How to buy an iPhone 2.5G in New Zealand

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1937 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#146934 11-Jul-2008 18:24

Adamal: When you check out that tracking number provided.....

Time Date Status
5.46 PM 04/07/08 Picked up

11.03 PM 04/07/08 Left country of origin

2.01 PM 11/07/08 Arrived in New Zealand

Left country of origin??
Arrived in New Zealand????

Hmmm.....

Time	Date	Status
5.46 PM	04/07/08	Picked up
11.03 PM	04/07/08	Left country of origin
2.01 PM	11/07/08	Arrived in New Zealand

Nothing unusual here. I'm sure I already suggested that items were being dropshipped.

clairekiwi22

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#147202 12-Jul-2008 18:11

I also have been scammed by i-store but didn't realise untill a friend put me on to this site. I have started up a group on facebook.com now as I will try any way i can to stop others being ripped off like i have been. My GHD pure's have not arrived yet and I am wondering if they ever will and also thinking about what i am going to get when they finally do arrive from where ever they have been shipped from. Did anyone have anyluck contacting fairgo about this topic as i am interested in fighting this to stop it happening again.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/edit.php?members&saved&gid=19792007687#/group.php?gid=19792007687&ref=mf

apm45

63 posts

Master Geek

#147730 14-Jul-2008 13:25

Well mine arrived this morning!

And to be honest, they look pretty good...
They come in pretty convinving looking packaging, including the dvd, heat proof case and a couple of ghd booklets. The box even has the felt pattern on it.

A couple of giveaways though - it came direct from Shanghai! Plus the iron itself just looks a bit scruffy. The cord has a stain on some if it, and there are some marks on the iron. Nothing major, but it just looks a bit dirty. Also, there are a couple of spelling mistakes on the cover and in the booklet.

The general feel of the thing is also a bit cheap. It doesnt feel like $350 worth (or even $197) of tool. Although i havent actually picked up a genuine ghd to compare.

The main thing of course is the ghd website verfication. When i entered the code on the holigram (which is well copied) the website didnt recognise it as being a genuine ghd!

I also found on ebay the following list of things to look for when check whether a ghd is genuine. The ones in bold are the ones that apply to mine....

1. Real GHD stylers have plugs with reset buttons, like you would find on a hairdryer. (Not sure about this in NZ)

2. Real GHD stylers have one hole on the cord where it meets the body of the iron.

* One of the fakes I bought had three holes and one didn't have any... so make sure to look!

3. Real GHD stylers (applies to Hot Pink only) have a solid pink cord, the cord does NOT have a black ring where it meets the back of the styler.

4. When I contacted GHD of North America, I was told that North American GHD's do NOT have hollograms at all! (Does not apply to the Pure or Dark GHD's since they are not available in the US yet).

5. Real GHD stylers are made in KOREA! Not China!

6. Real GHD stylers will NOT have a hook on the cord to hand up your styler.

7. Real GHD stylers have domed screws, not flat headed screws.

8. The GHD styler DVD should have a number code and barcode on the back (compare it to the back of a DVD movie you own, they should look the same on the back). The fake GHD DVD's say DVD R really small on the back of the DVD towards the center, sometimes it is very hard to spot.

9. The booklets that come with the GHD styler should have colored pictures. Some fake GHD stylers have black and white pictures.

10. FOR THE HOT PINK GHD STYLER: The female snap on the bag should have little stars, the fake ones DO NOT. The fake ones have a Chinese company name.

11. If you open up your styler (if all else fails!), a real GHD styler will have two microchips, one on each side by each flat iron plate. The fake ones only have one (if it even works!).

12. Real GHD stylers have very strong, thick boxes. Fake GHD stylers boxes often come beat up and are slightly smaller.

13. Fake GHD stylers often come with black scuffs on the body of the styler. They are not taken care of very well like a genuine GHD styler.

14. Real GHD stylers come with two booklets, some fake stylers only have one.

15. CHECK THE BOX AND TAGS! One of the fake GHD stylers that I received had misspellings on the tag! Apparently they don't use spell check.

16. Real GHD stylers have a date code on the inside of the body of the styler. It should have the year, month, then day.

17. LOOK AT THE BOX: One of the fake GHD stylers that I received (a hot pink one) had two different shades of hot pink on the top of the box.

18. HOT PINK GHD STYLERS should come with a card inside of the wrap and roll bag that says 'Thou shalt surrender to pink". A fake GHD won't come with that.

19. Fake GHD stylers often come with the seal loose on the inside of the box. A real GHD should be sealed from the outside. (Does not apply to Dark or Pure since they have not been released in the US yet).

