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Fraudulent Mac Retailers

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B

BiPolar

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2003
53
0
Anyone heard of or seen this place before?

http://shop.vendio.com/macshopz

THeir prices are pretty much equivalent to my education prices, and some items are even cheaper. Are they legit?

=== Note from the Moderators ===
In light of recent behavior in this thread and evidence that has come into the possession of the moderators, we feel it is necessary to close this thread to further commentary. This discussion has been enlightening for victims and potential buyers as well, but it is turning into a problem as far as management goes. It will remain stickied at the top of this forum so as to be accessible in the future.

We strongly urge any parties that have been defrauded to seek help from their local authorities. We will co-operate with them if they come forward to request the information we have (webmaster@macrumors.com).

Forum members are also encouraged to contact each other and the site moderators via private message.
 
fraeone

fraeone

macrumors regular
Sep 26, 2003
219
9
Seattle, WA
Wow the prices are amazing.. Seems too good to be true. Anybody in Vancouver or Burnaby BC and know about these guys? It's interesting that they're based in Canada, but ship from Blaine, WA and the prices are in USD. The Powerbooks beat Edu prices, a 12" 1ghz Combo for $1300 and the Super for $1500.

I would be very wary of them though, they don't even have their own domain.
 
B

BiPolar

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2003
53
0
They don't beat my school's 15 price, but they beat it on the 12 by 100. Being a graduate student right now i'd go with my education price and all of the apple support that goes with buying from apple. However, if i wasn't, this place looks decent. But I did some google searches and couldn't find anything about it. Nor was there anything about vendio stores in general.
 
iJon

iJon

macrumors 604
Feb 7, 2002
6,588
230
pay with credit card and it wont matter. if they are legit your set and if they arent get your money back.

iJon
 
B

BiPolar

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2003
53
0
Quite true. I'm just going to stick with my better than average EDU price, but for those who aren't students, this seems like a pretty good deal.
 
C

cbz38a

macrumors newbie
Nov 16, 2003
13
0
New Jersey
mac whiz

Did you ever decide to purchase from them after all? I just searched for Powerbooks on GOOGLE and found their webpage. Their prices are $300 less than most others I found. Sounds good if it is true.
 
C

cpjakes

macrumors 6502
Aug 15, 2003
377
5
Buffalo, NY
This seems odd to me...

I just tried the link and got the following message:

------------
Sorry, but this Vendio store is currently closed.

Sellers occasionally close their store if they are on vacation or are out of stock. Please check back in a day or two or click the Search Stores tab to search for a specific item in other Stores.
------------

If their stock varies enough to close them or if their company is small enough to have everyone on vacation simultaneously, I don't think I would personally buy from them. Just my $.02...

cpjakes
 
Squire

Squire

macrumors 68000
Jan 8, 2003
1,563
0
Canada
Found this info on their FAQ page. (It's the "Training" link.)

Squire


Q: How come your prices are so much less than your competition?

A: We spend a substantial amount of time and resources buying out auctions and companies that go out of business. We inspect all items and only ship brand new, sealed (in box). They are not refurbished or damaged in any way. Since we buy in bulk we may stock a large amount of one item at any given time. This is why you might see a huge price difference between similar items.

<Edit: Man! They even have an educational discount of 10%!>

Q: Teacher or Educator Discounts?

A: Yes, we offer 10% discount. Proof of position must be faxed with order.
 
S

sahnert

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2003
499
61
Seattle
Originally posted by Squire
Found this info on their FAQ page. (It's the "Training" link.)

Squire


Q: How come your prices are so much less than your competition?

A: We spend a substantial amount of time and resources buying out auctions and companies that go out of business. We inspect all items and only ship brand new, sealed (in box). They are not refurbished or damaged in any way. Since we buy in bulk we may stock a large amount of one item at any given time. This is why you might see a huge price difference between similar items.

<Edit: Man! They even have an educational discount of 10%!>

Q: Teacher or Educator Discounts?

A: Yes, we offer 10% discount. Proof of position must be faxed with order.
Click to expand...

sounds oddly similar to a scam I read about in another thread. Maybe take a weekend to Canada to check it out in person. It might be worth it.
 
K

kanker

macrumors 6502
Nov 13, 2003
280
0
Indy
I checked their local BBB, and although the company's website claims they've been in biz for 7 years, the BBB's only been aware of them since October 2003.
 
L

labratmatt

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2003
13
0
Virginia
Has anyone had any dealings with macwhizshop.com yet? I am ready to order an ibook and they have great prices. I just don't want to get into something that isn't quite legit.

Does apple keep track of resellers? Any suggestons?
 
C

cwall

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2003
4
0
Ohio
Mac Whiz Scam

I'm a victim of Mac Whiz of Burnaby, BC. I was suckered by the low prices. Ordered an iMac in September and received a FedEx envelope with scrap paper in it. Sellers excuse - his computers were hacked, scrambling his customer order data base, etc., etc.Paid cash thru PayPal but no help there. This seller now has 3 Vendio sites - all with no merchandise for sale. Also, he still has a main web site - macwhizshop.com - pictures and everything. I have alerted the BBB, FTC, and IFCC (FBI). Still waiting for a response. I think there are a lot of these. Suggestions appreciated.
 
