[Counterfeit] Pay $2.99 S&H FREE Portable Anti-Bottle BPA Free Enviro Friend from Top Buy

LG_Man on 06/04/2011 - 10:10
Last edited 11/04/2011 - 20:01 by 1 other user

Mod: This item has been found to be counterfeit. Removed link, deal kept open for discussion purposes

Great product for everyday use! Normally $20ea, today for $0

Help the evironment and yourself!

Reusable

The Portable Anti-Bottles are completely BPA-free and are constructed of three layers of ultra-durable plastic. Every portable Anti-Bottle is designed to withstand everyday use and regular cleaning. The inner layer is odor, taste and stain resistant, so it can safely be reused again and again!

Foldable

The Anti-Bottle is designed to stand when full and can be rolled, folded or flattened when empty, making it easy to use and carry everywhere you go. Unlike rigid water bottles, that are bulky when empty, the Anti-Bottle can be easily tucked away, conveniently fitting into pockets, purses and packs. The Vapur Anti-Bottle is quite simply the most portable, reusable water bottle on the planet.

Washable

We often get asked, what is the best way to clean an Anti-Bottle? Well, good news! The Portable Anti-Bottle is dishwasher safe and cleans easily on the top rack of most dishwashers. First, remove the cap and carabiner, blow a little air into the bottle to inflate, then simply turn upside down and insert the spout over the prongs on the top rack of your dishwasher. It's that easy!

If you put any liquid other than water in your bottle, we recommend that you hand wash, using a few drops of dish soap and a bottle brush to completely remove any residue.
Freezable

You can freeze your portable Anti-Bottle for nice cold water or use it as an icepack! Fill your portable Anti-Bottle half-way, place it in the freezer overnight and then fill it the rest of the way with water in the morning. You'll have an icy-cold beverage for hours!
Attachable

It comes with a convenient carabiner, making it easy to clip to your purse, belt-loop or pack. Vapur Anti-Bottles also do not crack or dent, so there's not as much worry as with traditional rigid bottles. Just clip it and go.

Identifiable

Multiple Colours avail!

General Discussion

Comments

    • bashar20 on 19/04/2011 - 15:00

      suggest you contact TopBuy and ask for a refund.

    • jacklynhydejr on 28/04/2011 - 22:58

      .

  • edman on 20/04/2011 - 08:24

    I ordered 4 and got 4 pink. Reps comment about ensuring that multiples are different colours didn't hold up.

    • bashar20 on 20/04/2011 - 09:56

      what are you gonna do about it?

    • compingqueen on 20/04/2011 - 16:19

      so you definitely have a good enough reason to ask for a refund then

    • edman on 21/04/2011 - 10:38

      Nothing, at the end of the day they were $3 each. I haven't "lost" $12 as such, I have the product and they will be used, and its not worth the hassle.

      Whilst we may feel that we've been wronged and things have been misrepresented, I am satisfied with the resulting knowledge I have of topbuy knowing not to use them again. The way I look at it is that I'd rather be wronged with a negligible purchase than a more substantial one.

  • Durian Pancake on 20/04/2011 - 18:28

    "G_Man on 06/04/2011 - 10:31
    you can choose multip qty, as we will ensure you won't get same colour when buying multiples"

    I received 3 "vupui" fakes of the same colour. How freakin' lame is topbuy!

    • warcom on 21/04/2011 - 10:40

      Yeah I got four. lol. Vapui.

  • Darkii on 20/04/2011 - 18:59

    Same. ffs very trustworthy company. Ordered 2 and got 2 pink ones, make it worse they were fake

  • huu on 20/04/2011 - 19:08

    made in china vapui… LOL yep its a vapui not vapur shake head so the rep knows it a fake anf still post this up? G_man a rep right?

  • huu on 20/04/2011 - 19:13

    Dont think can ask for refund? coz they its free, only pay for postage, so we stuff!

    • compingqueen on 20/04/2011 - 22:05

      oh yeah, that's true. it was technically "free" in their eyes. it's still pretty crappy that everyone who ordered multiples got the same colour despite being assured by the "rep" that they wouldn't. I only ordered one, luckily.

