I am not aware of this 30Q issue
Yes, it’s sad how some people saw the (honest) mistake as an opportunity to get 4 free cells. “they’re the chinese, it’s ok”.
While I agree with your sentiments, for the record, I do not believe BG has offered to pay for the return shipping yet. (PM me with any references that you might have to show me otherwise and I’ll be happy to edit/retract this statement.)
Sorry for sidetracking this discussion.
As to the subject matter, my opinion is that it is a seasonal thing. Cabin fever. Winter doldrums. Call it what you like.
Personally, I find myself in an easily irritatable mood. Imbeciles driving on the roadway bother me. AM sport talk show hosts bother me. The over-analysis of political campaigns and of financial markets bother me.
I need a beer. 
I believe the complaints regarding slowness of shipping are usually not valid. Reason; most of these shipments involve the lowest cost carriers and low cost shipping = slow shipping. As was mentioned after the item has shipped the delivery is no longer under the control of the seller.
I believe the complaints about wrong goods being shipped are absolutely valid. There is no good excuse for shipping the wrong item, wrong color or wrong size. To me it makes no difference where in the world you are, you deserve to receive accuracy in order fulfillment. Sloppy warehouse work should not be rewarded anywhere. Not if the sellers are trying to survive in a global economy.
As for defective or shoddily made goods, that gets interesting. Very low prices might mean some risk is involved. I factor in the fact that some items may arrive deficient. A lousy cold solder joint on a board, whatever. Some deficiencies can be repaired at almost no cost to me. However, if the seller lies outright about the genuineness of a product, that is inexcusable. An LB emitter can not be called a Cree just because it emits light.
If we don’t complain when the complaint is fully justified there is no incentive for the seller to do better. Again if we accept that this is a global economy we should all, sellers and buyers, act under the same rules and obligations. Cultural differences around the world usually don’t enter into the transaction. Online purchases leave no room for price haggling like we get into in countries like India and others in the far east. This does seem to arise when we are faced with negotiating with foreign customer service people. The haggling comes natural in many countries and nobody accepts the first offer on anything. Not even to buy banana chips from a street vendor in Mumbai. Somehow that kind of haggling seems fine but I like my online customer service experience to be more straightforward. More “western”.
Just an opinion. Or two. 
Don’t research it… I stopped reading the thread before the issues arose and decided to go back and read it… What a mistake that was. Some people’s responses literally gave me a headache.
You are correct MtnDon, without complaints there can be no feedback, without feedback, no improvement.
The wrong goods thing, like what happened with the 30Q button top ordered/flat top received are a different issue on a case by case basis. BLF and Banggood had done this with each other and for each other, so for some of the members here to just jump on the “they screwed us on purpose” bandwagon was ridiculous. This was a coordinated buy, not a conspiracy. In some cases, and with some vendors, it is a bait and switch… I have filed claims for stuff like that too…
The other side of a story like this, and why in this case I feel so strongly about the mix up… I was the guy on second shift in a warehouse once that discovered they had the wrong item in the slot. It was similar, but a different item (bread mix, and I was a temp) that was put in the pick area of the “correct” item. I was picking and put the UPC to the scanner, it showed the “correct” item (UPC on shelf…), I pulled the two pallets on my list and delivered them to the loading dock. I then noticed they were right next to the same item from another driver… A little investigation later and I found someone had stocked the ones I pulled in the wrong area. There was no malicious intent on either my side to “screw” someone for messing up, nor from the person that took an almost similar item to the wrong slot. It just happens at times. As I had “rocked” the boat, I got let go a few days later, in some places bringing up others mistakes makes you a threat to them… Eh, it was a temp job, plenty more to be found at the time…
There were hundreds of items in that warehouse, had I not put my pallets next to the SAME kind from another driver and seen the similarity, I would have gone on about my day and not known any the better… Sometimes good things come with coincidence, sometimes bad…
The only difference in that battery buy was a button top vs flat top, I bet 98% of the people seeing either one (both the same color and markings) would NOT know which was which if they were viewed one at a time…. I am going to say the person in the warehouse that did pull them did not know the difference, and even if they had, perhaps they did not want to lose their job by telling about a mistake they found. It does happen… How many other types of products were in that warehouse? How many people really know batteries?
