Why you should never buy to Gearbest

Yep - much better CS than I’m getting from GB at the moment.

My experience with BG is terrible. I’ve wasted time and money. However, for now, with GB it is better.

yeeah! 8 months and much work later… I have received the flashlight!! Today I have received all items again (well… all all no, the box hasn’t the adapter plug US-EU but this is not problem.

Well… I must to say that I will never buy to Gearbest more, I know that I have resolve all but any customer should to have all this stupids problems.

I bet you got a aluminum pill and rings instead of brass. Also driver will have cheap and weak spring and your XM-L2 4C neutral white tint will be a 1A cool white.

Simon said there were knock-off Convoys out there and it looks like Gearbest now sells them.

Notice how the Samsung 25F batteries don’t say Samsung anywhere in the product description? Only on the pictures does it say Samsung. Heck, DX sells the Samsung wraps so that is a big clue right there.

Received my GearBest S2+ knock-off today…and to add insult to injury…only an XM-L!

Skytrooper, I.C.Bacon - That’s a shame. I received a red 4C S2+ from GB a few weeks ago and it’s definitely genuine - GB’s supplier must have furnished them with a dodgy batch - they need to sort it out quickly. The red has become one of my favourite lights, I absolutely love the tint.

You’ll see from a few posts ago I had my problems with GB - so much so I’d decided not to deal with them again. I’m happy to say that Gina stepped in and all my outstanding problems have been resolved. It’s a shame that GB’s customer services were not able to do this without Gina’s intervention but it’s good to know there is a contact to approach if CS is giving you the run around.
GB should give Gina a raise - I’ve already spent over $70 with them since Gina looked into my issues - that’s $70 more than I would have ever spent with them again without her help.

We are very sorry to heard that. Could you please send the item short video to us by PM? Which will helpful for us to check the problem and solve for you. Thank you.

“We are very sorry to heard that. Could you please send the item short video to us by PM? Which will helpful for us to check the problem and solve for you. Thank you.”

I don’t understand how you can “solve” something like that?

It is simply a counterfeit product.

It’s NOT a Convoy - It’s a FAKE!

Thank you,
-Chuck

They will “solve” it by replacing it.
They have responded quickly, no need to be Harsh, the vendor (Not the Manufacturer) is attempting to resolve the problem.
As a good vendor does.
CHILL.

^

Sorry, you’re right.

Gearbest may not even know what they are selling. - The Red S2+ that I received from them is Genuine Convoy.

Guess I’m just a little bit worried about my Convoy L4 that is on the way.

Sorry Gearbest - Do your thing!

Thanks,
-Chuck

I don’t like to use the word never, because things DO change over time. Having said that, you really need to break down what is you are doing, and why you are doing it to make some
sense out of it. Every transaction involves both risks and rewards, and if you are going to be a happy camper, you need to figure out what they are, and can you afford them. I used to do business in a number of places that were not particularly friendly with the US. I was well rewarded for doing so, in large part because I knew and understood the risks, and took the available and reasonable steps to mitigate them. If I couldn’t adequately mitigate the risks, I walked away.

First of all, it depends upon what you are buying. Most of the Flashlights we are buying are being produced by relatively small companies with little or no global reach. By contrast
buy a Sony Television, and to be honest, it makes very little difference who you buy it from. At the end of the day the service is going to come from Sony, who most certainly does
have global reach, and a global reputation that is an important corporate ‘asset’. Since at the end of the day both the product and the service are going to be the same no matter who
you purchase from, barring something really unusual, you buy from the lowest cost supplier.

Once you move away from established supply chains, the world gets a lot murkier. I assume that once I leave those supply chains for merchandise that cannot be readily identified as
genuine, the risks go up. I am quite willing to buy many things on ebay, as long as the cost savings is commensurate with the risk. I know that if it is used, or it isn’t brand name, after sales support and warranty on a ebay transaction is likely to be nil. If I am going to take that risk, I have to be appropriately rewarded for having done so. I generally put the ‘value’ of that risk
at about 25%. That covers such things as defective merchandise, fake merchandise, non-delivery, shipping damage etc. It also means that it isn’t a question of if or when I am going to get burned, it is how often and how much does it cost me (and I have received my ‘fair’ share of fake merchandise from Chinese suppliers on Ebay). It is one of the risks of doing business with people you have never met, and are unlikely to every meet or even speak to. the problems are made worse by the tiny foot print these companies actually have. If you asked 20 of your neighbors if they had ever heard of Gearbest, how many are likely to say yes? These companies have no foot print to manage. For every customer they shaft, there are 1000 potential buyers who have never heard of them before. they simply don’t have a reputation that can be damaged by customer service or lack thereof.

