Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95. Don't know much about phones but wanted one
of these after seeing how good the camera was on a pal's one. Bought one
since I use PAYG so don't get a deal on new phones.

And it's an excellent copy - to look at. But has poor performance. Many of
the N95 features simply don't work although they appear on the menu.

The seller has good feedback and has been an Ebay member for several years
and is actively selling things. I have his name and address - so I'm
confident of eventually getting a refund. Although his reply to my email
isn't encouraging. Which suggests he knew exactly what he was doing.

For those who may be in the same position the definitive way to check is
to get the chip set reference via the USB port. Mine says MediaTek Inc
MT6227 which a bit of Googling gives as a low end one for a basic camera
phone. I'm going to find out what the genuine one should say.

The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side comparison
is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the real.

Of course once you've got it working there are many differences as I said.
Including the couple of games being in Chinese...

--
*When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95. Don't know much about phones but wanted one
of these after seeing how good the camera was on a pal's one. Bought one
since I use PAYG so don't get a deal on new phones.

And it's an excellent copy - to look at. But has poor performance. Many of
the N95 features simply don't work although they appear on the menu.

The seller has good feedback and has been an Ebay member for several years
and is actively selling things. I have his name and address - so I'm
confident of eventually getting a refund. Although his reply to my email
isn't encouraging. Which suggests he knew exactly what he was doing.

For those who may be in the same position the definitive way to check is
to get the chip set reference via the USB port. Mine says MediaTek Inc
MT6227 which a bit of Googling gives as a low end one for a basic camera
phone. I'm going to find out what the genuine one should say.

The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side comparison
is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the real.

Of course once you've got it working there are many differences as I said.
Including the couple of games being in Chinese...

Wouldn't Nokia love to know this ;-)

RW presented the following explanation :
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95. Don't know much about phones but wanted one
of these after seeing how good the camera was on a pal's one. Bought one
since I use PAYG so don't get a deal on new phones.

And it's an excellent copy - to look at. But has poor performance. Many of
the N95 features simply don't work although they appear on the menu.

The seller has good feedback and has been an Ebay member for several years
and is actively selling things. I have his name and address - so I'm
confident of eventually getting a refund. Although his reply to my email
isn't encouraging. Which suggests he knew exactly what he was doing.

For those who may be in the same position the definitive way to check is
to get the chip set reference via the USB port. Mine says MediaTek Inc
MT6227 which a bit of Googling gives as a low end one for a basic camera
phone. I'm going to find out what the genuine one should say.

The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side comparison
is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the real.

Of course once you've got it working there are many differences as I said.
Including the couple of games being in Chinese...

Wouldn't Nokia love to know this ;-)

It might also be a restricted version of the N95 made for the Chinese
market. Even some phones sold here on contract sometimes lack certain
functions.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side comparison
is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the real.


Have a look at another 'tube' - YouTube...

Entering 'fake n95' gets a few hits. :-|

--
Adrian C

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side comparison
is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the real.

Might want to ask in uk.people.consumers.ebay about
what to do. How did you pay, out of interest?

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95. Don't know much about phones but wanted one
of these after seeing how good the camera was on a pal's one. Bought one
since I use PAYG so don't get a deal on new phones.

And it's an excellent copy - to look at. But has poor performance. Many of
the N95 features simply don't work although they appear on the menu.


This site talks about the fake N95 it was linked in a post in of the
Ebay community forums:
http://www.fakenot.com/cameras-photo...nokia-n95.html

The articles about the other fakes on the site make interesting reading
too

Lee

--
Email address is valid, but is unlikely to be read.

In article ,
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
The only external giveaway for which you'll need side by side
comparison is the 'tube' for the flash is smaller on the fake than the
real.

Might want to ask in uk.people.consumers.ebay about
what to do.

Right.

How did you pay, out of interest?

Paypal. Since I only got it on Friday, I'm waiting to hear what the seller
has to say.

--
*If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
RW wrote:
Wouldn't Nokia love to know this ;-)

They already do. A Google on 'fake N95' brings up lots of hits. As I found
too late.

--
*Never test the depth of the water with both feet.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
It might also be a restricted version of the N95 made for the Chinese
market. Even some phones sold here on contract sometimes lack certain
functions.

Heh heh. The menu shows a GPS function, radio, internet connectivity, and
lots more non of which works. I can't see them selling it under the same
model number.

--
*Does fuzzy logic tickle? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails saying
you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need to tell ebay
your password - ask an adult for advice!
Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from people
they don't know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction
site.

In article ,
Rob wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need
to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice! Are people really
so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from people they don't
know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction site.

Heh heh. I've done some 400 transactions on Ebay and this is only the
second time I've had an attempted ripoff - if indeed this is one. Wish I
could say the same about so called legitimate retailers. Want to hear
about my experiences with a BMW main dealer?

