and please use their services
Tip Top Electronics
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I sit really worth six pages of drivel?
It`s your money, buy from where you want, the choice is down to the "spender", simple as that.
You can all wax lyrical and you can all slag them off, the choice is yours, either buy from or not.
Quite why people get so cramped about this simple subject is quite odd.
It`s your money, buy from where you want, the choice is down to the "spender", simple as that.
You can all wax lyrical and you can all slag them off, the choice is yours, either buy from or not.
Quite why people get so cramped about this simple subject is quite odd.
The reason I feel people feel strongly about and contribute to such threads is they don't like seeing people 'wronged' in much the same way that if you were walking down the street and saw someone relieving me of my cash in an aggressive manner, I would hope you might 'contribute' by stepping in to help.
I don't believe TipTop electronics themselves are doing anything illegal. They clearly state in their 'Conditions of use' that they are acting as procurement agents so that you as the purchaser can Import the goods. They even make it clear that the legal responsibility for the act of importation, and the payment of and duties and or charges is yours as the customer - fair play.
They also state that when they ship an item from their UK warehouse, VAT is paid and you will get a VAT receipt; cool. Plus again they make it clear than if the item is shipped from outside of the UK, then they 'may' be subject to a small duty fee at customs. I'd question the use of the word 'small' but they do make it clear there 'may' be a fee.
This is further re-enforced by the fact that Tiptop take responsibility for the imported package only as far as the delivery to the shipping agent.
However, this is where the transparency ends. Words like '100% UK Owned', a Bournemouth business address with a London phone number on the front page of the website all serve to give the impression of a UK based business. At no point in the ordering process are you made aware of whether the goods you are buying are going to ship from their UK base of be sourced from abroad - in fact we can be relatively confident with the 8+ days shipping, they are the latter, but it's not made clear.
Thus - at the point of purchase the purchaser has no idea whether they should declare and pay the appropriate import duty + VAT or not, thus when they receive their camera or other goods 8-15 days later, it having slipped through Customs random check process, it is the customer who is breaking the law if they don't declare it and pay the appropriate charges.
My issue with such retailers is they give the impression they are UK based, they talk of UK warehouses, they allow the customer to believe they buying local UK source (be it originally grey or otherwise). They cover their arses in their conditions which , sadly too few people read let alone understand, and ultimately trick people into making a criminal of themselves.
Why can't they clearly state on each web page the UK Stock Price, the Import price and an estimate of import duty and import VAT for the latter - and when you purchase an item, clearly identify whether it is from UK stock (and hence covered by the UK legislation including distance selling regulations and others), of whether it's imported and thus has very little protection at all.
I don't believe TipTop electronics themselves are doing anything illegal. They clearly state in their 'Conditions of use' that they are acting as procurement agents so that you as the purchaser can Import the goods. They even make it clear that the legal responsibility for the act of importation, and the payment of and duties and or charges is yours as the customer - fair play.
They also state that when they ship an item from their UK warehouse, VAT is paid and you will get a VAT receipt; cool. Plus again they make it clear than if the item is shipped from outside of the UK, then they 'may' be subject to a small duty fee at customs. I'd question the use of the word 'small' but they do make it clear there 'may' be a fee.
This is further re-enforced by the fact that Tiptop take responsibility for the imported package only as far as the delivery to the shipping agent.
However, this is where the transparency ends. Words like '100% UK Owned', a Bournemouth business address with a London phone number on the front page of the website all serve to give the impression of a UK based business. At no point in the ordering process are you made aware of whether the goods you are buying are going to ship from their UK base of be sourced from abroad - in fact we can be relatively confident with the 8+ days shipping, they are the latter, but it's not made clear.
Thus - at the point of purchase the purchaser has no idea whether they should declare and pay the appropriate import duty + VAT or not, thus when they receive their camera or other goods 8-15 days later, it having slipped through Customs random check process, it is the customer who is breaking the law if they don't declare it and pay the appropriate charges.
My issue with such retailers is they give the impression they are UK based, they talk of UK warehouses, they allow the customer to believe they buying local UK source (be it originally grey or otherwise). They cover their arses in their conditions which , sadly too few people read let alone understand, and ultimately trick people into making a criminal of themselves.
Why can't they clearly state on each web page the UK Stock Price, the Import price and an estimate of import duty and import VAT for the latter - and when you purchase an item, clearly identify whether it is from UK stock (and hence covered by the UK legislation including distance selling regulations and others), of whether it's imported and thus has very little protection at all.
