Cheap Dr Dre Beats
January 29, 2011 7:54 AM Subscribe
I want some Dr. Dre Beats. I found a site that sells them for almost 40% lower than Amazon. Is it a scam?
The site seems legit with all the right '30 day money back guarantee' and 'secure, buy with confidence' messaging. I just find it unbelievable for them to be so much cheaper than all the other major sites.
The site seems legit with all the right '30 day money back guarantee' and 'secure, buy with confidence' messaging. I just find it unbelievable for them to be so much cheaper than all the other major sites.
Their "contact us" info consists solely of a gmail address. I'm dubious.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:01 AM on January 29, 2011
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:01 AM on January 29, 2011
Best answer: The site isn't on Monster's blacklist, but it also isn't listed as an authorized dealer: http://www.monstercable.com/counterfeit/dealers_blk.asp
However, I'm going with scam/counterfeit. The McAfee secure logo at the upper right of the page is bogus -- check the date. All the Google results for this site are spam links. The site design is a rip-off of the official Beats by Dre page. The domain is registered in China, with a Hotmail contact email.
Do not pass go.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:03 AM on January 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
However, I'm going with scam/counterfeit. The McAfee secure logo at the upper right of the page is bogus -- check the date. All the Google results for this site are spam links. The site design is a rip-off of the official Beats by Dre page. The domain is registered in China, with a Hotmail contact email.
Do not pass go.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:03 AM on January 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks guys. After more reading, I was buying into the counterfeit thing... then I read this from Monster's site:
Counterfeit Monster products do not meet the high standards of quality and performance you expect from Monster. For example, any of the counterfeit HDMI cables will not carry a 1080p signal properly. You may pay less, but you will not get the performance you expect.
I'll get some legit beats but I worry about Monster still trying to convince people that HDMI cables should cost more than $5.
posted by shew at 8:11 AM on January 29, 2011
Counterfeit Monster products do not meet the high standards of quality and performance you expect from Monster. For example, any of the counterfeit HDMI cables will not carry a 1080p signal properly. You may pay less, but you will not get the performance you expect.
I'll get some legit beats but I worry about Monster still trying to convince people that HDMI cables should cost more than $5.
posted by shew at 8:11 AM on January 29, 2011
Best answer: If you proceed through the order process, it seems like the only payment option that you can actually use is Western Union, with instructions to send hundreds of dollars to some guy in China. This does not inspire confidence.
My fake order was assigned order number 52. Only 52 customers? Not a great track record. And the "thank you for ordering" page is just sample text:
"Checkout Success Sample Text ...
A few words about the approximate shipping time or your processing policy would be put here.
This section of text is from the Define Pages Editor located under Tools in the Admin."
Scam, scam, scam.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:12 AM on January 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
My fake order was assigned order number 52. Only 52 customers? Not a great track record. And the "thank you for ordering" page is just sample text:
"Checkout Success Sample Text ...
A few words about the approximate shipping time or your processing policy would be put here.
This section of text is from the Define Pages Editor located under Tools in the Admin."
Scam, scam, scam.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:12 AM on January 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
good sleuthing punishinglemur. yeah if the order page is template text that's your answer right there
posted by the mad poster! at 8:24 AM on January 29, 2011
posted by the mad poster! at 8:24 AM on January 29, 2011
Unless Dre's name is worth a lot of money to you, Monster Cable Dr Dre Beats are, arguably, a bit of a scam themselves. The audiophile consensus is that they're way overpriced. And when audiophiles say something is overpriced, well, write your own punchline.
posted by box at 8:37 AM on January 29, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by box at 8:37 AM on January 29, 2011 [5 favorites]
Along with box, one of my co-workers just picked up a pair of Beats. He's very displeased with them, considering what he paid.
posted by hwyengr at 8:56 AM on January 29, 2011
posted by hwyengr at 8:56 AM on January 29, 2011
Without derailing, monster cables are basically a scam..especially for digital signals. The headphones, who knows? Buy original with whomever you can and be happy. The cables? Buy as cheap as you can, it's all marketing bs.
posted by iamabot at 8:57 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by iamabot at 8:57 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
On a side note, if you're looking for a pair of high quality headphones that sound great, take a look at Bowers & Wilkins P5.
Over the last couple years I have looked at many different headphones ranging in price from $100 to over $1000. The P5s are one of the best; hands down the best sounding at $300.
posted by nickthetourist at 9:08 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Over the last couple years I have looked at many different headphones ranging in price from $100 to over $1000. The P5s are one of the best; hands down the best sounding at $300.
posted by nickthetourist at 9:08 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, just popped in to say forget about the Hong Kong site, the Beats themselves are a scam. For what you'd pay for the Beats, you could get a better set of 'phones from, say, Sennheiser or Ultrasone.
Buying products from Monster is like putting a giant spoiler (or two) on a front-wheel-drive Honda Civic. You gain nothing at all in performance, and all that your hard-earned money has bought is a box full of lulz. :\
posted by xedrik at 9:16 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Buying products from Monster is like putting a giant spoiler (or two) on a front-wheel-drive Honda Civic. You gain nothing at all in performance, and all that your hard-earned money has bought is a box full of lulz. :\
posted by xedrik at 9:16 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: All good advice. Seriously reconsidering now.
posted by shew at 9:48 AM on January 29, 2011
posted by shew at 9:48 AM on January 29, 2011
Since you brought it up re: HDMI, Monster is basically known for making run of the mill things look shiny and charging insane markups for it. You'll probably have a similar experience with their headphones although I can't personally attest to them. headphone.com is a much better place to find headphones; they have an excellent section on choosing the right pair and have been excellent in customer service for the seven or eight years that I've been buying from them.
posted by kdar at 10:58 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by kdar at 10:58 AM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you are really into the look of the Beats, check out the Phiaton MS 400. You'll get lot more for your money from Headroom.
posted by kenliu at 11:53 AM on January 29, 2011
posted by kenliu at 11:53 AM on January 29, 2011
Plenty of info on this at Head-Fi (also, plenty of Beats hate, heh).
posted by nrobertson at 8:57 PM on January 29, 2011
posted by nrobertson at 8:57 PM on January 29, 2011
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posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:59 AM on January 29, 2011