Ways to Detect if an LED/LCD/OLED/Qled Television is Original or Fake

This post was last updated on June 7th, 2019 at 06:32 pm

Fake products are copies of the original versions. Without an original version of a product, you can’t get the fake. Those who sell fakes do so to make quick money from the original sellers. Obviously, the catch is that generally, fake or clone items are cheaper(or believed to be cheaper) than the original versions. Your guess is as good as mine, I will teach you simple and easy ways to identify fake televisions. The good news about my tips is that it has a universal application. In addition to this, you can perform these checks at the point of sale before payment.

Read Also: Picture Quality Comparison between a Plasma, LCD, LED, OLED and Qled Televisions

Introduction

Most of the time people buying fakes are unaware of it. Let me tell a quick story. One day you went to visit your friend(let’s say your rich friend), and you met him to watch a program on his LG TV. Immediately, you start to praise him as one with the cash to buy the latest model of a product. You cursed your fortune for being poor. Afterwards, you ask him the year of manufacture of his Tv. To your surprise, he mentioned the same year and model of the one you have at home.

You opened your mouth in disbelief and told him you had the same TV at home with a poor quality overall. You examine your friend’s TV and realised his own TV was manufactured in Belgium while yours was made in China. Also, you paid a cheaper price to get yours. No to the analysis, what happened above is that the poorer friend used his hard earned money to buy a fake TV. I am here with you today to make sure the same fate doesn’t befall you. I mean you will have the power to pre-identify fake televisions.

 

 

Those who produce fake products have fraudulent intentions of producing such products. Fake products cut across all consumer goods. China is tagged as the brain behind the manufacturing of most fake products(please do not blame the Chinese, you get what you paid for). We should also remember that Apple iPhone and iPad are made in China but assembled in the USA(California to be precise). Therefore, China is not the problem. The problem is the dealers who go to China to ask for sub-standard or fake products from them.

Warning!!

If you are shopping for a television online, please try and patronise the original device manufacturers or their authorised distributors. Alternatively, buy from reputable online stores such as Amazon and eBay. At least, if you follow this rules, you can never lose both your money and the product. If you receive a fake, substandard or defective product, these sites will standard by you are solve any problems you might be having concerning the TV. Amazon and eBay will issue a refund after return. Besides, it is very difficult to get any fake product from Amazon.

 

It does not matter they specifications the television is having, as long as it is a flat screen branded tv, it is susceptible to fake copies. In this article, Africans(especially Nigerian will be able to learn how to avoid falling victim to counterfeiters. This shall be strictly about how to avoid buying a fake tv, however, the tips that shall be provided here can be applied to every electronic device.

 

Especially relevant:

• what you need to do before buying a used phone 
• ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DISPLAY RESOLUTION LIKE VGA, SD HD FHD, UHD & 4K
• How you can shop on Amazon for cheap outside the USA

Correlation between a Fake, a Cloned and a Defective TV?

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, there is this misconception mostly about fake and clone products. Shockingly, some people call defective products and refurbished products fake. These assumptions are not true. There is a striking distinction between a fake, a refurbished and a defective product. This has been clarified below;

• What is a fake TV?: A fake or a counterfeit television is defined as a clone(knockoff) copy that has been marketed as the original. A counterfeit is guilty of dishonesty, misrepresentation and illegality.  It is more difficult to detect a counterfeit phone if you are not used to the original.
• What is a clone/knockoff TV?: On the other hand, a clone/knockoff is an exact or almost exact replica of original television. Although, with different branding. Furthermore, a clone or a knockoff TV is a copy of the design or function of an original device. In addition, a clone is sold as a clone copy and fully disclosed as “not the original”.  An example of a clone/knockoff television is one that has a different name, logo or design to the one you are used to. Unfortunately, the difference is not always very clear but it is there.
• What is a refurbished/ certified refurbished TV?:  a refurbished TV is a used TV that has been repaired and confirmed to be in a usable condition before selling. A refurbished TV typically refers to a model that has been returned to the manufacturer, tested for problems, and restored to a full-functioning, factory-standard condition.
• Meaning of a defective/faulty TV: A defective TV is one with an imperfection or one that has a manufacturing or design defect. A  faulty tv is totally different from a fake or clone TV. It is the original TV that is malfunctioning and it can even pose danger to the user.

How to Identify Fake Televisions

Almost 60% of the electronics in Nigeria and other developing countries are fakes or clones.  These gadgets are mostly manufactured in China and smuggled into the country which results in billions of dollars of loss to the government of the respective countries. Yes, the government loses the tax accrued to them when you smuggle in items. I wonder why the Government are always slow to take any action against these people whatsoever.

But again, this is not the total fault of the seller or the government. First off, buyers must have to first investigate the product before buying it. So, today, we will try to find the ways through which we can detect whether a TV is e.g Sony, Samsung, Vizio, Hisense, Panasonic, LG is original or not. A stitch in time saves nine, it is better to pre-identify fake televisions than to pay the high repair cost. In most cases, such TVs are unrepairable.

List of Questions the buyer should be aware of

Before you can successfully pre-identify fake TVs, you must be equipped with some vital information.