In general my findings are that those who use Ebay are extremely
trustworthy and knowledgeable about the product. Far more so that than the
average high street store.

--
*It ain't the size, it's... er... no, it IS ..the size.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Rob was thinking very hard :
That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails saying
you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need to tell ebay
your password - ask an adult for advice!
Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from people
they don't know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction
site.

I have bought lots of items via ebay, it is now my first choice for
slightly unusual items that I can't pick up in the high street. I have
never had one transaction go wrong, or been unsatisfied with an item.
All I have ever done is carry out the basic checks before bidding.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction site.

Heh heh. I've done some 400 transactions on Ebay and this is only the
second time I've had an attempted ripoff - if indeed this is one. Wish I
could say the same about so called legitimate retailers. Want to hear
about my experiences with a BMW main dealer?

In general my findings are that those who use Ebay are extremely
trustworthy and knowledgeable about the product. Far more so that than the
average high street store.

I'm with you, Dave. My problem rate is 1%.

"Rob" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need to
tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice!
Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from
people they don't know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an
auction site.

sigh

I'm sorry, but I agree.

There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from e-bay
and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only ever
bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

Mary

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Rob wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need
to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice! Are people really
so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from people they don't
know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction site.

Heh heh. I've done some 400 transactions on Ebay and this is only the
second time I've had an attempted ripoff - if indeed this is one. Wish I
could say the same about so called legitimate retailers. Want to hear
about my experiences with a BMW main dealer?

In general my findings are that those who use Ebay are extremely
trustworthy and knowledgeable about the product. Far more so that than the
average high street store.

So you have to put down your dissatisfaction to experience.

Mary

On Mon, 05 May 2008 19:44:37 +0100, Mary Fisher wrote:

I'm sorry, but I agree.

There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from e-bay
and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only ever
bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

So if you saw this "Nokia" in a shop you'd know whether it was a fake?

--
John Stumbles

Procrastinate now!

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 05 May 2008 19:44:37 +0100, Mary Fisher wrote:

I'm sorry, but I agree.

There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from
e-bay
and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only ever
bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

So if you saw this "Nokia" in a shop you'd know whether it was a fake?

You mean there's a Nokia which isn't in my pocket?

I don't look in shop windows ...

Mary

On Mon, 5 May 2008 19:02:10 +0100, Rob wrote:

Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need
to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice!

Eh? What have phishing emails got to do with a transaction on eBay?

Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from
people they don't know and then complain?

I don't think Dave is so much complaining as putting out a heads up. I
don't know Dave that well but I don't think he will take this lying down
and write off the cash without a good fight first.

I take it then you have never bought anything without seeing it first. How
do you deal with buying petrol or diesel, particulary from a garage you
have never used before? *Never* bought anything over the web?

Yes, eBay can be a risky place but provided you follow a few simple rules
it can be an very good place to get things that would be either
unobtainium within 50 miles or very expensive.

Oh of course - they all use an auction site.

As eBay are *extremely* careful to say they are *not* and auction site.
They are a venue for trading between individuals (in the legal sense).
Real auctions have far too much tightly worded legislation for eBay to
want to get anywhere near.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article ,
Mary Fisher wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Rob wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you
need to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice! Are people
really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from people they
don't know and then complain? Oh of course - they all use an auction
site.

Heh heh. I've done some 400 transactions on Ebay and this is only the
second time I've had an attempted ripoff - if indeed this is one. Wish I
could say the same about so called legitimate retailers. Want to hear
about my experiences with a BMW main dealer?

In general my findings are that those who use Ebay are extremely
trustworthy and knowledgeable about the product. Far more so that than
the average high street store.

So you have to put down your dissatisfaction to experience.

I'm simply posting for info and hopefully entertainment.

I've ordered another N95 off Ebay. ;-)

--
*Always drink upstream from the herd *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Mary Fisher wrote:
There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from
e-bay and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only
ever bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

That means you'll never buy anything mail order.
Most of us are very happy with Screwfix, etc.

FWIW, there are reports of these fakes being sold on the high street.

--
*OK, who stopped payment on my reality check?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 5 May 2008 23:17:24 UTC, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Mary Fisher wrote:
There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from
e-bay and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only
ever bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

That means you'll never buy anything mail order.
Most of us are very happy with Screwfix, etc.

And she has a limited choice in shops such as Screwfix and Argos.
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you
need to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice!
Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from
people they don't know and then complain? Oh of course - they all
use an auction site.

sigh

I'm sorry, but I agree.

There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from
e-bay and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've
only ever bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy
unseen.

Distance selling regs are very handy. And FWIW, a lot of the time in the
high street you're buying sight unseen - I remember when my mum bought a
telly from Dixons - it took 7-8 weeks to arrive! The same thing mailorder
would have arrived the same week. Generally on the high street with anything
high value, there's one you can look at and another one in a sealed box that
you buy.

