Fake iPad 2s made of clay sold at Canadian stores

[garbon]

In HK, electronics stores always open the box in front of the customer, and let the customer inspect each part before the deal is closed.  No refund under any circumstances. 

Seems bad for consumers. A device could still not work even though visually inspected.

[garbon]

But...elsewhere it says electronics products can't be returned and the guy trying to get a refund for the clay failed.

Still, most electronic products cannot be returned to stores. For the the stores and customers to be fooled by the clay replacements, the thieves must have successfully weighed out the clay portions and resealed the original Apple packaging.

[Barrister]

Scamming electronics returns is pretty common in Edmonton.  And retailers who are taught "the customer is always right" fall for the stupidest scams.

A personal favourite (though this was from Whitehorse) - woman's Samsung tv stops working.  She tries to buy an identical tv from the store, but can't find one, so buys a Sanyo (I'm probably switching the bdand names - but they all started with S).  The next day she puts her broken Samsung in the Sanyo box and goes to return it, saying it doesn't work.

Staff notice the switch, question her on it, but then give her the refund anyways.

[Ideologue]

In HK, electronics stores always open the box in front of the customer, and let the customer inspect each part before the deal is closed.  No refund under any circumstances. 

Seems bad for consumers. A device could still not work even though visually inspected.

No kidding.

"YES THIS MICROCHIP IS CLEARLY FUNCTIONAL"

[Ideologue]

Scamming electronics returns is pretty common in Edmonton.  And retailers who are taught "the customer is always right" fall for the stupidest scams.

A personal favourite (though this was from Whitehorse) - woman's Samsung tv stops working.  She tries to buy an identical tv from the store, but can't find one, so buys a Sanyo (I'm probably switching the bdand names - but they all started with S).  The next day she puts her broken Samsung in the Sanyo box and goes to return it, saying it doesn't work.

Staff notice the switch, question her on it, but then give her the refund anyways.

I bought a transfer cable once, used it for eight hours, then returned it.  I'm don't think I even claimed it didn't work*.  Take that, capitalism!

*As point of fact, it didn't, at least not well, as I discovered over the next few months, in attempting to find folders that should have transferred but did not, including some rather cumbersome ones, like the CD collection I'd spent some time transferring to the old HDD, and a few comics archives.  "Miracleman, where arrrrre you?"

[garbon]

In HK, electronics stores always open the box in front of the customer, and let the customer inspect each part before the deal is closed.  No refund under any circumstances. 

Seems bad for consumers. A device could still not work even though visually inspected.

No kidding.

"YES THIS MICROCHIP IS CLEARLY FUNCTIONAL"

Maybe that is one of Mono's powers.

[Monoriu]

In HK, electronics stores always open the box in front of the customer, and let the customer inspect each part before the deal is closed.  No refund under any circumstances. 

Seems bad for consumers. A device could still not work even though visually inspected.

Customers may demand a test run of the device on the spot.  Places that sell lightbulbs used to have ready equipment that allows customers to test each lightbulb before purchase.

They do allow exchanges if it doesn't work.  Well, the large chains anyway.  But no refunds. 

[Camerus]

Scamming electronics returns is pretty common in Edmonton.  And retailers who are taught "the customer is always right" fall for the stupidest scams.

A personal favourite (though this was from Whitehorse) - woman's Samsung tv stops working.  She tries to buy an identical tv from the store, but can't find one, so buys a Sanyo (I'm probably switching the bdand names - but they all started with S).  The next day she puts her broken Samsung in the Sanyo box and goes to return it, saying it doesn't work.

Staff notice the switch, question her on it, but then give her the refund anyways.

I imagine part of the staff's reasoning was, "hey, let's just give this crazy lady the TV (at no personal cost to us), so that she will just go away and we can get back to daydreaming..."

[HisMajestyBOB]

In HK, electronics stores always open the box in front of the customer, and let the customer inspect each part before the deal is closed.  No refund under any circumstances.

I bought a cheap DVD player at Carrefour here in Shanghai. I brought it home and oops, it doesn't work. I didn't have a receipt, but just smiling, playing dumb and being stubborn got me a working replacement.

[Eddie Teach]

Carrefour sounds like a Western company.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Carrefour sounds like a Western company.

Yeah, looks like it's French.
But the store I went to is in Shanghai.

[Valmy]

Carrefour sounds like a Western company.

Yeah it is French Walmart.  I went to one in Nice and there were like five aisles of cheese.