I met a friend two days ago. He had called me to discuss some potential business. You all have that one friend who thinks your advice is important to them. Even before we could talk about business he began a fake rant.
A kept quite listening to him. Like the gentleman I am. However, I am sure some of you will doubt. Topping the list being Jasmine of Disi and Jas. To her I am man. The gentle aspect is for other men not Wahome.
Sorry I digressed. This guy told me of how he ordered Bose headphones online and got disappointed. From his story he had done extensive research on the headphone. Including checking on youtube on how to differentiate fake from original. He had all the dimensions of the box, the auxiliary cable, the charging cable and distance between the buttons.
If that is not how serious you take your purchases, I can lend you my friend for classes. My friend ordered and asked for delivery services to his house. When the delivery guy rang the bell, he was there with his tape measure to confirm he had hit his gold mine.
First disappointment, the box was 2 centimeter short. there was no auxiliary cable. The charging cable was a quarter of the original. Millimeter differences on the position of the buttons. He played music and the sound could only have been o. The rest was not there.
He called the supplier and told his of his displeasure. He was not going to pick the headphones. But had to pay the Ksh 300 delivery fee.
Out of curiosity, I asked about his in depth research and whether he had checked the online manufacture price. He got hesitant. I asked for the model number. It was at the finger tips. In less than a minute at Bose we were. This particular one was 300 dollars. unlike the other 300. To look like the previous 300 a quick math conversion would take this 300 to around 32000
I then asked how much the online shop was charging. The price was a quarter of the manufacter’s. At this point I asked him how he had fallen prey for such. He told me the seller had assured him it was original.
I had to break his heart at this point. I don’t do this often. Am not even sure I have broken any other heart before.
I told him it was all his fault. How?
When he was doing his thesis on the headphones, he wanted the best. But was not in a position to pay the price. If you are getting it a price lower than the manufature’s price be just admit it’s not it. There are so many additional costs to the prices. Packaging and shipping, taxes and duties (those things have killed so many businesses.)
You are colluding with yourself to frustrate yourself.
Another guy in one of the social groups I am in has just flooded the group with messages of how he was conned while buying shoes. He order Fila Grant Hill 2 Cement from a shop in town at Ksh 2500 and got a fake ones. The guys in the group were so honest with him about his purchase. Those shoes cost 120 dollars and you want to buy them at less than a quarter of the price.
There is also a similar AirMax story that happened to someone I know yesterday. I have thought about these three scenarios in three days and I have a few lessons learnt;
- We willingly ignore important purchase details
- We want to live a very expensive lifestyle but not pay for it
- We are consumed to having and owning the best gadgets
- We want to shift our mistakes to others
- In purchase decision, the more information the harder the choice.
The truth is that there are so many fake copies of any original item in the market. In the electronics industry the copies are in levels. The first copy is the closest to the original and slightly lower in price. Tenth copy is like Githurai phones you buy and find it is just a case with nine shillings well wrapped with insulating tape.
Buy what your pocket can afford and spare us your fake rants. Do not expect to buy a 2020 Model Range Rover at the price of a 2012 Probox.