  • stumo on 20/04/2011 - 22:07

    Mine haven't shown up yet, did they ship with registered post/courier? or just normal mail?

    • anthony on 20/04/2011 - 23:53

      The things i have ordered from topbuy have come with normal post

    • MolloKobi on 21/04/2011 - 10:36

      Normal post - no signature required. The parcel postie delivered mine as I had 3.

  • s_agno3 on 20/04/2011 - 23:05

    Havent got mine too but not too fussed. Paid$3.
    Safe to drink out of?? Any smells

    • MolloKobi on 21/04/2011 - 10:35

      Mine have no smell at all.

  • anthony on 20/04/2011 - 23:51
    +6

    I think that the G_Man should spend some time in the penalty box and/or topbuy be banned for a while.

    The rep has lied about sending duplicates of the same colour, said that they are genuine when they are not and stolen images/text from vapur.

    Neither of those 3 things should be tolerated by store representatives.

    If the bottles say "vupui" as people have suggested then it is hard for the rep to say they did not know the bottles were fake. If they were real then they would have known this because they would have been dealing with Vapur, not a Chinese factory.

  • quop on 21/04/2011 - 00:11
    +1

    hmm… wish i'd read the Experiences with Topbuy.com.au thread on whirlpool before singing up for some pink vupui bottles! the thread has 51 pages and counting, not all negative but there's enough in there to make one wary.

  • erd on 21/04/2011 - 10:55

    Same here. Just received 2 pink vapui bottles. Topbuy is not getting any more business of mine.

  • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 13:18
    +4

    Sorry to hear people have received counterfeit products and have been ripped off with possibly dangerous products (Spelling it out, there's enough evidence to not believe any seller & manufacturer claims re: this product and you are not going to "taste/smell" BPA so you use this at your own risk, may as well suck on any cheap, chemical leach-worthy plastic.

    This offer was posted at 6/4/11 10:10am. bashar20 raised the question as whether this were genuine at 11:21am. I flagged suspicions at 11:26am and posted concerns from Vapur themselves. I was really disappointed at the time to see how many people here were still keen to still buy the product and some disappointed at missing out for a while(!). I guess we can only do much to encourage people people not to take up dodgy offers.

    Re: being burnt once and learning from the mistake, people need to realise (a) they have made profit from you by selling you a 2c product for $3. They didn't have any of your money before the offer (b) they don't care if you buy from them again as you helped make their scam successful ie, they only need to scam people once to be profitable just like a robber only needs to rob each person once! If need be a website can be rebranded as a new company (clean slate) for a small amount of money to start again (as if it wasn't easy enough for shonks to do it in the "real" world).

    There were a lot of warning flags raised for those not wary - most of which could've easily been avoided by better scammers. The lesson? Get switched on now as the warning signs won't necessarily be so obvious next time or flagged by others trying to help.

    So why aren't Topbuy posts banned now and placed on this list mods? Here's hoping at least something positive will come out of it for the OzB community.

    • neil on 21/04/2011 - 13:20

      They are now banned pending some public explanation. Thanks.

      • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 13:26
        +1

        Thanks Neil! Good luck with receiving a defendable explanation from them (It's going to be tough for them to be that creative!)

        PS. Folks, plastic can be easily recycled. Here's hoping these drink bottles might end up as a suitable toilet seat rather than land fill ;-)

        • anthony on 21/04/2011 - 13:29
          +3

          Folks, plastic can be easily recycled. Here's hoping these drink bottles might end up as a suitable toilet seat rather than land fill

          Yes, if you do not want them put them in a recycling bin, not a bin which goes to land fill

        • Goolydave on 28/04/2011 - 10:29

          lets hope they weren't recycled from a toilet seat to the bottles :(

    • quop on 21/04/2011 - 14:02
      +2

      @daydream appreciate all the questions/warnings you (and others) posted. despite all this, there w/could have been no way to tell definitively that these were fakes, given that topbuy's representation was for a genuine vapur product (ie using genuine vapur product description and images). while one may/should rate the risk/likelihood higher, it's not until the actual item is received/seen that one can say for sure that what was received is not only a fake, but a pretty poor one at that (and not matching the product description).

      as for the recycling, how would you know if this is a recyclable plastic/one that should go in the council recycling bins? even if it had a relevant recycling logo on it, would you (now) trust the people who put the logo there to be telling the truth? ;)

      • anthony on 21/04/2011 - 14:10
        +1

        as for the recycling, how would you know if this is a recyclable plastic/one that should go in the council recycling bins?

