True Story and Warning: www.cnn.cn

[NewBoldAddict]

As a member of this forum, I’d like to share my story with w ww.cnn.cn that sells Blackberry accessories.


True Story:

On 22nd June, 2009, I bought a lot of different parts (total $ 82) for my Blackberry Bold from the above website. Supposedly the parts are OEM. When I received the parts, I examined them and found that they are mixed: OEM with non-OEM. Afterward, I went to the website to leave feedback so that other buyers do not get raped off. The Admin of the website did not like my comments! So, he did not approve it. He basically does not support the right for free speech. If you write good comments about his products, he will approve it otherwise, forget it.


Anyway, I sent t an email to the support team, specifically “Steve Chan”, and told him that I’m not satisfied with some parts (for example the black trackball does not work and the bezel is not OEM) as well as the way they treat their customers. He replied “If you intend to keep the parts, we can send you a replacement for the G1 trackball, I believe you may have received one from a bad batch we had.”


I sent him back an email and told him “Yes, I am intended to keep them as long as you send me new trackball and bezel.” Since then (about 15 days), I have not received any replacements and he blocked my email because of the negative feedback that I left on his website. I sent him 4 emails he did not reply. Then, I went to the bank on 13th July and disputed the transaction. However, the website is a Hong Kong based and the procedures take long time, I was told.


I’m sharing my story to show you how terrible my experience was. I will leave it to you if want to buy or not from w ww.cnn.cn

[zerog46]

That's why a real BB user goes to Horizon Wireless. Sorry to hear this.

[MidnightDraven]

I havent bought parts, but i would think twice about a website that ships stuff out of china.

ive had bad stuff of all varying kinds off ebay that were shipping from china.

I just dont trust them to not be bad parts, or fakes.

[nick.dollimount]

Originally Posted by Midnightdraven

I havent bought parts, but i would think twice about a website that ships stuff out of china.

ive had bad stuff of all varying kinds off ebay that were shipping from china.

I just dont trust them to not be bad parts, or fakes.

Unfortunately, I have to agree. Anything I've received from China off E-bay has been trash, a complete waste of money and lengthy amounts of shipping time.

[Kopter]

thanks NewBoldAddict for the heads up!

[jeremyckitching]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry Curve 8900)

I have ordered from cnn.cn before and the parts did work out fine, but it did take forever to get here (I know they are a long ways away). HorizonWirelessOnline is where I shop now for parts.

[jacobsaa]

NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM CHINA!!!! Everything they sell over the internet is 3rd tier hack stuff.

[NewBoldAddict]

Hi All, thanks for the comments. can anyone tell me why RIM does not sell their parts?

[MPS]

i had the same problem with Steve

[luciferhawk]

I had a couple of transactions with them before. Luckily all my orders were good. Really sorry to hear that your order didn't turn out as expected.

[Cooper]

Originally Posted by NewBoldAddict

Hi All, thanks for the comments. can anyone tell me why RIM does not sell their parts?

RIM is mainly a software company (yes most people who work there work on software)

It's similar to some companies, such as nVidia. They design graphics chips and boards, but they leave it up to other companies to actually buy their chips, then make the card and sell it (or buy a card made ny nVidia then re-brand it and sell it)

It's much easier to deal with distributers and resellers than it is the general public.

RIM doesn't want to deal with being a consumer sales company, they would need an entire building for sales reps, customer support reps etc.

Best thing to do is find an authorized source for any BB accessories, or a reliable third-party company (Like the extended life batteries)

[miamirulz29]

I have question, if I buy parts (and it won't be from China cause you guys say its bad) would it make my warranty for my bold void?

[MidnightDraven]

if you install them, yes.
as you have to take apart the device; removing the white sticker on the screw which is the "warranty sticker"

[JEEPers]

So what was your complaint? That a G1 black trackball originally made for a G1 did not meet your liking in terms of fit and finish?

What exactly was the gripe about anyway? I only see your comments about the G1 trackball.

[Megkins]

I bought quite of few things from them and everything fit correctly and worked out fine. Sorry you had a bad experience.

[zeos1970]

the same story with me , i ordered car charger and i recieved a trash one ... does not work ...

[atuarre]

Originally Posted by JEEPers

So what was your complaint? That a G1 black trackball originally made for a G1 did not meet your liking in terms of fit and finish?

What exactly was the gripe about anyway? I only see your comments about the G1 trackball.

Alright Einstein. He just stated that he ordered Blackberry parts. If they sent him a G1 trackball, that is on the person that shipped the track ball, not on the buyer as he was under the impression that it was Blackberry parts.

