If I were you . . .

[mabinogi1978]

I wanted to share my story with everyone. Ainol-Novo; if I were you, I would not buy from them. I made that mistake, and now I am out of $400. I placed an order online for their Ainol-Novo Firewire tablet. I also purchased a dongle, which they said I would need for the tablet.

The tablet arrived without the dongle. OK, no problem. That would have been OK. But, the box itself was flat, torn and re-taped. I email Ainol-Novo to report it, and asked that they provide me with a return address so that I could ship it back to them. I received a response five days later, in which they told me to "keep trying to work with it. Please be patient". You could not work with it; you couldn't even turn it on. We exchanged 4 other emails, before they relented and gave me the address.

I sent the package on it's way. It was supposed to take 3-5 days for the tablet to reach them in China. Since then, I have been trying to get a response from them, however, they have ignored my emails, completely. I met another customer who was having the same problem, and when she threatened to sue, they said "go ahead; maybe you won't get your refund for six months to a year".

I am shocked. This is supposed to be a reputable company, and this is how they treat their customers? I paid $277 for the tablet, and $56 for the dongle. I certainly am not rich, and needed my money back. I am slowly filing complaints with the Chinese government, but it does take a long time to get a response. They know this, which gives them the upper hand, so that they can refund your money when they get good and ready.

If I were you, and you just have to order one of their tablets, pray that it is not damaged when it arrives. Otherwise, you will not see the hundreds of dollars you've paid to them.

OR, you can order their tablets through uPlay Tablets. Their address is About. Their warehouse is located in the states. I wish I had known that!

 

[iansinthebag]

Man, that sucks. I heard this story where this guy put on Ebay. "ipad box". People complained, because what they got was not an ipad, but the box!

 

[mabinogi1978]

Man, that sucks. I heard this story where this guy put on Ebay. "ipad box". People complained, because what they got was not an ipad, but the box!

Oh! I know! This tablet is not cheap, and I don't have that kind of money. So now they have my money and they have the returned merchandise. Why would they believe that's honorable?

 

[mikedt]

Moved thread into General Tablet Talk from Computers, as this is about an Android tablet.

Although it's most likely too late, our forum sticky about these things is always worth reading...
http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/631594-off-brand-phones-tablets-worth-low-cost.html

I wanted to share my story with everyone. Ainol-Novo; if I were you, I would not buy from them. I made that mistake, and now I am out of $400. I placed an order online for their Ainol-Novo Firewire tablet. I also purchased a dongle, which they said I would need for the tablet.

The tablet arrived without the dongle. OK, no problem. That would have been OK. But, the box itself was flat, torn and re-taped. I email Ainol-Novo to report it, and asked that they provide me with a return address so that I could ship it back to them. I received a response five days later, in which they told me to "keep trying to work with it. Please be patient". You could not work with it; you couldn't even turn it on. We exchanged 4 other emails, before they relented and gave me the address.

I sent the package on it's way. It was supposed to take 3-5 days for the tablet to reach them in China. Since then, I have been trying to get a response from them, however, they have ignored my emails, completely. I met another customer who was having the same problem, and when she threatened to sue, they said "go ahead; maybe you won't get your refund for six months to a year".

I am shocked. This is supposed to be a reputable company, and this is how they treat their customers?

Their office is more than likely a rented bedroom in a cheap hotel/brothel in Shenzhen.

I paid $277 for the tablet, and $56 for the dongle. I certainly am not rich, and needed my money back. I am slowly filing complaints with the Chinese government, but it does take a long time to get a response. They know this, which gives them the upper hand, so that they can refund your money when they get good and ready.

Are you writing in Chinese? - because that will help. Although good luck suing the Communist Party of China, that will be a first AFAIK.

If I were you, and you just have to order one of their tablets, pray that it is not damaged when it arrives. Otherwise, you will not see the hundreds of dollars you've paid to them.

Put it this way, you won't be the first, and you won't be the last.....Welcome to China.

 

[mabinogi1978]

@Mikedt: I don't know how you quoted like that, but it's neat! OK, I can only agree about where they may be located, and I should have thought about that. Darnit! They were so attentive to my needs, until I completed the purchases. After that, it took days, and sometimes a week, just to get an answer to a question! I'm been messaging in English, but that is a great idea! I've got to take the time to do that tonight!

As far their tablets are concerned, I will not be ordering anything else from overseas, and that is a shame. They are not honorable, and it makes it hard for someone to take a chance with any one company overseas. I went ahead and bought the Nexus 7, with the AT&T mobile broadband built in, so that I won't have to worry about any other equipment. Man, this tablet is FAST!

Thank you so much, my friend! I appreciate the comments!

 

[mikedt]

@Mikedt: I don't know how you quoted like that, but it's neat!

That's quite easy, just a little bit of familiarity with BBcode.

OK, I can only agree about where they may be located, and I should have thought about that. Darnit!

Oh I've seen it, I've even stayed in the hotels. Although Ainol themselves are apparently a reputable manufacturer. Many of the trading companies that sell these devices are not so on the level.

They were so attentive to my needs, until I completed the purchases.

That's the usual story. Once they got your money, that's it they don't care. Whomever completed the sale is going to be able to feed and clothe their family back home in some remote province for a month or so. I know how it works. These people will stand on a packed train for upto 36 hours, just to see their family once a year.

After that, it took days, and sometimes a week, just to get an answer to a question! I'm been messaging in English, but that is a great idea! I've got to take the time to do that tonight!

The person answering the emails may not know much English at all. Put it through Google Translate (select Chinese Simplified) it helps. If you know someone who's Chinese, even better.

They were so attentive to my needs, until I completed the purchases. After that, it took days, and sometimes a week, just to get an answer to a question! I'm been messaging in English, but that is a great idea! I've got to take the time to do that tonight!

As far their tablets are concerned, I will not be ordering anything else from overseas, and that is a shame. They are not honorable, and it makes it hard for someone to take a chance with any one company overseas. I went ahead and bought the Nexus 7, with the AT&T mobile broadband built in, so that I won't have to worry about any other equipment. Man, this tablet is FAST!

Thank you so much, my friend! I appreciate the comments!

You're welcome.

BTW I'm an English expat who now lives in China, teaching English. And I've always had a fascination with cheapo electronics products, ever since crappy Hong Kong transistor radios in the 1970s.

 

[mabinogi1978]

Oh, my God! I have just found out that Ainol-Novo is not a company, just a couple of guys in India selling knockoffs! Geez, how could I be so stupid! Please pass this information on to all your friends. It really bothers me that they are committing fraud, hurting hundreds of people!

 

[mabinogi1978]

Final Update: Well, I finally have the refund money in my hand, no thanks to the imposter! My bank pulled it right back out of THEIR account! Isn't that neat? LOL! I will ask you all, to reach out to any of your friends, neighbors or acquaintances, to tell them to stay away from this group. I have tried to leave messages on the site, but they censor it. I realized that a while ago, when it appeared that everyone who rated the site gave glowing reports .... not hardly. Thank you so much, Mikedt, I appreciate your help and the help of this forum!