        Any plastic can be recycled.

        Unknown and hard to properly recycle plastics are melted down in one large batch and used for industrial applications.

        For example rail road ties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_tie#Plastic.2FRubber_C…

        • stumo on 21/04/2011 - 15:08

          Any plastic can be recycled.

          Yeah thats fine, but its the difficulty sorting of the good plastic from the bad, which makes all plastics worthless if they are not sorted at source.

        • quop on 21/04/2011 - 15:15

          Any plastic can be recycled.

          that may be great in theory but are you sure that your council is equipped to recycle any type of plastic?

          i know my council tells me what they will and won't/can't accept.

          from Clean Up Australia's plastic recycling factsheet:

          Not all plastics are the same and your local council may only be able to recycle certain types through your kerbside recycling program. In most areas, plastics labelled 1, 2, and 3 can be recycled, although many councils are now extending their recycling programs to include those labelled 4 through 7. Check with your council for details.

          Contamination of recyclables is a problem because it raises the costs for collectors, recyclers and the community.

          Make sure you are aware about what plastics can be recycled and only put these in your recycling bins.

        • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 15:31

          Put pressure on your council to do better with your rates. Other councils have no problem setting up sustainable, cost effective programs to recycle plastics 1-7 via third parties (eg. Visy).

      • stumo on 21/04/2011 - 15:09

        I agree, I gave TopBuy the benefit of the doubt, they have been around long enough to know better.

        But I guess they really are just glorified scammers now. Never again from me.

      • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 15:23

        Using the logic (of ignoring all the warning signs highlighted by others and hoping for the best) is what the con artists love. It means you will only believe you will suffer after you have personally suffered (and there is no adverse consequence to the con as they don't need to deal with you after that)!

        So if I ask you for $50 in lieu of a new car will you give it to me? I haven't duped you before and I have pictures of a new car and I can put them on a website! I'll make sure the car isn't pink too ;-) If the warning signs weren't there it would have been a different matter but they were and people made the effort to alert others who weren't so mindful.

        All plastic can be recycled. My council (via Visy) takes all type except polystyrene currently as it's not economically viable (at the moment) My clean plastic bags go to the supermarket collection bins. I've toured the recycling site and plastic separation is all automated now. In Australia there is no excuse not to recycle plastic given the availability/accessibility of recycling programs/facilities (if only to help keep plastic/waste costs down even if people don't care about the environment) .

        • stumo on 21/04/2011 - 16:04

          No, I've bought from topbuy before and had genuine products from them.

          As a rule I generally don't go round heeding unsubstantiated warnings from loonies on internet forums, especially when they come across like they have some sort of agenda.

          I was happy to take the "risk" (actually I bought them before the warnings) because I know I can get ALL my money back either way. Nothing ventured, nothing gained (and nothing lost too).

        • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 16:51

          Btw just clarifying, my response above was in reply for quop (as the indenting shows.)

          @stumo. Not sure about your I quite get your intent re: your second comment or who it's directed at/how it's related here.
          - Unsubstantiated? The facts (there were a lot of them) and concerns were clearly raised/presented by several people for all others to see/judge for themselves.
          - Loonies? Who are your targeting? Based on what comments?
          - Agenda? Like what? The only agenda was for Topbuy to make money by ripping off customers here. Derogatory labels would be better sent their way instead rather than at fellow posters helping others.

          As I mentioned below unless their are suitable consequences refunding a few people and ripping off the others still puts them ahead. Us raising concerns about them in a public forum indirectly helps you as it affects their reputation in this community (at the very least).

