Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Loads of news!

First of all, ComON.dk have a new article in this matter, and I must say that I really love them!

They have contacted the Danish distributor of Clevo and asked them about Medison. They managed to get an answer directly from Clevo, which is totally clear: "Medison er et svindelnummer. Vi har sat vores juridiske afdeling på sagen." That translates to "Medison is a scam. We have put our legal department on the matter."
Moreover they say that Medisons CEO claims that the press conference will be held in Stockholm tomorrow at 16:00 CET. Location is so far unknown, but they will e-mail and call several journalists to be invited.

All details can be found in the article in Danish here: http://www.comon.dk/index.php/news/show/id=32044

Secondly, we have some details our self too:

We can clear out the theory about the Brazilian computers from Positivo. They have clearly in an e-mail to us answered: "Positivo Informática does not have any relations with this.". So now that is clear too. If there is any computers, they CAN'T be the ones pictured and specified on the site like it seems now. So what will the customers receive if there really is any computers?

We, and others have also contacted several of the "partners" that Medison has listed on their corporate site in different places. All of them say the same thing: "No, we don't have any business with them, and have never had!". This includes the so-called "Apple Store" that they claim that they have opened in the city of Jönköping!

I'm feeling that this is coming to an end very soon, and once again, thanks ComON.dk and Jens Nielsen! You have done a tremendous work, and I can't believe why NO Swedish media has done like you!

2Checkout refunding money?

Several persons on SweClockers claims that they today have been refunded thier money fron 2CO without canceling their orders, can we have more confirmations on this?

Update, the money is released just as it should, and the payemnt itself will be done when it's time for shipping... If there will be any...

Monday, July 30, 2007

Want to cancel your order?

So you are having second thought? Don't want to have your money reserved for three months to see if you actually get a laptop or not?
Our advice to anyone at the moment is to cancel their orders and wait for proof that the computers actually will be delivered. Medison has said that this price is a long term strategy, so you really only can win from waiting, since you will be able to order the computer at a later point if there actually is any.

2Checkout.com Inc, the company that is offering their payment solutions to Medison seems to be a legit and trustworthy company. You will not have any problem to cancel your order and get your money back in a few days. So how do you do this? Just contact 2Checkout either via https://support.2co.com/deskpro/newticket.php or call them directly at:
1.614.921.2450 Main Number
1.877.294.0273 Toll-Free (US and Canada)
0.871.871.8283 United Kingdom
and they will gladly help you to cancel your order and refund your money!

The new pictures...

The old product pictures has been replaced on Medisons site. According to Comon.dk Medison have foretold that they were replaced by "real" pictures to get more trustworthy. They say that they have hired a professional photographer to take the pictures. The question however, is why a professional photographer would use a Canon Digital IXUS 60 digital camera at 10 in the evening (See the Exif-tags in the pictures). That is for those who don't know a small compact consumer camera... Yes we know that this doesn't "prove" anything, it's just another "fun fact" in this story.

It also doesn't prove anything that they actually got a computer to photograph, I got a computer that I can photograph too. And it even makes it more serious if Clevo really isn't involved, since it obviously is a Clevo-computer on the new pictures too.
A poster on SweClockers posted the following answer that is supposed to be from the manufacturer: "they got one pcs sample from our customer and not paid". Hmm, interesting, isn't it?

Medison say there will be a press conference on Wednesday!

According to the Danish site Comon.dk, Medison will have a press conference on Wednesday to clear things out. They have also spoken with several people in the computer industry that claims, just like all other experts, that the price is "impossible".

Other than that, Medison don't have any new information at all, just the same usual excuses.

http://www.comon.dk/index.php/news/show/id=32033

Help us spread the word!