Squire

Squire

macrumors 68000
Jan 8, 2003
1,563
0
Canada
Re: Mac Whiz Scam

Originally posted by cwall
I'm a victim of Mac Whiz of Burnaby, BC. I was suckered by the low prices. Ordered an iMac in September and received a FedEx envelope with scrap paper in it. Sellers excuse - his computers were hacked, scrambling his customer order data base, etc., etc.Paid cash thru PayPal but no help there. This seller now has 3 Vendio sites - all with no merchandise for sale. Also, he still has a main web site - macwhizshop.com - pictures and everything. I have alerted the BBB, FTC, and IFCC (FBI). Still waiting for a response. I think there are a lot of these. Suggestions appreciated.
Click to expand...

Whoa! That sucks. Thanks for the heads up, though. Good luck.

Squire
 
L

labratmatt

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2003
13
0
Virginia
cwall, sorry to hear of your problems with this place. I will avoid macwhizshop.com like the plague.

I am a very experienced PC user wanting to get an ibook. Have you guys found it best to order from Apple store or a reseller? I qualify for the educatonal discount, so that might be a factor.

Thanks for the information.
 
L

labratmatt

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2003
13
0
Virginia
I did a bit more investigation, and this place does seem totally bogus! (Not that I doubted this before, but I would just love to get an ibook for their advertised prices.)

I sent an email (Monday) to their sales address, and two days later I received a response (Wednesday) directly from Derald Dutchak, the supposed owner. What happened to their two dedicated internet sales people? Anyway, I decided to call the sales number and received a lame message that said something like "Due to our overwhelming call volume, we will not be able to speak to you over the phone at this time. Please contact our sales team through our internet sales address." Give me a break. 6:00pm est on a Thursday night, and all their sales reps are busy?

Avoid macwhizshop.com!!!
 
J

jamekurtis

macrumors newbie
Nov 12, 2003
1
0
Los Angeles
MACWHIZ LAPTOP

jeeezz!! my experience with macwhiz was great! almost.
i ordered a powerbook laptop last week friday the 14th.
faxed the credit card form and waited for a some kind of confirmation but never got it, by monday i was a little nervous about this whole deal and tried calling the phone number on the web site - no luck! they don't take calls.

on tuesday after 3 emails i finaly got a reply from mr. duchak
letting me know that my laptop had been shipped but did not send me the tracking number. tuesday afternoon the fedex guy
delivered my laptop to my workplace as he promised, i could not believe it
i was ready to file a report. other than the lack of communication
everything about macwhiz is amazing, even the price.
i searched the internet for days and could not find a better price.

i did get get a reply from mr. duchak explaining that they are very busy this time of the year.


james kurtis
happy macwhiz customer

[Admin Edit: This post appears to be a shill... trying to legitimatize the business.]
 
I

Italchef

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2003
295
0
Maple, Ontario
I don't mean to offend anyone posting here in any way whatsoever...but isn't it possible that someone might post under an assumed name to legitimize an online business?
Just seems to me that there is no way possible that the mac's could be any cheaper than they already are. If you take into account the difference in the American and Canadian dollars, we pay more than our friends to the south. How is it possible that someone could even sell for less than in the States?
 
I

Italchef

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2003
295
0
Maple, Ontario
...and one other thing.
It talks about the store in Burnaby and some place in Washington...says to drop by and visit.
There's no address anywhere on the site!!!!!!!!
 
S

sahnert

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2003
499
61
Seattle
Originally posted by Italchef
I don't mean to offend anyone posting here in any way whatsoever...but isn't it possible that someone might post under an assumed name to legitimize an online business?
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing......
 
LethalWolfe

LethalWolfe

macrumors G3
Jan 11, 2002
9,370
124
Los Angeles
Originally posted by Squire
Found this info on their FAQ page. (It's the "Training" link.)

Squire


Q: How come your prices are so much less than your competition?

A: We spend a substantial amount of time and resources buying out auctions and companies that go out of business. We inspect all items and only ship brand new, sealed (in box). They are not refurbished or damaged in any way. Since we buy in bulk we may stock a large amount of one item at any given time. This is why you might see a huge price difference between similar items.

<Edit: Man! They even have an educational discount of 10%!>

Q: Teacher or Educator Discounts?

A: Yes, we offer 10% discount. Proof of position must be faxed with order.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm clueless, but how many "band new, sealed in box" Macs can you find at auctions and companies that have gone under? Can you really find enough unopened machines from a single source that you can "buy in bulk"? Things like old video games and discontinued electronics I can see , but dual 2ghz G5's and Xserves? That just smells fishy to me.

EDIT: kanker, It's not odd if you believe their store's business model.


Lethal
 
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