        • stumo on 21/04/2011 - 17:04

          @daydream
          Sorry I was not meaning to offend you.

          I was just saying that the "warnings" at the time amounted to someone on and internet forum saying that they had contacted vapur and because vapur said they had no AU distributor that these were fake.

          Given the hard evidence presented (eg. photos on topbuy link, and that I have received genuine stuff from topbuy before, and they have been around for years), I thought it was a bit odd for someone to make that claim in such an up front way.

          Therefore they lost all credibility to me, since it came across like they had some poorly hidden agenda.

        • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 17:51

          Actually quite a few warnings were made hours after the deal was posted (subsequently summarised by me here).

          While interested in the original offer I didn't buy the product due to the facts presented weighing in favour of this being counterfeit and fraudulently represented by Topbuy at the time.

          I checked with Vapur and reported back when they responded 4 days later (So that's actually an additional "warning" you are referring to).

          I didn't need to go to additional effort of investigating/present the details but wanted to to help make others aware and hopefully not be ripped off. I hope people can get their money back at least.

  • bashar20 on 21/04/2011 - 13:39

    Did anybody attempt complaining to TopBuy. and if so what were their response?
    I highly suggest that if you bought these products before you knew that their were fake that you complain to TopBuy/ Paypal / Bank to teach those mutherf*kers a lesson.

    • anthony on 21/04/2011 - 13:43

      One person has http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/42395#comment-437914

      • bashar20 on 21/04/2011 - 13:51

        I meant after getting the product.

    • quop on 21/04/2011 - 14:08

      not yet, but here is topbuy's warranty returns policy for anyone who wants to take up the fight…

      If your purchase do not meet merchantable quality, fitness for purpose or match the description. TopBuy is here to make sure your issues are resolved.

      i guess time will tell whether that claim is genuine.

      • anthony on 21/04/2011 - 14:12
        +1

        The problem is that nobody paid for the drink bottles as they were free, all people paid for was the postage

        TopBuy says that

        We will provide store credit of up to 50% of the item's value less any restocking fee and deductions for missing components.

        But the drink bottle has no value so there is nothing for them to refund.

        • quop on 21/04/2011 - 15:03

          you're quoting from the section on "Change of mind returns after 14 days", which this is not.

          if topbuy are genuine about resolving this issue, they should refund the entire transaction's value (inclusive of shipping).

        • stumo on 21/04/2011 - 15:12

          Yeah and don't forget that you are breaking the law if you send known counterfeit goods via AU post.

        • anthony on 21/04/2011 - 16:01

          you're quoting from the section on "Change of mind returns after 14 days", which this is not.

          Which is a sub heading under the 14 Day Money Back Guarantee

          but your statutory rights should come first as topbuy says

          In addition to your statutory warranty (purchases that do not meet merchantable quality, fitness for purpose or match the description)

        • daydream on 21/04/2011 - 16:03

          They can claim "ignorance" (and sadly might just get a slap on the wrist from authorities given their track record). Even if they refunded a handful of "demanding" customer claims it would still be worth the con as many/most won't bother pursuing it when a bit of resistance is put up and their profit will offset a few refunds.

          Numerous laws have been broken the manufacture and representation/sale of the product without worry. The postage one is probably one of the lesser ones they would worry about as Aust Post has no way to check/know.

          The lack of proper penalties/consequences is the reason why companies like this are still selling the product, still in business and laughing all the way to the bank. Keep in mind many would have purchased this item direct, oblivious to all the points we have raised via this forum.

        • quop on 21/04/2011 - 16:14

          Which is a sub heading under the 14 Day Money Back Guarantee

          which this is also not.

          what this is, as you've also now mentioned, is making a warranty return because the item doesn't match the description.

  • Ughhh on 21/04/2011 - 15:41
    +1

    http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/Portable-Anti-Bottle-p706…

    Looks like theyre still selling these fakes. Surprising no one has left a comment, unless they deleted it.

