MP4 Flash Memory Issue—What to Do?

[Cold Steel]

The sales at eBay are humming. Thousands of MP4/MTV players with an advertised capacity of 4GBs are rolling off the shelves of Hong Kong, Austrailian, and U.K. sellers. But the word is slowly leaking out that people are actually getting 2GB units (if lucky), hacked by unscrupulous distributors.

I only now found out about it (after ordering several), but so far none has arrived. At first I thought they might be a late breaking item for the holidays, but websites all over the place are still listing their maximum capacity as 2GBs.

Who's to blame for this sad state of affairs and what can we, as consumers, do about it? I assume credit card protection can save those of us who may be in the midst of transactions, but what about the many others?

How can one initially prove these units to be mispackaged and mismarked? What if one attempts to write 4-gigs to one? Does it simply crash? Has anyone actually made this an issue with the sellers?

Thanks for any feedback!

C.S.

[Cold Steel]

If anyone has any horror stories, please post them here. If anyone's bought one of these things (which sellers get for about fifteen bucks apiece), and love it, I'd also like to hear.

Finally, if anyone can provide any websites geared towards this scam, please leave some links.

Thanks!

jriler

[mensan]

jriler, what's wrong with you, you paid 3 days ago and you are located in USA. I posted your player yesterday and you certainly haven't received the player from me yet as delivery takes 6-14 working days from UK to US. And you made this post trying to defame us? No problem, you are reported to eBay and you will be permanently suspended and we may consider taking legal action against your fraudulent behaviors. While there are fakes and copies out there, it doesn't mean everything you encounters in your life are fake. You haven't received the player and just left random negative feedback comments to all sellers whom you had recent transactions. Get a life!

[Cold Steel]

I will cheerfully retract any feedback should this be proven inaccurate. Please be advised, reader, that I have yet to hear of one 4GB unit of Chinese MP4/MTV player that actually had anywhere near 4GB of memory in it.

I also have checked numerous Chinese websites that carry these players and not one of them advertises a 4GB configuration. I've also received about 50 messages from people I've been blocked from in responding to via eBay, many of whom have already been burned by players with rigged firmware. The problem with eBay is, it doesn't allow any room for elaboration.

Just because it says 4GB on the startup screen doesn't make it so.

Again, if anyone has any information to add, please post here. And if ANYONE has gotten a player, even one, that actually had 4GB of memory in it, please post here.

I do want to emphasize that most eBay sellers are undoubtedly innocent of any malfeasance. Their suppliers, on the other hand, are the likely culprits. My only interest is in stopping the tide of sales, which I admit I cannot even make a scratch.

Stay tuned.



This is another player advertised as being 4GB;
however, a Google search fails to find any of this model
in a 4GB configuration outside of auctions. Do a Google
check on your own and see how many 4GB players
are advertised on wholesale and retails sites.


...................

[Cold Steel]

For those who have purchased such players, here are some other posts:

** viewtopic.php?t=2024
** viewtopic.php?t=4424

viewtopic.php?t=4031

viewtopic.php?t=4369

viewtopic.php?t=3754

Please also check this link as well!
http://www.mympxplayer.org/how-to-remov ... html#13762

If you're stuck with one of the hacked units, the best thing to do is follow the directions in the last link cited. You'll have to live with the reduced memory, but at least it will work.

..

[bh993]

Cold Steel

I think I was the one who emailed you from the Ebay Feedback site from U-Britian or whatever it's called. I recieved my 4GB MP4 the same day as you and it did the same thing. Lost 3 GB of memory the first time I used it.
I tried to re-load the MP3's again and now it's crashed and burned and has the dead player look.
I have emailed these cretans in China to get some explainations and the morons told me to format it. I cracked it with them because they just avoided the question so I have raised a dispute through Paypal. Suggest you do the same. Their reply on Paypal was again vague and they asked me to send the player back to them. In the mean time they answered my second request off Ebay and said they would give me a $15.00AUD refund as a partial payment to go away. What? Your kidding. I looked up he site where they buy from and its Shenzin in China who make the machine.
Their biggest machine of this nature is 2GB. I reminded them of this in my dispute consol complaint.
If your machine still works and it has the ATJ2091 Chip and 9.0.48 Firmware, is it possible for you to do a copy of the firmware and post it here or to me by email. Contact me and I'll give you my email address.
Like you, I thouht I was buying a 4GB unit, not a hacked 1GB unit.
Suggest you also do the same thing if you bought it through Paypal.
I don't intend to let it slip away - I want what I paid for and they will either supply or give back my money in full along with Paypal costs.
bh993

