Fake Taylormade r7 Superquad from American Golf!

[Olivavu]

Thanks for all the feedback people. Appreciated!

I noticed it was a fake when the exact same club arrived at my door today.

Let me go back to the start...

I went into my local American Golf store in November last year. I had bought a Taylormade Burner 1.0 driver and didn't get on with it as it had a longer shaft than my r5 dual driver, which I had subsequently sold on to a friend. I saw the r7 Superquad in the used section and compared it to a Burner 1.0 and found it was a similar length to the r5 that I had got on well with. It was £50 with no headcover, so I purchased it and ordered an r7 Limited headcover from eBay as Superquad covers are few and far between.

It played ok and I was happy enough with it. I did notice that the slots in the weights for the tools were grinding away and that paint was coming off relatively easily. So I wasn't 100% sure it was original.

Roll on to this week and I saw a Superquad on eBay with the original cover going for a reasonable price. So I won the auction with the only bid and it arrived this morning. I straight away compared the club to my one to see which was in better condition so I could relist the worse club on eBay to recoup money and then keep the cover. Instantly I noticed that the r7 logo on the front of the two weren't in the same place. Also, the paint had faded and peeled off more on the original club despite them looking equally used. Then the real give away was spotted - the graphite weave. The original had no weave at all and just had black and grey zig-zagged lines painted on the surface, whereas the other had a see through section with the weave visible underneath.

I went straight on to Golfbidder's counterfeit section and saw the exact same thing listed for r7 drivers as a giveaway for knock off clubs.

So I went straight to American Golf and they looked at the clubs and were quick to get the returns pad out to write out a returns slip to have Taylormade verify that it is a fake. Not that they need to as when sat next to eachother it was a clear that I had been sold a pretty good fake.

So then I spoke to someone I know who works for Taylormade. He said that Taylormade have nothing to do with it and AG should offer me a replacement or a refund. TM have done nothing wrong and appear only to be being used as verifiers that it is a counterfeit. But - the return slip implicitly requests that it be replaced if found to be coubterfeit.

And the funny thing is, I got an R11 a month or two ago and didn't like it as it is half an inch longer than the r7 and I kept clipping the ground with it! So I went back to the counterfeit club!

Had I not seen the headcover with the other club on eBay I probably wouldn't have found out for some time as it played ok. But I am playing in the morning and am hoping the authentic club adds some yardage to my teeshots!

 

[Olivavu]

Played the authentic r7 Superquad today. Feels very different!

 

[Fish]

It make me laugh when the lynch mob brigade come out in force to hang the retailer quoting Sale of Goods act and Trading Standards etc. I'm glad I don't have some of you as customers of mine as I own retail stores so lets put something into perspective for all the people that think they know the law.

Did AG "knowingly" sell a fake item? I would say most definitely not and it will be them (AG) that will be out of pocket as they will get nothing back from TM, no different if you took a fake bank note to the bank, they take it back and destroy it, thats it, you don't get a good one in return.

As such AG would have paid someone for the SH club, hopefully they may remember the person who sold it to them or look at the date and review the CCTV and give it to the police for them to investigate. If they offloaded it knowing it was fake then a prosecution looms.

Does AG have to legally compensate in any way? No, but it would be a good or decent "gesture" to do so. A full refund and an apology is all they are legally obliged to do.

Sale of Goods Act is only a protection of a "contract" between the seller and the buyer and the act is there to protect "both" parties.

Trading Standards wouldn't get involved with such an inndividual issue especially if it has been dealt with professionally and correctly once the "genuine mistake" had come to light, which at face value, it has.

No doubt it will make for a review with the inspection of the SH in-store policies at AG and personal identities should be shown and taken when buying in SH goods.

So put all your hanging ropes away.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Personally I'm surprised they sent it back to TM to be honest, it has nothing to do with them and is not their responsibility to replace it. This was an AG mistake and they should have taken it back and given you a refund or replacement.

 

[chris661]

Let me get this straight.

You bought a club over 9 months ago and have been happily using it find out it is a fake and decide to take it back to AG. If that's the case and you get a refund you will be doing well never mind getting a replacement.

 

[Oddsocks]

I visited a retailer local to me who had a rbz 3 wood in there display with FAKE written across it with sharpie...... Had a nice crack down the face too!

Story way that the customer had purchased from eBay USA and after only 3 rounds the face cracked and split open about 2-3mm wide. Tm uk wasn't interested in any kind of refund for the customer and the shop under no liability didn't have to do anything to the customer as they hadn't supplied it!

Moral of the story is any offer here I reckon will be good will from AG and not tm them selves. Ag take clubs in px all day long, and one is bound to get through every now , yes it's unforeseen but I bet they wouldn't do it on purpose. Even if they refund in full it could have been alot worse

 

[Oddsocks]

Let me get this straight.

You bought a club over 9 months ago and have been happily using it find out it is a fake and decide to take it back to AG. If that's the case and you get a refund you will be doing well never mind getting a replacement.

Spot on!

 

[Olivavu]

There is a two year warranty on second hand clubs from AG.

And it must have been a very good copy to fool a retailer in the first place! It played ok and I only spotted that it was fake when comparing to a genuine one.

Knock off clubs are everywhere. There are 100,000 imported every year and the average amateur cannot be blamed for not spotting a very good imitation.

 

[Olivavu]

And they are under obligation to give me a refund.

I don't see how anyone can think that isn't warranted.