  • Elephant on 22/04/2011 - 09:05

    TopBuy rep on Whirlpool responds: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1138513&p…

  • Vapur on 27/04/2011 - 02:34

    Currently, as of April 2011, there are no authorized Vapur retailers in Australia, online or otherwise. Although, Vapur is able to ship to your location when you order online at www.vapur.us. All authentic Vapur Anti-Bottles are made in the United States. You can read more on "How to Spot a Counterfeit" here: http://blog.vapur.us/?p=609. Please email us at [email protected], if you have any questions or if you would like assistance in purchasing authentic Vapur Anti-Bottles.

    Cheers!
    Vapur

    • bashar20 on 29/04/2011 - 09:35
      +1

      Vapur Rep, I think you should contact TopBuy and ask them not to use photos and description of the original in their website.

  • CuteChocobo on 27/04/2011 - 13:59

    Despite it being fake. Just an update that I received mine (in WA) and it came in 5 colours =)
    The question is now, is it safe to use? gaaaahhhh

  • Ughhh on 27/04/2011 - 20:06

    Im not sure whether to be surprised or not at the Rep of TopBuy for not responding to the comments on this post, not even an explanation or apology. I dont expect to see more post by them on here, not ones that'll be well accepted/liked anyway.

  • duph123 on 28/04/2011 - 10:14

    damn i received mine and all 3 came in green

    • compingqueen on 28/04/2011 - 17:55

      I wanted green but got pink :( I'm undecided about whether to throw it in the bin though in case it's unsafe to use.

      • duph123 on 28/04/2011 - 18:19

        I've sent them an email complaining about the items, else I'll see what paypal says since these are counterfeit maybe I can get money back :)

      • jacklynhydejr on 28/04/2011 - 23:05

        I think so long as you don't fill them with boiling water, or leave them filled sitting in the sun it should be fine to use. The problem is that once you start debating whether these Chinese-made goods are suitable for everyday use, then half of our household goods would have to be disposed of!

        • duph123 on 29/04/2011 - 14:50

          yay I got a reply, I got $5 voucher yay……oh wait…… "Minimum Purchase Conditions" ………

          Reply to
          Counterfeit Item and 3 same colors

          Initially posted on 28 April 2011 10:12:43 by Andrew

          Last Reply
          Hi there, sorry about the wrong picture on the listing, we believe that the item is indeed not actual Vapur. We would like to offer $5 discount coupon with minimum purchase condition to reimburse you. Please advise if you can accept this and keep the bottles. Regards

          Last posted on 29 April 2011 12:50:11 by Louis Wang - Customer Service

        • daydream on 06/05/2011 - 01:27

          @jacklynhydejr - lol… ahem interesting take on chemistry! Boiling water and putting it in the sun might kill bacteria but it won't remove toxic chemicals if present. In fact the heat might cause it to leach/react more.

          @duph123 - So no refund. BS spin to try and cover their blatant misrepresentation and then they "reimburse" you by encourage you to spend even more! They are on a roll!

  • jacklynhydejr on 28/04/2011 - 22:59

    I got mine too. Two green.

    Funny, I smelled mine as well :P and then questioned if that was a strange thing to do…guess not!

    Sure they say BPA free, but they stamp whatever the hell they want on these things anyway, so who is to know. It is a clever little thing, and will probably get a few uses, then get chucked into the pile o crap with all the other things I buy on my 'cheap' binges :)

  • stumo on 29/04/2011 - 10:23
    +1

    Well my vapur bottles did NOT arrive today. So its time for an "item not received claim".

  • bashar20 on 29/04/2011 - 15:32

    @duph123. email them back and ask for a full refund.

    • duph123 on 29/04/2011 - 15:53

      Yeh I might try that, I'll tell you how I go

  • bashar20 on 29/04/2011 - 15:45
    +2

    TopBuy has now photoshoped the Vapur Bottles photos and removed the word Vapur from all of them. But I still have screenshots of everything before they did that.

    If TopBuy is an ethical business I expect to see an apology email offering a full refund to every single person who bought these Vapur Bottles.

