Did I just buy an ex-display Roksan CD player even though I was told that it is new?

[admin_exported]

I bought a Roksan CD player today from Superfi at Mornington Crescent (London) today which I paid for last week because they had to make a 'special' order for me since they didn't have any in stock.

I went there to pick it up, when I got back home and opened it, I already had doubts about it being new.

Firstly, the original tape that goes across the lid of the box was broken and a second layer of tape was applied over it(I already noticed this before taking it home and was suspicious at the time).

The power card was poorly tied and uneven.

Take a strip of tape and have half of it applied to a cardboard box, then lift it away, this is the kind of tape that was wrapped around the bubble foam which itself contained the remote control for the CD player.

Front plate is slightly scratched (on the metal itself and not the mirror).

So I then gave the manager a call, he was convinced that it was brand new since he ordered it directly from his supplier especially for myself.

His reason to why the original seal was broken was because it had to be opened by his supplier to have a UK A/C power cord inserted into the box. Couldn't really argue that. If that was the case, then the only real proof to see whether it was an ex-display or not is to go into the stockroom at the back of the store and have it verified to me and be shown all the other Roksan CD players and amplifiers has had its original seal broken(that's if they even have any) even though Roksan is a UK based company.

I personally work in a retail store that sells electronical products including TV's and laptops. As the company I work for is a franchise, other branches of the company will occasionally request for stock, if we don't have a brand new unopened one in the box then we take the one off display and sell it as if it was new (after cleaning it and providing all the accessories that come with it of course).

So my question is, has anyone else had the same experiance as me, if not similar?

 

[chebby]

WhoIzHe:His reason to why the original seal was broken was because it had to be opened by his supplier to have a UK A/C power cord inserted into the box. Couldn't really argue that.

According to the back of a Kandy K2 CD player, it is 'Made In England'.

Why would a UK based company need to have anyone stuff a UK mains lead into a UK made product box (after being sealed for delivery) en route to a UK retail outlet?

 

[Anonymous]

from reading your post, I doubt if whatever anyone says will make a great difference .... as you will always 'wonder' if it was indeed new and have your suspicions as you work in retail

so, take it back, get a full refund and buy elsewhere?

 

[the record spot]

You have reason enough to return it and request a new player. At the cost of the Roksan, you've every right to expect an unblemished piece of equipment. I'd be taking it back - fair enough if it's ex-dem, you expect something like this, but the condition is questionable IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you're been spun a bit of a story. Why not just ask Roksan or try posting on their forum, it's a pretty friendly place. As mentioned above at the price your paying, i'd insist on better.

Hope it gets sorted to your satisfaction - the K2 is a great combo.

 

[MattSPL]

Sounds fishy to me. Id take it back if i were you.

When i bought my cd player along with amp and speakers back in 2003, i got it home and it had a cd in it already. And to make matters worse, it was something id never dream of listening to. I didnt do anything about it but should have done thinking about it afterwards.

You could contact Roksan and they should be able to tell you the production date from the seriel number. This might tell you if its new or not.

 

[matengawhat]

which model is it? the latest or old version to match the old mkIII amp - only reason for asking is I once got a really good deal on an arcam amp that had been discountinued and the box for that had been opened to put in a new mains cable and flick the voltage selecter switch on the back to 240v instead of 110! the box even said 110v on it on the confirmation lable on the outside - as far as i know this was done by the dealer not the manufacturer

 

[Anonymous]

There's a gent from Henley Designs, the UK Roksan distributor, that used to post on this forum. He might be able to lend an opinion on the matter.

 

[Anonymous]

WhoIzHe:I personally work in a retail store that sells electronical products including TV's and laptops. As the company I work for is a franchise, other branches of the company will occasionally request for stock, if we don't have a brand new unopened one in the box then we take the one off display and sell it as if it was new (after cleaning it and providing all the accessories that come with it of course).
So my question is, has anyone else had the same experiance as me, if not similar?If that's how you behave then it's not surprising that you expect others to conform to your own standards. That doesn't mean they do, however, and it seems inappropriate of you to have named the company in question while voicing your suspicions on the forum without first contacting Roksan.

As it happens, I bought a CD player from SuperFi by mail order last week, and it was £25 off because it was in an opened box. In fact, I've noticed that SuperFi often has "opened box sales", which doesn't tend to suggest that they're in the habit of passing off ex display products as new.

