Avoid buying from ****** Technology - Faulty products, no quality control and liars

[polys]

I apologise for this huge post. Maybe it interests only the people that buy boxes in large amounts from Chinese sellers on alibaba/aliexpress. This is only to share my experience with ******, so other buyers do not have the same experience with a seller that proved to sell bad hardware, bad QC (if any) and lie to their customers.

A few months ago I made the mistake (as it turned out) to order a few M8 boxes from ****** Technology from Alibaba.

Three of the boxes had constantly the same issue: after a few minutes of video playback (on GoMovies and subsequently Genesis) they would show a black screen and the blue light would stay on. Plugging the power out and then back in wouldn’t turn on the box. They would only turn on after 10-15 mins which proved that it was a heating issue and the boxes would power on only after they had cooled down enough.

I tried every single ROM on Freaktab (Finless 1.7/1.8, Stane’s Android/Linux, JustMe Roms, LifeForce rom) and I had the same problem on all three boxes. I had marked these boxes with a pen on their MAC address sticker at the bottom to distinguish them from the good ones. For one of the boxes, I added Arctic Cooling MX-4 paste between the CPU and the heatsink but this didn’t fix the problem. In the process, I lost the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw (you will read later why this is “relevant”).
So I contacted ****** through emails and specifically a woman employee (let’s call her Jane). She was kind enough to help me by providing links to their “latest” firmware which was dated April 18. I tried that firmware and I had the same issue.

So I asked Jane if I could get replacement units but she said that they couldn’t provide replacements unless I sent the problematic units back (fair enough). I asked whether they should pay for the shipping to China but she said that I should pay it and even though I didn’t agree (since they were clearly faulty units from the factory), I accepted and sent the three boxes back (without any accessories) after paying 26 euros shipping via EMS.

After they had received the boxes, I was told by Jane on Skype that the technical department would test the boxes to check if they indeed had issues. I specifically asked that I wanted new M8 boxes (without their accessories) or even the same ones but with the hardware fixed (PCB or whatever). After a week, I was finally told that they had shipped the boxes. After asking Jane if they had sent new boxes she said “Yes” and even put a smily face.

I received the boxes after 3-4 days (DHL). I opened the box and indeed found three M8 boxes inside. Guess what? They were the same three boxes that I had sent them. All three had the pen writing which I used to mark them as the faulty ones and the same MAC addresses (I took a picture of all three before I sent them and confirmed). One of them was missing the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw and when I opened it up it still had the thermal paste that I had added!!! Proves that they didn’t even open the box or else they would have bothered to add the missing pad (unless they are that cheap).
I turned the boxes on and it prompted me to choose a launcher, proof#1 that they didn’t test anything or maybe they just chose a specific launcher to launch “once”. I went on the settings and saw the firmware dated 18 April 2014 (!!!) same one that I was sent links to install before I shipped them back to China. I opened the XBMC app (Gotham 13.0 Beta!!!) and it gave me the “Preparing for first run” message, proof#2 that they didn’t even open XBMC to test.

I installed Genesis on the boxes and started playing a video hoping that they actually did change something that it was not obvious to me. They all gave a black screen after a few minutes as before. I was shocked and appalled by ******.

I contacted Jane on Skype asking why she lied to me about sending new boxes and if they had even tested them. Her reply was “the three boxes are run well now , we flashed it with our firmware. You can test them”. She basically admitted lying to me about sending new ones and the only thing they did was install their firmware. I sent three boxes all the way around the world just for them to insert a toothpick in the box, plug in an SD card with their crappy 8 month old firmware and sent them back.

I told her that I had tested them and still had the problem and her reply was “but our QC test it for one day, he said all run well”. I then asked for three brand new boxes to be sent to me and she said that they cannot send a new replacement but “help to fix them”. I told her that they should have fixed them when they had the chance and that I wasn’t going to do their job. She basically admitted that they didn’t try to fix the hardware problem and that she lied to me about sending new ones. She said that she cannot make the decision of sending new replacements and that she would report it to her manager the next day.

