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Thread: I have some QS to sell

  1. #1
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    Default I have some QS to sell

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    Last edited by lasershow286; 03-31-2016 at 02:30.

  2. #2
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    Everybody:

    Seeing that this is being sold at below our dealer price, there is close to a 100% certainty that this is a counterfeit product. We have examined the product and I can also tell you that it is made with inferior components. The way we found out about it is that these are failing in the field, and then customers return them to us for warranty repair. The hardware is made with sub-standard components which overheat and die. You guys want this at a show?

    Within around a month we will announce a new, permanent way in which Pangolin will be dealing with counterfeiters and those engaging in piracy. To give you a sneak preview, we will be offering large cash rewards to people who contribute information leading to the prosecution (yes, prosecution) of people both selling and creating these counterfeit products.

    We are in the process of taking legal action against these unethical folks. Just as one example, late last year we learned of a company in The Netherlands selling counterfeit QS. The company sold only 8 pieces, and yet by the time all of the smoke cleared, they had to pay 20,000 Euro in damages to us (plus give us all of the counterfeit QS so they could not sell them). This was the company that sold the first few that failed and were returned for warranty repair.

    We are in the midst of launching a very large law suit in China, and we recently learned that companies can spend several years in prison for this. So -- in addition to seeking monetary damages, we are now seeking jail time.

    There has got to be a message that -- if you produce counterfeit products (which ultimately hurts not only Pangolin but consumers), you will pay dearly!

    Please join with us in the fight against software piracy and hardware counterfeiting.

    Best regards,

    William Benner
    President, Pangolin Laser Systems

  3. #3
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    If the deal is too good to be true... We all know the rest. Thanks for info, Bill!
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  4. #4
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    We are in the process of taking legal action against these unethical folks. Just as one example, late last year we learned of a company in The Netherlands selling counterfeit QS. The company sold only 8 pieces, and yet by the time all of the smoke cleared, they had to pay 20,000 Euro in damages to us (plus give us all of the counterfeit QS so they could not sell them). This was the company that sold the first few that failed and were returned for warranty repair.

    Is this company still in bussiness?

  5. #5
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    Is there any way to recognize the copy of the fb3? And what to do if you find out if you have a fake set?

  6. #6
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    @Edison, the company did manage to stay in business, and they've gone legit -- now selling genuine Pangolin products. We don't want to put people out of business -- just have them stop doing the wrong thing and play fair like everyone else.

    @LaserWinkel, yes, there are a few ways to tell if it's a counterfeit. One way is very obvious (at least for now until the Chinese change this). The USB cable is blue on counterfeit units. Pangolin has never shipped a blue USB cable. If you look on eBay, you will see that there are a few this way. We have just noticed them and we started contacting the sellers. One already responded and removed the auction, so some action has already been done in this area. If the sellers don't cooperate, we will have eBay take down the auction.

    Another give-away is that the DVD is "stamped" not burned. This means that the DVD is silver -- not blue or purple. At Pangolin we burn DVDs because the version of QuickShow changes from time to time. For the Chinese people copying this, they found it more convenient to stamp the CD...

    The FB3-QS has some subtle differences as well, which can't be easily described in a post. Once we get back from the tradeshow, we will officially announce this anti-piracy program and make a video, in which we will show how to tell a counterfeit FB3 from a real one (just incase the Chinese counterfeiters start putting a different USB cable in the box, and replace all of the media with burned media instead of stamped media).

    If you find (or have) a counterfeit unit I give you 100% odds that IT WILL FAIL -- GUARANTEED! Certain parts in there are out-of-spec. These things are coming back to Pangolin for warranty repair and when they do -- obviously we don't honor the warranty. Therefore the customer will have lost all of their money, and unlike Pangolin, I doubt that pirate sellers have a "money-back guarantee"...

    Nevertheless, if you have one, contact us. Obviously it serves as evidence, and in addition to that, we are trying to figure out some alternative to "sorry you've lost all of your money". We'd love to hear from the community about the best way to deal with this -- something that is really fair to everyone (including Pangolin -- remember folks we SPEND MONEY to develop these products, so if a customer obtains a counterfeit, we have SPENT money, not received it...)

