Motorola H700 Bluetooth Headset: the Good, the Bad, and the Counterfeit

Motorola H700 webpage:
<http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=111>

Wanting a quality new Bluetooth headset that would use the same EMU
(mini USB) charger as my excellent new RAZR V3xx handset, I researched
all the latest models from Motorola. The H700 looked like the best bet,
except that user reviews on it were sharply divided and inconsistent --
some loved the audio quality and volume (so loud they had to keep it
turned down), whereas others complained of poor audio quality and
volume. My research suggested the bad reviews might be due to
counterfeit units. So instead of going for a cheap new one on eBay,
which I thought might well be counterfeit, I went for a clean used one
in the hope it would be legitimate.

At first blush it looked both legitimate and good, and seemed to operate
properly, but I soon noticed poor audio quality, inadequate volume, and
flaky operation. Closer inspection revealed that it was indeed a fake,
lacking inscribed model, serial number, and FCC ID, together with a
number of fit and finish issues. So I returned it and went for a more
expensive new unit guaranteed to be legitimate by the dealer.

I now have a genuine unit, and the difference is like day versus night
-- the real thing is as good as the fake is bad: Audio is excellent (at
both ends of the call) and loud (at my end). Operation is fast and
reliable. Fit and finish are superb. Highly recommended!

My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
reviews. I'm told that fakes are a significant problem even in the
retail channel -- unscrupulous distributors and dealers are selling
fakes for prices near or even equal to genuine units, pocketing the
difference. So it's a challenge to make sure you're getting a
legitimate unit. For more info on the differences and how to spot them,
see:

* "Motorola H700 Bluetooth Headset - Real vs. Fake"
<http://reviews.ebay.com/Motorola-H700-Bluetooth-Headset-Real-vs-Fake_W0QQugidZ10000000001869840>

* "How to identify counterfeit Motorola Bluetooth H700"
<http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-identify-counterfeit-Motorola-Bluetooth-H700_W0QQugidZ10000000001873784>

* "Motorola Counterfeit Identification Guidebook
Mobile Devices - Accessories"
<http://www.motorola.com.cn/Original/pdf/6513_MotDoc.pdf>

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

John Navas <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote in
news:2e1l33hr9v9gh9j7ie5tgtmvmqrd8ai87g@4ax.com:

> My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
> eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
> reviews. I'm told that fakes are a significant problem even in the
> retail channel -- unscrupulous distributors and dealers are selling
> fakes for prices near or even equal to genuine units, pocketing the
> difference. So it's a challenge to make sure you're getting a
> legitimate unit.

I would have to agree.

Several months ago I was wanting to purchase a Motorola HT820 stereo
bluetooth headset. I looked at eBay, and saw them, supposedly new and in
the package, going for as little as $20, when everywhere else they were
going for $75 and up, and at the local VZW company store they were $99.
After poking around the net, I realized what was going on. I ended up
buying a pair for full price at the VZW store, and even then insisted on
opening the package in the store to verify that they were indeed "the
real deal" (although I doubt a company store would be selling fakes).

Anybody who buys something like this new that is priced more than 30
percent off the "official" price should ask the seller if the price
includes condoms and a cigarette, because that person is probably about
to get screwed.

David

In article <2e1l33hr9v9gh9j7ie5tgtmvmqrd8ai87g@4ax.com>, John Navas
<spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote:

> I now have a genuine unit, and the difference is like day versus night
> -- the real thing is as good as the fake is bad: Audio is excellent (at
> both ends of the call) and loud (at my end). Operation is fast and
> reliable. Fit and finish are superb. Highly recommended!

I've had one for almost a year and it's great...even got one for the
girlfriend and she loves it too.

John Navas wrote:
> My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
> eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
> reviews.

