GearBest - Luring customers to buy out of stock products

[KamH]

So Gearbest posts updates to their "Deals and Sales " here on VU ... They should be called out for false advertising. What i dont understand is how they can be allowed to shill these sales when they dont have the products in supply.

http://www.vapingunderground.com/th...eal-waiting-for-you.143451/page-5#post-979176

A DIY accessory sale started today , and one of the items is the Original Smok Beasts Kit TF-T4 and TF-R3 RBA Coil Head.

I ordered this item 3 weeks ago with a few other things , and this hasnt been processed or shipped yet. This is the reponse i get from Cust Service

Gearbest Customer Support　 At :02/27/2016 06:41:42 UTC
Dear XXXXX

Thank you very much for your recent message.

Unfortunately, one of the remaining item is not ready yet. there have been significant supply issues with the manufacturer.We are as disappointed as you and feel let down by the manufacturer. We wish to apologize unreservedly for this situation.

Regarding item(s): Original Smok Beasts Kit TF-T4 and TF-R3 RBA Coil Head
We expect to receive the goods in 7 to 15 days .


Gearbest Customer Support　 At :03/01/2016 01:17:02 UTC
Dear XXXX

Thanks for your message and inquiry.
We apologise for not having shipped all the items together.

remain items
sku*quantity:108217401 * 1 , Nitecore i4 Intellicharger US Plug
163955001 * 1 , Original Smok Beasts Kit TF-T4 and TF-R3 RBA Coil Head


NOT SHIPPED YET
As for the remaining items, they are backed ordered.
We expect it to be back in stock withing 3-7 working days if there is no delay on supplier side.


I dont even know what to say ....Soooo disappotinted

 

[zaroba]

The posts say 'in stock' and 'quantities limited'
Is it possible that they *were* in stock at the time of posting and just sold out before you ordered?

Sadly, the 'quantities limited' could be taken as a loophole, as it doesn't specify what the quantity is.
Even if there is only 1 or 2, the item is technically still 'in stock'. Although quite foolish to do a sale with such a few amount in stock. Causes delays which gives a negative impression.

 

[KamH]

Hey Zaroba ... The items i ordered 3 weeks ago were not on a special sale.

They clearly tell you the "pieces left" on their sale site... So thats not the issue. The issue is that they are advertising these items as being in stock when i reality they're not.

 

[John Q Public]

Gear Worst are masters of the bait and switch. I jumped on their big battery sale a couple months ago. Ordered 4 Samsung 25Rs to feed my new Reuleaux. . Batteries were listed as In Stock. Three days later I get an email saying they are not in stock and they don't know when they will be in stock.
The price was so good I didn't cancel the order. A mere 52 days later they showed up.

 

[KamH]

52 DAYS !!!!! Ohhhh maannnn

 

[Mythical_OD]

I too recently got lured into their bait and switch bullshit.

I ordered a Smok Treebox 75w on a flash sale, and a Herekles Plus and some VTC4s. A few days went by and no update, and then I noticed some weird wording where they say the Treebox is "chinese version" and to read the description carefully. So I email them about it asking if its an authentic or a clone or otherwise counterfeit. They gave me some generic "read the description" reply. So I told them to just send it anyways. They responded that both the Treebox and the Herekles Plus were out of stock, right after I question the authenticity of what theyre selling. When I put the order in for the Treebox they had a counter on the flash sale that said they had 122 left in stock. So either 122 people placed an order for the Treebox in the 2 minutes it took me to fill out the order form and pay, or they were lying out of their ass about how many they had, if any. And to boot they said my only 2 options were to pick replacements, or to accept store credit as a refund. I told them I wanted to cancel the whole order and get a refund on my card. They obliged, but the whole thing left a really bad taste in my mouth. For sure, Ill never ever order from Gearbest again.

 

[zaroba]

And to boot they said my only 2 options were to pick replacements, or to accept store credit as a refund. I told them I wanted to cancel the whole order and get a refund on my card. They obliged, but the whole thing left a really bad taste in my mouth. For sure, Ill never ever order from Gearbest again.

Pretty nasty way to get people to give you money.
At least they gave you the refund though.

If not, my route would be calling my card issuer right away to file a dispute for 'goods and services' not received.
If they tried to recharge me after that, it would be escalated to the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau.

I have yet to take things that far yet though.
Closest I've come was just telling a company that I would report them to the FTC and BBB if they kept stringing me along and it worked immediately.

