Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Great deal on imac
- Thread starter emerycs
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
From the store policies:
No phone number/ You need to request a phone number and request a call back? A free Gmail email address? Sounds fishy...
Also their shipping policy:
There shipping policy is really fishy too. If the minimum "out the door" time is 2 days, and they are 7 days behind, at minimum it would take 9 days to have them ship. They are basically setting you up to expect to wait for your product (which you probably end up never receiving, because they will never respond to your email requesting a phone number). If you are thinking about buying from this site, I say don't.
One more thing, on the right hand of the screen it says "sorry live chat is unavailable." my guess is that it is never available
Store policies
No phone number/ You need to request a phone number and request a call back? A free Gmail email address? Sounds fishy...
Also their shipping policy:
There shipping policy is really fishy too. If the minimum "out the door" time is 2 days, and they are 7 days behind, at minimum it would take 9 days to have them ship. They are basically setting you up to expect to wait for your product (which you probably end up never receiving, because they will never respond to your email requesting a phone number). If you are thinking about buying from this site, I say don't.
One more thing, on the right hand of the screen it says "sorry live chat is unavailable." my guess is that it is never available
Store policies
From the store policies:
No phone number/ You need to request a phone number and request a call back? A free Gmail email address? Sounds fishy...
Also their shipping policy:
There shipping policy is really fishy too. If the minimum "out the door" time is 2 days, and they are 7 days behind, at minimum it would take 9 days to have them ship. They are basically setting you up to expect to wait for your product (which you probably end up never receiving, because they will never respond to your email requesting a phone number). If you are thinking about buying from this site, I say don't.
One more thing, on the right hand of the screen it says "sorry live chat is unavailable." my guess is that it is never available
Store policies
HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!
Only a total moron would buy from a "company" like that.
BEWARE OF Globalretailweb
Like a dummy, I too placed an order with this company. I guess out of sheer excitement of getting an iPhone, I was wearing rose colored glasses and failed to see this "business" for what it really seems to be. I negligently looked over clear warning signs that should have reached out and hit me in the face screaming "SCAM!!!" Some of those are:
1. As mentioned previously they use a free website storefront using Intuit who, by the way, I called and asked questions regarding this web site. They would tell me nothing about it and when I asked if they make habit of allowing fraudulent businesses to use there services, said that they don't monitor for that kind of activity unless they are selling drugs, explosives or firearms! Great policy....anyway...
2. Sketchy customer service protocol. I mean, WTF? Don't call us??? and the fact that the phone number isn't even listed on the website. Shady. Well I did call them...more later...
3. They have an Are we a Scam? disclaimer, enough said.
4. Shipping policies seem to be set up to make people wait, while they are running away with your money.
5. They charged my card, and still no word of any change in shipping status.
After I ordered my iPhone, I logged in 2 days later and lo and behold, any reference to the iPhone had disappeared from the site. My order status was the same. I e-mailed the company using the FREE Google address asking why iPhones were no longer available and if it was going to affect my order. I got nothing in return, so I called the number I got from the initial order confirmation e-mail. I was greeted by a guy named Tony Schwartz (look him up with the word "hydraficient" on Google and you'll see he doesn't have the best track record out there). Anyway, Tony says that they are having delays with the shipper and that it will be delayed for 2-3 days. But that I shouldn't worry. He said that they took iPhones off the internet temporarily so they wouldn't become inundated with orders. He was very smooth on the phone and at the time made me feel a little better. He said that if I didn't hear anything by weeks end, to "e-mail" the company at the end of the week. I then received the e-mail he was referencing:
"We apologize but from time to time orders are delayed. This is one of those times. One of our key vendors had some problems with their shipments to us over the past week which has caused some logistical issues to what is normally a pretty smooth process.
It appears that the shipping schedule is coming back onlne and that most of our orders should be processed over the next 3-4 days. We apologize for the delays but are very confident that when you get your new product you will find it worth while.
Logistically it is hard to respond to every clients inquiries so please communicate via email rather than a phone call.
NOTE: You will be sent email when your item ships which will contain shipping tracking information.
Thanks for your patience.
Tony Schwartz"
4. The iPhones reappeared on the globalretailweb.com website a day or two later, this time instead of being the original $470 they were now $680. This was very confusing to me. Anyway, the reappearance of the iPhones on the site indicated to me "Ok, they must have gotten their stock in and should be shipping within a day or so." Fast forward 2 more days. Still no change in my order and my card has officially been debited by Hydraficient LLC. It had now been about 5 days and I am getting very antsy about the whole debaucle. I have scoured the internet and from what I found regarding Tony Schwartz, Hydraficient, and GRW, began to grow very uncomfortable with my decision to purchase. So, I send an e-mail to the company on day 6 and stated that I had still had not seen any change to my order status. I immediately received the same e-mail from above back, verbatim. This made me furious, so I immediately sent back an e-mail requesting him to CANCEL my order and refund my Visa card. I am now waiting for that to happen. If it is refunded then I am done with this, if not, I have already talked to my bank and am ready to file a dispute with the charge and his company. In addition to that, I will certainly notify the Internet Crime and Fraud Center: IC3 at
As for now, I guess it is a waiting game. I will post the results when the situation has any outcome.