On Tue, 6 May 2008 08:51:28 +0100, Doki wrote:

Distance selling regs are very handy.

If you buy from a "trader". ie some one who is buying goods with the
intention to sell. Doesn't matter if they have a business name, registered
as a business on eBay, registered for VAT or any of the umpteen wriggles
that some try to make out they are not "trading". From what Dave has said
he has bought from a trader so the DSR's do apply but check the sellers
T&C's which can modify (to some extent) the DSR's.

And FWIW, a lot of the time in the high street you're buying sight
unseen - I remember when my mum bought a telly from Dixons - it took 7-8
weeks to arrive!

Even if you take a way a "factory sealed" box from the shop there is no
guarantee that the goods inside are new. I've bought stuff from, strangely
(NOT), other DSG Retail Ltd companies to find the contents used *and*
faulty. No indication in the shop or at POS of these facts.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
writes

Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95. Don't know much about phones but wanted one
of these after seeing how good the camera was on a pal's one. Bought one
since I use PAYG so don't get a deal on new phones.

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...sumers-warned-
against-fake

One of the UK tech sites (Register or Inquirer) recently posted an
article about the large number of fake phones produced in China causing
problems for the suppliers of application software. They return false
information about OS capability, screen resolution, etc. so many
applications, once downloaded for that "model", won't work correctly.
I've had a hunt but cannot find the link.

(some searching later) Ah, found it:

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...inese-handset-
fraudsters

--
(\__/) Bunny says NO to Windows Vista!
(='.'=) http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...ista_cost.html
(")_(") http://www.cypherpunks.to/~peter/vista.pdf

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Mary Fisher wrote:
There may well be very many people - even the majority - who buy from
e-bay and are perfectly happy with their purcheses (I am one, I've only
ever bought once and was lucky) but it's always a risk to buy unseen.

That means you'll never buy anything mail order.

It doesn't. I buy most things from mail order (not that I buy much). I only
buy from companies I know and have confidence that I can return goods.

Buying on e-bay is often buying from individuals and things can get very
tricky if there's a problem. One of my friends buys and sells lots of things
using e-bay (she helped me with my purchase) and loves it - but she can be
bothered to re-sell dud stuff on e-bay, I couldn't. I'm inherently idle.

Most of us are very happy with Screwfix, etc.

We have been too, although we buy small hardware from the local hardware
shop.

FWIW, there are reports of these fakes being sold on the high street.

That doesn't surprise me either. If I bought a mob from Carphonewarehouse I
know that if it were a dud I could return it. Having worked for Citizens
Advice for long enough I Know My Rights :-)

Mary

--
*OK, who stopped payment on my reality check?

Not me, guv.

In article ,
Lee wrote:
This site talks about the fake N95 it was linked in a post in of the
Ebay community forums:
http://www.fakenot.com/cameras-photo...nokia-n95.html

Things have obviously moved on from when that article was written. My fake
has non of the physical irregularities listed there. The only external
giveaway is the flash unit is smaller than the real thing.

--
*Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...
On Tue, 6 May 2008 08:51:28 +0100, Doki wrote:

Distance selling regs are very handy.

If you buy from a "trader". ie some one who is buying goods with the
intention to sell. Doesn't matter if they have a business name, registered
as a business on eBay, registered for VAT or any of the umpteen wriggles
that some try to make out they are not "trading". From what Dave has said
he has bought from a trader so the DSR's do apply but check the sellers
T&C's which can modify (to some extent) the DSR's.

And FWIW, a lot of the time in the high street you're buying sight
unseen - I remember when my mum bought a telly from Dixons - it took 7-8
weeks to arrive!

Even if you take a way a "factory sealed" box from the shop there is no
guarantee that the goods inside are new. I've bought stuff from, strangely
(NOT), other DSG Retail Ltd companies to find the contents used *and*
faulty. No indication in the shop or at POS of these facts.

Some of that is down to people returning "unopened" goods that they have
stolen the contents from. Some is employees hiding mistakes by rewrapping
stuff they shouldn't have taken back in the first place. There are other
reasons.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...
On Mon, 5 May 2008 19:02:10 +0100, Rob wrote:

Off Ebay - a fake Nokia N95.

That's what keeps the fraudsters in business. If you get any emails
saying you have won the lottery, a bank needs your details or you need
to tell ebay your password - ask an adult for advice!

Eh? What have phishing emails got to do with a transaction on eBay?

Nothing, you're answering a post by Rob, who seems to do nothing but give
holier-than-though, condescending advice on various newsgroups...


Are people really so stupid they buy goods without seeing them, from
people they don't know and then complain?

I don't think Dave is so much complaining as putting out a heads up. I
don't know Dave that well but I don't think he will take this lying down
and write off the cash without a good fight first.