 

[KamH]

Just wanted to share a quick update .. Its been over 5 weeks now , and after countless emails to Customer Support , GearBest still hasnt shipped my items... And the items i have ordered are still showing as available. I keep being told that one of the items is "popular" so its not in stock... while the other item is "in stock" but nothing has been shipped to me.

I'm at a loss for words ... Since its been so long , will they refund my money ?

 

[freemind]

Just wanted to share a quick update .. Its been over 5 weeks now , and after countless emails to Customer Support , GearBest still hasnt shipped my items... And the items i have ordered are still showing as available. I keep being told that one of the items is "popular" so its not in stock... while the other item is "in stock" but nothing has been shipped to me.

I'm at a loss for words ... Since its been so long , will they refund my money ?

If you paid with paypal, don't wait too long. You only have 45 days to file a dispute. If you used a CC, it depends on their terms.

It's up to you, but I'd say if it's been longer than three weeks (and there is no Chinese holiday) I'd be demanding a refund. It can take 30+ days AFTER shipment to receive your stuff.

 

[Hank F. Spankman]

Yeah, they're 10 kinds of full of shit. I ordered a item on the 19th. Still hasn't shipped. Contacted "support". I get : That item was marked out of stock on the 25th. I bought it on the 19th. It was supposed to ship within 3 days. They're fucked in the fucking head. This is the last time they'll see my happy ass, they can lick fucking rocks

 

[ej1024]

Lol


VAPE IT

 

[Moueix]

Gearbest got me on Black Friday. Great deal on LG HG2's, but there were a lot of great deals around. Took my money, then told me they were out of stock, not getting more till January, offered a store credit. No, bishes, I want the deal I coulda got close to on Black Friday. They dragged me out, so I posted a nasty review here:
http://gearbest.pissedconsumer.com/

Oh man, did things change quick. Offered me a full refund, all kindsa gearbest points... told em to screw themselves, send me my batts. Finally dragged into February. By now, they had promised me all kindsa stuff if I would take down that review. I told em, give me the points, and when you ship me my batts I'll AMEND my review. They STILL don't have those batts. I FINALLY did order from them to use those points. Got a red and black Reuleaux for $30. Still have about $15 worth of points left for when they DO get those batts in, and they WILL give em to me for the Black Friday price, if they want me to add to the review that they FINALLY shipped em, 4 months or whatever it turns out to be, later.

So post your gripe on Pissed Consumer. They contact Gearbest, and it WILL make things happen if you play em hard.

 

[Moueix]

And then with the points they give, to try to bribe a positive review from you, you can do things like this.. 4 VTC4's for $10, w/free shipping. Pretty sure they didn't make anything on THAT deal...

 

[Hank F. Spankman]

And then with the points they give, to try to bribe a positive review from you, you can do things like this.. 4 VTC4's for $10, w/free shipping. Pretty sure they didn't make anything on THAT deal... View attachment 45200

I'm sure they're "authentic" too

 

[Moueix]

I'm sure they're "authentic" too

You have cause to believe that GearBest is selling fake batteries? Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. When they sell clones, they do label them as such. I've never had reason to be suspicious of their batteries. I have no problem calling a company out on their apparent faults and lies, but that's just rumor mongering.

 

[Moueix]

Here is some more sites where you can cut and paste a copy of your "review" of their deceptive and dishonest business practices. It helps others make an informed choice of whether or not to do business with them.

http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.gearbest.com
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/gearbest.com
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/gearbest

 

[CTFX]

This is not new....when I bought the original IPV4 they did the same bullshit. I personally think they are scam artists, and yet these bigwig blog sites and other vape deal sites post on their behalf....it's sketchy and I don't like or appreciate it. End rant...

Prayers are still needed for my dad!

 

[John Q Public]

It bothers me that this company is allowed to be a sponsor of Mod Envy. They are extremely sketch and are undeserving of the Mod Envy audience.

 

[CTFX]

It bothers me that this company is allowed to be a sponsor of Mod Envy. They are extremely sketch and are undeserving of the Mod Envy audience.

Exactly my point! Which makes me think there's possibly some sort of kickback. I mean who knows right? Gearbest is one of the shadiest companies when it comes to these "presale" deals....when a person cancels the order I bet gearbest still gets you for some money...

Prayers are still needed for my dad!

 

[Tom950]

I placed an order last week for the 521 Tab. My CC was charged last week and today I find my order was refunded. Sent in a ticket and get this back.

Ticket: T16033000887

Thank you very much for contacting us.

We are so sorry for the inconvenience to you.