Here is some light reading from another one of Tony Schwartzs satisfied customers.
[URL="http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/joecellfreeenergydevice/message/22319"]
BEWARE AND DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS POOR EXAMPLE OF A COMPANY.
Like a dummy, I too placed an order with this company. I guess out of sheer excitement of getting an iPhone, I was wearing rose colored glasses and failed to see this "business" for what it really seems to be. I negligently looked over clear warning signs that should have reached out and hit me in the face screaming "SCAM!!!" Some of those are:
1. As mentioned previously they use a free website storefront using Intuit who, by the way, I called and asked questions regarding this web site. They would tell me nothing about it and when I asked if they make habit of allowing fraudulent businesses to use there services, said that they don't monitor for that kind of activity unless they are selling drugs, explosives or firearms! Great policy....anyway...
2. Sketchy customer service protocol. I mean, WTF? Don't call us??? and the fact that the phone number isn't even listed on the website. Shady. Well I did call them...more later...
3. They have an Are we a Scam? disclaimer, enough said.
4. Shipping policies seem to be set up to make people wait, while they are running away with your money.
5. They charged my card, and still no word of any change in shipping status.
After I ordered my iPhone, I logged in 2 days later and lo and behold, any reference to the iPhone had disappeared from the site. My order status was the same. I e-mailed the company using the FREE Google address asking why iPhones were no longer available and if it was going to affect my order. I got nothing in return, so I called the number I got from the initial order confirmation e-mail. I was greeted by a guy named Tony Schwartz (look him up with the word "hydraficient" on Google and you'll see he doesn't have the best track record out there). Anyway, Tony says that they are having delays with the shipper and that it will be delayed for 2-3 days. But that I shouldn't worry. He said that they took iPhones off the internet temporarily so they wouldn't become inundated with orders. He was very smooth on the phone and at the time made me feel a little better. He said that if I didn't hear anything by weeks end, to "e-mail" the company at the end of the week. I then received the e-mail he was referencing:
"We apologize but from time to time orders are delayed. This is one of those times. One of our key vendors had some problems with their shipments to us over the past week which has caused some logistical issues to what is normally a pretty smooth process.
It appears that the shipping schedule is coming back onlne and that most of our orders should be processed over the next 3-4 days. We apologize for the delays but are very confident that when you get your new product you will find it worth while.
Logistically it is hard to respond to every clients inquiries so please communicate via email rather than a phone call.
NOTE: You will be sent email when your item ships which will contain shipping tracking information.
Thanks for your patience.
Tony Schwartz"
4. The iPhones reappeared on the globalretailweb.com website a day or two later, this time instead of being the original $470 they were now $680. This was very confusing to me. Anyway, the reappearance of the iPhones on the site indicated to me "Ok, they must have gotten their stock in and should be shipping within a day or so." Fast forward 2 more days. Still no change in my order and my card has officially been debited by Hydraficient LLC. It had now been about 5 days and I am getting very antsy about the whole debaucle. I have scoured the internet and from what I found regarding Tony Schwartz, Hydraficient, and GRW, began to grow very uncomfortable with my decision to purchase. So, I send an e-mail to the company on day 6 and stated that I had still had not seen any change to my order status. I immediately received the same e-mail from above back, verbatim. This made me furious, so I immediately sent back an e-mail requesting him to CANCEL my order and refund my Visa card. I am now waiting for that to happen. If it is refunded then I am done with this, if not, I have already talked to my bank and am ready to file a dispute with the charge and his company. In addition to that, I will certainly notify the Internet Crime and Fraud Center: IC3 at
As for now, I guess it is a waiting game. I will post the results when the situation has any outcome.
Here is some light reading from another one of Tony Schwartzs satisfied customers.
[URL="http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/joecellfreeenergydevice/message/22319"]
BEWARE AND DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS POOR EXAMPLE OF A COMPANY.
Years ago I found a great deal on eBay for a new in box PowerMac G4 and 17" Cinema Display. I jumped on the deal due to the seller having very high positive feedback. The story was very similar to the Global Retail one. However this seller had a website with a phone number and I actually spoke with the owner who reassured me it was just an unfortunate delay and the system would eventually ship. After filing a police report I finally got my money back. Unfortunately many others did not.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/04/11/grifter_jailed_for_mac_auction/
Moral of the story, trust no one, and buy from an authorized reseller. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/04/11/grifter_jailed_for_mac_auction/
Moral of the story, trust no one, and buy from an authorized reseller. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
A web site with a gmail address and no phone number is by definition a scam. If a price looks too good to be true, it is also a scam or stolen merchandise. Also the web site gives no refund/return policies - another sign of a scam.
It's a scam.
Don't think you have to argue with the guy: look at his join date. He probably owns the site. Plus, such a large online webshop as emercys projects, wouldn't use eCommerce to set it up.