Counterfeit Vokey wedges

[Shorty]

  Abu3baid said:

O

I don't know that Vokey wedges are only available to authorized dealers..  (not that I would ever buy a wedge not fitted to me), but that is besides the point.  I really didn't know that piece of information until now (thanks by the way).  Did he know that?  I don't know, but maybe that is a better question to ask first?

It isn't beside the point.

If it was OK for anyone to buy these clubs wholesale from Titleist and sell them at a lower profit margin than authorised stockists as a little hobby how would that pan out?

You would have to be very naive  or XXXXXXX not to smell something fishy in offerings such as this.

Major OEMs do not wholesale equipment to random people off the street.

They will unload excess and superseded stock to authorised sellers.

[Lihu]

My son is shopping for a Vokey 56/10, and I showed him this thread. He thinks it's worth spending the $130-$15 gift certificate from Roger Dunn.

Plus, stores like Golfsmith and Roger Dunn let you try the wedge on the course for 90 days to make sure it is the right fit for you. Forged lets you change the loft and lie as well for a better fit. . .

[newtogolf]

  Abu3baid said:

Ok, so to be clear you are specifically talking about "Vokey wedges" here and not "all golf clubs" in general terms correct?

I don't know that Vokey wedges are only available to authorized dealers..  (not that I would ever buy a wedge not fitted to me), but that is besides the point.  I really didn't know that piece of information until now (thanks by the way).  Did he know that?  I don't know, but maybe that is a better question to ask first?

In terms of someone coming on to a forum and saying, yeah I gave it a shot and it didn't turn out like I thought it would.. for that much money I don't see many people ever doing that.. if there is a chance that they are fake and you have any sort of inclination towards that feeling I doubt someone is going to pay that kind of cash and then bite the bullet.  If that is what you are waiting for, then I'm sorry to say but I don't see this happening any time soon (just want to save you from holding your breath for it to happen :) )

@noob did you know that Vokey wedges are only sold by authorized dealer?  If the answer is yes, then why would you buy them?  Did the seller advertise that he is an authorized dealer?  Can you give us the sellers ID so that we can all stay clear of him?

Titleist (includes Vokey, SC), Mizuno and Ping can only be sold by authorized dealers and are not allowed to advertise clubs at discounted prices.  Check your Golfsmith ads, when they run a 20% off store coupon, the small print always excludes these manufacturers.

Any time you see new clubs from these manufacturers advertised below list price an alarm should go off in your head that they are fake or demo clubs.  As for the OP getting his money back, the seller is not going to refund the money until the clubs are returned.  Paypal will manage the transaction to ensure the buyer is protected as long as he follows the proper process.

Any time you do business on the web you have to be diligent.  If it's eBay you have to review the seller, how long have they been a seller, what is their feedback, long term and short term.  Read the feedback so you can see what types of problems buyers had with the seller.  If there is any question to the authenticity of what they sell, move on.

If it's a website, do a "whois" on the domain name to see how long the site has been active and where the owners are located.  Sites that sell fakes are often outside the USA (Asia) and haven't been registered for longer than a year.

In any case the old adage, "If it looks too good to be true it probably isn't" applies, especially if you aren't working with known entities such as GlobalGolf, 3Balls, 2ndSwing and DiscountDans.

[noob]

  Shorty said:

Again, as in all threads of this nature, the buyer, who hates these clubs, can't bear to part with them.

It would be very easy to protect other unwary buyers, but I've yet to see a reaction different to what I have jokingly summarised and am seeing again

[Shorty]

  noob said:

Did you miss the part about the price? I paid about $300 (£205) for these 3 wedges. A powerseller with 15k feedback and 99.8% positive currently have buy it now for $100 (£67) so while what I paid is a good price, it is not obvious too good to be true? Or it is and I am greedy and deserve this? :-/ The "can't bear to part with them" is your generalisation.

About sets of wedges.. you never seen a posting on ebay where people sell more than 1 wedge at once?

I've seen dozens.

But if someone has sold several sets of Vokey wedges brand new you have to wonder where he got them and why he can sell them for less than the wholesale price.

[noob]

I called a Titleist Fitting Centre and was quoted £79.95 per new SM5 wedges. Does this sound too good to be true to you? Other main online retailers are selling them for £99 each (which agrees more with the US price of $160). This is a centre listed as SureFit Cart Fitting Centre on Titleist.co.uk website and is located at a 36-hole golf club... I'm so jaded right now and don't know what to trust any more >.>

[Lihu]

  noob said:

I called a Titleist Fitting Centre and was quoted £79.95 per new SM5 wedges. Does this sound too good to be true to you? Other main online retailers are selling them for £99 each (which agrees more with the US price of $160). This is a centre listed as SureFit Cart Fitting Centre on Titleist.co.uk website and is located at a 36-hole golf club... I'm so jaded right now and don't know what to trust any more >.>

I think you can trust the "Titleist Fitting Centre".

Does the price of the club also require some kind of a fitting charge as well?

BTW, to be perfectly frank, the wedges you have will probably work fine anyway. I'm using super cheap TM Rac wedges and I scrape the bottom hitting off rocks and cement all the time. It's not exactly a precision instrument in my hands anyway.

[Shorty]

  noob said:

I called a Titleist Fitting Centre and was quoted £79.95 per new SM5 wedges. Does this sound too good to be true to you? Other main online retailers are selling them for £99 each (which agrees more with the US price of $160). This is a centre listed as SureFit Cart Fitting Centre on Titleist.co.uk website and is located at a 36-hole golf club... I'm so jaded right now and don't know what to trust any more >.>

They would be fine.

If you don't want to be fitted, or have been fitted and know what specs you have, gol* st*reeurope.com is an excellent source of legitimate clubs. They have great customer service too.

[Beached]

  Shorty said:

Again, as in all threads of this nature, the buyer, who hates these clubs, can't bear to part with them.

It would be very easy to protect other unwary buyers, but I've yet to see a reaction different to what I have jokingly summarised and am seeing again

[Hardballs]

I've bought plenty of stuff from eBay, they have a money back guarantee, if your not happy with the product description, (in this case fake goods not being authentic) you claim your money back, I've done it on 3 separate occasions, and received a full refund each time, twice from eBay, once from the seller, don't think your saving the world by reporting sellers of counterfeit goods, your not, the black market will succeed with or without you, just get your money back and be more careful next time, it's the big oem's and the authorities job to monitor the black market, they have more money, time and resources to do this than we have, leave them to it and don't waste your time trying to help them, and besides, everyone knows cleveland make better wedges than vokeys!

[Shorty]

  Beached said:

boy, you appear to enjoy being an ass.  the guy got ripped off and wants his money back.  if you are not going to help, take a hike.

OP, simply file the dispute with Paypal and get in touch with Titleist.

A bit late to the party, aren't you? 6 posts and you're telling me to take a hike?

Read the whole thread.

We're working towards a resolution and the advice you have offered was offered within hours of the original post.