Because, we can accept the payment from this order.

If you wish to proceed with your order and resubmit payment, please try again with either Western Union or Bank Transfer.

We will arrange the shipment for you as soon as we receive payment from you.

Thank you for your understanding.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to you.

This ticket will be closed, please open a new ticket if you require further assistance.
Best regards
Yasamin

Are you kidding? You already got paid and now you say you cant accept payment for the order?

 

[CTFX]

I placed an order last week for the 521 Tab. My CC was charged last week and today I find my order was refunded. Sent in a ticket and get this back.

Ticket: T16033000887

Thank you very much for contacting us.

We are so sorry for the inconvenience to you.

Because, we can accept the payment from this order.

If you wish to proceed with your order and resubmit payment, please try again with either Western Union or Bank Transfer.

We will arrange the shipment for you as soon as we receive payment from you.

Thank you for your understanding.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to you.

This ticket will be closed, please open a new ticket if you require further assistance.
Best regards
Yasamin

Are you kidding? You already got paid and now you say you cant accept payment for the order?

These people are sheisters!!!

Prayers are still needed for my dad!

 

[VaporJoe]

I have no problems with Gearbest. Tyger and I buy shit from them all the time, and not just ecig gear. They sell a ton of other great electronics.
I also know when I buy from China its going to take a while. I try to buy everything from their USA warehouse out of NYC. It gets to me within a week.

From time to time I have been refunded for an order.. but so what? I got my money back. If they were stealing our money - that would be a different story.

 

[freemind]

It seems obvious, you couldn't give a shit about how much run around your followers are getting from a supplier you pimp Joe. Your post kinds says mountains, about your attitude to the vape community.

"I get my shit, so what's your damn problem?"

These complaints have been going on since YOU have been pimping them. And you continue to pimp them. No apologies.

That's fine, but I know where else to look for deals. I find it hard to trust a guy that doesn't care the run around people get, making HIM money.

 

[Tom950]

I just had an order pulled out from under me. After talking to several people from GB, I was told not to use paypal or credit card but to send the money western union. I dont think so.

 

[John Q Public]

Here we go again. Joe pimps a great battery sale at GB. Head to GB to buy. On the 25R page the sale is marked as still on. On the 25R page shipping is listed as free.
Get to the cart to checkout.......
Sale price is gone.

Hokay, I'll get 3 25Rs instead of the 4. Still a good price. Head to the checkout....
Free flat rate shipping turns into $2.00

Gawd I am tired of their stunts.

DUMP THEM, JOE.

 

[FlavoVape]

That's what I don't understand. Joe is posting their sales all the time. I did some research and decided I wouldn't order from them. If I were Joe I would take this seriously. Joe posting up deals from a vendor who is giving customer run around and telling them to pay Western Union??? If I were a vendor I would be upset because it can turn folks away from other vendors as well. From a consumer POV it negatively affect the trust folks have in other deals Joe posts. Just my two cents...I will not deal with gbest because of this...I'm not waiting months to get a product that is supposed to be in stock.

Posted via my phablet using Tapatalk

 

[CTFX]

I've been saying this for a long time....probably a year or so now....my assumption is that Joe is getting some kickback for promoting them...why else would he be pimping out a shit company with horrible customer service....I think it's horrible PR, and the whole ground roots family thing vaping network is promoting is a bit sketchy now....I mean come on they even promote eBay!!!! Jeez.......

Prayers are still needed for my dad!

 

[CTFX]

Pimping out batteries on ebay....yes very trustworthy lol

Prayers are still needed for my dad!

 

[Moueix]

I had a similar experience with Gearbest. 4 LG HG2's for $15 on Black Friday. They didn't really have em, and by the time they admitted it, Black Friday deals were long gone.

Their first line of repair, is offering a store credit. NO thanks. Refunds take many refusals, and they are granted grudgingly. In this case though, I wanted the 2 sets of 4 I ORDERED. Told em so. When they wouldn't come through, I posted negative reviews on places like SiteJabber, resellerratings.com

They take those places VERY seriously. They get email from those site with reviews. Tried ALL KINDS of bribes to get me to change my reviews. Wasn't happening. Offered me around $60 of gearbest points. I told em I'd take the points, and update my review that I had received them, AFTER I receive them. They never did offer them to me at that price again. Spent their $60, and the negative reviews still stand.

You have power to "fix" em. Use it.

 

[James]

Well it could be that they know Joe and Tygers address ant there making sure that THEY get there stuff on time to fake them out .