Then she said (this is funny): “we also help you to fix them , but you insisted them not work well. we do not know what kinds of addons you add on the xbmc. if you add to much on them , it is affect the tv box speed”. So we’re not only talking about liars but we are also talking about either incompetent sellers or sellers that try to fool their customers. I wasn’t even talking about box speed and the number of addons that I had installed. A single addon (Genesis) installed, a video playback and black screen after a few minutes.

The next day (Friday) I asked her on Skype 4-5 times (within a few hours) if she had spoken with her manager. I got no response, even though she was online. Then, she went offline. Today, Monday, she was kind enough to reply after three hours and insisted that it was a software problem but offered a discount if I order more boxes from them. I declined since I am not willing to give them a cent from my money.

This is it. I got faulty boxes, sent them for replacement, was lied to that I would receive new replacement while they just installed their own firmware and shipped them back. Bottom line, avoid ****** for your own peace of mind. They have crap hardware, crap customer service and lie to paying customers.

[veclinux]

I apologise for this huge post. Maybe it interests only the people that buy boxes in large amounts from Chinese sellers on alibaba/aliexpress. This is only to share my experience with ******, so other buyers do not have the same experience with a seller that proved to sell bad hardware, bad QC (if any) and lie to their customers.

A few months ago I made the mistake (as it turned out) to order a few M8 boxes from ****** Technology from Alibaba.

Three of the boxes had constantly the same issue: after a few minutes of video playback (on GoMovies and subsequently Genesis) they would show a black screen and the blue light would stay on. Plugging the power out and then back in wouldn’t turn on the box. They would only turn on after 10-15 mins which proved that it was a heating issue and the boxes would power on only after they had cooled down enough.

I tried every single ROM on Freaktab (Finless 1.7/1.8, Stane’s Android/Linux, JustMe Roms, LifeForce rom) and I had the same problem on all three boxes. I had marked these boxes with a pen on their MAC address sticker at the bottom to distinguish them from the good ones. For one of the boxes, I added Arctic Cooling MX-4 paste between the CPU and the heatsink but this didn’t fix the problem. In the process, I lost the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw (you will read later why this is “relevant”).
So I contacted ****** through emails and specifically a woman employee (let’s call her Jane). She was kind enough to help me by providing links to their “latest” firmware which was dated April 18. I tried that firmware and I had the same issue.

So I asked Jane if I could get replacement units but she said that they couldn’t provide replacements unless I sent the problematic units back (fair enough). I asked whether they should pay for the shipping to China but she said that I should pay it and even though I didn’t agree (since they were clearly faulty units from the factory), I accepted and sent the three boxes back (without any accessories) after paying 26 euros shipping via EMS.

After they had received the boxes, I was told by Jane on Skype that the technical department would test the boxes to check if they indeed had issues. I specifically asked that I wanted new M8 boxes (without their accessories) or even the same ones but with the hardware fixed (PCB or whatever). After a week, I was finally told that they had shipped the boxes. After asking Jane if they had sent new boxes she said “Yes” and even put a smily face.

I received the boxes after 3-4 days (DHL). I opened the box and indeed found three M8 boxes inside. Guess what? They were the same three boxes that I had sent them. All three had the pen writing which I used to mark them as the faulty ones and the same MAC addresses (I took a picture of all three before I sent them and confirmed). One of them was missing the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw and when I opened it up it still had the thermal paste that I had added!!! Proves that they didn’t even open the box or else they would have bothered to add the missing pad (unless they are that cheap).
I turned the boxes on and it prompted me to choose a launcher, proof#1 that they didn’t test anything or maybe they just chose a specific launcher to launch “once”. I went on the settings and saw the firmware dated 18 April 2014 (!!!) same one that I was sent links to install before I shipped them back to China. I opened the XBMC app (Gotham 13.0 Beta!!!) and it gave me the “Preparing for first run” message, proof#2 that they didn’t even open XBMC to test.

I installed Genesis on the boxes and started playing a video hoping that they actually did change something that it was not obvious to me. They all gave a black screen after a few minutes as before. I was shocked and appalled by ******.