1. What do you need to do before the purchase and
2.  What you need to do at the point of purchase

In Order to Identify fake televisions, You need to do the followings Before Going to the Stores

If you prefer buying your stuff in the shops, before you go for your purchase, please do the followings

1. Search for the hands-on video of that TV on youtube.com and watch it in case you do not know anyone using it.
2. Search for the official website of the manufacturers and see if they have provisions for how to detect a fake copy of their product. Most manufacturers have this.
3. Be familiar with the accessories before going to purchase it.

How to Pre-identify Fake Televisions at the Point of Sale in the stores

I am still reiterating my earlier statement. This tips will help you detect a fake TV by any manufacturer. Before you can detect a fake TV at your local store, you need to have adequate information.

Now let’s assume you are ready to go to the stores to go and make your purchase. How should you behave there? what should you have in your arsenal? Please flow with me as I provide some valuable tips:

• Firstly, buy your tv from an authorised dealer: This person must be listed on the manufacturer official website
• Aside from this, you can buy your tv from the official showrooms if available in your locality.

• Do not prove to be too smart or too forward.

Don’t act too smart just because you have knowledge of what you want to buy.  On the contrary, be cool, calm and collected. Mind you, the seller might be having both the original and fake and when you behaving calmly, his conscience may hunt him to give you the original. As a result, you would have saved yourself unnecessary stress. In my case, I will first ask the seller “please bring out only the original for me”

• If you are lucky to find an existing owner of that model of tv, go with one

You can’t over-emphasise how valuable this can be. If I were you, I will always do this and give such a person a tip for his troubles. Please pay him if he is not a very close ally. An owner of the tv will know its features better than you.

• When the price is too cheap, please be suspicious

Another way to pre-identify fake televisions is with the price.  If you have done your research, you will know when a tv price is ridiculously cheaper than expected. For example, if Amazon sells at  $850 and your local store tells you to pay 500usd, then you should know that all is not well(except there is a promo on that TV)

• When there are oo many features, be alert

Another tell-tale sign of fake or knockoff products is that they offer too many features at a very low price. It’s nearly impossible for big companies to provide so many features in less price. So, whenever you see TV with so many extra features then it must be a china copy.

• Know the customer care hotline of the manufacturer

Also, you can call the customer care before you make payment and give them the serial number to confirm if it is a genuine one. Especially relevant, the packaging box must carry the OEM’s toll-free contact number, service centre address and the brand logo. Samsung Toll-free number is 0800-72678.

• Check serial number online

• There must be a warranty card with loads of details on how to claim your warranty

A warranty card with Hologram and serial number printed on the pack of the LED TV makes sure that you are buying the original product and legally too. This also means that the seller has imported this TV by paying customs duty which results in improving the economy of your country

• Most colourful and flashy boxes are indicative of a fake TV

That is not to say that all TVs with colour box packaging are fake. However, this is the biggest sign of fake product because all genuine products come in carton boxes with exact product information and serial number.

• Compare the serial number on the box with the ones written on the tv itself.

 

• Make sure you look out for the consumer manual & other Docs.

fake televisions will not have a manual and the few that have will have one that is not comprehensive.

• Finally, Try and register the product via its serial number on the official website. once it is accepted, it is not a fake. If otherwise, then you know what that means.

Where and how to buy an Original TV?

Now that you can pre-identify fake televisions, The next question is where can I buy an original TV? Or maybe, how can I buy an original TV? The brand doesn’t matter here. Although we have three leading manufactures of televisions. I am talking about no other than the 3 giants of LG, Samsung and Sony. I will give you some tips on where and how to purchase an original TV irrespective of the brand name.

• Firstly, avoid buying any TV(or any electronic devices) without any warranty.
• Purchase directly from the manufacturers or their Authorised distributors.
• If shopping for a new TV online, buy on Amazon and try as much as possible to buy from Amazon or a prime seller. However, if you would buy from a 3rd party seller on Amazon, buy from a seller with high integrity, and a good rating.
• If you are not buoyant financially just like me, and you want a used/pre-owned TV, you need to be very careful here. If are buying locally from stores, buy from a seller with high integrity and supports.
• Also, make sure you locate someone who is currently using the exact type of tv you want to buy and familiarise yourself with its features
• . Finally, get your warranty from the seller and let it be at least a 30 days warranty.
• Similarly, if you want to shop for a used/pre-owned TV online, only buy a certified refurbished TV from either Amazon, eBay or the manufacturers. Every certified refurbished electronics on Amazon comes with at least 60days no questions refund warranty.
• If you are a fan of online stores outside the USA or Uk, just make sure you patronise a credible seller. In Nigeria, we have too many fake TVs on jumia.com.ng, Konga and the likes. That is not to say if you search carefully, you won’t get an original.
• To wrap it up, don’t let your emotions overwhelm you, make sure you get a receipt or an invoice for your TV.

The Conclusion

The above tips cannot be tagged a foolproof. However, if followed judiciously, you can avoid falling victim of fake TVs by 97%. It is also worthy of note that, if you are dealing with the authorized dealer of the television, you do not need to worry yourself on some of the tips above. Just get your receipt and keep your warranty card very carefully.

No authorised seller will sell a tv without issuing you a warranty card. In Nigeria, the TV brands with the most counterfeits in the market are LG and Samsung TVs. In fact, we have faker of LG TVs than Samsung. My advice is for you to go to LG or Samsung showroom for your purchase if you reside in Nigeria. Fortunately, you can now order any TV of your choice from Amazon from Nigeria easily.