Golf GPS - Beware Rogue Trader

Under no circumstances buy anything from golfgps.org.uk - I've been told by the director of a major DMD brand that he is a rogue trader, selling grey imports from the USA.

They won't support any technical issues. Warranty is void. I also know of someone who paid on a cc and still hasn't had a product. Must still be in the USA!

Domains are registered to Marc Cottrell.

We've been here before (dunno what made me remember)...

 http://www.golfmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/36888/

http://www.golfmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/34625/

http://www.golfmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/35462/

I placed an order with GolfGPS otherwise known as thecaddy.co.uk and  Painswick Golf Club Professional.

Order was cancelled within 30 mins by phone and email, however my Credit card was still charged £255. 6 weeks later still no refund!!!!   Do not use these Companies.

I have just done a transaction with Golfspin, using Paypal for a skycaddie sg3.5.priced at £134 on 14/10/11.  The payment went to a Marc Cottrell, which worried me(payment going to an individual instead of the company)but got a mail on 26 to say order shipped. Recieved order on 28/10 and inside was letter apologizing for delay stating it was caused by being unable to obtain more stock and would I accept a free upgrade to a skycaddie sg 5(which was in the box). Happy bunny!!

I have registered it with skycaddy(£30) and got all the upades and downloads and and was very happy till I saw this thread. All I can hope for now is that it don't go T*ts up

Ian, if you've successfully registered it with Skycaddie then worry no more. Once you're with them then they take care of their own customer service, and they're damn good at it. Relax and enjoy!

Thanks Tim, eases my mind a lot.  Guess I have been one of the lucky ones(by accident not design). Though I am happy with what I got and with tims reassurance about skycaddie, doubly so; I really ought to have been more carefull. Hope every one else gets a result

I would stay well clear, I heard from a golf shop today that Marc Cottrell has 3 websites tiosgolf, golfgps and golfspin, not only are they all selling imported Skycaddies without UK warranty, Marc had a website called tomorrowsgolfer that went into administration around this time last year

*moderated - no direct links please*

Thanks for the heads up, friend of mine was talking about that site only the other day...

Hi Everyone.

I am the PR Manager for GolfBuddy GPS in the UK. I would like to point out on GolfBuddy's behalf that Golfspin is NOT an authorised internet retailer for GolfBuddy GPS and we cannot honour the warranty for any products bought from the site. The site is importing units from the USA. We have tried to serve legal papers on him before AND we have closed down accounts of USA Pros selling him units to import.

I hope you all find this helpful.

Thanks John but if he can sell 'em cheaper

- any reason why your authorised suppliers can't? 

howay john, the silence is deafening....

Can they legally refuse to honour the warranty if it's a genuine product?

"Thanks John but if he can sell 'em cheaper

- any reason why your authorised suppliers can't? "

Good point Taz, one might guess that the poor old UK consumer is being charged more by some sort of restrictive marketing arrangement ................................................................ but I still dont think that the American GB dealers would be able to compete with Caddy Lite eh  ??????

Taz wrote (see)

Thanks John but if he can sell 'em cheaper

- any reason why your authorised suppliers can't? 

Seems a little harsh, he came on here to warn people and our community tries to score points.

Why harsh? - it was a simple question

. . . as for point scoring - don't start that

Always slightly disappointed with the way that items are marketed in the UK v the US when it comes down to coupons, cash back etc etc and how things can be less expensive in the US.. They all cost the same to make and as most of the kit is assembled in the far east then shipping costs / taxes are pretty much the same. yes import duties are one thing but if you buy an item in the US from a state that dosnt charge sales tax drive home and the thing blows up you still get service...

With regards to some of the electronic kit you do get different versions of the software by different region but on the GPS's I havnt seen a difference...