[Cold Steel]

If it's fraud, the worst thing you can do is return it. That way you're just sending the evidence back, and with a huge shipping bill. Why should you pay the cost when you were defrauded? It's up to them to make good.

Your credit card protection is your best bet, PayPal second.

I've raised enough hell with eBay during the last week that they certainly know about it. Their position is that they can't police their sellers.

Contest the transaction and don't send the unit back.

If it formats to 2GB, it's their custom to give you money back. But that's just to get you out of their hair.

I'd refuse to pay. As long as you've got the device, you can prove you were defrauded.

To report fraud, try going to http://www.ic3.gov.

P.S. -- I've tried to locate Shenzin, the manufacturer, on the Internet, but came away without finding anything. Do they have a site? Does Shenzin even claim to produce a 4GB device?



Another device to watch out for.

..

[bh993]

Cold Steel

I found the Shenzin site through searching for the Chip - ATJ2091H. It came up on one of those Chinese common manufactuers listings. I'll try and find it again. The biggest they made was 2 gig. I know the machine that I recieved was 1 Gig. I looked at it through Disk Management on the computer.

Last nigt they emailed me and said they would give me a full refund if I returned the unit. I like the way they do this - not through Ebay but through email reply so as they can't be traced by Ebay. I've asked them to refund the money I paid, the postage cost and Paypal transaction fee. Why should I be out of pocket for there fraudulent behaviour?

[bh993]

Cold Steel
The company is Shenzhen KNT Electron. There details are -
Company Name: Shenzhen KNT Electron Co., Ltd.
Contact Person: Sherry
Address: 3floor 5building,Liantang Industry Park,Kangzheng Road,Danzhutou,Buji Town,Longgang District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. China
Zip: 518000
Telephone: 86-755-89812558
Mobile Phone: 86-13880565099
Fax: 86-755-89968189~808
Website: http://www.kntdl.com

Its the same area from where you purchased the 4 Gig Nano Clone.

[Cold Steel]

From your mouth to God's ear.

The manufacturer confirms what we already knew. You can't get 4GBs out of any of these devices.

I'll be interested in knowing how the company reacts to your request for return postage. Also, have you spoken to anyone at PayPal yet? Remember, once it's out of your possession, it's your word against theirs. Take photos at the very least.

Have you reformatted it to its regular 2GBs?

..

[Cold Steel]

To those of you from eBay who are following this, please sign up for this forum, as we're going to need documentation of the above. Keep in mind that eBay limits my outgoing messages to about three at a time. I would like to see more posts from those who have had problems and, more importantly, those who have resolved them.

I'm hearing some good things about the player once it's formatted correctly, but it's still a hack and a scam. Longevity may not be great on these units, but neither are Nanos.

I do, however, have a Sandisk Sansa E280 that's great.

C.S.


..

[straybits]

I just ordered 4GB player...

Well, it's gonna take a week or so to get it, but let me update you guys as soon as I get it.

[bh993]

I have raised a dispute with Paypal and now I am exchanging emails with the company that sold the unit. Really, it's a waste of time! Their answers to my queries are just the most ridiculous answers you would ever like hear. They act like Oh, is something wrong? They are nothing but absolute scum and scammers and give others who sell on Ebay a bad name.
I'll never buy another thing based from Hong Kong again as these people have put me off forever.
They will not get this MP4 player back until I have recieved a refund and costs. If not, I'm going to make it a mission to see these people removed from E Bay. I have also noticed looking at the list on E Bay that the same people sell under different trading names. Maybe they are being caught out by people who have purchased these units and found out about them.

