - people go to your site and buy what they need, they don't often add other higher margin items.
lathanub said:
This just worries me more about buying this, now :/. I was very interested in purchasing the Transformer but if something better is going to come out really soon then I won't bother.
It's so frustrating that I've come in at the time the current TF101 is becoming out of date. That's my own fault for not being current enough, I guess. Should the people who've wondered about buying (such as myself) hold off for a little while longer, perhaps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will always be something better. The Quad Core tablets are suppose to be arriving this fall I thought, so if you hold out until then that could be good. I got my Tablet back in June and am very happy with it.
Hell I am never satisfied though. I got a new Laptop (Sager) in May, Tablet (Transformer) in June, and now I want to build a new Desktop (custom build). If I do the desktop my wife is going to kill me!
Welcome
I hope this is the right forum section for such information. My intention is to warn as many possible customers of Media Markt in Germany (Hessen) as possible.
Yesterday we bought a new phone for my sister - Sony Xperia M2
The phone looks brand new, box was sealed with "Media Markt" tapes, the case had still the protective foil on the back and the screen.
Phone technically is performing fine... but the problem is, it was sold as "New" yet turned out to be used one.
My sister initially thought it's possibly a built in Chrome/Google+ feature that it gives you a "template" account to fiddle with yet I asked around, poked around the internet... nowhere was such thing found (Eventually I did find, that she wasn't the only person who bought a used phone, marked as new with Gmail account already present and such)
The price of the phone was to be 189 Euro... on the label... at the register it was already 199 Euro... that was weird but we thought just a label error.
On next day my sister is bringing the phone to me to check it out and teach her how to use some things... and I notice that when I go to Chrome browser... it says that someone with initials "M.P." (Well it's full name there but I will just use initials here since I, as opposed to Media Markt respect other people) with even messages still not read and such, with 2 followers, the G+ account has been operational for some time already.
In that G+ account I am able to see both Gmail and Hotmail e-mails of the previous user together with phone number (which I checked already, it's a German T-Com number).
Still... having just found that account logged in Chrome... I thought... perhaps it's a glitch? But how would it be? Not just IP but also cookies would have to be there from someone else, this didn't make any sense. So I checked more, I see that Facebook on this phone also was accessed, with the same e-mail as in G+ (password wasn't kept this time though and session was logged out).
But what made me 100% that the phone was used was when I went into photo album... while most images there were all default stock images, there was also a screenshot (which ofc is stored in other folder than images, hence why I'm assuming the person responsible for this crime was sloppy enough not to delete it)
The file has a timestamp of October 21 and shows the lock screen with 82% battery, no sim coverage (or no sim at all, not sure about that icon), vibration profile, wifi connected and notifications I think from cloud app, some mail app perhaps Gmail.
All in all, this cemented my suspicion that the phone bought in Media Markt yesterday - sold for full retail price as new, even wrapped to be sold as new, was in fact a previously used phone, for around a month if not longer which is by no means worth the money they sold it for.
Tomorrow me and my sister's husband are going to Media Markt to "Go Medieval" on those bastards. We will try to make it as much of a scene as possible as to let know as many possible customers there that Media Markt is engaging in fraudulent behavior by selling used devices as new.
We will demand as much compensation for it as possible and will NOT settle for simply exchanging the phone for another. This is a crime that was committed here and regardless if they "cooperate" or not this doesn't change the fact. If situation was reversed, if anyone would just take something from Media Markt walk out... and then - when caught - simply return it and apologized... would they not notify the police? I doubt. Would they not file in for a crime? I doubt it. These days, people get arrested for feeding homeless people in a park! And yet companies like Media Markt get away with obvious criminal behavior. And no, if they (Manager or whoever up) "knew" it's used or not has nothing to do. IF YOU or ME did not what you did was a crime... would the police/court take pity on you and say - ok, lad, it's fine, you are free to go and you didn't do anything wrong. A crime is a crime. And I am totally disgusted by it
So that's why we are not going to settle for a simple exchange for a new device.
- Assuming that the person who used the phone previously wasn't in on the scam, that person's data, G+ account and Play Store has been all exposed to a random customer who bought that phone as new (Google certainly not refund anyone if my sister started to buy apps only to land in the previous user's account, not knowingly).
- We paid for a "new" device, that was the contract between the customer and retailer. They never delivered the agreed upon goods, they gave us a "used" device. That is a breach of a contract and extortion of money.
