I purchased mobile iphone5 from kogan yesterday. After I open the mobile pack I received a call from US asking for a person named Sharon. Upon realising that there was a mistake, the caller immediately hung up. Not long after, I received two text messages addressed to a 'Sharon'. I have reason to believe that the phone that I purchased was a second hand phone. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this???????
My wife ordered an LG G3 32gb from them
they agreed to cancel her original order and send her one of the 'in stock' 16gb ones plus refund the difference.
I've ordered things from them and had no problems, but I don't trust them any more than any other grey importer; we've had much better service from DWI and eglobal.
You are confused. Your wife was the importer of an overseas model mobile phone. NOT Kogan HK P/L. Their was no "grey importer". There was a private import of a mobile phone. Your wife was the private importer.
The same would be the case with the two other sellers you mentioned.
My gf bought a z2 off a friend who buys heaps of phones, and had got a 2 z2s, one from kogan and one from eBay. Hers broke, and she wasn't sure which one she had and the friend was overseas and unable to help much. The kogan invoice had no serial or imei on it. So she emailed kogan saying her broken phone might be from them or someone else, would they be able to check if she provided the serial number.
They didn't even ask for it, just told her to send it back and they replaced it. So they provided warranty service knowing that they might not have provided the broken phone. Which is pretty solid customer service
I'm fairly sure it is quite illegal to sell mobile phones with sim cards included (without the AMPTA form correctly filled out). Report them (and yes, they obviously sent you a refurbished/used/repacked phone). I also believe that is illegal in Australia (but could be wrong).
I'm fairly sure it is quite illegal to sell mobile phones with sim cards included
In Australia perhaps. This seller/supplier is in Hong Kong.
(without the AMPTA form correctly filled out).
I don't know what this AMPTA is - but again, this would be some Australian thing.
Report them (and yes, they obviously sent you a refurbished/used/repacked phone).
Report 'them' to who/where?
I also believe that is illegal in Australia (but could be wrong).
The seller is a Hong Kong entity, well away from any Australian laws and/or legislation.
The only one at fault, and the one who could be charged and or fined for any breach of Australian law or legislation would be the importer. In this case the OP.
I'm fairly sure it is quite illegal to sell mobile phones with sim cards included (without the AMPTA form correctly filled out). Report them (and yes, they obviously sent you a refurbished/used/repacked phone). I also believe that is illegal in Australia (but could be wrong).
I don't know that much about Hong Kong laws regarding mobile phones and SIM cards. However, are you suggesting that this be reported to the Hong Kong Police?
My wife purchased a Lumia 1020 from Kogan recently. She received the German version, with German adapters (easily fixed, but an additional cost we weren't expecting) and German pre-installed apps (not so easily fixed as we're not too sure how to get the Australian equivalents). Overall not the best experience.
My wife purchased [and imported] a Lumia 1020 from [a Hong Kong seller called] Kogan [Hong Kong Limited] recently. She received the German version, with German adapters [that were not legal in Australia] (easily fixed, but an additional cost we weren't expecting) and German pre-installed apps (not so easily fixed as we're not too sure how to get the Australian equivalents). Overall not the best experience.
There are always risks when buying mobile phones (any electronic items really) from an overseas supplier, and then importing them yourself.
You can never be 100% sure of what you may actually receive.
You may not be able to make use of any manufacturers warranty without having to send the item back to the market in which it was first sold/supplied. In your case this may well have been in Europe (Germany).
You will have no consumer protection under Australia's Fair Trading and/or Consumer Protection Legislation.
So, you have to hope that the overseas supplier (or their local agent, if they have one) will help you in having any problems rectified or resolved. In the case of any repairs, unauthorised parts and repairers may be used.
Even if the supplier, or their local agent, does assist you - unless they replace your item without requiring it to be inspected (which still may take a week or more) you may be without the item for many weeks while it is sent overseas to be inspected and repaired or replaced.
There really must be a very large saving in order to make the risks acceptable.
Settings—> Phone —> My number
does it show anything?
My Personal Opinion:
Just dont buy from Kogan, Ruslan Kogan made all his fortune from importing garbage and re-selling it locally with his stupid website clearly displaying: "Australia's Largest Online Retailer"
Out of 10 people, you will find 6 of them had some sort of issue from dodgy phones (as per OP), bad customer service, bad after-sales support, crappy return policy, you name it
My mate bought an S5 Galaxy, came with some foreign language pre-set - hard enough to find your way to set it to English…. sure it's a grey-import. the screen later separated from the phohe on the top left hand, 6 weeks later after an RMA, the screen came off again. He threw it in the bin.
