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ajbaker · Jan 13, 2006, 09:37 PM

Hi all.

Just a quick warning to ensure everyone avoids the Podguard at podguard.com

I ordered one for my 5g iPod on 3 December 2005. I emailed them on 15 Dec to request an update on delivery, and was promised delivery within 2 weeks.

On 3 Jan 2005 I emailed them and have received no reply.

I emailed them again on 9 Jan 2006 and have received no reply.

Finally I emailed them on 12 Jan 2006 from a different email address and have again, received no reply.

Even if this company exists, I would recommend you avoid them due to their incompetent customer service. Otherwise it is just a fraud.

Let me know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

DigitalEl · Jan 14, 2006, 01:45 AM

Sorry for your hassle. How much did they take you for?

ajbaker · Jan 14, 2006, 06:36 AM

Nothing too much - around $17.95 or £12 ish. I should be able to retrieve it from my credit card company though. Still its frustrating. My first experience of internet fraud after many years.

ajbaker · Jan 24, 2006, 07:18 AM

Thankfully Paypal have been good enough to refund the whole amount. They sent the complaint to podguard who did not respond within the given 10 days. Funny that.

Unfortunately I doubt they have taken it any further - some fines for podguard might be nice

So my final warning. Avoid podguard at all cost. Now I just hope this comes up if anybody searches for podguard or pod guard or podguard.com!

ghporter · Jan 24, 2006, 08:43 AM

I hate to have to restate a truism, but "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Since Apple has a policy of dumping "authorized dealers" that undercut them (ruthlessly in some cases), you can generally expect to have to pay pretty close to Apple's stated price for anything, no matter who is selling it at retail. If the price is different by more than a pound or two (a few dollars) then something's fishy.

Sorry for your troubles, but I'm glad you got your money back.

Cadaver · Jan 24, 2006, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I hate to have to restate a truism, but "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Since Apple has a policy of dumping "authorized dealers" that undercut them (ruthlessly in some cases), you can generally expect to have to pay pretty close to Apple's stated price for anything, no matter who is selling it at retail. If the price is different by more than a pound or two (a few dollars) then something's fishy.

Sorry for your troubles, but I'm glad you got your money back.

Fortunately he didn't buy an actual iPod, but some kind of case or cover for one. This "dealer" wasn't undercutting Apple at all.

ghporter · Jan 25, 2006, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

Fortunately he didn't buy an actual iPod, but some kind of case or cover for one. This "dealer" wasn't undercutting Apple at all.

True, but doesn't it say something about a "dealer" that offers cut rate prices on Apple products? Or (in this case) something truly useful for cheap? The Apple dealer pricing reference was really just for illustration.

ajbaker · Jan 25, 2006, 10:43 AM

ghporter - really sorry but I am confused.

The product I purchased was an iPod protector from podguard.com for $17.95
The Invisible Shield that comes highly recommended selles for $24.95 - a reasonable but not huge difference in price, that I am sure represents high markup.

Admittedly the free worldwide delivery and 60 day money back guarantee should have alarmed me, but none the less....

There is no mention of an Apple dealer iPod sale, or anything else on the web site.

Therefore while I completely agree that if something sounds too good it probably is, this 'scam' is an easy trap. Just warning others: leave podguard podguard.com WELL ALONE.

dark3lf · Jan 25, 2006, 06:14 PM

I got the iPod 5G film set from the Apple Retail Store, well worth my $14.95.

tinoproductions · Jan 25, 2006, 06:40 PM

Hi,
i have the 5g ipod, and I got a fantastic deal
from this seller on ebay, Aluminium case and one of those podguards,
for front and back, all for under £10, so under $20,
his ebay name is acc.mart, and the item i bought was http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/iPod-Video-5G-...QQcmdZViewItem
very good is you ask me, now i can keep my ipod clean and scratch free!
Sorry to hear about you incident, that companys website looks quite nice....
oh well.,
T

ghporter · Jan 25, 2006, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by ajbaker

ghporter - really sorry but I am confused.

snip...

Admittedly the free worldwide delivery and 60 day money back guarantee should have alarmed me, but none the less....

There is no mention of an Apple dealer iPod sale, or anything else on the web site.

Like I said earlier, the iPod pricing thing was for illustration, not that I thought this site offered iPods. The pricing for the podguard protector, promising to do with it does, is not at all alarming, but the free delivery worldwide really is! I've found a lot of products at wonderfully attractive prices, but with high shipping prices that made the low cost irrelevant-the shipping and handling is where these vendors were making money. I guess I wasn't clear enough in my first post. Sorry

By the way, I've found a product called "Xskn" eXo3 from Lajo.biz (I bought mine from eforcity.com) to be wonderful. It's thick enough to cushion a bit but not so thick that it gets in the way. And it just WON'T slide around! Mine is Indigo (as pictured) but they have a lot of colors, and they're all transluscent to transparent.