I contacted Jane on Skype asking why she lied to me about sending new boxes and if they had even tested them. Her reply was “the three boxes are run well now , we flashed it with our firmware. You can test them”. She basically admitted lying to me about sending new ones and the only thing they did was install their firmware. I sent three boxes all the way around the world just for them to insert a toothpick in the box, plug in an SD card with their crappy 8 month old firmware and sent them back.

I told her that I had tested them and still had the problem and her reply was “but our QC test it for one day, he said all run well”. I then asked for three brand new boxes to be sent to me and she said that they cannot send a new replacement but “help to fix them”. I told her that they should have fixed them when they had the chance and that I wasn’t going to do their job. She basically admitted that they didn’t try to fix the hardware problem and that she lied to me about sending new ones. She said that she cannot make the decision of sending new replacements and that she would report it to her manager the next day.

Then she said (this is funny): “we also help you to fix them , but you insisted them not work well. we do not know what kinds of addons you add on the xbmc. if you add to much on them , it is affect the tv box speed”. So we’re not only talking about liars but we are also talking about either incompetent sellers or sellers that try to fool their customers. I wasn’t even talking about box speed and the number of addons that I had installed. A single addon (Genesis) installed, a video playback and black screen after a few minutes.

The next day (Friday) I asked her on Skype 4-5 times (within a few hours) if she had spoken with her manager. I got no response, even though she was online. Then, she went offline. Today, Monday, she was kind enough to reply after three hours and insisted that it was a software problem but offered a discount if I order more boxes from them. I declined since I am not willing to give them a cent from my money.

This is it. I got faulty boxes, sent them for replacement, was lied to that I would receive new replacement while they just installed their own firmware and shipped them back. Bottom line, avoid ****** for your ow n peace of mind. They have crap hardware, crap customer service and lie to paying customers.

Thanks for the info!!!...................I am sure there are many tv box resellers here that have to deal with the various Chinese sellers usually on aliexpress/alibaba might be nice if people using these sellers would give recommendations
to sellers with good quality and service so the rest of us could avoid the pitfalls as mentioned here. That being said and I know acemax has gotten a lot of flack here but they have been spot on with me both with tech questions shipping speed price and supplying software downloads. I have also dealt with Hongkong Xincheng Tech http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1268367 and had really good luck both in price and service and decent products..............maybe others can leave some positive results here as to save us newbies the hit and miss syndrome..................

Cheers,
Vec

[Matthewmaldivs]

I apologise for this huge post. Maybe it interests only the people that buy boxes in large amounts from Chinese sellers on alibaba/aliexpress. This is only to share my experience with ******, so other buyers do not have the same experience with a seller that proved to sell bad hardware, bad QC (if any) and lie to their customers.

A few months ago I made the mistake (as it turned out) to order a few M8 boxes from ****** Technology from Alibaba.

Three of the boxes had constantly the same issue: after a few minutes of video playback (on GoMovies and subsequently Genesis) they would show a black screen and the blue light would stay on. Plugging the power out and then back in wouldn’t turn on the box. They would only turn on after 10-15 mins which proved that it was a heating issue and the boxes would power on only after they had cooled down enough.

I tried every single ROM on Freaktab (Finless 1.7/1.8, Stane’s Android/Linux, JustMe Roms, LifeForce rom) and I had the same problem on all three boxes. I had marked these boxes with a pen on their MAC address sticker at the bottom to distinguish them from the good ones. For one of the boxes, I added Arctic Cooling MX-4 paste between the CPU and the heatsink but this didn’t fix the problem. In the process, I lost the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw (you will read later why this is “relevant”).
So I contacted ****** through emails and specifically a woman employee (let’s call her Jane). She was kind enough to help me by providing links to their “latest” firmware which was dated April 18. I tried that firmware and I had the same issue.

So I asked Jane if I could get replacement units but she said that they couldn’t provide replacements unless I sent the problematic units back (fair enough). I asked whether they should pay for the shipping to China but she said that I should pay it and even though I didn’t agree (since they were clearly faulty units from the factory), I accepted and sent the three boxes back (without any accessories) after paying 26 euros shipping via EMS.

