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Thread: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

  1. #1
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    Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Buyer beware!


    I recently discovered that a company called "ZAReason" was selling Ubuntu case badges... Seeing as I almost-exclusively use Ubuntu now and will likely switch to Ubuntu full-time when I upgrade my computer, I thought I'd grab some.


    Unfortunately, it seems that neither the main Web site nor their Amazon store ship to Australia... ZAReason quickly pointed-out however, that their New Zealand Web site does ship to Australia.


    Because the New Zealand Dollar is so weak against the Australian Dollar, it was gonna cost me a boatload... But these case badges appeared to be of high-quality, so I bought forty (40) of them, which were shown as "in stock" at the time.


    The days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into more weeks, so I contacted ZAReason.

    Nothing.

    I contacted them a second time, and was told that the case badges are on their way.

    Another week went by and I e-mailed them back, this time threatening to take this to PayPal, to which ZAReason replied with a scanned copy of the postage receipt - they hadn't sent my order until nearly 2 1/2 AFTER I placed it!

    Another week went by and I finally received my order...

    ELEVEN case badges, NONE in packaging, all of them seemingly poor quality and some with minor bends/creases!

    I'm glad I only spent AU$30 - with all of the problems I've had, I wouldn't trust these guys to purchase a computer!

    This matter is now being referred to PayPal and where possible, the New Zealand Police or Fair Trading Department...
    Last edited by CybaCowboy; March 19th, 2014 at 09:01 AM. Reason: Added some missing words (Opera was playing games).

  2. #2
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Thank you for the feedback, that is somewhat unfortunate.

    I was playing with the idea of perhaps purchasing my next machine from them but will have to look into this more closely.

    I think an alternative could be System76?

  3. #3
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    quite possible a different supplier supplier the badges to NZ and then they transfered them to you.

    System 76 is already a bit more expencive and is even more expencive in Europe, where you will get hit with VAT tax. it might be better to look into business notebook from dell, lenovo or HP to get a more durable laptop for reasonable price.
    Read the easy to understand, lots of pics Ubuntu manual.
    Do i need antivirus/firewall in linux?
    Full disk backup (newer kernel -> suitable for newer PC): Clonezilla
    User friendly full disk backup: Rescuezilla

  4. #4
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by mastablasta View Post
    quite possible a different supplier supplier the badges to NZ and then they transfered them to you.
    It is possible... Though all of their communications with me (both from the New Zealand site and from the main site) have implied that they are the same company.


    Quote Originally Posted by PartisanEntity View Post
    Thank you for the feedback, that is somewhat unfortunate.

    I was playing with the idea of perhaps purchasing my next machine from them but will have to look into this more closely.

    I think an alternative could be System76?
    We're getting a little off-topic... But have you looked into Pioneer Computers?

    They have a lot of flexibility with the customization of their computers (including the option to pre-install Ubuntu, single or dual-booted!)... There's even this monster, which is way, waaay outta my price range (especially if I configure it the way I would want it!), but most certainly at the top of my "want" list!

    There doesn't seem to be too much about them online, though I did find a few threads on Whirlpool in which users had claimed to have good experiences... Next year when I upgrade the family laptops, I'm gonna give them a shot (though sadly, my "dream machine" will likely stay just that - a dream!).

  5. #5
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by mastablasta View Post
    System 76 is already a bit more expencive and is even more expencive in Europe, where you will get hit with VAT tax. it might be better to look into business notebook from dell, lenovo or HP to get a more durable laptop for reasonable price.
    ^^ This isn't a bad idea, however just be careful about what systems you get. As my signature denotes, there are some units out there with rather laughable restrictions, such as certain Lenovo (and even HP) models that whitelist their units so they can only accept Lenovo-signed wireless cards. Last I looked, there was only one "Intel" card that was signed to work with this laptop, and it was not wireless AC. My unit came with Broadcom which doesn't support the open source driver, only the STA driver which of course has its fussy moments.

    What frustrated me about this isn't the fact that I simply cannot swap the Broadcom out for an Intel, but that if I wanted to upgrade from an N card to an AC card, I simply can't as per Lenovo's ridiculous restrictions. Fortunately, certain BIOS tweaks work very nice.

