Warning: top-battery.co.uk

vigman
vigman Posts: 1,377 Forumite
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in Praise, vent & warnings
Hi

I needed a new Toshiba laptop battery and did not want the Chinese options available on Ebay.

I found top-battery . co . uk which has a professional looking website with the Royal Mail logo on it.

I usually check companies out but am rather unwell at the moment so made an immediate purchase. It came to £24 so not super cheap for an old model.

I was very disappointed to see that my Paypal payment was to a company based in China and having found terrible reviews since doubt I will get a battery, or a good battery or a refund if requested. (People who requested a Paypal refund had to post the battery back at £12 and was often recorded as not received.)

Vigman
Any information given in my posts or replies is intended to be of interest and/or help to members of the forum. I cannot guarantee that this is accurate or up to date.
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Comments

  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,551 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Domain name:
    top-battery.co.uk

    Registrant:
    luo xianghua

    Registrant type:
    Non-UK Individual

    Registrant's address:
    DongBian Commercial Building
    Longhua townBaoan District
    Shenzhen
    China
    518000
    China

    Unless your buying through proper channels then your likely to get a Chinese battery anyway.

    Lots of UK sellers with the same battery your buying but it just costs extra. If it a fake one with Toshiba logo's?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • vigman
    vigman Posts: 1,377 Forumite
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    My point was that 'proper channels' in this case appeared to be a UK website with a Royal Mail logo next to 'fast shipping' which would only be possible in the UK.

    According to reviews the shipping from China takes about 3 weeks if anything arrives at all.

    I have bought hundreds of branded batteries from genuine .co.uk websites when an IT Manager.

    £24 would be in the right range for this battery (instead of say £10 which would also have rung alarm bells)

    This site deliberately intends to deceive, hence my warning

    Vigman
    Any information given in my posts or replies is intended to be of interest and/or help to members of the forum. I cannot guarantee that this is accurate or up to date.
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
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    edited 27 November 2015 at 11:09AM
    vigman wrote: »
    My point was that 'proper channels' in this case appeared to be a UK website with a Royal Mail logo next to 'fast shipping' which would only be possible in the UK.

    According to reviews the shipping from China takes about 3 weeks if anything arrives at all.

    I have bought hundreds of branded batteries from genuine .co.uk websites when an IT Manager.

    £24 would be in the right range for this battery (instead of say £10 which would also have rung alarm bells)

    This site deliberately intends to deceive, hence my warning

    Vigman


    Price can't be one of the indicators to deciding if it's genuine .
    At least you know now to check out websites before you buy.
    The use of the word " freight" in their returns policy would have rung alarm bells, but more so the website itself.
  • Exile_geordie
    Exile_geordie Posts: 5,094 Forumite
    vigman wrote: »
    My point was that 'proper channels' in this case appeared to be a UK website with a Royal Mail logo next to 'fast shipping' which would only be possible in the UK.

    I understand you are not well at the moment but the website looks like it has been knocked together by a 10 year old in 2002
    iOGrSox.png
    Dont rock the boat
    Dont rock the boat ,baby
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,551 Forumite
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    edited 28 November 2015 at 3:23AM
    Having a RM logo doesnt mean the items are not cheap and nasty, it just means they may have someone in the UK that will ship it faster.

    I have bought lots from China, occasionally they have the items in the UK for speedy delivery.

    If they use China Post RM delivery it anyway.

    Little hints like "We offering premium quality laptop batteries"
    and "This enables us to provide the most up-to-date battery pack testing for the most advanced portable consumer electronic products"

    and "all the batteries to be tested before to sell"

    And lots more error that make it stand out. Address with no company name, google the address and you get several logistics and fulfillment companies.

    http://southall.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/4px-fulfillment--uk--ltd-22259996.html

    Plus the website being registered to a Chinese address, its hard to see how you could think anything other than cheap and Chinese.

    I but lots of stuff, ordered a load yesterday and still waiting for a big order.

    With batteries though the stated capacity is likely to be fake, i bought a torch and they gave me a free battery stating 6800mAh. I was expecting 600 at most, turned out to be over 1200. But it was free.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • vigman
    vigman Posts: 1,377 Forumite
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    Just a couple of points

    1.) Although things look different when you are off the morphine it is actually a dead copy of a legitimate UK battery site I found later.

    2.) To be fair, I mailed them straight away asking them not to process the order and asking for a refund as I thought it was a UK company and I needed the battery quickly. The Paypal refund was processed the next day.

    Thanks

    Vigman
    Any information given in my posts or replies is intended to be of interest and/or help to members of the forum. I cannot guarantee that this is accurate or up to date.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,551 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    A dead copy then it's probably the same people.

    Same as on ebay where you get 20 seemingly different sellers yet they all share either the same email for the same phone number.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • vigman
    vigman Posts: 1,377 Forumite
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    edited 29 November 2015 at 11:50AM
    forgotmyname wrote: »
    A dead copy then it's probably the same people.

    Same as on ebay where you get 20 seemingly different sellers yet they all share either the same email for the same phone number.

    I thought so as well but this was a UK company (rang them) so it must have been the model for the Chinese copies!!;)

    I don't mind risking smaller amounts of money on electronic Chinese imports as long as I use decent test equipment on them. One USB charging plug I bought made the metal on an iPhone give off high voltage accompanied by a fairly substantial electric shock.

    However many items come from the same factories as much higher price branded items and are good value....but I stress that I have good testing equipment.

    DO NOT use cheap multimeters to test mains voltage. Search "exploding multimeters' on You Tube if this link does not work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg44zuxGmMg


    Vigman
    Any information given in my posts or replies is intended to be of interest and/or help to members of the forum. I cannot guarantee that this is accurate or up to date.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,551 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    I wouldnt dream of using a cheap multimeter to test the mains, i use my oscilloscope to check all earth referenced mains devices :)

    Google that one :)
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • bestbuyet
    bestbuyet Posts: 1 Newbie
    Luo Xianghua also runs this site another scam purchased battery believing to be from uk but not its a Chinese scam claims a fictitious address in uk never answers mail or phone calls never got re fund beware
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