After they had received the boxes, I was told by Jane on Skype that the technical department would test the boxes to check if they indeed had issues. I specifically asked that I wanted new M8 boxes (without their accessories) or even the same ones but with the hardware fixed (PCB or whatever). After a week, I was finally told that they had shipped the boxes. After asking Jane if they had sent new boxes she said “Yes” and even put a smily face.

I received the boxes after 3-4 days (DHL). I opened the box and indeed found three M8 boxes inside. Guess what? They were the same three boxes that I had sent them. All three had the pen writing which I used to mark them as the faulty ones and the same MAC addresses (I took a picture of all three before I sent them and confirmed). One of them was missing the lower right plastic pad that covers the screw and when I opened it up it still had the thermal paste that I had added!!! Proves that they didn’t even open the box or else they would have bothered to add the missing pad (unless they are that cheap).
I turned the boxes on and it prompted me to choose a launcher, proof#1 that they didn’t test anything or maybe they just chose a specific launcher to launch “once”. I went on the settings and saw the firmware dated 18 April 2014 (!!!) same one that I was sent links to install before I shipped them back to China. I opened the XBMC app (Gotham 13.0 Beta!!!) and it gave me the “Preparing for first run” message, proof#2 that they didn’t even open XBMC to test.

I installed Genesis on the boxes and started playing a video hoping that they actually did change something that it was not obvious to me. They all gave a black screen after a few minutes as before. I was shocked and appalled by ******.

I contacted Jane on Skype asking why she lied to me about sending new boxes and if they had even tested them. Her reply was “the three boxes are run well now , we flashed it with our firmware. You can test them”. She basically admitted lying to me about sending new ones and the only thing they did was install their firmware. I sent three boxes all the way around the world just for them to insert a toothpick in the box, plug in an SD card with their crappy 8 month old firmware and sent them back.

I told her that I had tested them and still had the problem and her reply was “but our QC test it for one day, he said all run well”. I then asked for three brand new boxes to be sent to me and she said that they cannot send a new replacement but “help to fix them”. I told her that they should have fixed them when they had the chance and that I wasn’t going to do their job. She basically admitted that they didn’t try to fix the hardware problem and that she lied to me about sending new ones. She said that she cannot make the decision of sending new replacements and that she would report it to her manager the next day.

Then she said (this is funny): “we also help you to fix them , but you insisted them not work well. we do not know what kinds of addons you add on the xbmc. if you add to much on them , it is affect the tv box speed”. So we’re not only talking about liars but we are also talking about either incompetent sellers or sellers that try to fool their customers. I wasn’t even talking about box speed and the number of addons that I had installed. A single addon (Genesis) installed, a video playback and black screen after a few minutes.

The next day (Friday) I asked her on Skype 4-5 times (within a few hours) if she had spoken with her manager. I got no response, even though she was online. Then, she went offline. Today, Monday, she was kind enough to reply after three hours and insisted that it was a software problem but offered a discount if I order more boxes from them. I declined since I am not willing to give them a cent from my money.

This is it. I got faulty boxes, sent them for replacement, was lied to that I would receive new replacement while they just installed their own firmware and shipped them back. Bottom line, avoid ****** for your own peace of mind. They have crap hardware, crap customer service and lie to paying customers.

Hey friend,don't angry anymore ! I think something must be bother you,so you write a so long works on Freaktab .I think you need to solve it rather than defame ******. I think you must be the millesimal clients to happen this.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said: Don't blame anymore from Alibaba,thus you skimping..
I think you should not work with ******, for the first time,right? Why don't you know that gratitude ******'s good for you?
I have no other meanings, I just want to tell you gratitude rather than defame ...

Thanks

Matthewmaldives

[bluesmanuk]

Hey friend,don't angry anymore ! I think something must be bother you,so you write a so long works on Freaktab .I think you need to solve it rather than defame ******. I think you must be the millesimal clients to happen this.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said: Don't blame anymore from Alibaba,thus you skimping..
I think you should not work with ******, for the first time,right? Why don't you know that gratitude ******'s good for you?
I have no other meanings, I just want to tell you gratitude rather than defame ...