I look a these things on a case by case basis. I think that helps too…
For some reason I think I have noticed a lot of first time posters complaining. Like they join the forums just to complain.
How about a rule no complaining until your 100th post and 3 months after joining.
I think most of the complaining from established members is validated.
Now I will complain. BLF A6 shorty tube. Its been a mess for some time. Guess what, there still selling the defective tubes.
Well. the 30Q deal wasn’t cheap (about the going rate for anyone that shops around), it certainly wasn’t good (sent the wrong item), and the jerk around CS certainly isn’t fast. I’ve been a loyal customer of theirs and have upheld my end of the many, many deals I have made with them. I haven’t asked for free cells. But if they want me to accept cells I didn’t order, the price better be very good. $2.50 works for me, but I refuse on principle to buy more cells as part of a settlement. That is not complaining. That is demanding respect. Fix this and then I move forward with them and make more purchases.
I think there’s been an influx of new members as a result of the g700 being advertised everywhere. People ordering direct from China rather then through Amazon or Ebay for the first time and concerned about losing money.
The other half of the problem is BLF has become very profitable. With group buys getting over 1000+ orders, members have financial incentive and set up special discount code threads.
Gearbest was given an AVOID rating months ago, yet they continue to post deals and members direct sales to them via group buys, reviews and release threads. When was the last time anyone ordered from Wallbuys or Tmart?
ReManG, I guess I have been lucky. I too worked in a warehouse a long time ago and worked up from the guy who put boxes on the shelves and took them off all the way to management. Fortunately I had a manager / trainer who looked at errors as educational tools and rewarded the ferreting out of mistakes. I tried to carry that forward.
I never for a moment thought there was any kind of conspiracy with this flat for button top thing. I saw it as a simple enough, easy to make mistake. As an error I expected immediate and simple straightforward correction. I get bothered by the “let’s make a deal” type of negotiation that seems to be the automatic response of some customer service departments. Of course the solution is complicated by the issue of international shipping regulations that vary depending on from where and to and the direction of movement.
Anyhow, in the end, in my case, I’m keeping the flat tops and buying new button tops at $2.50 each and also bought a light (X6/X5) I have coveted that will accept the flat tops. So I am ending up happy, though poorer. I hope Banggood has learned something about careful checking of goods received and stocked and shipped. I’m sure there is a simple explanation as to how the situation originated and hope it was used as a learning tool without recriminations.
I am very happy with Asian stores. I am technically rather than commercially oriented, so I have more interest in the manufacturers than in the stores, but the whole budget flashlight scene has been built by Asian stores. I think that PayPal and credit card banks have helped a lot, but I have almost never had to resort to them directly to solve disputes.
An American store can usually assume that a customer who pays their prices is not trying to cheat them out of a few pennies, and the store can safely do whatever the customer wants. If you sell something for $5, one can’t assume that the customer is not going to cheat you out of a few pennies. If he pays $5 for something the American company would charge $50 for, then he is interested in saving money and might cheat the store by filing false claims.
To address the OP - if we are complaining a lot, that means there are a lot of problems to complain about.
Having said that, we all know the risks buying from China.
It is getting noticeably worse. I believe due to knockoffs and more sellers not caring.
None of what I said was directed toward you or any specific person here, more of the general attitude that took hold on this from a few members. I get them, I really do, they have been wronged in their view and want retribution… This is a normal emotional cycle… the same for the reaction to the wheeling and dealing responses that are often offered in retribution. I think your thread was an inspirational one to find a consensus answer that we as a community could put forward… It got horribly derailed and I was part of that unfortunately. I simply try to maintain my perspective about the savings vs the aggravation. I like what this forum is and while valid complaints are always valid, what we define as valid is the variable that starts issues in a negative way…
Thanks for your points, they have me thinking too about the recent rash of negativity about things…. We always benefit from perspective…
Ah people just like to complain, seems a worldwide thing 
Then,
yes slow shipping, accept it.
yes no or poor warranty, accept it.
yes received wrong of falsely advertised stuff AND get refunded for shipping back, accept it
NO to accepting wrong of falsely advertised stuff should be send back at buyers expense, file claim at Paypal since the seller is responsible here. If the dispute system/handler decides you keep the stuff and get refunded so be it.