20. For the black GHD stylers, the box should be matte, not shiny.

21. Hot pink GHD's should have black writing, not white writing.

22. Real GHD's sensor lights are clear but will flash red when ready to use and make a funny beep. Fake GHD's sometimes do not flash red or are solid red, not clear.

Mich

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#147735 14-Jul-2008 13:33

Mmmm well another week to wait for us then i think!!!!

ahmad

1937 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#147747 14-Jul-2008 13:41

Once again, price rings the loudest alarm bell in this case.

GHD stylers at drastically reduced prices? iPhone 16Gb sub-$500?

StevieB

13 posts

Geek

#147761 14-Jul-2008 13:55

New news on the fake, used ghd hair straightener we received from www.i-store.co.nz last Friday.
Consumer affairs advised us that www.i-store.co.nz had 7 days 'right of reply. In other words, more time to scam more people is their legal right.

Anyway, we emailed www.i-store.co.nz to let them know how disappointed we were with a used, fake straightener, rather than a new and genuine one. This morning we received this reply:

***********
Hi there

    Sorry about that,we will resolve the problem that you do not

satisfied with our service in 5 working days. we will investigate this

complain properly.we applogize for any inconvenience.

    If you have any further questions or if I can be of any further

help please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Best regards

    I-store Support

************

We have contacted them again with our mobile number and waiting for another call. So much about this doesn't make any sense. If they want to scam people, why bother sending any product at all? Postage costs them some of the money they could simply pocket. And why would they bother personally replying to our email? It's all quite bizarre. As if anything can make up for this blatant rip-off. Will post again if we hear anything.

NadNailer

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#147777 14-Jul-2008 14:20

The TV program "Sunday" (TV1, Sunday @ 7:30pm) have been doing a number of stories recently about the Chinese fakes industry. One way you could escalate this is to get in contact with them. This issue is very topical for them at the moment, and I'm sure they'd love to go bust i-store.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/484445/1793992

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/900657

sunday@tvnz.co.nz

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ahmad

1937 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#147782 14-Jul-2008 14:33

StevieB: If they want to scam people, why bother sending any product at all? Postage costs them some of the money they could simply pocket. And why would they bother personally replying to our email? It's all quite bizarre. As if anything can make up for this blatant rip-off. Will post again if we hear anything.

Non-contact and delivery of no goods is a sure way to get police involved.

Sending rubbish and being evasive means some people will just chalk it up to experience, and go no further.

But not you! Please!

StevieB

13 posts

Geek

#147818 14-Jul-2008 16:27

Personally, I would get the authorities involved whether they sent a fake, used product or no product at all. But the law says they have 7 days to put things right. So all I can do now is wait. If we get a refund, then yay! i'll put up a post. if not (most likely outcome), then it's back to Consumer Affairs. Then they'll start hunting down www.i-store.co.nz for selling used and fake goods (hopefully).

Mich

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#148006 15-Jul-2008 09:18

It's a miracle - our GHD's have arrived only 1 week after ordering.
Apart from a few marks on the GHD and the CD being a little scratchy everything was packaged up and is there and they seem to work, hopefully they continue to!!
Maybe they are seconds??????

ahmad

1937 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#148009 15-Jul-2008 09:33

I'd love to know what "iPhones" 16Gb they are selling for $480

StevieB

13 posts

Geek

#148012 15-Jul-2008 09:45

Mich, look more closely. Is there any sign that the ceramic plate screws have been removed? Ours appear to have been, indicating that the plates had been replaced. Also, there were burn marks on our case. Nope, these aren't seconds, they're well used pieces of poo. Someone else mentioned they used theirs just 3 times before it clapped out. Plus, ours won't heat up to a high enough temp. My wife couldn't straighten her hair with it (and she's been straightening her hair for years, so she knows what she's doing - although she does have particularly thick hair).

So as for www.i-store.co.nz and their fake, used GHDs... GRRRR!!!

britta

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#148053 15-Jul-2008 12:20

OK. Mine have also arrived this morning only a week after ordering. I got the hot pink ones
they are pretty convincing I have to say. I tried to put in the number on GHD.com expecting it not to work, and it didn't.
There are no burn marks on the bag, and it came with the correct plug (I was totally expecting it to be UK or from asia)

mine had no scuff marks, no sign of the plates being removed, it has two books with it, and even has GHD writtin into the reverse side of the DVD on the hologram part... the bolded ones below apply to mine. I work in graphic design and can see that the booklet pictures have definitely been scanned and put in, but they are in full colour.