I bought my two at a Verizon storefront. The first was wonderful, until it
decided at some point to un-pair without notice or indication, i.e. it
no longer worked with the phone until it was turned off for some time.
So I exchanged it for another at the same Verizon storefront. This one
worked for a few hours, and then went muffled on outgoing audio badly
enough that I was unintelligible; I couldn't understand myself on my
own answering machine fifteen seconds after I made the recording.

Both were "C" versions per the markings on the units.

They were WONDERFUL headsets while they worked. Full-featured, comfortable,
people loved the outgoing audio as much as I loved the incoming, etc. etc.

--
Postulate a God who's so smart He designed things we won't discover for the
next ten years, but who's so incredibly stupid He couldn't think up the
theory of evolution. Duhhhhhhhh. "Damn, Darwin, what a great idea!"

On Fri, 04 May 2007 01:27:46 GMT, John Navas wrote:

> Motorola H700 webpage:
> <http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=111>
>
> Wanting a quality new Bluetooth headset that would use the same EMU
> (mini USB) charger as my excellent new RAZR V3xx handset, I researched
> all the latest models from Motorola. The H700 looked like the best bet,
> except that user reviews on it were sharply divided and inconsistent --
> some loved the audio quality and volume (so loud they had to keep it
> turned down), whereas others complained of poor audio quality and
> volume. My research suggested the bad reviews might be due to
> counterfeit units. So instead of going for a cheap new one on eBay,
> which I thought might well be counterfeit, I went for a clean used one
> in the hope it would be legitimate.
>
> At first blush it looked both legitimate and good, and seemed to operate
> properly, but I soon noticed poor audio quality, inadequate volume, and
> flaky operation. Closer inspection revealed that it was indeed a fake,
> lacking inscribed model, serial number, and FCC ID, together with a
> number of fit and finish issues. So I returned it and went for a more
> expensive new unit guaranteed to be legitimate by the dealer.
>
> I now have a genuine unit, and the difference is like day versus night
> -- the real thing is as good as the fake is bad: Audio is excellent (at
> both ends of the call) and loud (at my end). Operation is fast and
> reliable. Fit and finish are superb. Highly recommended!
>
> My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
> eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
> reviews. I'm told that fakes are a significant problem even in the
> retail channel -- unscrupulous distributors and dealers are selling
> fakes for prices near or even equal to genuine units, pocketing the
> difference. So it's a challenge to make sure you're getting a
> legitimate unit. For more info on the differences and how to spot them,
> see:

Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they had
them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine, and
works fantastically.

On Mon, 07 May 2007 18:05:54 GMT, CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com>
wrote:

>On Fri, 04 May 2007 01:27:46 GMT, John Navas wrote:
>
>> Motorola H700 webpage:
>> <http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=111>
>>
>> Wanting a quality new Bluetooth headset that would use the same EMU
>> (mini USB) charger as my excellent new RAZR V3xx handset, I researched
>> all the latest models from Motorola. The H700 looked like the best bet,
>> except that user reviews on it were sharply divided and inconsistent --
>> some loved the audio quality and volume (so loud they had to keep it
>> turned down), whereas others complained of poor audio quality and
>> volume. My research suggested the bad reviews might be due to
>> counterfeit units. So instead of going for a cheap new one on eBay,
>> which I thought might well be counterfeit, I went for a clean used one
>> in the hope it would be legitimate.
>>
>> At first blush it looked both legitimate and good, and seemed to operate
>> properly, but I soon noticed poor audio quality, inadequate volume, and
>> flaky operation. Closer inspection revealed that it was indeed a fake,
>> lacking inscribed model, serial number, and FCC ID, together with a
>> number of fit and finish issues. So I returned it and went for a more
>> expensive new unit guaranteed to be legitimate by the dealer.
>>
>> I now have a genuine unit, and the difference is like day versus night
>> -- the real thing is as good as the fake is bad: Audio is excellent (at
>> both ends of the call) and loud (at my end). Operation is fast and
>> reliable. Fit and finish are superb. Highly recommended!
>>
>> My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
>> eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
>> reviews. I'm told that fakes are a significant problem even in the
>> retail channel -- unscrupulous distributors and dealers are selling
>> fakes for prices near or even equal to genuine units, pocketing the
>> difference. So it's a challenge to make sure you're getting a
>> legitimate unit. For more info on the differences and how to spot them,
>> see:
>
>Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
>refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they had
>them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine, and
>works fantastically.