    03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Centrino Advanced-N 6230 [Rainbow Peak] (rev 34)

    Eat that, Lenovo.

    Anyway, /rant... but just wanted to share so users are aware. Don't just "settle" with a Lenovo or HP or Dell or whichever manufacturer you've had success with in the past. Sometimes even your most beloved manufacturer will pull fast ones on you, so it's good to be aware of these things instead of blindly pulling the trigger.

    In other news, I have been longing for the opportunity to get a System 76... but as long as I have working systems, it's hard to justify the purchase. Someday, though.

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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by PartisanEntity View Post
    I think an alternative could be System76?
    Hey, these guys have some pretty neat stuff, and their "best" laptop with the all the very best components is around AU$700 cheaper (before shipping) than the laptop from Pioneer Computers I suggested earlier (with a much bigger screen, too)!

    I think I might have to take a closer look at System76 next year when I upgrade, now that Sony no longer manufacturer laptops.

    My only complaint is that most of these "build your own laptop" manufacturers offer touchscreens on very few of their laptops, if at all... But I can live with that, if need (albeit disappointed).

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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by Roasted View Post
    ^^ This isn't a bad idea, however just be careful about what systems you get.


    i have to admit i am not completelly sure what's the deal with Lenovo, but HP and Dell have a bit more duarable business models that might even be linux preloaded (or they might call them linux workstations). I think Vostro is the business brand in Dell and they offer them with ubuntu preloaded. while they offer HP business models here with Suse Enteprise linux preloaded. these models might not be state of the art but usually they are built stronger and more compact.

    In Asia i saw Lenovo models for business. very thick plastick that feel relaly stong to the touch. nothing flimsy. most if not all of them of them could run linux out of the box - i found this after checking the internet.
    Read the easy to understand, lots of pics Ubuntu manual.
    Do i need antivirus/firewall in linux?
    Full disk backup (newer kernel -> suitable for newer PC): Clonezilla
    User friendly full disk backup: Rescuezilla

  8. #8
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by CybaCowboy View Post
    I recently discovered that a company called "ZAReason" was selling Ubuntu case badges... Seeing as I almost-exclusively use Ubuntu now and will likely switch to Ubuntu full-time when I upgrade my computer, I thought I'd grab some.
    Though you have already got "Some" of your case badges you might want to check out the stickers that are available at the Canonical Store...
    http://shop.canonical.com/product_in...roducts_id=718

    It will give you a wide variety of stickers to chose from plus supporting Ubuntu in the process...
    UBN40005-N.jpg
    Here are some of the Stickers that I have used on my Laptop...
    DSCF1182-N.jpgDSCF1183-N.jpgDSCF1191-N.jpg

  9. #9
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    I was going to state that I was looking for the more "traditional" case badges... But those stickers on your laptop actually look surprisingly good!

    As for the store, I buy stuff from there all the time (I totally want that backpack, but it's really expensive for Australians!)... It's a great idea, that hopefully doesn't disappear (though it has been going for a while now).

    Do you know if those System76 laptops come with case badges?

    I've been looking at them since the start of this thread (I'm upgrading all three of the family laptops next year), and they look pretty awesome... They're also cheap-ish by Australian prices.

  10. #10
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    Re: Buyer Beware - ZAReason!

    Quote Originally Posted by CybaCowboy View Post
    I was going to state that I was looking for the more "traditional" case badges... But those stickers on your laptop actually look surprisingly good!

    As for the store, I buy stuff from there all the time (I totally want that backpack, but it's really expensive for Australians!)... It's a great idea, that hopefully doesn't disappear (though it has been going for a while now).

    Do you know if those System76 laptops come with case badges?

    I've been looking at them since the start of this thread (I'm upgrading all three of the family laptops next year), and they look pretty awesome... They're also cheap-ish by Australian prices.
    I am not sure if they have the Case Badges already attached or not but it looks like the Laptops come with them...
    http://www.techmansworld.com/2012/12...iew-gazp7.html

    Plus you can get Case Badges from System76 for free by sending a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to them...
    https://www.system76.com/community/stickers

    Including many international locations.

    Here is what they look like...
    DSCF0910.jpg DSCF1008 New.jpg DSCF1007 New.jpg

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