serial number

[cairtaker]

I bought my spouse some new ping clubs.  I'm afraid they may be fake.  I dont want to give them as a present until I am sure.  The serial number on the clubs is 4k4757i.  Anyone help me out in finding out if they are real?  I hope I havent blundered.  He warned me once before about this but I was determined to find him a deal and my neighbor seems to think they may be fake.  Now I may be in hot water and would like to resolve it before he finds out....*if they are fake*  if they are real, I might just be his hero :)

[GJBenn85]

Call Ping.  If they're authentic, they will be able to verify the serial number.

[cairtaker]

Ok heres the sccop.  The serial number is a fake and the clubs are not authentic.

For anyone looking to buy off the internet, DONT.  The Ping representative told me flat out that very few internet sales are legitamate.

The seller web address is ************* dot com . My neighbor is showing me all of the workmanship errors and mishaps so that I will now know how to spot fake clubs.  If you do order clubs on line, call ping and verify serial numbers before you pay.

Good luck, and thanks GJbenn85 for your help.  :)

[Grumpter]

Hope you payed with a credit card so that you can dispute the charges (and then monitor the card activity in case they are selling the info)?

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by cairtaker

For anyone looking to buy off the internet, DONT.

No...that is bad advice.

Don't buy from companoies that offer clubs at ridiculous prices and have website with 50 obvious hallmarks of a scammer.

Simple rule - See if they offer clubs in left hand. If they are selling fakes, they won't. Although there are some clubs that aren't available in LH, (Mizuno MP63 for example) most are.

If there is a row of rosettes and  "Live Help" icons down the bottom, you should exit immediately - that is if the obviously unrealistic prices don't tip you off.

Place like 3balls, Globalgolf are fantastic places to buy from.  But...they don't sell current models at 80% of wholesale prices.

Pretty simple, really.

[GJBenn85]

Yeah, there is no reason to not buy clubs online.  There are PLENTY of retailers and even eBay sellers selling authentic clubs.  If the price is too good to be true, it is.  Like anything else you buy online, just do research and use common sense.  Nearly all of my clubs have been purchased online and they're the real thing, though I mostly buy from major retailers like Dick's, Golf Smith, etc.

One little trick I use when trying to determine if a site is legitimate or not is to see if physical location information is readily available on the website.  Illegitimate sellers do not want to list their locations and usually only provide phone numbers, if that.  Checking to see if left hand models are available as mentioned above is another good indicator if the clubs are real or knock-offs.

[jpalermo]

it's amazing how many of these threads pop up. I would like to offer up a sale for everyone, I have a 2009 Lamborghini for sale, sight unseen for $5000. I'll ship it to your door for free. have 20 of them in stock, check my feedback! who wants one? Lol

[Steve Wan]

Must be fake as I just received a set of "Ping" K15's which have the same serial number. I ordered from a website that told me they were authentic and advised they shipped from the US.  They are clearly fakes due to poor quality, Ping logo coming off on the 3 iron, shipped from China not USA, I also asked for silver dot and extended shaft but they sent black dot and standard length shafts.