Another way to get back at them is to warn off bidders for these products about what they are bidding on.

[bh993]

Here is a copy of my dispute so far on Paypal.

From Buyer: on 30/11/2006 12:19 AEDT
I purchased and paid for a 4 Gig MP3 player from your site. The model that arrived was branded as a 4 Gig unit but is actually a 1 gig unit that crashed the first day I tried to use it. This was because the firmware on the machine had been "Hacked" to try and show 4 Gig. As soon as 1 Gig of information was placed on the machine, it crashed and has now stopped working. I have emailed you for a fix or to replace the unit with what I ordered and all I have recieved was a "Sorry" and please format the machine which is pretty hard when it has stopped working. These are a falsely advertised product and should be removed from sale from the description used to sell them.

From Seller: Digital Era Tech Co. LTD. on 01/12/2006 12:35 AEDT
Hi sorry for the trouble. do you mean that the total memory of the player is 1GB? or the player can only hold file of 1GB please format the player with FAT by your pc. and reload songs onto the player. please make sure that the songs you download are in MP3/WMA format. if that still can not work, there should be something wrong with the memory. If you are sure that it is really wrong, please send it back to us for checking and leave a note (your name/item number /the matter) to tell us the details.The return address: J Zhang 28-38#, Hongli Youju Shenzhen, Guangdong 518028 China Please don't send it by any express like UPS, FEDEX or DHL ect, please send it by your national post office.We appreciate your understanding.

From Buyer: on 01/12/2006 15:14 AEDT
The machine you sent was 1Gb hacked to show it was 4Gb. You know this so it is a stupid question. I also explained to you in an email how I already formatted it and this did nothing after it originally crashed. Then when I re-loaded it with MP3's it died and hasn't worked since. Probably because of the hacked software. I will not post it back yet, you can send me what I originally ordered - a 4GB MP4 Player. You know these dont exist as I have looked up the player you sent me and it was made by Shenzhen KNT Electron. the largest player they have is 2GB. So you can send me 2 of these (2GB units)instead to make up for this fraudulent act and then I will carefully send back the original. If not I will take legal action and use this unit as evidence. You should pay some more attention to what is being said in online forums about your company. You may want to read s1mp3.org. Companies such as yours who are ripping people off are being caught out. I will look forward to your reply

From Seller: Digital Era Tech Co. LTD. on 02/12/2006 15:08 AEDT
can you give us the phone number of the KNT Electron?? we do not what is KNT Electron. please send back the item to us.


From Buyer: on 02/12/2006 22:04 AEDT
This dispute has become ridiculous. You are avoiding the problem because you know that you have tried to scam me with a falsely advertised and firmware hacked product. I have told you I will not send the product back until you have refunded my money and costs through Paypal as follows = AUD$80.00 for the fake MP4 AUD$6.50 for Paypal Charges AUD$20.00 Return Postage Your company is advertising a multitude of fake products on Ebay and you should be removed as a seller from this resourse because you are knowingly ripping people off who buy your product. So stop with the stupid replies and refund the money and then I will send back this fasley advertised product that has been firware hacked by your business. If you do not refund my money in full as above I will be having charges laid against your business. You have been caught by myself and others and your responses are just an insult to our intelligence. And just for good measure - Samsung the people who you claim make the memory chip for this machine which is claimed in your add only make a maximum 2GB chip for these type of machines.


It's pathetic isn't it. Their English suddenly becomes pretty poor and they have trouble communicating. Worse there are others out there doing the same thing. For those sellers out there on E Bay that are doing the right thing and are trying to sell genuine products, I feel sorry for you because your reputations & businesses are being ruined by these scammers.

[straybits]

One I bought from is "ugoolewholesalecenter"

http://stores.ebay.com.cn/ugoolewholesalecenter/

I boguth though US (or .com) eBay, but looks like it's a chinese member,
and I cannot think chinese ebay would do anything to stop them.

As soon as I confirm the scam, I'd leave negative feedback,
and contest my credit card to stop the payments.