is this a fair Gearbest solution ?

I like to get your opinions as to whether the following ‘solution’ from Gearbest CS is fair before proceeding.

I bought a Convoy L4 with a LONG handle (2x18650) form Gearbest
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_161677.html?currency=USD&gclid=CM-iuOK_wcgCFYdlfgodYz8MGg

After 3 weeks I received a SHORT barrel one, and upon closer examination, found there was a fleck/foreign matter in/on the LED emitter.
I contacted Gearbest CS, and sent 2 pictures, and after a week got the following ‘solution’ :

1)refund 40% into my Gearbest wallet
2)I send 50% more money for a replacement and shipping
3)refund 20% to my PayPal

I didn’t received the correct item to begin with, and the emitter has problems. I don’t understand the 40% ‘solution’, or worse, have to send another 50% more money for a replacement. The L4 cost $27.20, Canada Post wants $35 to ship it back. In your dealings with GEARBEST, would you consider this a fair resolution ?
I bought from Ali, Banggood, FT and others and never had a item problem before, is this to be expected from Chinese dealers if I were to buy from those other sellers from now on ?
Or should I just take the 40%, cut my losses, and never deal with Gearbest again ?
What is FAIR ?
(btw the L4 came in a crappy white box with Japanese writing on the inside - is this normal for Convoys ?)

Could you post some clear pictures of the emitter?

I'm not going to comment on the fleck/foreign matter without seeing it, but for the missing extension tube, Gearbest should just apologize, & send you the tube.

jump in the line… :wink:

solutions i accept:

  1. free new light
  2. 100% refund
  3. PayPal claim on day 43

Escalate direct to PayPal for full refund.
And don’t bother to reponse to GearBest future correspondents on this issue.

Got it ! Thnx M4D and FmC and the guide to posting pictures.

not sure whether its under or on the dome. camera lens was touching the glass.

(note Japanese writing inside box, thought Convoys are made in Shenzen China)

To post pictures here, you must first upload them to an image-sharing service such as Flickr or Photobucket, then link to the pictures from here.

I'm sure people here are keen to see if these are 'fake' Convoys, as Gearbest have sold fakes in the past.

This picture is taken from the thread that M4D M4X linked to above;

Which one do you have?

- edit -

Looking at your pictures, I'm not sure whether the emitter is a fake, but it sure is a damaged/2nd rate item.

best for posting pics is to use the relative with option!

the browser adjusts the picture to the screen properly then ;)

I’ve ordered the same item, but I knowed I will get flashlight without extender, because in customer questions & answers is stated that they don’t have extension tube for this flashlight.
I dont see any problem here. And the led can be easily cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.

My best guess is that the description does not specify that the light CAN be driven by two batteries, but comes without an extension tube.
This can be concluded from the following text in the section “Customer Questions & Answers” (see below). In this case it’s not WYSIWYG.

Separate extension tube can be ordered from Simon (Convoy).

then they should take the LONG handle advertising picture off the item. Its false advertising, and the customer ask if tube can be bought separately.
btw, others sells Convoy L4 short barrel too, but cost less than $27.20.

@ Polygon, The driver should be an LD-34, which it looks like from your photo. Ignore the C-8 driver I linked above.

You are kidding, right? The light is clearly advertised as a 1/2 cell light, with pictures of the extension tube.

I have the L4. The driver and led looks the same as mine and it does run on 2x18650.

Gearbest customer service is really quite bad and slow at responding to tickets. Banggood’s customer service is by far a lot better! And dont settle with any of the options they give you… Just go for the paypal dispute!

If the fleck on the emitter isn’t too much of a problem, you could ask them to refund to paypal the amount it will cost to get the extension tube from convoy. Or just make a paypal claim!

Hi Martin,
Agree with you.
On point #3 fyi Paypal is now 180 days to lodge a claim. :wink:

regarding the fleck…I noticed it before even putting in a battery, and not knowing what kind of substance or WHERE it’s at (on/inside dome), didn’t want to cause further damage to the LED by turning it on.
If it can indeed be cleansed with alcohol, then its a minor annoyance.
My beef is with the Gearbest advertising. I saw a L4 with a long handle, and went for it. The consumer’s question was whether the tube can be bought separately - without breaking up the package (my understanding anyway). The picture that advertised the item is blatant false advertising if the item actually DO NOT come with a LONG handle.
With Paypal refund, returning the item to China is out of the question because of return shipping cost.
Very disappointed with Gearbest, but then there are other sellers out there that I can buy from here on.

Think I’ll go on Facebook and Tweeter and pose the same question too.

To me yes! Just open the light and try to remove it! At-least try to use the light as it should not be too bothersome but even you can still dedome it.
They should have included the extension tube yes. For convoy lights better buying directly from simon at aliexpress. Here is the extension tube : http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/18650-battery-extension-tube-for-Convoy-L4-flashlight/330416_32231337644.html

GearBest has lousy customer service and in my experience don’t even honor what they say they will do.
BangGood’s customer service has treated me very well and I feel very good about buying from them.

They have offered you a fair offer .as good or better than other chinese vendors just take it and get on with life .
gearbest has great deals and i’d take the money and spend it on batteries or 6 other lights they have at stupidly low low prices …saying “you’ll never ” is just crazy talk that only hurts you. IMHO you should expect to take a 7% loss on all purchases over the course of time . this is 40~50 to the positive .
take their offer