Read before you type.

[NewBoldAddict]

Hi All Memebers,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATES: After I posted this thread and I disputed the transactions, cnn.cn started again to send me emails!!!!

Please, look at the emails and tell me your impressions. I'm gonna copy all the conversations except "my name"

"
Mr. ......

It has come to our attention that a dispute has been filed against Geotrust against us. Checking your conversations between Steve Chan and yourself, we see that a replacement had been setup to be sent to you, but the replacement was not completed before Mr. Chan departed on urgent business. Unfortunately, all emails were sent to him as he was handling the case, we were unaware of the situation until now.

Seeing as your replacement package is already prepared for shipping, we can do one of two things

1. Refund your order in full

2. Ship out your order, but by FedEx to the address of your choosing

In either case, we apologize for the mishandling of your case. Let us know how you wish for this to be handled.


Franklin Lee
"



"
Really, are you kidding? First of all he was very rude and impolite with me from the beginning.

Second, he stopped answering my emails since July 1st and today is July 16th. He was trying to make my 30-days period for refund expire!! But, I knew it when he did not reply to 7 emails. Then,I sent back your all parts.

Third, I did reported about you to Geotrust, RBS World Pay, my credit card issuer and other U.S. Legal commerce authorities. And wrote about you articles and threads on the Internet.

Finally, keep your replacement for Steve and refund me.

Sent via BlackBerry Bold
"
You can tell I was so pissed off .



"
Hi .............



Understand that you made your complaints, I would do the exact same thing in your case.

My apologies if he had sounded rude in his emails. However checking your conversation history between yourself and Mr Chan, I do see he said he will send you the replacement, only that it was not processed because of his urgent departure on the 1st. Also, he cannot expire your guarantee as the 30 day replacement is valid as long as the customer contacts us within 30 days receipt.

Have the parts been sent back, or are they still in your possession? If they have been sent back, we will gladly issue you a refund in full for your order.

Again, my apologies for this issue, I do wish we had double checked his inbox to see if there were any unresolved issues.


Let us know,

Franklin Lee
"


"
Yes, I called USPS and I was told that you received your parts in Hong Kong. Just refund me and delete my account from your database.

Sent via BlackBerry Bold
"



See what He answers !!

"
Hello .........

Do you have the tracking number for the package that you sent back? It may be in our PO box which we need to go pick it up

Franklin Lee
"

"
Can you check your mail box and not bother your customers ?
"

[BCollins521]

From my understanding the black trackball that is in the 8900 is different than any of the black one's you can buy from anywhere and no supplier can get the actual one that RIM put in.

[cellwiz09]

I hate it when stuff like this happens.

[mic_crispy]

So the black bezel is not OEM?

Sucks i was about to buy the black trackball, black bezel, black hinges etc...

[parenthetical guy]

Ordered from cnn.cn. No problems.

It doesn't help that they are sellers located in Hong Kong. Time zones, shipping times, language differences all make it a challenge for tolerable -- let alone good -- customer support.

I didn't have any problems, though. I would guess that if I did, it would be a nightmare.

But to be fair, my replacement black bezel is great. Original Equipment Manufacturer or not, I don't care. (In fact, the definition of an OEM part is blurry anyway -- who actuallly knows the manufacturers of the RIM/BB parts? I think that's why companies (including cnn) can claim OEM. How do would we know?) It's great. When I compared them -- apart from the color -- I can't tell the difference. There's no excess flash or crooked joins. The holes lined up fine. I have no issue with the bezel.

And my red snakeskin battery cover is fine, too. In fact, it fits tighter than my original one did.

Some of the other posters I've seen on BBF have had similar raves about their bezels and battery covers.

I did see some posts about the trackballs (needing to reverse the magnets so the polarity is corrected). But I didn't order one.

Sorry you had a crappy experience with them. I didn't have to experience their customer service or returns hassle. But I do have GREAT things to say about the parts I received from them.

(pg)

[synenergy52]

I've had no issues with cnn.cn or their products. I'd be careful about bashing them so hardcore like this!

[NewBoldAddict]

Originally Posted by mic_crispy

So the black bezel is not OEM?

Sucks i was about to buy the black trackball, black bezel, black hinges etc...

Yes they are not OEM and will waste your time and money.
BTW, uo to this moment, I still have not received my full refund and they stopped answering my emails again. My guessing is that once they get money , they do not refund.

I feel I'm dealing with a bunch of .......... . We will see what happens and I will keep this post updated.