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I recently purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 from tiptopelectronics.co.uk (which was shown as being in stock), the camera turned up first thing this morning which is well within the 10 working days quoted on the website, the item is exactly as specified with UK charger etc.
This exact same camera is £629.95 in John Lewis but by being a little patient and waiting for a few days I saved a total of £158.45 (including the 3% credit card & insurance costs).
Before purchasing I read all of the so called 'reviews' re: tiptipelectronics.co.uk both on here and on other websites and was almost put off so I called the 020 number. The owner answered the phone promptly and he seemed pleasant, helpful & very personable.
I did have an issue trying to pay though PayPal so I called Ben again and in the end I decided to pay on-line with a credit card, which (by the way) automatically covers you for any mishaps which may occur on-line. The website is a little on the clunky side and maybe it does need some finite finessing but all of the information is on there and it does work. It upsets me to see people drawing negative conclusions when they have not actually even tried using this company, this is a fairly young company which someone has obviously spent a lot of time and effort to set up, an old saying comes to mind; Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Overall I am VERY happy with the service provided by tiptopelectronics.co.uk and I would definitely use them again. I would also recommend them to anyone who doesn't mind saving a lot of money / mind waiting for a few days.
Duncan
This exact same camera is £629.95 in John Lewis but by being a little patient and waiting for a few days I saved a total of £158.45 (including the 3% credit card & insurance costs).
Before purchasing I read all of the so called 'reviews' re: tiptipelectronics.co.uk both on here and on other websites and was almost put off so I called the 020 number. The owner answered the phone promptly and he seemed pleasant, helpful & very personable.
I did have an issue trying to pay though PayPal so I called Ben again and in the end I decided to pay on-line with a credit card, which (by the way) automatically covers you for any mishaps which may occur on-line. The website is a little on the clunky side and maybe it does need some finite finessing but all of the information is on there and it does work. It upsets me to see people drawing negative conclusions when they have not actually even tried using this company, this is a fairly young company which someone has obviously spent a lot of time and effort to set up, an old saying comes to mind; Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Overall I am VERY happy with the service provided by tiptopelectronics.co.uk and I would definitely use them again. I would also recommend them to anyone who doesn't mind saving a lot of money / mind waiting for a few days.
Duncan
Nikon_Nick
Shirley
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Give up Ben, this is getting pathetic now.
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So the first thing you did was to go onto the interwebs, looking for a forum that you could join so you could sing the praises of TitTot.
How stupid do you have to be, and how stupid must you believe your customers to be, for you to assume that such a stupid stunt, performed by a stupid aunt, will fool potential customer?
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Any direct answers, or are you just going to continue to spam the thread? (then you can link to these posts on other sites as so-called contented purchasers)
eg;
`I will recommend Tip Top Electronics everyone. They are trustworthy and not fake by my exp. Their prices were cheapest. So first time I am also a little confused, I just talked them over phone and they make me believe that they are not fake. I just ordered a Sony NEX-VG30EH PAL camcorder and they deliver it to me with in the time period they said. I am happy customer. if you are still confused whether you should buy or not then first check Talk photography forum where owner himself clarified everything and people who are leading Tip Top Electronics down , Ben is giving replying with clarification. and resolving all quarries there of happy and unhappy customers.`
You really are cocking the whole thing up ya know.
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Dink0 (Ben/dhruv/Mohammed), they are not a young company, they have branches in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom. They also apparently have offices in India who dedicate their time to posting reviews ( just like yours) and getting negative reviews removed. Heck they even tried to get this thread taken down, but our admins were wise to that, so now they get people like you to spam it with fake reviews.
According to Ben they take millions online.
They may be new to scamming UK customers, but they've been around the block a few times and us Brits aren't (insert expletive) stupid.
According to Ben they take millions online.
They may be new to scamming UK customers, but they've been around the block a few times and us Brits aren't (insert expletive) stupid.
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And you joined this forum today, and this is your only post.
Ho ho ho.
Google "Streisand effect"....
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show us some of the video you took with this camera on maybe youtube or vimio i'm intriguedAny direct answers, or are you just going to continue to spam the thread? (then you can link to these posts on other sites as so-called contented purchasers)
eg;
`I will recommend Tip Top Electronics everyone. They are trustworthy and not fake by my exp. Their prices were cheapest. So first time I am also a little confused, I just talked them over phone and they make me believe that they are not fake. I just ordered a Sony NEX-VG30EH PAL camcorder and they deliver it to me with in the time period they said. I am happy customer. if you are still confused whether you should buy or not then first check Talk photography forum where owner himself clarified everything and people who are leading Tip Top Electronics down , Ben is giving replying with clarification. and resolving all quarries there of happy and unhappy customers.`
You really are cocking the whole thing up ya know.