My mate bought an S5 Galaxy, came with some foreign language pre-set - hard enough to find your way to set it to English…. sure it's a grey-import. the screen later separated from the phohe on the top left hand, 6 weeks later after an RMA, the screen came off again. He threw it in the bin.
Your mate imported a phone that was intended for some foreign market - not for Australia.
It is not a "grey import". Well at least not now. Right now it is a privately imported foreign market phone. If he sold it to someone else, the buyer could then say they purchased a grey market phone from a private importer.
There are risks when buying from an overseas supplier and privately importing any electronic item. Please see my more detailed post above.
As for your personal opinion regarding (I assume) the two Kogan businesses -Kogan Australia and Kogan Hong Kong.
Just dont buy from Kogan, Ruslan Kogan made all his fortune from importing garbage and re-selling it locally with his stupid website clearly displaying: "Australia's Largest Online Retailer"
Out of 10 people, you will find 6 of them had some sort of issue from dodgy phones (as per OP), bad customer service, bad after-sales support, crappy return policy, you name it
I agree. However, sometimes (just sometimes) the savings - while not outweighing the risks - make the risks just acceptable. In my case the combination of a Kogan HK 'sale'/special price on iPhone 5s and an eBay 20% off deal, made the risks just acceptable.
There are risks when buying from an overseas supplier and privately importing any electronic item. Please see my more detailed post above.
Yes I did, hence why I +1 voted your article
I don't mind Kogan's business model.. just STOP the "100% Australian Crap" plastered all over the site.
It's not 100% Australian. He should be sued for it.
I'm happy for him to just call it Kogam.com with a heading similar to: "Global Importer" easy.
Just like AliBaba, they can import whatever the hell you want, they just dont say "100% Australian"
My bad experience with Kogan is that I bought an s4 for 400 and then they cancelled all the orders because they claimed it was a pricing error. It was a good deal but not so low that you'd suspect a pricing error. They held onto everyone's money for about a week before returning it which would have made them a nice little bit of profit too.
You get what you pay for. This is the reason Australian retailers charge more, you are far more covered in relation to warranty, and you know what you are buying. But hey keep pissing and moaning when aussie businesses won't price match, your complaints are entertaining.
This is the reason Australian retailers charge more
That's hardly the reason, aussie business don't usually give a crap about warranty - it's the manufacturer's job.
Phones here are more expensive simply because of GST and overall things are just more expensive.
Most importers import from HK because there's no sales tax over there.
Phones here are more expensive simply because of GST and overall things are just more expensive.
Most importers import from HK because there's no sales tax over there.
Interesting. Just who are these importers? Other than the private buyers ordering from Kogan HK Limited, DWI, eGlobal, etc. I mean.
Oh, wrongly explained.
I meant the shops source phones from HK for people to import.
Yes, I purchased a S3 from them in Dec 2012 for my daughters Christmas present, 13 months later the phone has lost it's IMEI number and will not register on the network. Should have bought one locally with a 24 month warranty…Grrrrrrrr
Did you try and get it repaired (under warranty?)
I did try to get it repaired through Kogan, but once they realized it was older than 12 months I was on my own..
I will probably get it repaired under the free extended warranty that I get with my credit card, although there is a $180.00 excess it's still worth it I think.
High end phone, 12 months, 13 months - no real difference. Should be repaired under warranty.
@McFly: >
High end phone, 12 months, 13 months - no real difference. Should be repaired under warranty.
Why? Kogan HK Limited say 12 months warranty. As do many other overseas sellers. Other than 'goodwill' why should they make exceptions? They offer longer warranties - but charge extra for them.
@Fobsessive: It isn't. Why are you always referring to HK though, without knowing - as per my other post - where the invoices are coming from? (Or do you know?) If If I had to take a punt I would assume Australian invoices.
Not sure if Australian statutory warranty is binding to Kogan Hong Kong
Oh my! Why would you, even for a second, think that Australian Legislation would have anything to do with a foreign country?
We bought a Blackberry Z10 for my brother in October last year for his birthday, works perfectly, was brand new.
We bought a Blackberry Z10 for my brother in October last year for his birthday, works perfectly, was brand new.
That is nice.
From which business did you buy the Blackberry? Kogan Pty Ltd or the Hong Kong company Kogan HK Limited?
