Careful where you buy (1 Viewer)

[Michael A]

I purchased a Canon 7D Camera from Simply Electronics, Camera works ok but when i checked serial number i found it was false sent info to Canon UK and received this email back.

Dear Mr. M.A,
Thank you for providing images of your camera and packaging.
From the images provided I am very sorry to inform you that the external serial number displayed on your camera is not a genuine Canon serial number but is a fake/counterfeit serial number. Please note this does NOT mean that the camera itself is counterfeit, just that the serial number is counterfeit.

Fake serial numbers conceal the source of the product. This is usually done in an attempt to conceal the fact that the product is a "parallel" or "grey market" product. Grey market products are products which were put on the market outside of Europe and not intended for the European market. The sale of grey market goods in the UK infringes Canon's trade mark rights and risks a number of other legal implications including Customs and tax offences, improper localisation for the UK market (including for example, low grade or unsafe third party UK power cords, no valid UK/European manufacturer's one year warranty, and ineligibility for European promotions) and breach of European Environmental and Safety requirements.

We have reported this matter to our Anti-Counterfeit Team who will investigate the matter and consider all necessary legal action against the seller. We suggest that you seek a refund from your seller and enlist the help of Trading Standards in doing so as necessary.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Charlotte O'Grady
Canon Services & Support

Be warned that Grey imports from this company may have been tampered with.
They said they would send a courier to pick up the item but would not give any guarantee the they would either refund cost of camera, replace counterfeit camera or return the camera.
I have not let them take the item. Lack of trust.

 

[Paul Jarvis]

That says it all for this company !!

 

[Roy C]

There is no big problem with a grey import as such (lots of folk buy them in the UK these days) but to fake the serial number is diabolical. Lets hope someone takes action against this lot.
Thanks for warning us and I hope the Camera turns out OK for you.

 

[ericbowles]

Sorry to hear of your problems.

There was an older post on Nikonians in 2008 from a member in the UK who ordered from them and discovered that the product was being shipped from Hong Kong. They were extremely uncooperative with his attempt to cancel the order - but it ultimately worked out okay.

http://www.nikonians.org/forums/dcb...ic_id=5006&prev_page=show_topic&gid=5006#5006

It sounds like they have crossed the line from shady to fraudulent.

 

[GYRob]

I have bought from them in the passed and things were ok overall but then i saw lots of people were having problems so ruled them out ages ago.

Rob.

 

[Malcolm Stewart]

Did your 7D have a serial number on its body? Same as, or different to, that on the outer box? Some of my used gear has had different serial numbers on body and carton, but that's not too surprising when the item was supplied by a shop.

I'm pretty sure that all my Canon gear is genuine UK stock, but I have had problems when trying to register some of the serial numbers of some items. It's been the fairly frequent one of preceding "0"s, and how many to enter in to the box on Canon's web-site page, and whether the "0" was a 0 or an O. (Hope the distinction is clear!)

 

[Sounds-a-tweet]

I mentioned this company on the Forum a couple of months back. I too had purchased a 7D from them. They assured me that there was no customs duty or VAT to be paid. When I received the parcel from the couriers, Simply Electronics had described the contents as camera batteries, so subsequently avoided any VAT and duty by undervaluing the item. What would have happened if the camera had been damaged in transit I do not know. I wouldn't have bought from them if I'd have known that this was their interpretation of no duty to pay. It is fraudulent.

Sorry to hear of your problems.

There was an older post on Nikonians in 2008 from a member in the UK who ordered from them and discovered that the product was being shipped from Hong Kong. They were extremely uncooperative with his attempt to cancel the order - but it ultimately worked out okay.

http://www.nikonians.org/forums/dcb...ic_id=5006&prev_page=show_topic&gid=5006#5006

It sounds like they have crossed the line from shady to fraudulent.

 

[Dr Tickle]

My advice would be to never go anywhere near Simply Electronics. Sure their prices are very good, but that's where it ends. I ordered kit from them that they showed in stock, but actually wasn't. After I waited a month and nothing arrived, I cancelled and went elsewhere, but getting the credit was a long and painful process.

 

[pppppvvvv]

Search these forums for a few other examples of their poor behaviour. I think if the camera works, then you probably did the right thing from a practical perspective, to cut your losses and move on.

It is certainly a painful process to get a refund out of them. I eventually had to launch the credit card company towards them with a section 75 claim before they refunded me. This was after 3 months of hassle. This is the right thing to do, but it's a case of whether you want the fight.

I'm a pretty easy going consumer, I don't tend to complain very often, but I can honestly say they are the worst company I have ever dealt with. My signature says it all!

Peter

 

[footman]

Is this another one of those situations where the UK purchaser is actually the importer and not the company you have paid for the goods?

If they are deliberately mislabelling to get the goods past customs then it seems possible that the UK purchaser could be accused at the minimum of conspiracy to defraud HMRC.

 

[ncf15]

I have always assumed that all of the 'grey market' retailers 'avoid' paying UK/EEC import duties as that is the only way they can sell for the prices that they do.