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show us your pics dunk
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Look who popped up to defend them on Hot UK Deals
laurenatts1 day, 7 hours ago #11 Reply
"I will recommend Tip Top Electronics everyone. They are trustworthy and not fake by my exp. Their prices were cheapest. So first time I am also a little confused, I just talked them over phone and they make me believe that they are not fake. I just ordered a Sony NEX-VG30EH PAL camcorder and they deliver it to me with in the time period they said. I am happy customer. if you are still confused whether you should buy or not then first check Talk photography forum where owner himself clarified everything and people who are leading Tip Top Electronics down , Ben is giving replying with clarification. and resolving all quarries there of happy and unhappy customers."
...it's our regular, non-English 1st language 'reviewer'.... this is classic!
laurenatts1 day, 7 hours ago #11 Reply
"I will recommend Tip Top Electronics everyone. They are trustworthy and not fake by my exp. Their prices were cheapest. So first time I am also a little confused, I just talked them over phone and they make me believe that they are not fake. I just ordered a Sony NEX-VG30EH PAL camcorder and they deliver it to me with in the time period they said. I am happy customer. if you are still confused whether you should buy or not then first check Talk photography forum where owner himself clarified everything and people who are leading Tip Top Electronics down , Ben is giving replying with clarification. and resolving all quarries there of happy and unhappy customers."
...it's our regular, non-English 1st language 'reviewer'.... this is classic!
The same laurenatts popped up on dpreview and Moneysavingexpert defending Tip Top:
http://www.dpreview.com/members/6538431526/overview
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=64384926
http://www.dpreview.com/members/6538431526/overview
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=64384926
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This is getting quite amusing <opens popcorn>
Sock puppets everywhere! You realise the longer and more active this thread is, the better it'll do in Google search rankings?
Sock puppets everywhere! You realise the longer and more active this thread is, the better it'll do in Google search rankings?
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Ben - I will also email your office, I have not been able to call you as I was in hospital yesterday and today I am in meetings for the day., great end to the week! All I have asked for is a simple one line email confirming when the item will be with me
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A shady grey importer will probably try and argue that "in stock" means in stock at their Hong Kong supplier (let's see what Ben's explanation is).
Remember, a lot of grey retailers are already operating at the edges of UK law, taking chances is what they are all about.
Remember, a lot of grey retailers are already operating at the edges of UK law, taking chances is what they are all about.
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It clearly states "in stock" at the point of order from a UK based and registered company... therefore the goods must be in stock in the UK and they cannot charge import duty. If they state it is in stock and it is not, that is against the law! in stock means exactly that, not available for import. If it is available fir import it would need to state out of stock. btw I am a global supply chain manager and have been in procurement for 10 years
That is the impression they give, but their terms state otherwise. Bottom line is, in my opinion, they are not a retailer. They are a 'procurement agent' or middleman who are facilitating your purchase of goods or equipment abroad which you will then personally import. This changes the playing field considerably in terms of what you are liable for not to mention your risk profile.
They may well indeed have a small stock of selected items in a UK warehouse to allow them to make the claims. All it needs is a couple of low cost batteries / cables etc and voila, you have an official and verifiable UK warehouse. You'd expect the delivery times on such items to be 1-3 days.
Anything with a delivery timescale of 8-10 working days is more than likely coming from abroad - they should make this clear when you place the order because, what they have made clear in the 'conditions' is, when goods are sourced from abroad, you take the risk of passage, you are liable for import duty and you are liable for import VAT.
They don't make it clear whether what you are sourcing from the site is UK stock or an import. I went through the process of ordering a 5dMKIII to check. They don't.
I have no issue with imports, providing they are done so in accordance with the law of the land, so there's a space in the world for procurement agents. Obviously there's a place in the world for good old retailers too. What I object to is what is ostensibly an import agent giving the impression they are a retailer.
Looking at the specific example of the 5dMKIII which is showing as in stock.
The price is £1,879.