 

[Oddsocks]

They are obviously obligated to refund or exchange, I'd be interested to know how you would prove the fake was the one you purchased from them and not eBay though. Not questioning you in the slightest, but I'm surprised they haven't ;-)

 

[Olivavu]

The guy that sold it to me remembered that there was a slight gap on the hosel, which was still there and not on the eBay purchased one.

I am also a regular in there and they know I wouldn't try and dupe them like that.

 

[Olivavu]

http://reviews.ebay.com/CAN-YOU-TELL-A-TAYLOR-MADE-COUNTERFEIT?ugid=10000000006362332

Interesting read on the same thing.

 

[Olivavu]

I am looking forward to hearing back from them. Might not be for another week or so though as they will have only sent the driver off yesterday!

 

[dufferman]

AG are very good with customer services, I've had a couple of experiences with the wrong club for me or friends (never a fake mind you) and they have been more than helpful.

A question - have you thought that TM could just come back and say it is in fact genuine?

 

[Olivavu]

AG are very good with customer services, I've had a couple of experiences with the wrong club for me or friends (never a fake mind you) and they have been more than helpful.

A question - have you thought that TM could just come back and say it is in fact genuine?

Nope. They won't.

I have compared it with a legitimate club of the exact same spec and it is not the real deal. I have also posted the photo at the start of this topic from Golfbidder where it is explained that the club has all the hallmarks of being a fake...

Where the crooks have really let themselves down is with the shafts. On this close-up you can see the graphite weave of the stock TaylorMade RE-AX shaft on the counterfeit (below) is not actually graphite weave but has been painted on and looks less pronounced.

Also, the two clubs don't lineup in terms of the r7 logo on the front of the shaft and the weights are grinding down when screwed in and out, and they shouldn't do that at all.

It is a fake. One good enough to fool American Golf.

 

[Olivavu]

American Golf just called. Taylormade have confirmed the club as counterfeit.

I am going to be given store credit for the club in return.

I am happy enough with that.

 

[ScienceBoy]

buy the silence of the complaining customer with a great upgrade. I see a brand new R11 or RBZ coming the OPs direction pronto.

Is that how you think society should work?

 

[Alex1975]

American Golf just called. Taylormade have confirmed the club as counterfeit.

I am going to be given store credit for the club in return.

I am happy enough with that.

They sell you a fake club then when you notice it they send it away so you are without a club then when they do get it back they offer you what you paid for the fake club... A little something for your time and as an apology is in order in my opinion!

 

[Slab]

^^^^^^^^^
A little extra is nice but I find its now becoming expected on any & all scenarios of returning goods, is this really necessary & where will it end (& I'm not sure how someone would work out what the Op's time is worth anyway)

He's a regular in the store so return of the club could have been as part of a trip covering other business with AG. I'm going to assume the Op didn't take time off work solely for the trip (though he might have) We've no idea if this is walking distance or if a 40 mile round trip on a train & two buses is needed. If it were calculated then my time could be worth a bag of tee's while the Op's time is worth a box of Pro V's (is this really for a golf retailer to determine)

So I don't go along with getting anything extra for his time (so assuming time is actually being used here for other things like inconvenience etc) but in that instance if it were a necessity to cover this for every simple return of goods to a retailer then it surely would have been addressed as part of the Sale of Goods Act (& it is)

And if we all expect this going forward then ultimately the cost of all this extra compensation will be added to the price paid for all goods

I would expect that had AG failed in the process in dealing with the returned goods that then required the Op to take additional actions then a little extra is due, but they seem to have done precisely what is expected of them, no more no less & with the correct outcome

 

[Alex1975]

^^^^^^^^^
A little extra is nice but I find its now becoming expected on any & all scenarios of returning goods, is this really necessary & where will it end (& I'm not sure how someone would work out what the Op's time is worth anyway)

He's a regular in the store so return of the club could have been as part of a trip covering other business with AG. I'm going to assume the Op didn't take time off work solely for the trip (though he might have) We've no idea if this is walking distance or if a 40 mile round trip on a train & two buses is needed. If it were calculated then my time could be worth a bag of tee's while the Op's time is worth a box of Pro V's (is this really for a golf retailer to determine)

So I don't go along with getting anything extra for his time (so assuming time is actually being used here for other things like inconvenience etc) but in that instance if it were a necessity to cover this for every simple return of goods to a retailer then it surely would have been addressed as part of the Sale of Goods Act (& it is)

And if we all expect this going forward then ultimately the cost of all this extra compensation will be added to the price paid for all goods

I would expect that had AG failed in the process in dealing with the returned goods that then required the Op to take additional actions then a little extra is due, but they seem to have done precisely what is expected of them, no more no less & with the correct outcome

I totally understand your reaction and to be clear I do not condone people trying to get something for nothing. What I do think is necessary though is that if you have miss sold something I e made a mistake then that should be accounted for. I do not think that you can take into account how far someone lives from your store or if they have taken time off work, that is not the criteria in my opinion, you have not asked them to do that.

What has happened here is that the customer (OP) has been sold a fake item and before that happened one of the AG staff has bought a fake, A couple of errors there. AG have then had to send the club away for however long it was and our OP has been without a driver for that time, after all the waiting around they have come back to him and said they will give him what he has spent.

AG could compensate him at no cost to themselves after a few embarrassing errors and having to send the club back to have it verified, again embracing and time consuming. Mess a customer around and they should be looked after by you if you want them to come back in my opinion. There is far far too little customer service in this country now!! Far too little!