Counterfeit Apple Items

[UtterDisbelief]

Just thought I'd put this one out there.

I recently bought an Apple 12w USB charger and cable from Ebay. It's the older USB-A model but I like the fact the USB port sticks straight out from the wall, rather than pointing downwards. And I'm generally not in a rush to charge anything.

The price was very cheap and I did wonder exactly what I would receive. Supposedly "Opened - Never used". So I went in eyes-wide with no expectation of getting a genuine bargain, but happy if I did.

The charger and cable finally arrived so I set-to examining them both.

The grey text on the bottom had some mistakes in it so I immediately thought - Fake! No surprise then. The text read "Designed in California. Made in China" instead of the usual "Designed by Apple in California. Made in China". Next the line underneath said "Model A1401 TM and © company inc." No mention of Apple.

About to throw it in the bin I decided on one last test and dug out my magnifying glass (we all have one, don't we? ) and an LED torch so I could peer into the USB port. Sure enough, there under the tongue was a proper serial-number, just as Apple would format it.

So then I wondered - is this the genuine article but perhaps a QC fail, rather than a fake?

The USB-A Lightning cable had none of the usual Apple text a few inches away from the plug, so I take it that's a fake too?

Anyone else had experience of similar counterfeit Apple items? Or anything else?

 

[wstrohm]

I thought the $3 bill with Tim Cook's picture on it was a bit sketchy...

 

[Middleman]

Yes I have had too! It was an assortment of items. A fake MacBook Pro charger, fake MacBook Air screen and replacement batteries. Despite the slightly different wording they surprisingly all worked.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Yes I have had too! It was an assortment of items. A fake MacBook Pro charger, fake MacBook Air screen and replacement batteries. Despite the slightly different wording they surprisingly all worked.

Must admit, I haven't actually pushed this thing into a wall socket yet ...

 

[scottkendall]

I buy most everything from the Apple Store directly because I am paranoid about stuff. Even my Air Pod Max head phones I bought them from the Apple Store when I could have gotten them from Best Buy for Cheaper. While the CS at Best Buy is normally really good I felt more comfortable buying them directly from apple.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

I buy most everything from the Apple Store directly because I am paranoid about stuff. Even my Air Pod Max head phones I bought them from the Apple Store when I could have gotten them from Best Buy for Cheaper. While the CS at Best Buy is normally really good I felt more comfortable buying them directly from apple.

Don't blame you - they are a big investment.

For me, and expensive stuff, the Apple Store online is a good option because I get an hour time-slot when something will be delivered and texts to confirm. Amazon could be any old time up to 10pm and you can waste a whole day just waiting in for them.

Doing more research, I'm really surprised how much effort goes into counterfeiting Apple kit - and how much of it there is about ...

 

[scottkendall]

Don't blame you - they are a big investment.

For me, and expensive stuff, the Apple Store online is a good option because I get an hour time-slot when something will be delivered and texts to confirm. Amazon could be any old time up to 10pm and you can waste a whole day just waiting in for them.

Doing more research, I'm really surprised how much effort goes into counterfeiting Apple kit - and how much of it there is about ...

Yea if you order something that takes longer like 3 weeks you might waste a day and then have them deliver it two days late and just leave it on the porch and ring the door bell. That was not apple but instead DHL delivering..

 

[pastrychef]

I don't usually purchase Apple accessories from Ebay but I have gotten a counterfeit Dell power adaptor. I didn't even notice it was counterfeit until it stopped working about a month after purchase.