I bought a used SG5 the other day on ebay, got it and even though the previous user was in the UK the item was a US device, registered it on SkyCaddy and was all fine apart from some user info as the previous owner hadnt wiped it. went online and chatted with their online service tech who didnt resolve, phoned the UK line and they were closed as it was 10pm, phoned the US and a lovely lady was most helpful and sorted it all out... no issue on where the device or myself was from...

I think this has more to do with regional distribution networks that are still sitting in days before the Internet and distributers need to protect their regions as after all they are offering a service and many times are not owned by the OEM...

Bought all sorts of stuff over the years from all over the world and never (touch wood incase the SG5 is listing!) really had an issue. If I did I would just have to ship back to the country that the warantee is and arrange to pay to get it back.. This would prob outway the savings but there we go!

I was caught out by one of these rogue websites and are still awaiting refund!!!

I spoke to skycaddie and they advised to buy of one of their approved retailers, I spoke to these guys who were very helpful and got me a new SGX promptly delivered next day !!

Lesson learned the hard way

Tried buying through TIOS golf (which is also the name on the credit card statement. Ordered and card was charged on 11 December but nothing yet delivered (2 and a half weeks later).  No answers to e-mails sent to them. 

Hi Guys, I bought a golfbuddy world from the golfgps site b4 xmas for my son was a bit worried after reading on here, when the unit arrived it was complete with free balls (top ones) and they have just talked my son through setting the unit up over the phone. So dont really see any need to worry about warranty, hes happy, I saved money and  all seems very well. By the way they I asked about tios golf as saw that was reocurring on here and they claim they are nothing to do with them?Just based locally. Happy new year.

If anyone has bought a unit on a credit card and it hasn't turned up, then speak to your credt card issuer who can debit the retailer under credit card scheme rules and refund you. Also, if the item is not what was ordered - as described on the website - similar situation (though you will have to try to resolve position with the retailer first); will need to provide documentation - screen-shot from website, copies of correspondence etc.

Ordered a Golf Buddy from Tios golf on 26/12/11, money taken from CC account on 26/12/11. No Golf Buddy, no response to emails, can't find a phone number. CC company have been informed and will after 30 days credit my account. I have reported Tios to Trading Standards (don't suppose they will be able to do much). Golf GPS and related companies all trade from same town as Tios, Cheltenham. Wish I had seen this website sooner. 

THIS IS A POST FROM GOLFBUDDY'S EUROPEAN PR MANAGER

Hi all (esp Taz)

Thanks for the comments - it's always interesting to see how these dialogues play out before jumping in and making rash comments, I feel. Some of us have work to do as well

What GolfBuddy GPS wants to do is ensure our customers get the best service. That comes from buying from an authorised UK retailer who can offer genuine support. If golfers want to buy on lowest price only - and some of you advocate doing precisely that - then those customers unfortunately run the risk of encountering rogue traders. All we can do is point out those traders and encourage you not to buy there for peace of mind.

We want as many people as possible to enjoy using GolfBuddy GPS products. And that starts with encountering good customer service at the point of sale and right throughout product ownership. We can ensure that by setting up a network of authorised retailers, who by the way, choose to retail at a price that suits them.

We can't ensure that if people buy grey imports from unreliable sources.We all like a deal but sometimes they are too good to be true.

Kind regards to all and Happy New Year.

John Kelly, GolfBuddy www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu

Thanks for the reply John.

I see from the other responses that trying to buy the product as a grey import can be problematic - so fair comment.

I agree that good customer service may have a premium.

Taz wrote (see)

I agree that good customer service may have a premium.

I'd say it was a must.  "No customer service" comes with a discount, if that's what you want.

Always happy to engage in the forum, Taz.

Claverhouse wrote (see)

Taz wrote (see)

I agree that good customer service may have a premium.

I'd say it was a must.  "No customer service" comes with a discount, if that's what you want.

I disagree.

There are places where items can be bought at excellent discount, with the 'same' service.

I buy most stuff over the net these days - even my last car. The savings can be considerable, in the case of the car £8,500 below list.

