# Fake serial number on Canon 5D Mark III on a UK purchase



## MattiaUk (Sep 12, 2014)

Hey guys,

I thought I'd share the experiences I had with a camera purchase as a word of warning for fellow image makers. It's pretty boring stuff for most, but relevant for whoever is considering buying a Canon DSLR.

The short story is:

I've found a Canon 5D Mark III + 24-105mm lens kit on ebay and bought directly from the seller. The camera had a fake serial number and the customer service offered by the store that sold me the camera was pretty unprofessional. After some research I decided to keep my hands off that camera and returned it to the seller. In my opinion people should be aware of what and who they're dealing with to make up their own mind whether to buy from the store or not.

The longer story is:

i found the aforementioned camera on ebay at a pretty good price. £2150 for the kit. Because the store had plenty of positive reviews and was located in London, close to me, I decided to purchase from them. The store is Tronixcomputers in north London. They have an ebay shop but also operate from a high street store that sells electronic cigarettes. So far so good.

I went to the store to inspect the camera, paid by debit card and took the camera home. Checked the shutter count: all good. camera: New. Checked the sensor for dead and stuck pixels: all good as well.

Then I checked the serial number sticker and became suspicious. It was a bit loose. Checked the body number in the exif data of a recent test picture from that camera and compared it with the serial number on the sticker and it turned out that they don't match. Okay....that's not what I expected.

Research on the internet revealed that it was not an unknown issue. So I called Canon to confirm. They told me that it wasn't a known issue to them (which it clearly was, as plenty of people have dealt with Canon regarding that issue) and that sometimes the serial number in the exif data is inaccurate (which to me sounds like BS). They couldn't check the serials straight away but promised to call back.

In the meantime I sent several emails to Tronixcomputers. They didn't reply to my emails but after plenty of phone calls I got someone on the phone. I send him this link of a thread discussing the same issue about fake serial number stickers: http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?113459-Purchased-a-Grey-Market-camera-recently-Is-it-GENUINE

He wouldn't really engage with me via email but on the phone he told me I shouldn't worry and clearly they had no clue about what I was talking about.

At this point considered the following: I wasn't surprised that the camera was a grey import and was fine with that. After all, the camera was a few hundred ££'s cheaper than amazon or high street. The only issue for me was the warranty offered by the seller and I wanted the reassurance that a faulty camera would be handled professionally. In addition, it wasn't very clear how i would register the camera with my equipment insurance, with those 2 different serial numbers etc. So I emailed the seller once again, asking him how they would handle warranty with a camera that clearly had a fake sticker on it, probably a wrong serial number on their original purchase receipt/ warranty card.

NO REPLY to several of my emails. Eventually I went back to the store to return the camera and save myself the hassle. The people at the shop didn't seem to take my concern seriously. I was then told by the manager (via a colleague) that they had called Canon and were told that "it's normal that there are 2 or 3 serial numbers on a camera body". At no point had they asked me for the serial numbers to verify with Canon.

A few days later Canon called me back, confirming that the camera was from Singapore and that the serial number on the body was indeed fake.

Phew, that's pretty much it. Was a bit disappointed that the customer service at Tronixcomputers was pretty rubbish. They seemed unprofessional in the way they handled the problem at hand and were rather happy to return the camera and save themselves a critical customer. At no point did they make an attempt to investigate the issue (didn't have a clue what exif data means and never asked me for the serial numbers of the camera body I had purchased). This makes me believe that they'll just carry on selling those camera bodies merrily to unsuspecting customers. In my opinion it should be up to the customer to decide whether they'd like to take that risk with the benefit of a discounted camera. And for this reason I'm letting other prospective customers know.

Definitely worth checking the exif data body number against the serial number sticker. At least that way you know where you're at in terms of warranty etc.

That's all from me for now. Well done if you've read this far down the post and haven't fallen asleep yet.

All the best and happy image making.

Mattia


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 12, 2014)

That's the danger of buying from a seller that is not a Canon authorized seller. Using a debit card was also a big mistake. Always use a credit card for large purchases, at least in the US, you can go to your bank and they will reverse the charges for being sold something like that.

Chances are that you got a used camera or even a stolen one and whoever did it was trying to keep buyers from finding out.


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## Steve Balcombe (Sep 12, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Using a debit card was also a big mistake. Always use a credit card for large purchases, at least in the US, you can go to your bank and they will reverse the charges for being sold something like that.



In the UK, Visa debit cards have similar protection to credit cards. It's not a legal requirement as it is with credit cards but it's something Visa gives its customers.


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## MattiaUk (Sep 12, 2014)

Hey guys, 

thanks for your replies. I bought the camera about4 working days before going on a trip and decided to buy in store paying by card, so I wouldn't have to wait for the payment to clear and to give me enough time to inspect the camera over thoroughly. In hindsight I was probably being a bit impatient. In the end I went on the trip canon-less and Iphone-ful. Great!

I took the time at the store to inspect the camera and it was brand new, 0 shutter count etc. The seller wan't going anywhere and when it came to giving me a refund it was hassle free. But i agree, it's not worth the hassle when it comes to a fault. 

My theory regarding the fake serial number, which I made up after some Sherlock Holmes style Internet research is that an official Canon distributor in Singapore or Hong Kong wants to make some extra cash, so they sell to the european market for lower prices than customary in Europe but higher than in their own market. As this is probably against Canon (and possibly local) trading regulations, they put fake serials on the cameras to try and hide the traces that would lead back to them. As I said, it's just my layman's theory. 

cheers. mattia


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## weixing (Sep 12, 2014)

MattiaUk said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> thanks for your replies. I bought the camera about4 working days before going on a trip and decided to buy in store paying by card, so I wouldn't have to wait for the payment to clear and to give me enough time to inspect the camera over thoroughly. In hindsight I was probably being a bit impatient. In the end I went on the trip canon-less and Iphone-ful. Great!
> 
> ...


Hi,
Parallel import or grey market goods are not against any trading regulations (you just don't get local warranty), but I think faking serial number is. Just look at the warranty card and you'll know where is it from... unless they also fake the warranty card??

Have a nice day.


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## MattiaUk (Sep 12, 2014)

Hey there, 

no warranty card available but the store offers their own 3 year warranty. When I contacted the seller to find out details about this warranty I received no reply whatsoever. They might just be too busy to reply, which in itself isn't a great reassurance when you have spent that money on a potentially faulty cam. 

My concern was that they were sold the cameras with fake warranty cards from the original seller, so that their warranty might be void as well, when it turns out that the exif body number doesn't match the paper documentation. 

For that reason I returned the cam and that's that. 

Regards - Mattia


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## Marsu42 (Sep 12, 2014)

MattiaUk said:


> A few days later Canon called me back, confirming that the camera was from Singapore and that the serial number on the body was indeed fake.



Well, to be honest, what does a name like "_Tronixcomputers_" selling high-end dslrs tell you :-o ?

But if I understand correctly it was at least a "legit" grey asia import? But even if wasn't stolen, I'd say this conduct is fraud and criminal and you could try to let the police handle it.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 15, 2014)

Gray market cameras are sold in the USA by the millions, only a tiny few that were traced back to China had that fake serial number. There is no law against selling gray market cameras. I'd also suggest reporting it. It seems a risk that the camera was stolen then shipped overseas and a attempt was made to hide the original serial number which was probably reported to the police. The dealer may be innocent, part of a scheme, or just looking the other way.

The police are the best way to track it down if a theft ring is involved, don't get involved in trying to track it down yourself.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 15, 2014)

OH, and Syed Naseer, the Director of Tronix Limited (Parent Company) seems to have come from Singapore.


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