13 replies to this topic

[jcostantino]

I bought a Motorola H700 headset last week from Newegg.com (a LARGE internet PC parts company in California) and received the headset yesterday in the mail.

At first blush, I thought it was defective and called up their support to get an exchange. I gave my credit card details to get an advance exchange and was told to expect it in about 5 days.

Just before leaving work last night, I came across a PDF by Motorola describing what to look for in a fake headset. Here.

It turns out that the H700s that Newegg is selling for $55 plus shipping are fake, or at least I'm 95% sure of it. It is a VERY good fake and difficult to spot unless you have the guide.

The headset's model number is SYH1311A, it should be SYN1311A.
The box logos aren't consistent with Motorola's design guide.
It came packaged with protective plastic sheets in places that Motorola doesn't apply them
The model number and other information is printed on the case and not laser-etched.
The earhook material is too soft (compared to my HS820 at least)
There are exposed mould lines on the case

The power adaptor's mini USB cable is two piece plastic and not moulded
The regulatory agencies on the label are wrong
The blades that plug into the socket are rusting slightly and are very rough

It might sound like a lot of those things are just nit picking but if you read the guide above, most of the ways to visually identify a fake are VERY minor. If it said something other than "MOTOROLA H700" when I paired it, I might have picked up on it quicker.

Now I don't know if Newegg is selling ALL counterfeit Motorola headsets. I don't know if all three versions (all black, silver, Dolce & Gabbana) are fake. I don't know if they are willingly selling them either. All I know is that I'm out a lot of time talking to their bonehead call center in Buenos Aries, I'm out return shipping back to Newegg, and I was almost screwed out of the $60 for the headset if I sent Motorola a fake in exchange for the real one they are sending.

I wrote an email to Motorola support asking if they might be able to help me out since I'm getting the short end of the stick. They sell the H700 for $99.99 with free shipping on their website. If I don't return the replacement headset I will be billed $120.00. Obviously I can't return it so if they could bill me $99.99 or less, I would keep the replacement headset they send. I think that sounds fair but I need to wait for their reply.

Anyone else bought a Motorola headset lately? Maybe from Ebay? I was wondering why the reviews ranged from "It's too quiet, has tons of static, muffled voice" to "Need to turn the volume down, works to 25 feet with no static, and people say I sound better than when I'm on the phone.

[PaulOBrien]

So what did NewEgg say when you put this to them?



P

[jcostantino]

"Uhh... we're an authorized motorola reseller" and generated an RMA for me. I find it hard to believe that they would buy knock-offs unknowingly.

I should've known that the price was too good to be true but Newegg always sells for less. I bought a H605 there but couldn't stand how ugly it was. Maybe it was a knockoff as well but I don't know - the ringtone was Flight of the Valkyries - I've NEVER heard a Moto headset with a musical ring, usually it just beeps. The Jabra 250v I bought from them seems legit. It's so far the best sounding headset I own - I just hate the proprietary power connector and lack of noise reduction.

Apparently Ebay is rife with this kind of stuff but I would've never suspected such a large company like Newegg with a generally very good reputation to sell fake stuff.

I wish that these companies would stop outsourcing their customer service. The people in Buenos Aries are nice and speak reasonably well but the language barrier (I had to say "fake" instead of "counterfeit") is impossible to ignore. I was pissed that Motorola would sell such a shoddy product but now I'm just pissed that I can't speak to a person who understands what I'm saying. Plus I have to SHOUT because of their crappy VOIP link.

Paul (MVP), on Dec 21 2006, 11:30, said:

So what did NewEgg say when you put this to them?



P

[Confucious]

Surely if you bought from an authorised seller and it turns out to be fake then that's their problem not yours?

[jcostantino]

Well of course but people need to be informed so that they aren't continuing to sell the fakes. My guess is that they know they have fakes and continue to sell them as legitimate either because they got stuck with a bad shipment or they are knowingly ripping folks off and hoping the can't tell the difference.

I ordered one off of Amazon (direct from Amazon, not a reseller) for $70 with $2 overnight shipping (I have Amazon prime). It should be here tomorrow morning. I'll take some pictures to compare the two since they'll be side by side.

I really want this to be a good experience... Every time I give Motorola another shot, something happens that gives me a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously this isn't their fault but their crap customer service compounds the problem. I had a T720 phone stuck in their repair center for two months and it took an email to the CEO to get it fixed.

This should be interesting to compare the fake, the one from Amazon, and the Motorola replacement unit. I just realized that the Motorola one may not be the whole retail package so it might not be worth keeping it and getting dinged for $120 or $100 or whatever they end up doing. I may not even hear back from them with my email I sent.

Confucious, on Dec 21 2006, 12:10, said:

Surely if you bought from an authorised seller and it turns out to be fake then that's their problem not yours?

Edited by jcostantino, 21 December 2006 - 05:32 PM.

[jcostantino]

Minor update: I got an email back which was pretty much a form letter. The rep gave me an RMA number for the H700 that is going to be shipped to me to send back and basically told me that I can either take it at the $120 non-exchanged fee or buy it elsewhere like on their website.

No mention of wether or not they would investigate Newegg or anything else.

[jcostantino]

I rered my first post and in the first couple lines I meant to say that I called Motorola's tech support for an exchange - I was going under the impression that Newegg's stock was old (since the date code of the H700 was mid-2005) and they wouldn't replace my Rev-A with a Rev-B like I wanted.

