Let’s upset the faux Apple cart

Carolina Milanesi, Research Vice-President at information technology researcher and adviser Gartner, says in a recent study on the global tablet market, “Many PC vendors and phone manufacturers are launching products in the media tablet market. Everybody wants a piece of the pie.”

And with new operating platforms flooding the market, alternative and lesser-known brands are increasingly becoming popular among consumers. About 119 million media tablets are expected to sell this year worldwide, and the forecast for 2016 stands at 370 million pieces, according to Gartner. The chances of coming across a fake tablet are quite high.

Android attacks

UK-based brand protection company OpSec Security says consumers need to be wary of counterfeit tablet computers, especially in light of the hundreds of new Android models that have surfaced this year. The diverse channels where tablets can be bought, especially online shopping platforms, are ‘anonymous yet attractive venues for counterfeiters to sell illicit goods in bulk at suspiciously low prices,’ OpSec notes in its latest report, released during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Hundreds of Android tablets priced at an unrealistically modest $100 (about Dh367) and found on popular e-commerce sites, such as Alibaba, DHgate, EC21, Made-in-China and TradeKey, are very likely fake, say anti-corruption organisations. Deal-of-the-day websites that lure customers with coupons, vouchers and quick deals are also in the cross hairs of anti-counterfeit bodies. The largest such website globally, Groupon, has had its fair share of problems, starting with counterfeit ‘bargains’ on Tissot watches on its Chinese website and fake coupon emails sent out by spammers. There have been cases of phoney tablets too, as reported on websites eBay and Livespace.

It is always advisable to cross-check if the e-commerce website in question is mentioned on a list of unauthorised sellers regularly published by anti-fraud organisations. For example, Monstercable.com lists hundreds of online sellers where customers may receive counterfeit or fraudulent products upon purchase. Interestingly, this list also contains Cobone.com, a deal-of-the-day website popular in the Arab region. “Cobone.com Electronics is one of the most successful online sales channels in the Middle East for electronics,” says Pieter Sleeboom, Chief Strategy and Market Development Officer, in an interview with GN Focus. “I am not sure about the credibility of this list. We have a full quality control process whereby we check and inspect all our suppliers and their products before they are featured on the Cobone.com website,” he says.

“All our products are genuine, come with a supplier warranty, are from trusted brands and have the best price in the market,” Sleeboom adds.

On an online platform

It can be quite difficult to recognise a counterfeit tablet in a virtual marketplace, but there are various clues that one should watch out for. For instance, the tablet is most likely fake if:

• Its price is too good to be true.

• The image of the product on the sales page differs from the actual tablet or does not show the promised features.

• The product description has erroneous language or contains technical mistakes.

• There is no provision for a warranty or refund policy.

• The location of the seller and/or their contact details cannot be determined or confirmed.

• The model number of the item is not displayed.

• Payment has to be made in advance and/or solely through direct payment channels such as PayPal or through money remittance services such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

• The product seller is not on the list of the manufacturer’s authorised sellers.

Inside a store

The product you see in the shop is most likely phoney if:

• The price is unbelievably low.

• The retailer does not provide a warranty or refund policy.

• The product has colours and/or other design features unusual for the brand.

• The product packaging is absent, looks unusual, has no serial or model numbers, no manufacturer’s address or shows low-quality printing.

• The bargain product has slightly different measurements or is slightly heavier or lighter than the original.

• The product has misplaced cable plugs, which can be built-in upside down or have broken connectors.

• The display quality is bad and the screen darker than that of the original.

• The charger and connecting cables are not OEM products or there are no accessories at all.

• A tablet poses as an iPad but after switching on, an Android operating system starts up.

So how can one avoid getting scammed at all costs?

• Buy from an authorised dealer or directly from the manufacturer’s online or street shop.

• Don’t trust discounts of more than 10 per cent.

• Insist on a receipt and warranty certificate.

• Inspect packaging, labelling, colour and product description.

• Check operating system and software if buying at a shop.