[NewBoldAddict]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATES:
Few more emails


CNN.CN
"
Hello ....

The package is still in Chicago, it hasn’t even left the States yet, all it says is USPS received your package on the 6th. Here’s the tracking info USPS - Track & Confirm



Franklin Lee
"

ME
"
Thank you for the information I will check with them next Mon. When I called them two days ago they told the package has been received.

Sent via BlackBerry Bold
"


ME
"
Actually, the package is NOT in Chicago. And the link you provided just says this "Your item was accepted at 2:59 PM on July 6, 2009 in CHICAGO, IL 60604"

The USPS does not say "The package is still in Chicago, it hasn’t even left the States yet"
"


ME
"
Franklin (formerly Steve),

It seems to me that you are not wiling to full refund me even though you have received all of your parts. So, I'm going to take further steps.
"




ME
"
Listen ! my order was on 22nd June. Today is 18th July and I still haven not received my refund. All what you have been doing will be held against you. I have all your emails and you admitted that you have neglected and ignored my emails from 1st July until I reported about you on 15th July.

Keep going........ Steve
"

[mriff]

I've purchased from them before. A black housing for my 8830 which worked fine. But the recent trackballs I purchased were no good. I didn't bother to to let them know, just chalked it up and will not purchase from them anymore.

[monkeypaw]

I bought from a supplier in Hong Kong before. 2 of the 3 items were as expected, and I still use them. The third was not, but was only $1.95 so not worth mailing for the refund.

Even though the total cost was less than buying one of the items here, I'm done with mail order from China.

[ArgonNJ]

Anything from China = garbage

[complexx]

Originally Posted by synenergy52

I've had no issues with cnn.cn or their products. I'd be careful about bashing them so hardcore like this!

Be careful about what? Sounds like this is a case of false advertising and shitty customer service. Don't lie on your website and issues like this happen less. It's pretty simple, act honestly and respectfully and you retain customers and ward off complaints. They deserve this.

Customer has now provided tracking information for return and they still will not refund him. This is classic. They will say the package never came, sorry we can't help you. There are ton of websites like this, some that originate in China, some that resell Chinese manufactured parts. It simply isn't worth the savings to order this stuff from China.

[bocaccio]

Originally Posted by nick.dollimount

Unfortunately, I have to agree. Anything I've received from China off E-bay has been trash, a complete waste of money and lengthy amounts of shipping time.

just to second what your saying. I WOULD NEVER BUY FROM CHINA ON EBAY!!!!
I have read that they have a program that will make a flash drive appear LARGER than it is. Therefore they will sell it dirt cheap too. And rip you OFF!!!

[vinmontRD]

A shame to read this about CNN.CN. I've visited the site a number of times, and watched their inventory of BB parts grow. Always thought I'd use them if I wanted to re-house my BB, but now I'm really not so sure. I hate spending time and money to get nothing.

I've bought a few phone parts (not BB) from HongKong-based vendors on eBay over the last couple of years with mixed results.

I bought a couple of cases for my old Nokia 8290 phone and these were a disaster: poor fit, creaking ill-fitting keyboard -- made a nice phone into something awful. I had already moved on to other phones, and the resale value was low, so the phone has been sitting in the bottom of a drawer for the last several years.

I bought a set of covers for my old Sony Ericsson Z600 via eBay from Hong Kong, and the quality was superb, and service and value amazing: just a few dollars to get several covers shipped to my door in New Jersey, from Hong Kong, in less than a week. Very happy with this experience.

I bought replacement keypads and covers for a Nokia slide phone (also Hong Kong / eBay), and these were great.

I bought a replacement LDC for a Nokia flip phone, and this also worked. Only annoyance was that the one shipped was a part for a later build of the phone and wasn't 100% compatible with my device. This wasn't anybody's "fault", but it would have been nice if the vendor noted that there were, indeed, two versions of the LCD to be aware of.

In the end, I've come to the conclusion that this is totally unpredictable. Some parts may be just fine, and be good values. Others may be worthless, and totally wrong to put on a nice device like a Blackberry. Unfortunately, I don't know of another way to find out beside having somebody take the plunge and be the guinea pig, and then sharing experiences with the rest of us.

I've read conflicting reports about CNN.CN, some very positive, some negative, as the OP's here. For the moment, I'd probably hesitate to pay from something as big as a full housing for my 8900 unless I read a few more positive reviews.

[CoDudette]

man, that sounds rough. thanks for the heads up, would definitely refrain from buying from them.