- We had to waste time, energy and possibly (if this goes to court, prior to the settlement) our money because of them.
- When we called them tonight they've already told us they don't sell used devices, which as the example shows, was another lie.
In case Media Markt would refuse to compensate us for wasting our nerves, time and openly trying to scam us - and basically stealing our money. We will sue them.
Anyone who had similar situation with Media Markt can now know - You're not alone. This is more widespread than I initially thought, the more I read the more I see situations where retailers sell used things as new, possibly hoping that the customer would be naive and ignorant enough to not realize they have gotten a used - and why if it's stolen?! - device.
You're also free to join us and we can sue them together, more the merrier.
As proof I have all the purchase documents, the screens (some of them I include in attachments) and also some other things, they can try to deny it but that's for the court to settle.
In conclusion this is a warning to check twice or better yet - avoid as much as possible such criminal companies like "Media Markt".
Any update on your story? I`d like to hear how it went.
Das ist wirklich ne zumutung... naja, nichts anderes zu erwarten von MediaMarkt...
Here's how it went.
Next day we went to that Media Markt right when it opened. IF you're interested which one was it exactly, here is the address:
Rudolf-Walther-Straße 6, 63584 Gründau-Lieblos, Germany
At the info counter we've explained that we were sold a used phone as a new one... the woman there looked as if she's offended we even suggested it was used, but my brother-in-law elaborated that we've got the proof of it and we'd like to talk with the manager of the shop - Of course, the manager is "on vacation" -_-'. We were directed to the aisle with phones.
There we've asked another staffer, loudly letting everyone who was considering a purchase there, that they better be careful, because this shop sells used devices as new. The staffer said ofc it will be dealt with, but again, not his business, we were directed to the service. ::
Already a bit frustrated by all this running around, we've explained the situation to the service staff. My brother-in-law immediately turned on voice recorder in his Galaxy phone and put it on the counter to make sure this whole thing would be on the record. Sadly, the service staffer had NO NAME TAG! None of the service staff had... how convenient?
First the service guy tried to show as much disbelief and deny that it's even possible to buy used phones from them... then when we've showed him all the proof and talked him through it he said that "Oh, it must've been a mistake! Clearly we must've had such phone delivered to us from the supplier" (doubtful since the person's profile was a person living nearby). Next we kept drilling the guy who was like he's having a lot of fun talking about it - quite annoying attitude if you ask me. He obviously had limited knowledge about phones too.
When asked about why do they sell things with previous users data? - He said it was a mistake and he's just as surprised.
When asked how can we be sure, that now, when we give the phone away, they won't sell it (with my sister's leftover data) to another customer? - He said it's gonna be cleared up and returned, thinking we'd take his word for it.
When we asked him why was the price 199 when we purchased, yet on the shelf the price even now is still shown as 189? - Oh must've been the previous week price tag, someone forgot to take it off.
In the meantime of the discussion we have called my sister to confirm the color and if she's going to sue them or not. She, being a very peaceful person decided she'll settle for their "compensation".
The compensation was a miniscule one to say the least. This is what we've achieved after my sister decided not to sue them:
- Without any apology they agreed to replace the phone (we spent 30 minutes waiting for them to find another like it)
- There were no more phones of that color, so they could give us only purple one (my sister was happy, my brother in law said it looks like crap)
- Because of the lack of color, they have "generously" agreed to give us a crappy black xPeria M2 phone case for 1 cent
- They have returned us the 10 Euro they've asked more vs the shelf price tag
- Not trusting them to do the job I have wiped everything from that bogus phone before I gave it back to them
I disagree with my sister's decision but it was her to make so I can't force her. We are waiting till we get more free time so we can contact the previous owner, she also deserves to know what happened with her data and previously owned phone.
We have decided not to buy stuff from MediaMarkt again after this. My sister said that she's pretty worried now, she had no idea - being just a casual user - that such things happen and now she "understands" why there was so many malfunctions in the past when she was buying laptops from there and things tended to break inside like wifi card and sound card etc.
Here is additional read I found after we came home, turns out this is more widespread than I thought
(given that I've got a fresh account have to put the link in txt file attached to this reply)
I suggest you direct this towards the Metro Holding Group. http://www.metrogroup.de
It's the company that owns the entire Media Markt chain. This seems like a complaint to take a bit higher up if the manager won't speak to you.
I do have to mention, in all the times I've been to Media Markt, the boxes with the Media Markt tape on it were the ones that were previously returned.