 

[Anonymous]

WhoIzHe:
I personally work in a retail store that sells electronical products including TV's and laptops. As the company I work for is a franchise, other branches of the company will occasionally request for stock, if we don't have a brand new unopened one in the box then we take the one off display and sell it as if it was new (after cleaning it and providing all the accessories that come with it of course).

By your own admission, you do the same thing you suspect them of doing? So, why are you complaining?

What is important is this - Did you pay 'full-price' for this item, i,e, new or did you get an 'open box' item at a discount?

 

[True Blue]

WhoIzHe, seeing as you were quite open to name and shame other companies, I would LOVE to know who you work for so I can avoid them in the near future

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds rather suspect to me .....

Maybe Roksan can tell you how old the player is, form the Serial No. - may give you an idea when they actually shipped it to the shop?

They may be unhappy to know you've be sold something potentially on a false pretense ...... and take it up with the dealer - although if you demand a refund, the dealer 'should' oblige.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Hum - interesting - I was hoping to audition a Kandy K2 this weekend.

My local dealer has just emailed me a couple of days ago to say that he has sold his last RK K2 before I asked for the audition and that the current Kandy is being replaced with a new model (case and cosmetic changes apparently) which Roksan aren't shipping until early March.

Nothing on the Roksan website about this, but the dealer has no motive to invent a story - he's recommended the Kandy as one of three systems and it's the most expensive, so it's presumably in his interest to get me listening to it.

So - in your case (and putting 2 and 2 together, obviously!) could your man in Mornington Crescent be keen to shift soon-to-be-old display stock at full price?

 

[Anonymous]

Let me clarify, the item was supposed to be brand new, no discounts were given because I was buying a 'new' item. Because he had none in stock, he had to make a 'special order request' to Henley designs for a SILVER Roksan Kandy amp and CD player.

After contacting the manager of Superfi through the phone and letting him know that I thought that it was an ex-demo, he directed me to Henley design because they were their suppliers therefore they were the one to blame.

I gave them a call, they told me that they only sold 'new' equipment and that Superfi is the one at fault. The lady who I spoke to also suspected that they may have sold me an ex-demo.

I brought the product back to Superfi, the manager was busy so a sales assistant helped me unpack everything. Apparantly, all Roksan Kandy K2's boxes have to be opened so a UK power cord can be dropped in the box and that it was normal for it to be tied the way it was.

What I thought was scratches on the front mirror panel was infact only scratches on the plastic film which covered it. It was very difficult to peel off. I did not realise this untill it was done. After it was lifted away, I could see no scratches. There was still very small scratches on the metal plate, but very unsignificant and minor.

He had no explanation to why the tape that was wrapped around the remote was the way it was but showed me that it was new, all the pieces of plastic cover remained intact(not that I suspected anything for the remote).

I could not prove that it was an ex-demo with him being soo persistant so I had no choice but to accept the fact that it was new.

My Roksan Kandy K2 amplifier came today, but since I was at work, my brother picked it up for me. Again, after being informed that it was new, my brother insisted on opening the box only to find it 'not new'. It was missing the plastic film which covered the front mirror panel, the remote control had its batteries already put in and was switched on and so refused to accept it. The manager of Superfi is now in the process of ordering a supposedly new Kandy K2 amplifier as a replacement.

Why do some people think I deserved what I got? When I am at work and serving customers, I let them know we only have the display item left if we're completely sold out for new ones. When I transfer stock to another branch, its not upto me to tell the customers that its been on display. I hold no responsibilty for anything in this case. Never do I try to pass ex-demo goods as new.

Verifying the production date from Roksan won't do much because I bought the goods from Superfi who themselves bought it from a wholesaler.

The company who I work for does not matter, simply put, do not put money on the table before inspecting the goods before-hand.

 

[JoelSim]

WhoIzHe:
Let me clarify, the item was supposed to be brand new, no discounts were given because I was buying a 'new' item. Because he had none in stock, he had to make a 'special order request' to Henley designs for a SILVER Roksan Kandy amp and CD player.

After contacting the manager of Superfi through the phone and letting him know that I thought that it was an ex-demo, he directed me to Henley design because they were their suppliers therefore they were the one to blame.