Add in Shipping insurance at £56.37 (because I take all the risk of loss after they have handed to goods to the carrier), gives a total of: £1,935.37
Now import duty is 0% for digital camera, but they are subject to import VAT at the full rate (see HMRC under import tariff code 8525803000)
20% VAT on the total cost brings the cost to the buyer for the imported goods to a grand total of £2,322. As the importer, it's the customers responsibility to notify and pay this VAT to HMRC.
Of course, if the camera is correctly declared on the customs form, and UK customs review it on import, companies like DHL will make it a little easier to comply and will charge the VAT plus their 2% admin charge to you before they deliver. In our case this would add an extra £10 admin fee (the minimum), bringing the total up to £2,332 for a 'grey' import.
The same camera, albeit a genuine UK body, is available from Park Cameras (my local) for £2,299. That's cheaper than TipTop, comes fully supported by Canon, and with the full protection of the UK consumer law.
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Cracking post.
It looks like laurenatts works for Lahari Technologies, an Indian company which sells everything from 'Facebook likes' to 'Youtube views' for as little as $10!
http://bankrateshopping.com/user.php?login=laurenatts
http://www.linkedin.com/company/lahari-technologies
http://www.laharitechnologies.info/
http://bankrateshopping.com/user.php?login=laurenatts
http://www.linkedin.com/company/lahari-technologies
http://www.laharitechnologies.info/
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Oh dear Ben, I thought you categorically denied using paid-for fake reviewers?
Every lie you get caught in just makes you look worse....
Sneaky little Ben
He pretends he doesn't know what they are when they are hard at work for him...
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Steep
Nutcrack Rapids
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The stupid thing is he/they obviously don't know how things are done in the UK, how people 'speak', what they say and how they react to threads such as this. It makes it so obvious when some one-post-wonder comes along with a glowing report or an "I've had a good experience" post. Especially when the language they use, the idioms and spelling and general style just isn't 'right'.
"Hey I bought an XYZ from them just last week and they were just so wonderful I went looking for internet forum threads just to post my good opinion on"
"I found this thread by accident and had to jump in and defend these nice people who are perfect in every way despite what so many others say about them"
"Hey I bought an XYZ from them just last week and they were just so wonderful I went looking for internet forum threads just to post my good opinion on"
"I found this thread by accident and had to jump in and defend these nice people who are perfect in every way despite what so many others say about them"
Nikon_Nick
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Well, I for one, am shocked...
...and we still need a sarcasm smilie.
...and we still need a sarcasm smilie.
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Haha. BUSTED AGAIN!
I thought this a little ironic;
`It is extremely important to checkout a particular store properly. It must contain an adequate variety in terms of products and brands.
Some of the digital camera shops are very small and contain a few models and brands. Avoid making a purchase from one such shop.`
`Research properlyThis is another significant step that can help you make the right decision. Always make a detailed research before finalizing a
particular store. You can ask your friends and existing customers of that store. This will provide you a rough idea about the shop, its
products, pricing structure and other related details.` on here; http://ttelectronics.tumblr.com/
They even have a few `tips` on photography! (with a pic of cameras in a glass display cabinet/shelf. Not sure they'll be from their `shop` though lol)
I thought this a little ironic;
`It is extremely important to checkout a particular store properly. It must contain an adequate variety in terms of products and brands.
Some of the digital camera shops are very small and contain a few models and brands. Avoid making a purchase from one such shop.`
`Research properlyThis is another significant step that can help you make the right decision. Always make a detailed research before finalizing a
particular store. You can ask your friends and existing customers of that store. This will provide you a rough idea about the shop, its
products, pricing structure and other related details.` on here; http://ttelectronics.tumblr.com/
They even have a few `tips` on photography! (with a pic of cameras in a glass display cabinet/shelf. Not sure they'll be from their `shop` though lol)
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Their Facebook page is also hilarious if you scroll down quite a lot. Loads of terrible pictures of equipment blatantly lifted from the internet with garish writing in the style of the type of thing you see on Japanese/Asian TV programmes... on top of that is the random daily 'Messages of faith and goodwill' with pictures of fluffy Rabbits/Kittens/Puppies etc... kept me entertained for about 3 minutes if you want a laugh.
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We have just opened a new office at the following address,
unit 4 / 32B hawthorn road,
Bournemouth,
Dorset,
BH92QL
Ben - I live in Bournemouth and looking to buy a Nikon D5200 from TipTop electronics, can you please advise me if you have this Camera in stock in your Bournemoth warehouse and i am happy to come over and collect it and pay cash/card.