Sorry for any confusion... my proofreader is on vacation.  

[genaldar]

Why would you call moto?  You should've called newegg to get an rma from them (which you did after the fact).

[jcostantino]

genaldar, on Dec 22 2006, 02:07, said:

Why would you call moto?  You should've called newegg to get an rma from them (which you did after the fact).

I was under the impression that if I received a headset in 12/2006 that was made in 10/2005 and was a revision below the current product that I would get the same as a replacement. Motorola wouldn't hang on to old stock so their supply would be current. Regardless, at least Motorola wouldn't send me a fake although I would be double screwed for $65 and $120 since I doubt they would give me the fake back to return.

The real H700 came from Amazon today and it looks pretty much identical. There are slight differences:

The chrome on the real H700 is slightly darker and the silver is the same color.
The metal accent panel on the flip with the "B" symbol is smooth and inset on the real one.
The earhook pivot isn't as tight and the silicone extension is stiffer.
There is a slight beveling around the volume up/down buttons on the real one.
Joints between the two halves and mould lines are minimal.
The speaker holes are slightly larger on the real one and the speaker housing seems to be a darker color than the body color.
The model number is SYN1311 instead of SYH1311.

On the box, the font by the UPC code is lighter than the fake.
There are two welds holding the box front/back together.
Numerous pamphlets (I didn't bother to examine them) were included about health/safety/etc.

Plus, the genuine part doesn't have crappy incoming and outgoing sound or static.

[genaldar]

Thats a solid assumption about getting a newer replacement from moto.  But without checking their warranty policy is it possible they only offer 1 year from manufacture instead of 1 year from purchase?  Or maybe they're using the "counterfeit" claim to keep from providing a replacement for a 14 month old item.

btw couldn't the difference be just revisions between models (I mean they're 2 different versions why would they have the same exact model number?).  Either way I say you ship moto back theirs and newegg back theres, asking for a refund of course, and keep the amazon one .

[jcostantino]

Well that's what I was going to do until I saw the Jawbone (jawbone.com) for a little bit more money but with noise cancelation for both the speaker and microphone. Now I think both are going back.

Plus the H700 seems to lose its pairing when it's been flipped close. I have to either reset it by plugging and unplugging the power adapter or rebooting my MDA. I've read comments of people using 8125s and MDAs without any problems so maybe I got a problem unit. Who knows....

All I know is so far the only headset that "does it" for me is the Jabra 250V but it's heavy and ugly with no noise cancelation at all.

genaldar, on Dec 23 2006, 04:27, said:

Thats a solid assumption about getting a newer replacement from moto.  But without checking their warranty policy is it possible they only offer 1 year from manufacture instead of 1 year from purchase?  Or maybe they're using the "counterfeit" claim to keep from providing a replacement for a 14 month old item.

btw couldn't the difference be just revisions between models (I mean they're 2 different versions why would they have the same exact model number?).  Either way I say you ship moto back theirs and newegg back theres, asking for a refund of course, and keep the amazon one .

[jcostantino]

By the way, I would assume that all their counterfeit headsets have the same build date stamped on them regardless of when they were assembled Motorola seems to go off of date of purchase so I'd be covered since I bought it a week ago.

genaldar, on Dec 23 2006, 04:27, said:

Thats a solid assumption about getting a newer replacement from moto.  But without checking their warranty policy is it possible they only offer 1 year from manufacture instead of 1 year from purchase?  Or maybe they're using the "counterfeit" claim to keep from providing a replacement for a 14 month old item.

btw couldn't the difference be just revisions between models (I mean they're 2 different versions why would they have the same exact model number?).  Either way I say you ship moto back theirs and newegg back theres, asking for a refund of course, and keep the amazon one .

[Monkspice]

That does not surprise me coming from Newegg. They are devious at best. For future purchases try TigerDirect.com I have never had a problem with one of their products.

[blkballoon925]

Monkspice, on Jun 26 2007, 14:42, said:

That does not surprise me coming from Newegg. They are devious at best. For future purchases try TigerDirect.com I have never had a problem with one of their products.

I know this is a really old thread, but I had to reply to this because I just stumbled across it today and it's important that others know this if they've done the same. Like the OP I thought I found a good "Deal of the Day" on an H700 from a reputable dealer: TigerDirect.com. Turns out they're now selling counterfeit H700's too. Yes, it was through eBay, but apparently they just bought a large quantity and sold them "Buy It Now" only, no auction. The product sold to me as "new" arrived in a generic, unsealed plastic container that seems to be meant to fit many Bluetooth headsets. It doesn't even mention the logo or name "Motorola" once on the box and doesn't even include a manual, despite the fact that the online picture shows a real Motorola box and a manual. I just happen to own a real H700 from years ago, that has seen its days and aside from losing battery capacity and almost all of its paint, is still one of the best headsets I've ever owned. The fake unit itself looks almost-authentic, except for a relatively deep scratch in the rubber-like section of the earpiece that actually goes in the ear. The counterfeit charger had no mylar cover, as all real Motorola chargers should, and the glossy plastic actually had visible scratches.

The headset still charging (on an authentic Motorola charger), as I'm curious what the actual sound quality will be like. However, I will be contacting them to return this product for a full refund, including return shipping (original S+H was free). If they refuse, I will be reporting this to Motorola and leaving negative feedback, as they clearly intended to sell this product as though it was new and authentic, while neither really seem to be true.

Edited by blkballoon925, 06 May 2009 - 10:30 PM.