Thanks

Matthewmaldives

How can you expect to give somebody gratitude when they have given you a very poor service?

How can you make such an assertion about this being millesimal, without providing statistical facts?

Do you perhaps work for Jack Ma or Yitate?

[no_spam_for_me]

BTW:
****** also like to SPAM here at the forum without to be an 'official' advertiser... Something we don't like at FT.

[polys]

Hey friend,don't angry anymore ! I think something must be bother you,so you write a so long works on Freaktab .I think you need to solve it rather than defame ******. I think you must be the millesimal clients to happen this.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said: Don't blame anymore from Alibaba,thus you skimping..
I think you should not work with ******, for the first time,right? Why don't you know that gratitude ******'s good for you?
I have no other meanings, I just want to tell you gratitude rather than defame ...

Thanks

Matthewmaldives

Yes, congratulations. I wouldn't write this long post if something didn't bother me with ******.

If you took the time to read my post (I guess you didn't), then you would understand that I tried to solve this directly with them. I spent money to sent back the defective boxes which they didn't fix.

It was my first order from ****** and unfortunately they proved that they don't deserve my gratitude since 3/10 boxes were faulty and they had the chance to make things right when i sent them back, but they didn't and even lied to me that they would sent new ones.

[Ronin]

Thanks for posting about your experience with ******. It really socks that Chinese Co. Have no appreciation for long term business relationship their only interest is to make a quick buck. That said, the Concept of warranty and return policy is virtually a foreign concept in Asia. Let me play devils advocate for a minute... Let's be honest with ourselves as we only have ourselves to blame for feeling ripped off by companies like ******, Eny tech, etc..
These guys are selling at such low prices it really doesn't factor in a proper qa or service dept. Further more.. They all claim to be. "factory" when In truth some are 6 person operations literally buying preassembled pcba and snapping them together with their plastic shells..Just talk to charbax. Some of these outfits are just clearing houses who buy from the big guys... Operations like this would not have proper budgets and margins to have a proper repair depot. This is why a lot of them are limited to "providing" their firmware flash as a fix. I know because we're still waiting for resolution to some things and all they have done is offered firmware.

I can't put all Chinese companies in the same basket as some of them have learned to do proper business but for most this is the norm. It's the Chinese way and it goes all the way back... China is the first to come up with the fast and furious... "sell fast and furious and run away just as fast". How else is China's economy able to catch up to us economy so fast?
Unless your planning to buy 1k and up or you have a "guy" in China who will babysit your supplier for you then unfortunately it's a coin toss for those alibaba/alieexpress victims err... Customers.
. What I do recommend is to support your reputable local supplier they may have a little higher prices than alieexpress but they may also offer warranty of some sort. Or go through places like Amazon and **** where you have some dispute resolution options.

Yes, congratulations. I wouldn't write this long post if something didn't bother me with ******.

If you took the time to read my post (I guess you didn't), then you would understand that I tried to solve this directly with them. I spent money to sent back the defective boxes which they didn't fix.

It was my first order from ****** and unfortunately they proved that they don't deserve my gratitude since 3/10 boxes were faulty and they had the chance to make things right when i sent them back, but they didn't and even lied to me that they would sent new ones.

[Crows]

I've had the same experience with a 20-25% failure rate from 30 boxes, what do you guys recommend as an alternative box that is reliable? I like these boxes but the batch I bought had some serious heat related issues. I need to purchase another 30 odd boxes.

[Ronin]

Did you deal with ****** also? With 20-25% failure rate how was their after sales service? Did they honour warranty and resolve issue or did they give you the run around. A little more detail would be appreciated by others in the same boat or future possible victimes err... customers.

I've had the same experience with a 20-25% failure rate from 30 boxes, what do you guys recommend as an alternative box that is reliable? I like these boxes but the batch I bought had some serious heat related issues. I need to purchase another 30 odd boxes.

[barnesy91]

I have ordered roughly 60 boxes in total from Shenzhen ****** Technology (MX, M8's and MXIII's) and never had any problems with any of the boxes. Guessing its the same place?

