Hi Venom……. :+1: OK, I am gonna answer the questions 1 by 1.
The answers will be what “I do” that has & is working for me.
- 1.) When I order from Banggood or GearBest I use PayPal. I sign into my PayPal account and theen choose to pay with a Credit Card I have on file. That way I figure (right or wrong) that I have 2 layers of protection if something goes wrong. Plus, I am not sending my Credit Card information to China using this method.
- 2.) Shipping…. I will address this in-debth at the bottom of this post
- 3.) Insurance…. I have never paid for insurance.
- 4.) Warranty Work…. I have never had this issue. BUT, I would “assume” this is something you would have to take up with the manufacturer.
- 5.) “Shipping back to China”…. I think that would depend on the circumstances.
………a.) If you receive something that is DOA or dies shortly after you receive it… take that up with the vendor. Tell them the problem and request another be sent or a refund… whichever you want. IF they even ask you to send it back, tell them you will be glad to as long as you are totally reimbursed for any and all cost related to sending it back to them.
………b.) If the item dies on you after using it a while, that would be considered Warranty. Refer to #4 above and deal with the manufacturer & their policies in this case.
- 6.) Yes, sadly for my wallet; when starting out I knew very little. I bought things out of ignorance that I would not even consider now That is where the “trial and error” part came in for me.
………a.) It is my pleasure to try and share what is working for me. I do hope it will save you some money & frustration in the long run,
………b.) No problem on the paragraph thing. . I was typing something the other day and the same thing happened to me. I caught it in the Preview and saw what had happened and it just hit me that the same thing was happening to you.
- 7.) As far as the HP Battery pack goes, recycle… don’t throw in trash. Or, you could go to This Thread and read about taking the Battery pack apart and getting the cells out. IT must be done carefully, but it is really kinda of fun to do.
………a.) This is where the Lii 500 charger would come in handy. You would then be able to check the battery’s capacity so as to determine if it was still “healthy” or not. This is pretty much a must do as far as “battery pulls” go… as far as I am concerned.
Now, getting back to #2 above… concerning shipping. Below you will find a “walk through” of the entire ordering process from GearBest.
The information below is taken from THIS POST in another thread.
.
OK, here goes……
- 1. Add item to cart.
- 2. Go to Cart in upper right of page and click on View Cart
- 3. Put in Promotion Code (if you have one)& click apply to see if it changes anything.
- 4. Then click “Proceed To Checkout”
- 5. Then scroll down to “Available Shipping Methods”. I pick “Priority Line”usually, one choice should then be “USA Express”; if it is that is what I pick. The cost will be displayed. (see below for more)
………a.) If I am in no rush, I pick the free standard shipping (Unregistered Air Mail) or for a few cents more Registered Air Mail. It will usually take longer to arrive…. but they have always arrived. - 6. Then scroll down to “GB Points” and add them if you have any to add.
- 7. Choose payment method
- 8. Review order & shipping info
- 9. Add special instructions if you have any
- 10. Click “Place Your Order” . you will be taken to a payment screen then
- 11. Then click Proceed to Checkout
- 12. Now you can refer back up to 1.) … at the very top, if you choose to pay with PayPal as I do.
Hope this helps.
Below is a “copy & paste” example of the “Available Shipping Methods”.
Available Shipping Methods……Estimated Shipping Time……Shipping Cost (weight:0.34 kg)
- Unregistered Air Mail ………… 15 - 35 business days ……………………$0.00
- Registered Air Mail ……………….15 - 25 business days ……………………$0.xx
- Priority Line……………………………7 - 12 business days …………………….$X.xx
………USA Express………………………7 - 12 business days………………………$X.xx - Expedited Shipping…………………3 - 10 business days …………………….$(?)X.xx
A few more thoughts.
I have only had 1 thing arrive DOA so far.
It was a Convoy L6 in my very first order from GearBest about a year ago.
I contacted GearBest in the manner they request.
The matter was solved immediately.
I told them I just wanted a working light
They told me they were out of stock
I said I would just wait
They said no, we give you refund
I said OK
They gave refund
When the light was back in stock, I ordered it from them again
End of story
Great experience and customer service in my case
Never any mention of returning the DOA light
All of the above took place in less than 24 hours
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One experience with Banggood
I ordered a S70, it worked but the battery tube had been machine all weird.
I contacted Banggood and told them I only wanted a battery tube
They asked for pictures and video
I sent a couple of picture, but told them no video would be coming
They offered a tiny refund
I said no, they could just pay for the light to be returned if they would/could not send a tube; and send me a new light
They offer a bigger refund
I doubled what they offered and told them that is what I would accept as far as a refund
They gave the refund and we called it good….
——————————————————————-
All that was said to say this…… The customer Service people are working from a “script” in most cases.
They have certain thing they are required to do and say.
Their job is to get the customer with a problem to settle in a way that cost the vendor the least.
Your/our job as a customer is to make darn sure we do not get screwed in the process…. simple as that.
Getting mad and raising hell with the Customer Service people is just down right counter productive for your cause, as well as stupid.
Be nice, courteous, and FIRM……… simple as that. You/we will get a much, much more harmonious outcome. 
~
Edit to add…………
- Be sure to keep any “conversations” with Customer Service brief and to the point.
English is not their “native language” so keep it very simple.
And by all means make sure your grammar and spellings are correct. They are not mind readers.