I've read Dave's posts for years, it doesn't look like he's complaining at
all. I think he's old enough to look after himself!

I take it then you have never bought anything without seeing it first. How
do you deal with buying petrol or diesel, particulary from a garage you
have never used before? *Never* bought anything over the web?

He's probably not old enough to have a credit card.

Yes, eBay can be a risky place but provided you follow a few simple rules
it can be an very good place to get things that would be either
unobtainium within 50 miles or very expensive.

I've had 1problem in 9 years on ebay. You just need to be aware and check
out who/what you are buying. Just like any other shop/catalogue/website.
It's not hard.

Mike P

On Tue, 6 May 2008 13:07:26 +0100, dennis@home wrote:

Even if you take a way a "factory sealed" box from the shop there is no
guarantee that the goods inside are new. I've bought stuff from,
strangely (NOT), other DSG Retail Ltd companies to find the contents
used *and* faulty. No indication in the shop or at POS of these facts.

Some of that is down to people returning "unopened" goods that they have
stolen the contents from. Some is employees hiding mistakes by
rewrapping stuff they shouldn't have taken back in the first place.
There are other reasons.

I don't care what reasons are used to try an justify the selling of used
and/or returned and/or faulty goods "as new, factory sealed". It is
dishonest selling.

No returns, for what ever reason from the customer, should ever be put
back on sale "as new". Mark 10% or 20% of the new price and sell them,
honestly, as customer returns. If profit margins take too large a hit then
the stores returns policy has some flaws.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Things have obviously moved on from when that article was written. My fake
has non of the physical irregularities listed there. The only external
giveaway is the flash unit is smaller than the real thing.

I'm curious what the feedback was like for the vendor - wondering if
it was a hijacked account that was used to sell it.

In article ,
Colin Wilson o.uk
wrote:
Things have obviously moved on from when that article was written. My
fake has non of the physical irregularities listed there. The only
external giveaway is the flash unit is smaller than the real thing.

I'm curious what the feedback was like for the vendor - wondering if
it was a hijacked account that was used to sell it.

No - he's replied to my email. So not a hijacked account. Which I'd guess
would be near impossible when paying with Paypal anyway.

There were dozens of these phones on sale so I deliberately chose a vendor
with a good feedback rating over many sales and a long ebay membership.

Looking at his feedback someone has added a complaint about a fake phone
same as mine since I bought it.

--
*Middle age is when it takes longer to rest than to get tired.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 6 May 2008 13:07:26 +0100, dennis@home wrote:


Even if you take a way a "factory sealed" box from the shop there is no
guarantee that the goods inside are new. I've bought stuff from,
strangely (NOT), other DSG Retail Ltd companies to find the contents
used *and* faulty. No indication in the shop or at POS of these facts.

Some of that is down to people returning "unopened" goods that they have
stolen the contents from. Some is employees hiding mistakes by
rewrapping stuff they shouldn't have taken back in the first place.
There are other reasons.


I don't care what reasons are used to try an justify the selling of used
and/or returned and/or faulty goods "as new, factory sealed". It is
dishonest selling.

No returns, for what ever reason from the customer, should ever be put
back on sale "as new". Mark 10% or 20% of the new price and sell them,
honestly, as customer returns. If profit margins take too large a hit then
the stores returns policy has some flaws.

Last year, I bought a 2 D control toy helicopter from Maplin. By
twisting the tail rotor, I got it to fly forwards. After a few days, I
realized that it was a customer return, as the spare tail rotor was
damaged and the packaging had been tampered with before I had opened it.
I took it back and demanded a replacement, which I got. The only problem
was that I could not tweak the tail rotor to make it fly forwards :-(

Dave

In article ,
writes:
On Wed, 07 May 2008 00:18:17 +0100, Dave
wrote:
Last year, I bought a 2 D control toy helicopter from Maplin. By
twisting the tail rotor, I got it to fly forwards. After a few days, I
realized that it was a customer return, as the spare tail rotor was
damaged and the packaging had been tampered with before I had opened it.
I took it back and demanded a replacement, which I got. The only problem
was that I could not tweak the tail rotor to make it fly forwards :-(

It was staff playing with the Item in my case.
Must be getting on for 8 to 10 years ago that I purchased my first GPS
unit from Maplin.
While familiarising myself with it I found a saved track which was
local.
Visited the store next day and inquired how an apparently new
unit had such a track on it. One of the staff admitted he had taken it
home to see how it worked and did not realise his journey had been
stored. ISTR I got some free Nicads out of them to reflect it was
really a demonstration sample they had sold me ,even if it was only
themselves it had bee demonstrated to.

A few years ago, I was trying to buy some cable in Maplin, but
they'd run out. I asked when they'd get some more in. They
couldn't order any more because the computer claimed they still
had most of the drum left as it hadn't been sold...
I gave up.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]