From Radio Shack? You are better off at E-Bay.

On Mon, 14 May 2007 08:13:10 -0400, Pete <no@spam.net> wrote in
<ohkg43tc22njln7cd5ha28ckgj382v1ueh@4ax.com>:

>On Mon, 07 May 2007 18:05:54 GMT, CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 04 May 2007 01:27:46 GMT, John Navas wrote:

>>> My assessment is that the great majority of H700 units being sold on
>>> eBay are fakes, and that fakes are responsible for most of the bad
>>> reviews. I'm told that fakes are a significant problem even in the
>>> retail channel -- unscrupulous distributors and dealers are selling
>>> fakes for prices near or even equal to genuine units, pocketing the
>>> difference. So it's a challenge to make sure you're getting a
>>> legitimate unit. For more info on the differences and how to spot them,
>>> see:
>>
>>Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
>>refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they had
>>them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine, and
>>works fantastically.
>
>From Radio Shack? You are better off at E-Bay.

Just the opposite -- as I wrote, the great majority of H700 units on
eBay are probably fakes, whereas Radio Shack is presumably genuine.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

On Wed, 16 May 2007 17:02:39 GMT, John Navas wrote:

>>>Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
>>>refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they had
>>>them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine, and
>>>works fantastically.
>>
>>From Radio Shack? You are better off at E-Bay.
>
> Just the opposite -- as I wrote, the great majority of H700 units on
> eBay are probably fakes, whereas Radio Shack is presumably genuine.

They are. Mine came in the official Moto bubble pack with the correct
manual and markings. Exactly the same as the one my co-worker bought from
Best Buy for over $100.

In article <ehjps2n00im$.1d267i3xfzjgv$.dlg@40tude.net>,
CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 16 May 2007 17:02:39 GMT, John Navas wrote:
>
> >>>Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
> >>>refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they
> >>>had
> >>>them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine,
> >>>and
> >>>works fantastically.
> >>
> >>From Radio Shack? You are better off at E-Bay.
> >
> > Just the opposite -- as I wrote, the great majority of H700 units on
> > eBay are probably fakes, whereas Radio Shack is presumably genuine.
>
> They are. Mine came in the official Moto bubble pack with the correct
> manual and markings. Exactly the same as the one my co-worker bought from
> Best Buy for over $100.

And probably cheaper at RS than eBay, when you factor in shipping and
how so many electronics are overpriced there.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

On Wed, 16 May 2007 17:49:22 GMT, CellGuy <cellguy@seemessagebody.com>
wrote in <ehjps2n00im$.1d267i3xfzjgv$.dlg@40tude.net>:

>On Wed, 16 May 2007 17:02:39 GMT, John Navas wrote:
>
>>>>Same experience here. I returned my phony eBay unit to the seller and he
>>>>refunded my money. I then bought a new H700 from Radio Shack when they had
>>>>them on sale with rebate for a net cost of around $50. It was genuine, and
>>>>works fantastically.
>>>
>>>From Radio Shack? You are better off at E-Bay.
>>
>> Just the opposite -- as I wrote, the great majority of H700 units on
>> eBay are probably fakes, whereas Radio Shack is presumably genuine.
>
>They are. Mine came in the official Moto bubble pack with the correct
>manual and markings. Exactly the same as the one my co-worker bought from
>Best Buy for over $100.

Packaging alone isn't any guarantee of authenticity -- fakes are now
being packaged like the real thing. Likewise the manual. What matters
most is fit, finish, and markings.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>