Well, not to say that your opinion is wrong, but only that mine differs. I don’t agree that “if we are complaining a lot, that means there are a lot of problems to complain about.” Sometimes that can be true, but it isn’t necessarily always true. And I don’t think it has been true around here.
For starters, some people just “find” things to complain about. There are people who have a persecution complex, and always think someone’s out to get them. Still others are just overly sensitive to even small errors and have no grace for any. Some people are just spoiled brats. And then, as others have said, there are sometimes unrealistic expectations that maybe need to be addressed.
And besides all that, even when things genuinely do go wrong, complaining isn’t necessarily the right response. And even when complaining IS the right response, there can still be too much of a “good” thing. Some people don’t know how to just state their case and leave it be (I’m still learning this myself). So, in my opinion, there are lots of ways that the amount of complaining generated can be much more than the situation calls for.
Absolutely what I think. Nicely spoken, Don.
Well in my short time here there does seem to have been a huge increase in folks making their complaints known. Is that wrong? I honestly don’t know. What I DO know is that is not a decision for me to make. If SB feels it needs to change he will do that- after all this is his website, not mine, and I’m just his guest here same as everyone else.
What I like best about forums is that I can choose what to read- I don’t have to listen to anyone I don’t want to (nor does anyone have to listen to me; ain’t YOU the lucky ones?). So yeah, I like to know what’s going on and I read the complaints. Some folks seem to me to have very legitimate complaints through no fault of their own at all. Some seem to have not handled their situation as well as they could have so part of their problems are of their own doing. And some seem to have one foot in Utopia expecting things which most of us know better than to expect from having seen things happen in the past. Jeez, sounds like the same thing that happens everyday everywhere with everyone. Ain’t nothing new in all that.
So the complaint gets posted, and we see responses suggested. Again nothing new. Some seem to take a “So what?” attitude. Others almost call for a declaration of all-out war. Others try to help resolve the problems however they can. And others still seem to not be in the fracas, saying little or nothing at all. You are being noticed by your absence and that might just be a good thing.
I can’t control others but I can control myself. I like to help folks when I can so I try to do that. That may include me saying things you might not like hearing, but trust me- I’m just trying to get you to see that there are other perspectives you should be seeing. I’m not saying I’m totally right; I’m just trying to help.
I’m based heavily in reality, and the reality of the Chinese Mega-Stores is something I’ve seen and spoken of widely already. You’re not going to get what you don’t pay for with them or anyone else. They have less than stellar reputations for a reason. If you order from them you should not expect anything different or better than what their past indicates them offering and if you do expect more you’re being unrealistic. Sorry if that hurts, it’s not meant to- it’s just that I’d rather you not have unmet expectations hurting you.
So in those complaint threads I choose to say little if at all. I choose my words carefully because I don’t want to inflame an already bad situation. I try to help if I can. Or I say nothing (which for me takes a lot of effort!). TBH I think the last response may be the best approach because nobody is going to change how they see things until they want to. Adding your support or adding you dissension isn’t going to change anything. Bashing anyone is only going to make things worse for everyone.
My biggest gripe regards the complaints is that there’s already threads about every seller and store and that is a more appropriate place to be posting so that future potential customers can see what history has to say- not just your complaints from today. They will get a clearer picture of what to expect and you will have helped them even more. If helping was your intention. If it wasn’t then perhaps you shouldn’t be posting at all.
Take some time to read your posts before hitting “send”. Think about how others will see them and be affected by what you’re saying. Ask yourself if it’s going to do any good and if it isn’t then just close the thread and go on to other better things. Life is too short to keep yourself stuck in negativity.
Nuff said.
Phil
Well said.
No.—
I order stuff all the time form overseas sellers. 40 days is nuts.
Ebay , stuff comes pretty quick… AliExpress was like 14 days…
I think KNOW alot of Chinese sellers have given me much better service than GB, so GB is off my list.
I dealt with doingoutdoor early on, kept the guys email. I bought batteries on several occasions, and it took 2 weeks to get them.
I’ll do the math for some of you, 40-14 is 26 days faster. From China, for a low low price…
No, Gearbest sucked it on this one. I’ll stick with a better vendor in the future…Doingoutdoor, my 504b guy…the people who sold me the Convoy etc…
All faster.
edit: I skimmed a bit… I do know if it had taken another week, I would have filed a claim, also IF they came after a refund I would insist on paying.