1. Real GHD stylers have plugs with reset buttons, like you would find on a hairdryer. (Not sure about this in NZ) I'm also not sure bout this in NZ but mine doesn't have a reset

2. Real GHD stylers have one hole on the cord where it meets the body of the iron. mine has 2

3. Real GHD stylers (applies to Hot Pink only) have a solid pink cord, the cord does NOT have a black ring where it meets the back of the styler. mine has solid pink cord and no black ring

4. When I contacted GHD of North America, I was told that North American GHD’s do NOT have hollograms at all! (Does not apply to the Pure or Dark GHD’s since they are not available in the US yet).

5. Real GHD stylers are made in KOREA! Not China!

6. Real GHD stylers will NOT have a hook on the cord to hand up your styler.

7. Real GHD stylers have domed screws, not flat headed screws. mine have small black screws but look untouched

8. The GHD styler DVD should have a number code and barcode on the back (compare it to the back of a DVD movie you own, they should look the same on the back). The fake GHD DVD’s say DVD R really small on the back of the DVD towards the center, sometimes it is very hard to spot. mine has GHD hologrammed in the back of it (on the very centre)

9. The booklets that come with the GHD styler should have colored pictures. Some fake GHD stylers have black and white pictures. mine has coloured but scanned pics in it (both books have colour)

10. FOR THE HOT PINK GHD STYLER: The female snap on the bag should have little stars, the fake ones DO NOT. The fake ones have a Chinese company name. mine has no chinese name on it though

11. If you open up your styler (if all else fails!), a real GHD styler will have two microchips, one on each side by each flat iron plate. The fake ones only have one (if it even works!).

12. Real GHD stylers have very strong, thick boxes. Fake GHD stylers boxes often come beat up and are slightly smaller. was a little knocked on one corner but the box is very strong

13. Fake GHD stylers often come with black scuffs on the body of the styler. They are not taken care of very well like a genuine GHD styler. No scuffs

14. Real GHD stylers come with two booklets, some fake stylers only have one. Mine came with 2

15. CHECK THE BOX AND TAGS! One of the fake GHD stylers that I received had misspellings on the tag! Apparently they don’t use spell check. no spelling mistakes found at this stage and i have been looking!

16. Real GHD stylers have a date code on the inside of the body of the styler. It should have the year, month, then day. (it has this but it looks more like a code)

17. LOOK AT THE BOX: One of the fake GHD stylers that I received (a hot pink one) had two different shades of hot pink on the top of the box. box is all one colour

18. HOT PINK GHD STYLERS should come with a card inside of the wrap and roll bag that says ‘Thou shalt surrender to pink”. A fake GHD won’t come with that.

19. Fake GHD stylers often come with the seal loose on the inside of the box. A real GHD should be sealed from the outside. (Does not apply to Dark or Pure since they have not been released in the US yet). mine came with seal intact, and it also has the £10 donation info to cancer sticker on it

20. For the black GHD stylers, the box should be matte, not shiny.

21. Hot pink GHD’s should have black writing, not white writing. Mine is in black

22. Real GHD’s sensor lights are clear but will flash red when ready to use and make a funny beep. Fake GHD’s sometimes do not flash red or are solid red, not clear. mine is clear

All in all, I think these Fakes are pretty well done, and aside from the obvious not being able to plug the code into GHD theres not many giveaways had it not been for the chat on this site. I used a friends genuine ones at the weekend and the weight of these feels very similar as does the 'texture' of the outside material itself.

MattD

663 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#148372 16-Jul-2008 00:13

http://www.freeparking.co.nz/lookup/mini_whois.mv?domain_name=i-store.co.nz

fairly new and other details not listed here..

domain_Name      : i-store.co.nz 
Date First Registered : 2008-06-12T13:25:58+12:00 
Date of Expiry        : 2009-06-12T13:25:58+12:00 
Date Last Modified    : 2008-07-13T01:03:52+12:00

StevieB

13 posts

Geek

#148829 17-Jul-2008 12:34

GUESS WHAT???!!!!

WE GOT OUR MONEY BACK FROM www.i-store.co.nz. The money we paid for our used, fake ghd hair straightener from www.i-store.co.nz has been returned to our bank account and has cleared. No idea what's going on, but ask and you shall receive too... hopefully. Perhaps mention the Consumer Affairs and their lawyers. We had contacted the Consumer Afairs and their lawyers were drawing up a letter for us to send to www.i-store.co.nz. All part of a formal legal process. One mention of that and we had our maoney back within 48 hours. We also refused www.i-store.co.nz's offer to accept a $75 refund and keep the product. The straightener didn't even heat up enough to straighten hair for heaven's sake!

So many things just don't add up, but we've got our cash back and so we're happy(ish) – obviously still peeved at all the inconvenience and time it's cost us.

Maybe whoever's running www.i-store.co.nz really does think their Chinese suppliers are sending out genuine hair straighteners?? Hmmm... but still, the website hasn't changed!

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