New ones had factory seals on it. (And usually a 'If seal is broken, do not buy/sell device" over the rim.) Were those still present on the box when you bought it?
I've always bought about half of devices and electronics at MediaMarkt (The other half at Saturn or Conrad. I remember when Conrad was still just a small store in Boekelo!), in Nordhorn, and Dorsten. I've never experienced what you're describing, as those devices have always had a sticker on it marking them as used.
But I'm not doubting that it happened. Media Markt Netherlands has a tendency to do this as well. And they charge us 100-300 euro more for the same devices, too!
ShadowLea said:
I suggest you direct this towards the Metro Holding Group. http://www.metrogroup.de
It's the company that owns the entire Media Markt chain. This seems like a complaint to take a bit higher up if the manager won't speak to you.
I do have to mention, in all the times I've been to Media Markt, the boxes with the Media Markt tape on it were the ones that were previously returned.
New ones had factory seals on it. (And usually a 'If seal is broken, do not buy/sell device" over the rim.) Were those still present on the box when you bought it?
I've always bought about half of devices and electronics at MediaMarkt (The other half at Saturn or Conrad. I remember when Conrad was still just a small store in Boekelo!), in Nordhorn, and Dorsten. I've never experienced what you're describing, as those devices have always had a sticker on it marking them as used.
But I'm not doubting that it happened. Media Markt Netherlands has a tendency to do this as well. And they charge us 100-300 euro more for the same devices, too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion, but like I said, we've decided to give it a rest and just avoid the shop altogether, it's not like there's no competition that can do better. Hell even on eBay/Amazon I can get a brand new for same price and used? Would never go for the MediaMarkt price which makes it not useful to us anymore.
As for the packaging, it wasn't market as used, it was together with other boxes (some with MediaMarkt stripes over them, some not, it was as if up to the customer to pick up with no indication of devices being used) and all of them had given same price 189 and the one my bro-in-law bought turned out to be counted for 199 which doesn't seem like it was all supposed to be "sold as used" unless it's MediaMarkt's policy to sell used at higher price than brand new not to mention they've denied and looked all surprised, not a moment they said "We sell used goods this way".
The broken seal thing. I disagree that it's an indication that I shouldn't be buying it - First of all it was my brother-in-law, who just got back from work, asked for a NEW device and was willing to pay all the money needed to buy it for his wife, he wasn't "hunting for a bargain" and he was not notified and had the benefit of not even caring about any policy the shop has, he was buying a new device, hell he even asked for black one and then the woman servicing him there told him they don't have them so he can only take the white one, which could be taken as he was railroaded into buying crap by the employee of the shop, is that how it should be? I don't think so.
Other than that, there are plenty of shops that OPEN the packages when they get them delivered from suppliers to "test" if the goods are working and then reseal it after verifying things work. So why is it all of a sudden the customer's duty to make sure which shop does what? You go to a shop, wanting to buy new device, you should get one. Also, I never seen a "returned, second hands merchandise" corner in MediaMarkt, they don't seem very up front about it at all.
Furthermore, to entertain the "MediaMarkt seal" notion. Are you honestly suggesting that MediaMarkt is totally not culpable for selling used goods with previous user's private data, passwords, e-mail account, G+, Apple store, Google Play, MS Store and so on? Is simply "putting a MediaMarkt wrap" on it means that those goods can be sold with such blatant breach of privacy of previous customer?
As for you being happy with MediaMarkt that's irrelevant, as analogy I also never had problems with racism it doesn't mean that racism isn't a thing. I've used their franchise across 3 different countries and had small issues now and then, but this is unacceptable.
To contrast this say, with "Expert Klein" which I had wonderful experience with. Here's the Expert Klein story to show how different that one is from MediaMarkt:
I went to buy a computer monitor (LG) and they had the last one on display, but I really wanted to get that last one, it was already on discount (by 20 Euro from org price) and when talking with the staffer who was very helpful and spoke good English (In MediaMarkt we had to do everything in German) he said he can get the price lower (he seemed genuinely sympathetic that I got unlucky to find myself buying last one of that model), called the manager, while I checked the monitor if it's in good condition (was almost perfect 'cept a bit of dust on it which the employee cleaned before packing it for me). In the end I got over 70 Euro discount for a computer screen worth a bit more than 150 Euro. That's almost half the price lower.
Now back to MediaMarkt... there he was sold a used device 10Euro dearer than a brand new. It's unacceptable.