Bought an iPhone 5c from last eBay deal with Kogan. Was meant to have better battery life than my iPhone 5, but it fails . Battery life is even WORSE despite it supposedly being a new and better phone. (And including the fact that the iPhone 5 has a known battery issue which allowed for a free battery upgrade). After reading this post suspecting that phone may be a refurb. Overall would not buy from Kogan again. Plus phone has now started stuffing up time on a daily basis and Apple has not been able to help.
If even Apple can't help (with serious problems) then it sounds like you need a refund/replacement.
Bought an iPhone 5c from [Kogan HK Limited's] last eBay deal….
Was meant to have better battery life than my iPhone 5, but it fails . Battery life is even WORSE despite it supposedly being a new and better phone. (And including the fact that the iPhone 5 has a known battery issue which allowed for a free battery upgrade). After reading this post suspecting that phone may be a refurb. Overall would not buy from Kogan again. Plus phone has now started stuffing up time on a daily basis and Apple has not been able to help.
Of course, all iPhones supplied by Kogan Pty. Ltd. and by Kogan HK Limited are by definition second hand (or even third hand) and not "new".
If you call Apple Australia on 1300-321-456 and supply your phone's IMEI number you can ask several questions.
From what market does the phone come?
When was it first activated?
Was it supplied by a carrier or an Apple Store?
Is the warranty still valid and in which country/market is it valid?
At least then you can decide what would be the best course of action.
I would suggest that you book an appointment at your nearest Apple Store and request they test your phone's battery. They will probably/hopefully do this before checking the IMEI number.
You will then be able to better approach Kogan HK Limited for a repair (battery replacement).
Thank you, the battery is currently of secondary concern as the time on the phone is always out of whack and I am still sorting through with apple what my options are. I will be sure to ask them what options I have and thanks for the list of questions.
Wow ended up being covered by Apple who changed it for a new one. Pretty stoked
BOYCOTT Kogan!
I received two open-box Galaxy S3's and both were faulty and had to be returned.
They dared offered me a store credit (which even expires) instead of a cash refund.
Wasted so much time and I missed out opportunities to get local stock for the same price.
Ive received a refurbished item from Kogan as well. Got a refund. Not a pleasant experience.
Many of the 'Kogan' branded items is sourced from Alibaba, he just puts his branding on it to make it look like its worth more than it actually is.
I remember when he started selling Kogan SSD's, it got negged so hard.
LONG ASS SHIPPING TIMES
I had a bad experience buying a mobile from Kogan. I ordered an iPhone and a month later still hadn't got it (something about supply problems). So I cancelled the order and walked in the Apple store and bought one - supply issues, yeah right.
had a bad experience buying a mobile from Kogan. I ordered an iPhone and a month later still hadn't got it (something about supply problems). So I cancelled the order and walked in the Apple store and bought one - supply issues, yeah right.
Well, that would be the truth.
Just how would you expect Kogan HK Limited to get Apple iPhones? They are not an authorised Apple reseller, they are not a carrier. They have to scrounge around the second hand market for iPhones.
Yep. Mine had been fiddled with. weird USB cable included, battery inside phone, wrong adapter. Not sealed and brand new as advertised. They grey import and apparently have little consistency. I've learnt my lesson…this was a couple of years back when the Galaxy S3 was new.
Perhaps I have just been lucky, as my experience in buying a phone from Kogan was a good experience. In February 2013 I ordered a Samsung Galaxy S3 from Kogan, and received it in March. The phone was shipped directly from Hong Kong. Just a couple of days before the phone arrived, I received a usb wall charger wall plug suitable for Australia. When the phone arrived, it was in a sealed box, and it had Traditional Chinese as the default language, and the instruction booklet was in Simplified Chinese. The usb charger that came with the phone was for use in Taiwan. My wife is Chinese, and she helped me to change the default language to English.
It has been a truly great phone, no issues at all. I saved over $300 on the price. I suspect, regardless of the preceding comments that most of the phones purchased from Kogan are in fact ok. My phone was new and in a sealed box. I have retained the original emails from Kogan relating to my purchase. The so called "grey imports" can be ok and are certainly better than paying the "Australian tax", simply because we are in a small market.
Perhaps I have just been lucky,
I have also been fortunate with my only purchase from Kogan HK Limited. I imported a supposedly "brand new" iPhone 5s from this Hong Kong business via their eBay sale. Of course the phone was actually second hand, and was a USA model. It was first sold/supplied by an American carrier. It may have been bought and sold a couple of times before reaching Kogan HK Limited.