If you just like us want to act on the behalf of the consumers in the world, please spread the word! Link to this site in blogs handling the matter, e-mail journalists and so on. We also noticed that someone posted our site on Digg, so if you have an account there, please digg us!
http://digg.com/hardware/New_website_dedicated_to_find_the_truth_on_Medison_Celebrity

Sources for information

Most of the material on this site is just collected from other sites, forums and newspapers. Since it would take tremendous time for us to link each source every time, we instead list the sources for information here:

English:
www.medison.se
www.medisoncelebrity.com
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/medisoncelebrity/ (Medisons own forum)
http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/07/25/1519256.shtml (Check the comments)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/25/medison-celebrity-150-of-linux-laptop-for-the-people (Check the comments)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/27/medison-promises-money-back-if-it-cant-deliver-in-three-mont/ (Check the comments)
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5789
http://www.2checkout.com/community/support/forum.php?id=3&page

Swedish:
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.100914
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.115025
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.115112
http://www.di.se/Avdelningar/Artikel.aspx?ArticleID=2007\07\25\241607
http://www.di.se/Avdelningar/Artikel.aspx?ArticleID=2007\07\25\241627
http://www.di.se/Avdelningar/Artikel.aspx?ArticleID=2007\07\27\241900
http://www.e24.se/dynamiskt/prylar/did_14907454.asp
http://www.e24.se/dynamiskt/koptips/did_16367382.asp
http://www.e24.se/dynamiskt/konsumentratt/did_16391594.asp
http://www.e24.se/dynamiskt/konsumentratt/did_16401562.asp
http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/it/story/0,2789,1126643,00.html
http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/it/story/0,2789,1126774,00.html
http://www.jnytt.se/Read__9331.aspx
http://www.jnytt.se/Read__9562.aspx
http://www.jnytt.se/Read__9645.aspx
http://www.jnytt.se/Read__9647.aspx
http://www.sweclockers.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=696980&perpage=30&pagenumber=52 (Forum discussion now on it's 52nd page)
http://www.cint.se/debatt//ShowPostFlat.aspx?PostID=62603 (Forum discussion now on it's 28th page)

There might be some more that I have forgotten to link to, but it will probably be found amongst the 1,110,000 hits on "medison celebrity" that Google currently gives...

And of course, we also have sources of information that wishes to remain anonymous so we honour their request.

Updates regarding the possible manufacturer

We have yet again gotten trustworthy first hand information that Clevo isn't involved in this. Some people have suggested that the computers may be assembled by Positivo Informatica who is a Brazilian company distributing Clevo-manufactured computers. Different sources say that this is highly unlikely since computers and electronics are very expensive in Brazil, and since it is a "End of life"-product that isn't manufactured anymore. This would make it hard for Medison to actually deliver an endless stream of orders consisting of this computer. They have also said that they can offer the price since they don't have any middle man, which is exactly what Positivo is.
However, we have of course contacted Positivo and are waiting for an answer from them to see if they are involved or not.

Another strange thing happened today. Medison have changed the pictures of the computers on their site to the same computer but with a blue filter over them. Why?
Anyway, it is still the same specifications on their site copied directly from Clevo, consisting of spelling errors like "2.2Kg with 6 cells Lithium-lion battery".

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Press Release: New website dedicated to find the truth on Medison Celebrity

Press Release: New website dedicated to find the truth on Medison Celebrity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sweden
July the 29th 2007

The website “Medison Scam” has just been created to battle the probable scam consisting of the US$150 laptop Medison Celebrity.

The creator of the site, Truth Seeker, says:
- “We don’t believe that the laptop actually exists. After trying to communicate with involved parties for several days, we decided to take it up on our self to get the truth out.”

The site promises to work hard to bring light out on this issue. Media, especially in Sweden, has done a crap job on this. As late as of yesterday one of the largest newspapers in Sweden, Expressen, published an article almost looking like an advertisement for the computer, not saying one word about the criticism that the company has received from experts, users and websites around the world for several days. Media in other countries has been more careful and in most cases actually warning potential buyers on the risk of a probable scam.