 

[JuicyLucy]

GearBest obviously sucks - so why would anybody buy from them if you weren't prepared to get the runaround and wait?

It's not Joe's fault --- he's just doing his job: posting the lowest known price for stuff.

It's up to the consumer (you) to decide whether or not you want to deal with said vendor, especially when they are well know for being incredibly unreliable.

 

[Zamazam]

I will only buy if its in the USA warehouse.

 

[CTFX]

GearBest obviously sucks - so why would anybody buy from them if you weren't prepared to get the runaround and wait?

It's not Joe's fault --- he's just doing his job: posting the lowest known price for stuff.

It's up to the consumer (you) to decide whether or not you want to deal with said vendor, especially when they are well know for being incredibly unreliable.

And what about the new members who haven't checked this thread? They are supposed to deal with this horrible company, just because Joe is pimping the site for the lowest price? These new members are supposed to be baited into this game GB plays? There are so many more reliable sites he can pimp out other than GB....

R.I.P. dad. I love you and miss you everyday!

 

[JuicyLucy]

And what about the new members who haven't checked this thread? They are supposed to deal with this horrible company, just because Joe is pimping the site for the lowest price? These new members are supposed to be baited into this game GB plays? There are so many more reliable sites he can pimp out other than GB....

R.I.P. dad. I love you and miss you everyday!

Any consumer (newbie or not) who buys something online (vape gear, toaster over, doesn't matter) from a vendor without checking them out first gets what they deserve, no matter how they find out about the vendor.

I understand the frustration GearBest buyers are experiencing, what I'm not understanding is: why they are surprised they are getting crumby service and why you think Joe should drop them.

I'm a very frugal person and as such, understand that going the cheapest route usually means some kind of PITA, usually time.

I've never bought from GB because of their shitty reputation. I'm not saying I never would, just never have.

When I first decided to upgrade my vape gear late year, Vaperjoes was one of the first sites I came upon when doing research. Of course, GB had a lot of great prices at that time. A second google search told me right away I didn't want to do business with them, no matter how cheap the price.

Caveat emptor

 

[CTFX]

To each their own. I still personally think it's shitty business. Just because he gets a little leeway whether it's a kickback or free shit...

R.I.P. dad. I love you and miss you everyday!

 

[freemind]

Any consumer (newbie or not) who buys something online (vape gear, toaster over, doesn't matter) from a vendor without checking them out first gets what they deserve, no matter how they find out about the vendor.

I understand the frustration GearBest buyers are experiencing, what I'm not understanding is: why they are surprised they are getting crumby service and why you think Joe should drop them.

I'm a very frugal person and as such, understand that going the cheapest route usually means some kind of PITA, usually time.

I've never bought from GB because of their shitty reputation. I'm not saying I never would, just never have.

When I first decided to upgrade my vape gear late year, Vaperjoes was one of the first sites I came upon when doing research. Of course, GB had a lot of great prices at that time. A second google search told me right away I didn't want to do business with them, no matter how cheap the price.

Caveat emptor

The vast majority of people using Joe's deals do so with the trust that Joe is pimping a reliable and genuine deal. People are not going to spend hours sifting through reviews.

Joe is not just some dude on the corner selling stolen watches under his trench coat. He is supposed to be a reliable source for deals. After as many complaints have been lodged about GB and their shenanigans, and Joe still pimps them, IMO I don't know how much trust I have for his deals anymore.

Anything else, has went fine for me. But I won't buy from GB.

 

[CTFX]

The vast majority of people using Joe's deals do so with the trust that Joe is pimping a reliable and genuine deal. People are not going to spend hours sifting through reviews.

Joe is not just some dude on the corner selling stolen watches under his trench coat. He is supposed to be a reliable source for deals. After as many complaints have been lodged about GB and their shenanigans, and Joe still pimps them, IMO I don't know how much trust I have for his deals anymore.

Anything else, has went fine for me. But I won't buy from GB.

I just use his deals as a platform to laugh at...seriously you're going to pimp ebay batteries?????? I find it hilarious how many vendors spend their time here and yet they don't get any pimps from joe. You have Jon from Li-ion wholesale here who has legitimate batteries for an extremely good price, and yet he's going to post deals on batteries from ebay....yeah real legitimate. I haven't used his links since the original IPV4 presale debacle.....never again will I use links from his forum site....I'm not going to funnel him money from a site which is clearly not legitimate, and has so many problems with consumers. It's wrong, just plain wrong!!!

R.I.P. dad. I love you and miss you everyday!