I saved over $300 on the price.
For me, that would be enough of a saving to compensate for the 'risk' involved in buying electronics from an overseas supplier. Compensation for 1) No local warranty support from SAMSUNG, 2) no two years consumer guaranty.
I suspect, regardless of the preceding comments that most of the phones purchased from Kogan [HK Limited] are in fact ok. My phone was new and in a sealed box. I have retained the original emails from Kogan relating to my purchase.
Good idea, but no longer needed as it has been over 2 months since your purchase. The Kogan HK Limited 12 month warranty has expired.
The so called "grey imports" can be ok and are certainly better than paying the "Australian tax", simply because we are in a small market.
You did not purchase an Australian "grey import". You were the importer of a Hong Kong "grey market" mobile phone from Hong Kong. A phone that was first supplied in another country, in this case it appears to have been Taiwan. If you had purchased an Australian "grey import" the GST would still need to be collected and remitted by the Australian based seller.
However, it is not legal for an Australian business to import an un-certified mobile phone, and its un-certified charger, for resale in Australia.
My Kogan experience was 8/10. Purchased an HTC One M7. Came with an additional Australian HTC-branded charger (the one is finicky about chargers, so this was good). Had an inital problem with GPS; Kogan support advised a hard reset; with that, the GPS fixed itself. Great phone for a low price. I'd probably use them again, but I'd check vendor rating sites to assess their recent performance.
What's the site that rates Australian vendors?
I purchased my phone via the Kogan Australia website, I did not deal with Kogan HK. The delivery direct from Hong Kong came as a surprise. I only mentioned that I have retained the emails, just in case some clown accused me of having some connection with the Kogan company. In my experience, forums like this are often attractive to paranoid people. I was attacked unfairly, the very first time I posted a comment on ozbargain on a very different topic.
I purchased my phone via the Kogan Australia website, I did not deal with Kogan HK.
Well, you did. The web site might end in au but that doesn't mean much really.
The delivery direct from Hong Kong came as a surprise.
The small print at the bottom of each product page says where the product is coming from.
I was attacked unfairly, the very first time I posted a comment on ozbargain on a very different topic.
I see a suspicious reply, not an unfair attack.
OP, feel cheated. Raise a campaign "Finding Sharon" (as oppose to Finding Nemo) on ACA or Today Tonight.
I bought a tablet from Kogan and it was also second-hand (it had somebody else's photos in the gallery). They must have forgotten to do a factory reset.
I bought a tablet from Kogan and it was also second-hand (it had somebody else's photos in the gallery). They must have forgotten to do a factory reset.
Huh?
Even if they had wiped it, it would still be a used tablet.
Had they re-sealed the box?
I was allured by the promise of a really good Aurora Android handset for a bargain price. Bought it on the Kogan pre-sale. On the outside it looked great. Dual Sim, Large LCD screen etc.. One of the most terrible phones I've ever had the privilege to use. Sold it before they even went on sale on the website.
I was lured by the promise of a really good Agora Android handset
Hmmm… seems to get decent reviews eg. www.cnet.com/au/products/kogan-agora-4g/2/
Yeah I bought a Samsung Galaxy s3 a few years back from Kogan. It never said it was refurbished or anything. I knew something was fishy when unboxing… I peeled back the screen protector to find a massive thumbprint already on the screen. I used the phone for a while and then had a boot issue. This is where you need to beware! When you buy from Kogan, you unknowingly sign-up for them to repair it under warranty rather than you or them sending it back to the manufacturer, so who knows what parts they are using and to what standards they are testing it!? So I had to return it to Kogan to fix. When I got it back it had exactly the same problem as when I gave it to them, so who knows what they did!? Probably nothing… I ended up calling back and asked for a full refund, which I got. Never gone back since.
My wife ordered an LG G3 32gb from them a few months ago; it was advertised as in stock. After nearly four weeks she had not even received confirmation that they had shipped it, and a phone call confirmed that it was still 'on order'.
The final straw was that she got a marketing email advertising the 16gb model for about $120 less than the 32gb model that she'd ordered (and hadn't yet received). She rang them up and gave them a blast and they agreed to cancel her original order and send her one of the 'in stock' 16gb ones plus refund the difference. She still had to wait about a fortnight for it IIRC.
I've ordered things from them and had no problems, but I don't trust them any more than any other grey importer; we've had much better service from DWI and eglobal.