So apart from the cups of coffee, comfy seats, glass and chrome showroom and a smiley faced salesman trying to squeeze the most money out of me, what customer service have  I missed out on?

Taz wrote (see)

Claverhouse wrote (see)

Taz wrote (see)

I agree that good customer service may have a premium.

I'd say it was a must.  "No customer service" comes with a discount, if that's what you want.

I disagree.

There are places where items can be bought at excellent discount, with the 'same' service.

I buy most stuff over the net these days - even my last car. The savings can be considerable, in the case of the car £8,500 below list.

So apart from the cups of coffee, comfy seats, glass and chrome showroom and a smiley faced salesman trying to squeeze the most money out of me, what customer service have  I missed out on?

It was a Vauxhall wasn't it? You saying you couldn't get a discount from a dealer?

The best customer service these days comes from Amazon - the model for efficient trading.

Still £4000 shy - despite endless cups of coffee, a stunning receptionist, a sales manager who assured me he had been on the phone for an hour getting me the best deal for my trade in he could (webuyanycar.com fixed) 

I don't do deals with d!ckheads.

. . . and I totally agree about Amazon - first class service.

Oh, and buyacar.co.uk are a brilliant organisation to buy a car from.

*cough*

Er - back to the topic.

Taz wrote (see)

Oh, and buyacar.co.uk are a brilliant organisation to buy a car from.

*cough*

Er - back to the topic.

Out of curiosity I've just gone there and checked their price for a car that I bought recently from a local dealer. Their discount was 75% of the one the local dealer agreed with me.

As ever, shop around chaps but never forget the customer service element. It costs to provide but it can be valuable.

I recently bought a golf buddy world platinum from this "rogue trader" and recevied it within a week, seems the only way other companies can try gain further credit in respect of their higher price tag is by slandering other companies. They also confirmed they have no affiliation to TiosGolf either.

Pathetic if you ask me.

One Happy Customer

Tios golf site suspended!  Pity I did not realise this warning forum existed before my payment was taken!

Never had  thread with so many 'one post wannabees' 

. . . apart from me and Cleverhouse - who are those masked men?

Slightly of course but just a thought, Anyone had any experience of the skicaddie sgxw? Am thinking of treating myself rather than my son this time, but hearing mixed things and I know there were some software issues with the sgx when first released. Any of you folks lucky enough to own the new skycaddie one?Thanks in advance for any tips, any alternatives would be appreciate too.Got to stop my son beating me some how!!

I ordered my SGX with these guys before christmas. Being told first off that the order would take 18 working days to arrive it almost took 2 months to arrive after many e mails to which ALL were replied i was assured it was coming. I now have it and is all registered with skycaddie.

It was a slow process and even though im happy i would say for peace of mind pay the extra £30-50

Have you tried activating your account? I cant!!

I also got one and it took over a month to arrive. I have just been told that by skycaddie that these have been imported "by the back door" and that SkyCaddie wont support the product as they arent going to supply it to the UK until March 2012. In order for you to register the product you will have to pay a £100 licensing fee

I have a skycaddie on order with Golf GPS and I have been told that they are having an issue with import paperwork. I will give them a bit more time but I will not wait 2 months for delivery.

My suggestion to Paul is that he seeks to speak with Skycaddie management. If he purchased the item in good faith from a dealer that states on the web site that they are the ony suppliers of the Skycaddie SGXw then if this is not the truth they must close the ilegal supply chain. Look at the warranty in the box. If it does not state that it is US exclusive (and I suspect it does not) then they must provide warranty if not consult the local trading std. office. They cannot expect to impose £100.00 in costs.

I've tried emailing Golf Buddy to get a list of approved internet retailers in the UK but have not received any response.

At the moment I'm looking at a Golf Buddy World on http://www.golfgadget.co.uk who claim to sell genuine UK models. Anyone have any dealing with them?

I have too many posts for this thread... sorry