Epicenter
10-21-2003, 03:32 AM
So, I was referred to Xinga.com by a site to get GBA Flash equipment. I figured I'd pick up a 256M USB set for my GBA. Browsing through their (unorganized) GBA listing, I found one for around $80. "Wow," I thought as I added it to my cart and went into checkout to assess shipping. Then some odd things started happening.
First, 5 dollars was added to my purchase price for no good reason. Next shipping was calculated. Using the cheapest option, it was going to be $28 to ship to the US. Success-hk only wants about $10 for a package of equal weight. Then, they tacked on a $10 Credit Card Fee.. even though I chose to use my PayPal balance, and not a credit card. Total price: Approx. $123. WHAT THE HELL!
That alone was breathtakingly absurd. So, I decided to experiment. I emptied my cart and picked out just a $1.00 GBA screwdriver, approx. weight of half an ounce .. maybe less. Here's how the checkout went.
$1.00 GBA Screwdriver
+ $5.00 Mystery Fee
+ $19.00 Shipping w/ Slowest Method
+ $8 Credit Card Fee
For a grand total of $33.00.
That's not the half of it, even. Every console they sell is a pirate clone. The Famicom section is full of Polystations and MegaDrive-shaped clones. Their customer forums are full of people posting that they recieved DOA flash equipment, then it took weeks to even recieve an e-mail from the company about replacing it. There are no comments from satisfied customers at all. The server is so slow, I suspect it's hosted on an 8088-based PC, running the site through a 4800 bps modem on a lousy phone line w/ lots of static, booting off a floppy and reading the site contents off a series of 10 9" floppy drives. ;) The site is written in terrible engrish and is nearly incomprehensible. We're talking 'babel fish quality' here. At least the other HK sites are understandable, though not gramatically correct.
After this marvelous exercise in depraved shopping, I went to success-hk.com and grabbed a 128M model for $95 including shipping, a much better deal IMHO, compared to the festival of shit available at Xinga.
Long story short. Stay the hell away from Xinga, this is fraud at its most psychotic level.[/b]
First, 5 dollars was added to my purchase price for no good reason. Next shipping was calculated. Using the cheapest option, it was going to be $28 to ship to the US. Success-hk only wants about $10 for a package of equal weight. Then, they tacked on a $10 Credit Card Fee.. even though I chose to use my PayPal balance, and not a credit card. Total price: Approx. $123. WHAT THE HELL!
That alone was breathtakingly absurd. So, I decided to experiment. I emptied my cart and picked out just a $1.00 GBA screwdriver, approx. weight of half an ounce .. maybe less. Here's how the checkout went.
$1.00 GBA Screwdriver
+ $5.00 Mystery Fee
+ $19.00 Shipping w/ Slowest Method
+ $8 Credit Card Fee
For a grand total of $33.00.
That's not the half of it, even. Every console they sell is a pirate clone. The Famicom section is full of Polystations and MegaDrive-shaped clones. Their customer forums are full of people posting that they recieved DOA flash equipment, then it took weeks to even recieve an e-mail from the company about replacing it. There are no comments from satisfied customers at all. The server is so slow, I suspect it's hosted on an 8088-based PC, running the site through a 4800 bps modem on a lousy phone line w/ lots of static, booting off a floppy and reading the site contents off a series of 10 9" floppy drives. ;) The site is written in terrible engrish and is nearly incomprehensible. We're talking 'babel fish quality' here. At least the other HK sites are understandable, though not gramatically correct.
After this marvelous exercise in depraved shopping, I went to success-hk.com and grabbed a 128M model for $95 including shipping, a much better deal IMHO, compared to the festival of shit available at Xinga.
Long story short. Stay the hell away from Xinga, this is fraud at its most psychotic level.[/b]