Rgds,
Vishy!
unit 4 / 32B hawthorn road,
Bournemouth,
Dorset,
BH92QL
Ben - I live in Bournemouth and looking to buy a Nikon D5200 from TipTop electronics, can you please advise me if you have this Camera in stock in your Bournemoth warehouse and i am happy to come over and collect it and pay cash/card.
Rgds,
Vishy!
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You signed up and posted your first post at 1.56am just to ask Ben if he has UK stock? Maybe to give 'Ben' a chance to allay fears from previous posters that they do indeed keep stock in the UK (but seemingly still take 10 days to get it posted?). This is brilliant stuff, and most definitely a bit 'Vishy'.
This isn't a TipTop support thread by the way, it's a thread from the OP asking if they're a legitimate business. If you have an order request, probably best contacting them by the telephone number or website.
Ben/Druv/Drew have been scamming the Aussies for quite a few years now.
One poster here says Dhruv is in danger of being deported from Australia. Did he get Asylum in the UK by any chance?
A recent thread exposing their latest venture down under lists all the sites run by them:
• http://www.electronicbazaar.com.au
• http://www.electronicbazaar.co.nz
• http://www.topendelectronics.com.au
• http://www.topendelectronics.co.nz
• http://www.topendelectronic.co.uk
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.uk
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.au
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.nz
One poster here says Dhruv is in danger of being deported from Australia. Did he get Asylum in the UK by any chance?
A recent thread exposing their latest venture down under lists all the sites run by them:
• http://www.electronicbazaar.com.au
• http://www.electronicbazaar.co.nz
• http://www.topendelectronics.com.au
• http://www.topendelectronics.co.nz
• http://www.topendelectronic.co.uk
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.uk
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.au
• http://www.tiptopelectronics.co.nz
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Wanted a DSLR for my wife's birthday.
Found Tip Top Electronics.
Because the price was so good, I was a little suspicious so I checked out some reviews and they seemed legit. I, therefore, ordered a camera.
It took a while to arrive and I started to get a bit antsy so I looked them up again and found this forum. Initially, I got worried but I soon realised that no one on here had any complaints about actually ordering something and being stitched up. It is all just speculation. After reading some more, I realised that they had been trading for some months. Given that and the fact that this forum was relatively easy to find, I came to the conclusion that (if the site was dodgy) there would be plenty of people on here by now, complaining about not getting items or refunds.
I called Ben and was reassured by an obviously English accent: not in a racist way, I hasten to add, but simply because it was further reassurance that the company was a legitimate UK company.
Ben was happy to provide a tracking number for my order and I'm happy to say that it arrived just over two weeks after I had ordered it and in time for my wife's birthday.
I wasn't going to bother writing this because it will obviously get shot down in flames but then I thought, why should I let people bully me into staying silent. Instead, I'll write this and then not bother reading any of the replies. People can make their own minds up about Tip Top Electronics. All I'll say is, have a read through this forum and see if anyone dares writing that they have ordered something and not received either the item or a refund; add this to the fact that they have now been trading for some months and that this forum is very easy to find. Decide if these facts reassure you enough and then decide if you can wait a bit longer for the item if the savings justify it.
Cheers!
Found Tip Top Electronics.
Because the price was so good, I was a little suspicious so I checked out some reviews and they seemed legit. I, therefore, ordered a camera.
It took a while to arrive and I started to get a bit antsy so I looked them up again and found this forum. Initially, I got worried but I soon realised that no one on here had any complaints about actually ordering something and being stitched up. It is all just speculation. After reading some more, I realised that they had been trading for some months. Given that and the fact that this forum was relatively easy to find, I came to the conclusion that (if the site was dodgy) there would be plenty of people on here by now, complaining about not getting items or refunds.
I called Ben and was reassured by an obviously English accent: not in a racist way, I hasten to add, but simply because it was further reassurance that the company was a legitimate UK company.
Ben was happy to provide a tracking number for my order and I'm happy to say that it arrived just over two weeks after I had ordered it and in time for my wife's birthday.
I wasn't going to bother writing this because it will obviously get shot down in flames but then I thought, why should I let people bully me into staying silent. Instead, I'll write this and then not bother reading any of the replies. People can make their own minds up about Tip Top Electronics. All I'll say is, have a read through this forum and see if anyone dares writing that they have ordered something and not received either the item or a refund; add this to the fact that they have now been trading for some months and that this forum is very easy to find. Decide if these facts reassure you enough and then decide if you can wait a bit longer for the item if the savings justify it.
Cheers!
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