Counterfeits are illegal merchandise, contraband. Any counterfeit that arrives at the factory for any reason will be confiscated, and questions will be asked.
--Dave J.
So if I shell out money and get ripped off with a counterfeit, according to what you're saying it's no longer mine if I get you to authenticate it?? On top of that, I get interrogated and I possibly even risk prison?? No thanks. That's a TERRIBLE policy!! You guys need to step back and see the big picture. I fully "get" your position and dilemma but c'mon. There is a much better way.
That policy is a HUGE disincentive to anyone who is already angry, embarrassed and upset about being scammed with a bogus machine. Not only that, no one (with half a brain) will come forward and allow you to authenticate their machines if there's a risk of not getting them back. Fake or not, people have shelled out hard earned cash for those detectors.
You guys need a far better way to handle this. If you keep what I have bought and paid for, then I've been robbed twice; once by the scammer and then by you.
It would be far better to allow the victims to at least keep their fake machine in order to HELP YOU find out what the counterfeiters are up to. You can rip the label off or maybe permanently brand it a counterfeit in some way so it can't be resold under your brand.
From what I have heard and read, not all counterfeit detectors are necessarily terrible. I've read where some actually work fairly well. I've even seen a few YouTube videos of air tests of fake T2's that weren't all that bad. They're certainly nowhere near as good as the genuine article but SOME of them do at least work to one degree or another. Others are absolutely worthless junk.
The Chinese fake everything. This is the world we live in. Welcome to globalism. I'm not condoning it but that's the way it is. So inevitably, some people WILL wind up with a knock off at some point.
I've bought all of my machines used and as far as I know, they're all genuine and perform well. They're all First Texas products, two bounty Hunter's, a radio Shack (BH clone) and a Teknetics. I like all of them and have made it well known.
If I had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a fake detector deal, I would HAPPILY and WILLINGLY allow you to examine, take apart, diagnose or even back engineer or whatever else you wanted to do with my fake in order to save some other individual from being scammed as I had been. That's IF I knew I could receive my property back in working order or be compensated for my willingness to help you.
Knowing I won't get it back would leave me NO choice but to keep completely quiet about it, thus leaving you in the dark about all the fakes that are truly out there and unable to make an accurate assessment.
I would already feel like a complete idiot for buying a fake machine and there's NO way I would willingly surrender it to anyone with ZERO compensation and a possible interrogation, arrest and even jail. Frankly, that would be FAR more stupid than buying a fake metal detector. If I did something that stupid, I would feel like an even bigger idiot for trying to "do the right thing" and getting reamed yet again. In fact, I WOULD be an even bigger idiot.
The world is filled with unscrupulous people and people looking to get over on companies as well as individuals. I suggest that you go after the perpetrators of the crime with the help and cooperation of the victims rather than subjecting them to a double robbery and possible prison sentence. It would be a huge win/win for all parties and be a far greater help in catching the real crooks.
Better yet, make a sweet deal for those who have already been scammed with bogus machines and offer a real incentive to come forward. Offer a reasonable trade; maybe one of your real detectors for any fakes that turn up with your name on them, a store credit, or at least some kind of reward. Make it attractive; maybe even a buy back program of some sort. What you save in the long run will far outweigh what you shell out now. Remember, you'll pay now or pay later.
Of course, the victims would need to prove that they legitimately thought they were buying the real thing. You wouldn't want an avalanche of fakes traded in for good detectors or cash but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out a way to do it.
You need to think in " long run/big picture" terms rather than the short term. You'd also endear yourselves to loyal customers who genuinely WANT your genuine products for years to come. Someone like me who may buy used now may shell out the big bucks for that sweet upgrade later; once they realize how much they LOVE this hobby (hint hint).
I'm just givin' you my 2 cents but I have no doubt that many will agree that the current policy regarding counterfeit detectors offers no incentive to turn in the fakes or to drop a dime on the real crooks. In fact, it almost guarantees that NO ONE with any sense will come forward with the fakes. You'd have to be a complete idiot to willingly surrender you machine under the terms you stated.
FAR better to learn the lesson, write off the bogus machine as a loss and keep quiet rather than to come forward; ostensibly admitting guilt.
Please, PLEASE rethink this policy.