    • issh on 29/04/2011 - 16:16

      TopBuy has now photoshoped the Vapur Bottles photos and removed the word Vapur from all of them

      wow so dodgy..

    • anthony on 29/04/2011 - 17:12

      They still use the brand name in the description

      • bashar20 on 29/04/2011 - 17:38

        Yeah I noticed.

  • stumo on 29/04/2011 - 18:43

    hey wait a second, did we (ahem, I mean you guys) get fake fakes? Cause on this link the vapui bottles come with a card inside the pack, but the tobbuy vapui's don't (maybe).
    http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/439453451/Vapui_Portable_f…

    • daydream on 06/05/2011 - 01:35

      The genuine brand/bottle is from Vapur. All the rest are fakes/copies.

      All I can say is thank heavens these guys still make such obvious mistakes (ie, leave clues) because it would be pretty easy to fix them and con a lot more people.

      If this was another country their premises would be raided, merchandise seized, trading halted and the owners held for questioning. Here we let them rip off the next customer and in doing so encourage more of the same…

  • duph123 on 04/05/2011 - 15:23
    +1

    Good news, I got a reply from TopBuy, they will offer refunds:

    Reply to
    Counterfeit Item and 3 same colors

    Initially posted on 28 April 2011 10:12:43 by Andrew

    Last Reply
    Hi there, we will refund $8.97 to your paypal account soon, cheers

    Last posted on 4 May 2011 15:5:25 by Louis Wang - Customer Service

    • MattyD on 09/05/2011 - 09:38
      +1

      Same response:

      "Hi there, we believe that we had put the wrong picture of our listing, we know they are indeed not actual Vapur. We would like to issue the full refund of $8.97 to your paypal account soon. Sorry for all the inconvenience caused. Regards

      Last posted on 7 May 2011 18:21:41 by Louis Wang - Customer Service"

      I had the added disappointment that all three of my (orange) bottles leak around the screw cap. I spilled BPA all over the place!

      • justhooked on 10/05/2011 - 15:46

        Thanks for the heads up on the refund Duph123 and matttyD
        got a full refund today

  • CuteChocobo on 04/07/2011 - 17:33

    Apologies for bumping a dead thread up~
    However I just came across this on TinyDeal
    http://www.tinydeal.com/portable-reusable-water-bottle-with-…

    It reminds me of this conterfeit product, however, first thing that I noticed is that it shows 'Vapur' not 'Vapui' and like this Vapui deal it doesn't come with packaging!!

    So this kind of scares me that they are getting closer and closer to duplicating the real stuff xD

  • G_Man on 25/07/2011 - 10:40
    +2

    Hi Everybody,

    Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience we have caused regarding the counterfeit "anti bottle" on 6th April. TopBuy has seriously looked into the issue and the Product Manager who was responsible for the issue had been dismissed. More importantly, we have seriously notified all staff in the sourcing team that product quality is the foremost aspect that we should focus on.

    From now on, TopBuy promises that only bargain quality products will be promoted on OzBargain and better customer service will be offered to our customers.

    Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Best regards,
    TopBuy

    • diamondtouch1 on 25/07/2011 - 11:28

      awesome, 100+ day investigationing.

      lol "bargain quality" does not instill the kind of confidence you're looking for in consumers.

      • G_Man on 25/07/2011 - 12:52

        The customer is king. We will do our best to ensure that our customers receive satisfactions from our quality products and service.

      • scotty on 25/07/2011 - 17:29
        +1

        @diamondtouch1 — maybe. TopBuy actually emailed me the explanation a bit earlier, but it took a few days for me to convince them to come back here to make a public apology, which the effort itself is already a lot better than some of the merchants out there.

        • diamondtouch1 on 26/07/2011 - 00:14

          I was actually surprised they came back as its been a while. I've spent about 1.5k - 2k on their site, the communication was a bit dodgy but the product did arrive about a week later. (i did pay over $100 worth of shipping though).

          I'm guessing they're out of the penalty box now.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/07/2011 - 00:41
      -1

      why so serious?

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