Equipment

Nine Ways to Avoid Being Fooled by Counterfeits

Found this on Callaway Golf’s website. Great information. Do yourself a favor and have a read through this before purchasing any equipment online. And if you haven’t read it, be sure to read about my experience with a fake HiBORE XL.

Callaway Golf Company urges consumers to be aware of counterfeit clubs, bags and accessories. Counterfeits have been particularly common on Internet sites. These bogus products are often cosmetically attractive—making it difficult for the average person to readily identify them as low-quality fakes with inferior technology.

How can you protect yourself from being a victim of counterfeiters? Here are some questions you should ask as you prepare to purchase genuine Callaway Golf products:

• Am I purchasing from an authorized Callaway Golf retailer? If the answer is “no,” your chances of purchasing counterfeits increase greatly. For a list of authorized Callaway Golf retailers, and those authorized to sell genuine Callaway Golf clubs, bags and accessories on the Internet, see our Retail Locater. Your best protection against counterfeits is to purchase only from an authorized Callaway Golf retailer. If you have questions, contact our Customer Service team at customerservice@callawaygolf.com or call 800-588-9836.
• Are the products touted as being “brand new” and being offered for sale on an Internet auction site? If yes, beware. Why would brand new clubs be up for auction? Many consumers who have purchased counterfeit clubs have been victimized by Internet auction sellers. The best insurance against being victimized by counterfeiters is to buy only from authorized Callaway Golf retailers. Most “Callaway Golf” clubs offered at attractive prices on web sites from China are counterfeit.
• Are the clubs a full set, including woods, irons, wedges, a putter, a bag, and possibly even an airport travel bag (with wheels), an umbrella, and/or a shoe bag? If so, it is highly likely that they are a counterfeit set purchased in China or from a Chinese Internet seller for as little as $150. But beware: some counterfeiters are breaking up these full sets and selling counterfeit irons, woods, and bags separately, either on auction sites or on web sites.
• Is the price for the “brand new, top of the line” clubs too good to be true? Remember, a full set of authentic Callaway Golf clubs, depending on the models, will retail for $2,000-2,500 or more. If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is and you should be extremely wary.
• Does the seller explain his willingness to part with the clubs at a bargain-basement price by claiming that he “won the clubs” in a tournament or raffle, or that they were “a gift” that he doesn’t need? Sellers of counterfeit Callaway Golf clubs on the Internet often use these and other reasons to deceive their victims.
• If the club is a driver, or a #3 wood, does it have a serial number on the hosel? If you are purchasing a set of irons, does the 8-iron have a serial number on it? If the answer is “no,” there is a very high probability that these clubs could be counterfeit. If the answer is “yes,” but the clubs being offered fit other warning signs in this bulletin (such as a suspiciously low price), be cautious. Some counterfeiters are putting bogus serial numbers on clubs. If you have any hesitation, contact your authorized retailer or Callaway Golf Customer Service. Remember, merely because a club has a serial number does not mean that it is authentic.
• If the clubs include models that are supposed to be titanium, does a magnet cling to them? If it does, the clubs are counterfeit. A magnet will not cling to titanium. If the clubs are Fusion models, or Hybrids, and the crown is made of metal, the clubs are counterfeit. Authentic Callaway Golf Fusion/Hybrid models have a carbon composite crown. Counterfeits substitute metal and paint it to resemble carbon composite.
• Have the clubs been inspected at an authorized Callaway Golf retailer in a side-by-side comparison? If you have access to the clubs before purchase, don’t fail to do this. Most counterfeits do not withstand such a comparison.
• If you are in doubt about the authenticity of the clubs being offered, have you contacted Callaway Golf at customerservice@callawaygolf.com and asked for assistance? If you do so, your chances of being victimized decrease significantly.

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