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365HotBuy.com is an online store based in Beijing, China, selling electronic products.
The price of the products are cheaper than any other online shops. But could you trust them?
Among all things that are produced cheap in China, there is one thing that we normally do not trust, and that is retail, consumer electronics. This is different from buying wholesale electronics from a manufacturer. When you order from manufacturers, a contract can be signed with regards to warranty claims, etc, with the company’s name in the legal document.
However, what is rampant in China are shops selling A-goods, which are good imitations or even the actual goods itself. But what differentiates these goods is that they do not have the same quality as those sold in the main stores. For example, you can purchase a Nike shoe, at 30% of the price sold at the Nike outlets. The reason is that, if the product is not an imitation, it is a factory reject that has not been destroyed but resold at a lower price. And do not overlook imitations, as there are suppliers in China who are very good at producing good imitations.
If you buy a Gucci bag, Nike shoe, Polo Rauph Lauren shirt, etc, that happens to be a factory reject, it may be fine because you paid a lower price to get the same quality material. The price is lower possibly because of some minor defects on the product. And since these are high-end goods, the factory rejects the product because of minor defects.
However, we do not think that the same treatment can be given to electronics products. In most cases, when electronics are rejected from the factory, it implies that they failed in its intended “functionality”.
Earlier this year, we had the experience of buying a 32 GB thumbdrive that is defective (costs about 120 RMB only, or US$17). Back in early 09, this was very cheap as compared to many other stores. When we attached the thumbdrive to the laptop, it appears to work fine. So we transferred files into the drive. But when we plug in the same thumbdrive to another laptop, all the files are gone. The thumbdrive was unable to perform its intended function.
We had a look at 365hotbuy.com, and we are concerned that the products may not be original. However, the website indicates that there is a 30-day refund policy if you are not satisfied with the product. However, please read the line:
“Please note that, we can only issue a full refund if the item is not used with tag attached.”
So if you have opened the product and used it, it cannot be refunded.
And what if there is quality problems, i.e. defects?
According to the website:
“But if there were quality problems on the item during usage, you can
contact us for a better solution.”
