My Expansys.co.nz experience buying an i-mate JASJAM

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wonderdogger

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Topic # 14006 10-Jun-2007 19:22

So I just received my new imate JASJAM on Saturday from Expansys.co.nz (it's just a domain name - their office is in Melbourne). Cost me an additional $178 in GST and customs fees to the price they have listed. Then I tried to register the IMEI with clubimate.com and it tells me the phone is pre-owned! After talking to clubimate's tech support, they actually give me the name of the guy who had previously registered the phone. He is from the UK.

So I tried to explain the situation to clubimate.com and they said they require a scan of something proving I am the original owner. Now what might this be? I don't have anything but email communications with Expansys. They didnt include any invoice with the packaging. So basically I paid for a brand new phone at full price, copped a huge import fee and was sold a second hand phone.

What is more, Expansys did not include the USB cable that is supposed to come with the device.

I will be contacting them Monday morning (theyre not open on weekends) to get to the bottom of this and I have emailed the former owner of the phone as well, but thought I would send this warning out to all Kiwis before considering buying a phone from Expansys.co.nz

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Reply # 74200 10-Jun-2007 20:14

All sounds a bit dodgy to me!

In regards to the GST and custom's fees however this is nothing to do with Expansys. If you import any goods into NZ that have duty of $50 or more due then you will have to pay it. This is the responsiblity of the importer of the goods. It's obviously the first time you've ever imported goods into NZ to not be aware of it so it's something tio factor in next time you see a "bargain" available outside NZ! A full list of rates & charges is here on the customs site.

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Reply # 74201 10-Jun-2007 20:18

Interesting... It seems the Club i-mate doesn't regard the privacy of its members that much, to release the name and e-mail address to anyone claiming to have a pre-owned phone.

Did you get the original box? There's a sticker on the side with its IMEI and Serial No...

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chiefie

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Reply # 74202 10-Jun-2007 20:18

I got my jasjam locally through IT channel for $1299. I did thought of EXpansys but decide to skip the NZ customs hassles.

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freitasm

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Reply # 74204 10-Jun-2007 20:22

Also... Don't get too excited thinking the device is pre-owned... The Club i-mate is known for some "flaws". When Vodafone brought their first Windows Mobile devices people couldn't register because the IMEI were in the system as belonging to a UK operator - so it was impossible to download the Vodafone NZ settings from the website. They sorted it out after a while. This was probably four years ago...

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wonderdogger

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Reply # 74208 10-Jun-2007 20:32

Re GST : Yes I knew there would be hassle with GST but Expansys only tell you this after they take your money, and they don't tell you it will be as much as $178.

Re IMEI : I don't know if I have the original box but the IMEI is the same on the sticker on the box. I tried entering the serial number on clubimate.com but it said the number wasn't for a valid device.

Re : Clubimate "flaws" : I dunno. Seems strange they would give me a real person's name.

Is it possible someone somehow somewhere forged the IMEI of their device and it happened to be mine? Or is it more likely I have a second-hand phone and have been ripped off? (Note they didn't include the USB cable which is usually standard so I suspect the box has been repackaged)

wonderdogger

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Reply # 74211 10-Jun-2007 20:50

Oh and get this. There is a set of stickers that was just shoved into the box with the IMEI on each sticker. It has the message "Please place one of these labels on each copy of the service agreement."

Well guess what? There IS no service agreement. No invoice. Just advertising material. If I had had the service agreement, I might have been able to convince clubimate.com I bought this new.

freitasm

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Reply # 74213 10-Jun-2007 20:54

The GST is not Expansys responsibility - but the buyer's. It's a tax imposed by New Zealand Customs and it applies to any item brought into the country, over a certain limit as explained before. There's no Expansys fault there.

My suggestion to look for the sticker on the box was not to check the IMEI number - instead to use it as proof that you bought the item "new". They asked for something to be scanned, the box is a good item.

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wonderdogger

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Reply # 74215 10-Jun-2007 21:01

Thanks - that's a good idea. I will try to scan the box for clubimate.com. However, I still don't want to have bought a secondhand phone at full price.

Also you are wrong about the nondisclosure of GST not being Expansys' fault. They are required to quote a full price by both the Fair Trading Act and the Australian equivalent. Yes NZ customers do have to pay the GST but they can't suck people into buying the phone and then hit them with the information after it is paid for. Air NZ and Qantas got hit recently for pulling a similar trick. As an Australian office with an NZ web presence quoting NZ dollars, this is even more reason to disclose this information.

sbiddle

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Reply # 74221 10-Jun-2007 21:32

Expansys are doing nothing illegal. As the importer of the goods you are liable for the costs.

The GST issue is also mentioned very clearly on their website.

Click on Postage & Packaging from their main menu to see NZ postage rates and read section d

d) We do not have a NZ warehouse - orders are shipped from Australia. Prices shown are in New Zealand dollars but do not include NZ GST and customs charges, which may be payable to the courier upon delivery (especially for shipments valued at over $500).

wonderdogger

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Reply # 74224 10-Jun-2007 21:38

Sorry but a disclosure somewhere else on their website does not stop this conduct from being misleading (and therefore illegal) for the purposes of the Fair Trading Act. Otherwise any merchant could hide some hidden fees somewhere on the website and have the headline price as the amount without the hidden fees , and then only tell buyers after they send the money and/or order. See this just as one example http://www.comcom.govt.nz/FairTrading/telecommobilepleads.aspx

You can't suck people into being attracted to an attractive headline price compared to other options, only to slap them with the full price after they make the order.

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Reply # 74228 10-Jun-2007 22:28

As said. Expansys is not doing anything wrong. Your did not check first on what is involved when purchasing. Sorry to say, but you should have done your homework before clicking "checkout".

Most of us here have bought things big and small over the net and Some we had to pay custom. some absorb by the company (though very rare). Next the check first and email to make sure before buying.

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wonderdogger

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Reply # 74229 10-Jun-2007 22:38

Ok again you are wrong but I am not going to debate it further. Sucking people into your marketing web by pretending to offer better prices than the competition is illegal practice - regardless of whether I had done my homework or not.

In any case, this is probably the least of the issues at stake. It would clearly be blatant fraud to knowingly be selling secondhand phones as new for example. You might want to read the top of the above discussion before you rush headlong in and say "expansys has done nothing wrong"

chiefie

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Reply # 74230 10-Jun-2007 22:42

the case you so fond pointing only relates to NZ company. Expansys is international site and they are not bound to that Act and hence not doing anything wrong. Like anything bought over net, buyers beware.

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wonderdogger

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Reply # 74231 10-Jun-2007 22:48

Sorry but that is also wrong.

Section 3 of the Fair Trading Act says :

Application of Act to conduct outside New Zealand

This Act extends to the engaging in conduct outside New Zealand by any person resident or carrying on business in New Zealand to the extent that such conduct relates to the supply of goods or services, or the granting of interests in land, within New Zealand.

Furthermore, having an NZ domain name might even qualify them as operating within NZ for the purposes of the act.

The law gives buyers more protection than some merchants would like you to believe.

freitasm

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Reply # 74232 10-Jun-2007 23:11

I agree the .nz TLD might even qualify then as a "New Zealand" business. But they disclose that prices are not inclusive of GST. It's the norm. Amazon.com does not have prices with GST and I, as a New Zealand resident, would expect to pay GST on imported goods.

Claiming ignorance of the law is not an authorisation to break it. Dura lex, sed lex.

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