    One thing the Chinese counterfeiters forgot about is that every single FB3 has a serial number. We know the serial number of every one, and to whom (which user and dealer) it was sold. As part of the software registration process, users must provide their serial number and dealer name. When there is a mismatch, two things happen. 1) We deny the registration and tell them -- sorry Sir, but you obtained a counterfeit product; and 2) it adds to the evidence we have against sellers of these units.

    There is a kind of reputation that you can't defend intellectual property in China, but this is simply not true. Since 2002 we have had two successful law suits in China, and most recently we found out for cases like this one, people can actually go to jail in addition to having to pay statutory penalties as well as Pangolin's attorney fees and court costs.

    As long as everyone in the laser community VERY VIGOROUSLY AND FORCEFULLY CALL OUT such sellers, leaving the strongest and most negative feedback on social media, we hope that they will decide it's not worth it to sell the counterfeit/pirate units. Between the strong negative pressure from the laser community, hard feelings on the part of customers whose products fail, and the legal actions we are taking, we should be able to get this under control.

    In the mean time -- remember, there is cash on the table here folks. A lot of time these pirates try to run and hide behind fake email addresses and such. But eventually they make a mistake. It is impossible to go for very long without *someone* knowing your name and address (with which we have the attorney draft the letter and begin the legal undertakings). The pirates won't be able to hide because you folks in the laser community would rather receive cash from us (for turning those dirty scoundrels in) instead of saving a few bucks and receiving faulty products in return.

    With that said, if you know the actual name and address of lasershow256, please contact me. If he's willing to go legit like a few others have, we won't take further action. Otherwise we simply can't afford -- both from a monetary standpoint, and also from a reputation standpoint -- for piracy and counterfeiting to go unpunished.


    Best regards,

    William Benner

    PS: Once QuickShow 3.0 starts shipping in a few weeks, it will be shipped with a USB Flash drive instead of a DVD. This is because many computers sold these days don't even have media drives any more. The Flash drive is really cool too, and we have devised a scheme whereby people will have it with them at all times.
    Last edited by Pangolin; 03-29-2016 at 04:10.

  7. #7
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    AW SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Just read this second thread and saw the part about the "BLUE USB CABLE".

    I bought two Quickshow FB3s from GoldenStarLaser in China about 2 years ago. I am almost positive that they came with blue cables...

    Also, a few other PL members bought FB3s from Goldenstar at the same time I did. Man, I hope we didn't all get fleeced...

    Anyone else remember if theirs came with blue cables?

    Adam

  8. #8
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    One of mine also came with a blue USB cable. I don't remember if the media was burned or stamped. I got mine from Song though, not Goldenstar.

    Can we email Pangolin with the serial number to find out if they are real?
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  9. #9
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    Simple math guys. Pangolin never shipped a blue USB cable. Never... So if the cable is blue, the unit is counterfeit.

    Now we -- as a community -- need to figure out what to do about this. What I mean is -- OBVIOUSLY you guys need to raise holy hell about this and make the seller feel pain. Right now the sellers believe they can get away with it. They believe they can buy from some counterfeiter, then sell to you, and make an even bigger profit than if they had purchased from Pangolin. We -- as a community -- need to change that mentality. We -- as a community -- need to very forcefully communicate that since the buyers (and Pangolin) are going to get hurt, it means the sellers must also get hurt.

    To me, the absolute best-case scenario would be for you guys to return it to the seller for your money back, and if they won't return your money, then you raise holy hell on social media, here on Photon Lexicon, etc. Whoever sold those units -- their reputation must be on the line.

    I'd also like to hear more about who sold them so we can add them to the list of folks against whom we will be taking action.

    Bill

  10. #10
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    By the way, I saw the other thread too. As far as I know, the counterfeit only came onto the market either the middle of last year or toward the end of last year. It's hard for us to tell right now, but I'd say October. Something like that. It might have been August. But I am unaware of anything much earlier than that. So if you purchased "years ago" you might be safe. The blue USB cable bothers me though... Obviously Pangolin includes USB cables in the package. There should be no need for someone to remove the cable we supply and include one of their own.

    If you contact me directly by email, and give me the serial number, I will check it out. Like I said -- we have a record of every serial number and where it was shipped. If you say you purchased from Saifer Song and the serial number is one that we shipped to Dirk Gantefort in Germany, well, that's going to look suspicious as hell...

    Bill

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