Avoid headaches and fake audio products by shopping at California Car Sounds and Tint in Campbell. We know you have seen thousands of fake Oakley sunglasses and have questioned the authenticity of the Rolex watches the guy on the street corner is selling, but did you know that there are also fake car audio products? We have seen several examples of counterfeit speakers and signal processors. Read on to learn how to protect yourself against damage to your vehicle from these fake products.
How to Avoid Fake Audio Products
It can be very difficult to spot a fake speaker, amplifier or subwoofer. The cosmetics of the products and the packaging may be nearly identical to an authentic unit. The differences are often so minute that you would need to place one physically beside a genuine product to detect the difference.
Fake audio products are manufactured at a fraction of the cost of the originals because their makers ignore the testing and engineering that makes a product perform well in favor of simply producing a cosmetic clone. Speaker and subwoofer cone materials and weights will be different. The compliance of the suspension will differ from the original. In electronics, if the fraudulent design is even remotely similar to the original, more often than not, the quality of the components used in assembly is sub-standard or reworked (used) devices.
Protect Yourself
Buying a counterfeit product not only results in you not being happy with the performance, but you also have no warranty. Many of these products are sold through online stores that suddenly disappear. These fakes end up in pawn shops or may be sold through second-hand sites like eBay or Craigslist. Is the risk of not getting what you expect worth saving a few hundred dollars?
When you buy a name-brand product, part of the cost of that product is allocated to quality control, warranty and after-sales support. If you have a problem with a counterfeit product and send it to the manufacturer for service (if you can even find that manufacturer), it will not be covered.
Resist a Good Deal
The idiom of something being “too good to be true” is probably the best way of protecting yourself against fraudulent car audio products. If the set of speakers you want retails for $1,000, but you see someone selling them for $500, stop and think about it before you buy. Are they real? Do they have a warranty? Will you get support if there are any problems? Will they really perform the way you want?
Even if the product is real, you may not have warranty coverage if you don’t buy from an authorized retailer.
Another consideration is that the products may indeed be genuine, but could be stolen. Mobile electronics retailers all over the country suffer from theft every day. Beyond the moral and ethical issues in purchasing stolen merchandise, most states have laws governing the possession of stolen goods.
Buy Authorized from California Car Sounds and Tint
When it comes time to upgrade the performance of your sound system, drop by California Car Sounds and Tint. Our team of mobile electronics specialists would be happy to work with you to design a sound system upgrade that will exceed your expectations, using genuine, legitimate products. You can reach us by e-mail for more information through our online contact form.
Leave a Reply