I regard most of the Chinese Suppliers like Gearbest as like ebay. They are selling products from vendors with neither global reach, or global reputation to protect. These companies generally have very little idea or understanding of anything beyond what is on the exterior of the package of the product they are selling. Before anyone beats me up, there are some very reputable Chinese suppliers out there. Hong Kong Equipment comes to mind. They have a reputation to protect that is probably bigger than the reputation of the manufacturer of most of the products they are selling. It is the protection of that reputation that drives customer service. That means a different risk/reward scenario. I am willing to pay more for reduced risks, and so should everyone else.

The use of the equipment also enters into the equation. Batteries that go into a flashlight are unlikely to ever be involved in a ‘life at risk’ situation. Some things you need to buy as if your life depends upon it, because if you aren’t careful, it just might. The things I am going to buy from an overseas supplier that may place life or property at risk is a very short list indeed. There are often things you can do to mitigate risk if you understand what the risks really are.

If I buy a $100 flashlight from XYZ in China, what’s the worst thing that is likely to happen? I don’t get the flashlight or I cannot use it. Am I going to like it? Of course not. I am going to write 50 posts on this forum accusing the supplier of every crime under the sun? Am I going to invest vast amounts of my time trying to fix the problem? I am not going to waste the energy. When I entered into the transaction, I knew what the risks and rewards were, and I understood it wasn’t a question of if or when, it is how many times, and how does that compare with the ‘reward’ I obtained for taking that risk?

For example I purchased a couple of lights directly from a manufacturer earlier this year. I have done business with them before. I asked for the price, they quoted it. I looked at the risks, and decided that the risk I was taking was well worth the reward (saving). One of the lights is great, the other, well they shipped the wrong one, and it didn’t work either. I probably spent several hours back and forth trying to arrange to return the defective one. I finally got a shipping address, and sent it off. That was three months ago. They claim to have never received it. Yes I could have sent it Registered, or Priority (which includes tracking), but then the cost of returning it would have been nearly as much as the product was worth.

Do I believe the never got it. Not really, but they are so disorganized that I doubt it is deliberate. Have I raised a big stink here (or anywhere else) over it? No, and I going to? No. Do I send them an email every day complaining? Nope, I remind them about once a month. The message is always very polite. I’ll probably send a couple more and that will be the end of it.

I recognized the risks going in, paid a price I felt was appropriate for the risks I was assuming, and even if I never see the replacement light or my money, the overall reward still greatly exceeds the loss.

Bottom line:

It is time to get real. If you are expecting Rolls Royce quality and customer service at Suzuki price, it isn’t going to happen. Get over it. Establish rational goals and values, and then buy
accordingly.

I am sorry to sound mean but I am really laughing with this story. Headband :bigsmile:

I had a bad experience one time with a chinese shoe company, it was stressful but funny. I asked for a full refund and they wrote to me that they can only give me 90% because other 10% they ate it. But I filed a claim through my credit card company and got the money back through them. The credit card company must have gone after them because they were selling counterfeit products and 6 months later I see a video on youtube of a demolition truck entering the store and trashing everything.

A rather patronizing post I think - I agree with the risk/reward perspective and doubt there are many on this forum who don’t, however I totally disagree with your keep quiet, don’t let on, you knew the risks now suck it up advice!
Vendors must wish that 100% of customers were like you in that if things go wrong you keep quiet about it - after all you knew the risks. Where is the incentive in that for them to improve (?) - there is none (!) - it’s business as usual, poor quality control, shoddy packaging and all.
No - if the risk/reward ratio is ever to move toward the latter mistakes need to be pointed out publicly and loudly, only then will vendors take notice and introduce changes that increases the customers satisfaction and reward.

+1

Couldn’t agree more. Dealing with any Chinese dealer/distributor is going to be a crap shoot. I’ve dealt with most of them and one order goes great and maybe received in two weeks another takes five weeks and or they send you the wrong product or it’s defective.

It’s a crap shoot I tell ya’! CAVEAT EMPTOR!

I’ve dealt with GB, about 40-50 transactions over a period,
and it was only one package that did not come ….
Lost in the mail? (package without tracking number)
I chose not to open PP dispute within 45 days ,
rather to see how the GB would treat me as a customer, :wink:
and then make a choice whether I would trade with them again…. trust them…
After having made them aware of my loss, GestBest Customer Service, Gina
stepped up, and I have now received refund 23.99USD.without no hassel.
So for me GB is serious and I will continue to shop with them. :slight_smile:
Thanks

I recently bought an Olight M21X Warrior (on sale for $35,99) which shipped in 2 days and arrived 13 days later.
And it’s the complete package in the plastic presentation case, all accessories present, and it has the XM L2 led.
So….all is fine.

A month and a half ago I ordered the Uniquefire 1504 shorty (to be modded by Djozz :slight_smile: and that arrived in about two weeks as well.

No complaints here.

Grtz
Nico

GEARBEST agreed to resend a REAL S2+ if I would send 2usd to cover tracking. I sent the 2 bucks and now they want me to CLOSE my PayPal case before they provide a tracking number or ship the replacement!

Don’t Do It!

-Chuck