Truth Seeker continues:
- “As it looks now very many things points at that the whole thing is illegitimate. It is highly unlikely that anyone will ever receive the actual computer, and I’m prepared to say that I’ll eat my hat if the computers actually get delivered according to specification!”

However, one could argue on if Truth Seeker actually has any hat or not.

More information can be found on the website http://medisonscam.blogspot.com/
Any comments or questions can be directed directly to Truth Seeker himself on medisonscam@gmail.com.

Regards,
The team behind medisonscam.blogspot.com

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Latest breaking news

The computer specified and pictured on Medisons website is the Clevo MobiNote M540V. The pictures and exact specifications is taken directly from http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/M540V.asp (compare with http://www.medisoncelebrity.com/product.html). Clevo is one of the bigger OEM-manufacturers of laptops in the world. In e-mail communication they have answered, and I quote: "We can however confirm to you that we do not have any relation to the Medison company you are reffering to nor do we have a partnership with any reseller in the western world that is offering our machines to end customers for a price lower than $250. I hope you will find our answer satisfactory.".
So if there actually is any computers being delivered to the customers it can't be the computer pictured and specified on Medisons site. What will the customers receive then?

Other strange things

  • The domain medisoncelebrity.com has been registered for the term of only one year with a hotmail-address and a cellphone number as contact.
  • The company only exist as a one man business in Sweden, and as a 1£-company in UK.
  • The address that the company is registered at is a known address for 1£-companies that just need an address in UK because they don't have any own address there.
  • There are many claims on their company website that can't be validated.
  • On one the other companies (http://www.unitedkeys.com/) that the owner claims to have created haven't delivered one of their supposed products for as long as it has existed.
  • No one from Medison has given any answer to the claims found on this website or others. The only thing they claim over and over again is that the deal is legitimate, but not providing any proofs that it actually is.
  • The founder of the company has claimed that this is just the first step of the business. One of the next steps will be to sell computers with gold and diamonds for 10 000 - 20 000 USD each.
  • Several sources with inside information from the market claims the price (including free freight) is impossible. The LCD-display itself should be the most expensive part, and that alone is US$70 at least.
  • Medison claims that they make profit on each and every sold laptop.
  • The delivery time has changed from 4-6 weeks to up to three months.
  • Medison is selling ad-space on their page for "U$ 2 million".

Lies, misinformation & errors

  • Medison claims that they have been a successful company since 1996. However, the two companies that exists today was created just a few weeks back. Almost all other companies that is referred to on their site has either never existed, been unregistered, been liquidated or gone bankrupt. They also claim "Our company has reached not only a brand name, but also a name that stands for quality and science.", which is utterly bullshit and can't be validated.
  • They claim that they have opened an Apple Store, that in reality never seem to have existed.
  • Their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy was copied directly from apple.com, just replacing Apple with Medison. This text have now been replaced with "We are reviewing our legal information and will update this page as soon as possible."
  • The text phase "Pricing, specifications, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping and handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra, and vary." that are frequenting their site are copied directly from Dell.
  • They have had links and banners to several "partners" that now has been removed after the involved companies has asked them to do so, since they never were any partners to them. When confronted about this fact, they claim that it was old information that was supposed to be removed. However, the links and banners was only removed when every and each company contacted Medison themselves, making this claim to seem absurd.

Questions that needs answers

  • How could they open (at least two) assembly plants in Brazil before the company existed?
  • Where are these plants, and is there any proof on their existence?
  • How could someone starting to sell laptop computers for USD150 including free freight world around not see that this would become so big (as they say themselves), when they even claim it to be "The laptop for everyone"?
  • How are they supposed to solve the VAT-issue when the computer officially is sold by the USA-based company 2Checkout.com Inc and not including European VAT, and then be shipped from England to other EU-countries that requires VAT to be paid?
  • How can they manage at least two plants and four offices with only five people hired?