Also, I find the service brilliant too, I deal with a lady called Regina, and she is excellent.

No excuse for not even checking the boxes at all though, Thats pretty disgraceful.

I'm due to send two boxes back that a customer has damaged to be repaired, so will be interesting to see how this goes.

[Ronin]

Please keep us posted on how the return/replacement works out.

I have ordered roughly 60 boxes in total from Shenzhen ****** Technology (MX, M8's and MXIII's) and never had any problems with any of the boxes. Guessing its the same place?

Also, I find the service brilliant too, I deal with a lady called Regina, and she is excellent.

No excuse for not even checking the boxes at all though, Thats pretty disgraceful.

I'm due to send two boxes back that a customer has damaged to be repaired, so will be interesting to see how this goes.

[polys]

I have ordered roughly 60 boxes in total from Shenzhen ****** Technology (MX, M8's and MXIII's) and never had any problems with any of the boxes. Guessing its the same place?

Also, I find the service brilliant too, I deal with a lady called Regina, and she is excellent.

No excuse for not even checking the boxes at all though, Thats pretty disgraceful.

I'm due to send two boxes back that a customer has damaged to be repaired, so will be interesting to see how this goes.

Yes, I'm talking about the same company. Maybe I was unlucky and got boxes from a bad batch. That's fine. My problem is how they dealt with the issue.

I was also dealing with the same lady, Regina Lu. She was indeed very helpful before sending my boxes back and until they received them. My main complaint is that she lied to me saying they would replace them with new ones although i got the same ones back, unfixed and only flashed with their 8 month old FW. And after I told her that nothing had been fixed and that I was lied to, she would give me stupid excuses that I install many addons and that it's now a hardware problem etc.

Maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe she was also lied to by the technical department/QC that they would sent new ones. However, I wasn't exchanging emails or talking to Skype with them. I was talking with her, and being a sales person who deals with customers, she is supposed to be the image of the company.

[barnesy91]

Yes, I'm talking about the same company. Maybe I was unlucky and got boxes from a bad batch. That's fine. My problem is how they dealt with the issue.

I was also dealing with the same lady, Regina Lu. She was indeed very helpful before sending my boxes back and until they received them. My main complaint is that she lied to me saying they would replace them with new ones although i got the same ones back, unfixed and only flashed with their 8 month old FW. And after I told her that nothing had been fixed and that I was lied to, she would give me stupid excuses that I install many addons and that it's now a hardware problem etc.

Maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe she was also lied to by the technical department/QC that they would sent new ones. However, I wasn't exchanging emails or talking to Skype with them. I was talking with her, and being a sales person who deals with customers, she is supposed to be the image of the company.

Will be interesting to see how the replacement of my boxes goes then, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

I wont hold my breath, But if the after service is no good when I need it, I'll be buying my boxes elsewhere.

Thanks for this info mate.

[polys]

Will be interesting to see how the replacement of my boxes goes then, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

I wont hold my breath, But if the after service is no good when I need it, I'll be buying my boxes elsewhere.

Thanks for this info mate.

Hopefully you will get better treatment than I did, even if this may be because someone from ****** saw this post and wants to prove me wrong

[tvboxguy]

I am also doing business with this group. I'm on my second order as I am just waiting for it to arrive. First order was good.

I was thinking. Assuming that you're using Escrow to pay. Why don't/didn't you test out the units as soon as you received them? If they don't resolve the situation to your satisfaction, open a dispute.

From what they have told me, they have a 15 day window for you to test the units after you receive them. If any are defective within 15 days of receiving them, they will cover bi-directional shipping costs.

Lastly, why has their company name been muted in this thread? I would love for us to keep a log of our on-going experience with these suppliers. If we can work our way towards a supplier that covers everything properly from sales to service, I'm sure we would all benefit from knowing who that is. If things ever go sour with our current supplier, we will need a plan B supplier and it would be good to have one in mind instead of shooting in the dark.

@barnesy91

Would love for you to keep us apprised on your service experience.

**subscribed**