I gave them a call, they told me that they only sold 'new' equipment and that Superfi is the one at fault. The lady who I spoke to also suspected that they may have sold me an ex-demo.

I brought the product back to Superfi, the manager was busy so a sales assistant helped me unpack everything. Apparantly, all Roksan Kandy K2's boxes have to be opened so a UK power cord can be dropped in the box and that it was normal for it to be tied the way it was.

What I thought was scratches on the front mirror panel was infact only scratches on the plastic film which covered it. It was very difficult to peel off. I did not realise this untill it was done. After it was lifted away, I could see no scratches. There was still very small scratches on the metal plate, but very unsignificant and minor.

He had no explanation to why the tape that was wrapped around the remote was the way it was but showed me that it was new, all the pieces of plastic cover remained intact(not that I suspected anything for the remote).

I could not prove that it was an ex-demo with him being soo persistant so I had no choice but to accept the fact that it was new.

My Roksan Kandy K2 amplifier came today, but since I was at work, my brother picked it up for me. Again, after being informed that it was new, my brother insisted on opening the box only to find it 'not new'. It was missing the plastic film which covered the front mirror panel, the remote control had its batteries already put in and was switched on and so refused to accept it. The manager of Superfi is now in the process of ordering a supposedly new Kandy K2 amplifier as a replacement.

Why do some people think I deserved what I got? When I am at work and serving customers, I let them know we only have the display item left if we're completely sold out for new ones. When I transfer stock to another branch, its not upto me to tell the customers that its been on display. I hold no responsibilty for anything in this case. Never do I try to pass ex-demo goods as new.

Verifying the production date from Roksan won't do much because I bought the goods from Superfi who themselves bought it from a wholesaler.

Yes it is up to you to tell the customer it has been on display. Otherwise it is fraud.

 

[Craig M.]

how is he supposed to inform the customer, if that customer is at another branch? telepathy or something? if the customer is buying something from another branch, it's upto that branch to inform the customer what they are buying.

 

[matengawhat]

i'd just demand my money back and go buy elsewhere - sounds a shambles to me - some serious stock issues somewhere

 

[JoelSim]

Craig M.:
how is he supposed to inform the customer, if that customer is at another branch? telepathy or something? if the customer is buying something from another branch, it's upto that branch to inform the customer what they are buying.

By informing the other branch that it is ex-display

 

[True Blue]

WhoIzHe:
I personally work in a retail store that sells electronical products including TV's and laptops. As the company I work for is a franchise, other branches of the company will occasionally request for stock, if we don't have a brand new unopened one in the box then we take the one off display and sell it as if it was new (after cleaning it and providing all the accessories that come with it of course).

No one is saying you got what you deserved, if it was my money I would demand an immediate refund and take my trade elsewhere. However your statement above does lend itself to be interpreted that you / your company passes demo stuff on as new. Cant have one rule for one...............

Who do you work for again?

 

[True Blue]

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy/know-your-rights/electrical/

 

[Craig M.]

WhoIzHe:
Why do some people think I deserved what I got? When I am at work and serving customers, I let them know we only have the display item left if we're completely sold out for new ones. When I transfer stock to another branch, its not upto me to tell the customers that its been on display. I hold no responsibilty for anything in this case. Never do I try to pass ex-demo goods as new.

this infers to me, that the store the stock is transferred to know it is ex-demo.

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:Craig M.:
how is he supposed to inform the customer, if that customer is at another branch? telepathy or something? if the customer is buying something from another branch, it's upto that branch to inform the customer what they are buying.

By informing the other branch that it is ex-display

They will know whether its new or ex-display because it will show on the system, which they will need to check before requesting for a stock transfer. We label the product as damaged if there are signs of wear.

I also had to pay the full amount for both my 2 items before the special order could be made, so unless I can prove it was ex-demo, I doubt I'd be able to get a refund.

 

[True Blue]

Items should be fit for purpose and as described. If you bought "new" and there are any scratches etc on it, it is not "new" end of.

Ask for a replacement first. Basic consumer law.

Also the link I sent you states your contract is with the retailer (Superfi) NOT the supplier (Henleys).

If you are still not happy STOP USING IT and contact citizens advice.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I may want to sell this for £700 if I could.

I don't like the idea of it being used...

 

[Anonymous]

hate to be unkind, but always sensed a bit of Tottenham Court Road in the Mornington Crescent store