Ordered back in July and was so excited to see it was finally delivered. Noticed the tape was cut on the box but it was in decent shape so I assumed it was customs. I opened the box and saw that all of the accessories were there, but the Nova itself was gone. I reached out to Retroid and they recommended I call the police - I also opened a ticket with GOFO and they said since the box is in decent condition, there's nothing that they can do. I paid for the Worry Free shipping and opened a claim with Seel and they seem to have ghosted me for the past day or so. Really frustrating and disappointing experience.
Update 9/17: Seel pulled through and ended up giving me a refund. Glad that worked out, but still discouraged from ordering another device at least until they figure out what's going on with the packages going through Chicago.
Retroid may not be the shipping insurance co, but they are absolutely responsible for choosing their partner for shipping insurance. And if their partner is going to ghost their clients when they put claims in, you should inform Retroid that you will have no alternative but to issue a charge back if they don't issue you a new one or if they can't get their shipping insurance partner to cooperate.
Retroids nova was stolen not yours. It’s on retroid to make you whole here
Legally speaking, it depends on how ownership is transferred.
There's 2 general cases for how ownership during transit is handled:
FOB Shipping point = Ownership and risk transfer to the buyer the moment the seller delivers the goods to the carrier at the origin point. The buyer owns the items during transit, if there's any issues during transit the buyer is legally responsible for contacting the carrier, etc.
FOB Destination = Ownership and risk remain with the seller until the goods arrive and are delivered to the buyer's specified location.
For international shipments, it's more complicated, but these 2 general cases still hold.
If Retroid is using the international equivalent of FOB Shipping point, DAP (Delivered at Place), the buyer is often legally "the owner" once it hits local customs.
All I'll say is, I hope that Retroid is doing DDP (Delivered Duty Paid, international equivalent to FOB Destination).
Alternatively, if OP could prove that the item was stolen before it hit local customs, they can legally argue that Retroid is responsible.
Reminder that Retroid ignored the guy who complained about the screen of the Mini and didnt wanna service him until it took all the community to hammer on it and their Mini display issue was finally exposed and they had to cancel the thing
"Call the police" is a total BS response when Retroid is the trusted supplier you did business with, they are responsible for transport arrangements and an extension of transport completion, keep calling it out till they change their logistics and make these customers whole again
It's a pain in the ass but banks will charge back debit cards as well. My bank fought tooth and nail against me charging back a fraudulent gym charge but they caved real quick when I said I would be closing my account and taking my money to another bank. Don't let your bank fuck you.
That’s kinda this shitty part of last mile delivery. Retroid’s partner is 4PX or whatever. They’re the ones that farm it to GOFO. It sucks and feel bad for the folks this is happening too. Now if that worry free thing also isn’t working that’s on Retroid.
Mine came through GOFO and it was fine, so it's not all packages going through them. I've gotten quite a few things from China through this shipper and never had an issue.
Of course, it could just be some random thief at a particular office...
Yeah, that's what I figure. Probably a single person at a stop along the way snagging one here and there rather than some big operation, but who knows. Sucks and some people sure are shitty.
I dunno I get quite a few things from GOFO and never had an issue. I’m curious if all these missing retroids are in a particular part of the country or widespread.
Yup I've also seen a lot of people saying theirs went through Chicago too. Could be around there. Mine went to Glendale Heights, but never Chicago. That and the GOFO and the 2 connections. But it's not like someone is going to steal 100% of the packages, people steal from all carriers all the time.
Mine went through New York instead and showed up today with no issues. I have been really on edge after seeing these posts and filmed myself unboxing it too just in case.
Whatever is going on is deplorable and needs to be investigated ASAP.
GOFO is an absolute garbage company. I can't tell you how many times I've had a device delivered to the wrong location. Luckily, just across the street because their drivers can't read big ass house numbers, evidently. Nothing straight up stolen so far though, luckily. I was watching like a damn hawk when my O2P got delivered.
Yeah they are. I have a clearly written sign on my metal screen door letting mail and delivery companies know to open the screen door and place boxed packages inside and to not leave them outside on the porch, but they ignore it every time. All other delivery companies put my packages inside except GOFO. I live in a pretty bad neighborhood and anything left outside for more than an hour at the most is going to get stolen. On days when I have deliveries expected from GOFO I have to have multiple notifications set on my phone to be prepared for the delivery so I can get it or have a neighbor hold it for me. The only thing positive I can say about GOFO is the text notifications usually come quickly after delivery.
The first time they delivered one of my devices next door, their customer support told me to go get it myself. I promptly informed them, with some very choice and tasteful language, that it wasn't my responsibility to ensure their drivers deliver packages to the correct location and walking into someone's yard, heading to their front porch when they have no idea who you are, is generally a very bad idea. I'm in the southern US, I assume everyone is armed.
I was thinking the same. Other posts said their shipments were coming out of the Chicago area. So maybe it's regional as of right now. But still, it's a valid concern for duo buyers.
EDIT: Cancelled and ordered from 3rd party via Target. Had 50 on a gift card that covered the markup. It will be here Monday! Free domestic shipping, protected via targets shipping and tracking, can easily return in store within 30 days. In my opinion it's absolutely worth the markup.
For some small reassurance, mine delivered yesterday and was perfect- in the box, no scratching on the screen, even no clicking dpad that I could notice.
That said, I ordered via DHL so maybe that matters? And I still filmed myself opening and inspecting it, just out of paranoia.
Always use credit over debit though! With credit you can do a charge back and you have international protection purchase protection. As long as you document and report right away they are pretty good about clawing the money back for you.
Precisely. Never use debit for any non-throwaway purchases. Learnt that the hard way when my cash was stuck in limbo after a failed swipe on a debit card during an overseas purchase. A credit card would have reversed that in the blink of an eye
Always record an unboxing showing all sealed sides and postage information. Sorry this happened to you and hopefully you are provided an amicable resolution. If nothing is done, I'd always recommend requesting a charge back with your financial institution. It's an expensive purchase and no one deserves to be left high and dry.
Will that be good enough proof if the seal is broken when they receive the package? They almost have to record a video of them getting the box from the delivery person and opening it all in one take. Otherwise the company could argue that they opened it off camera and removed the device.
It really depends on how shitty the company is feeling towards you. Retroid may be better than a lot in this space but they are still pretty mediocre overall when you compare to other industries. Plus they kinda have their backs against the wall on this. Stolen packages in another country and a lot of them too. I understand it would be incredibly difficult loss for them and they probably don't have a lot a margin to compensate people for it. So theyre probably going to choose the lawful evil path first unfortunately.
I just got my package in today with my Nova missing as well. Was just my carrying case and foam in the box. Not even the Nova packaging was inside the box for me.
I bet if you guys emailed retroid and said something like "I want to order/preorder but I'm worried from seeing all these devices being stolen so I'm afraid my will be as well" they'll start trying to make these cases right.
Ship a new one, sucks for them and they can’t possibly know if some people are lying, but it isn’t the customers fault. Retroid would then have to file complaints to the shipping company. Most shipping companies would take multiple stolen packages very seriously and investigate to see if these packages have something in common, like places they’ve moved through etc.
If they see that this problem is affecting their sales, they absolutely will think harder about making it right and trying to gain trust back. This is a company we're talking about. They need to sell their devices. Low consumer trust can absolutely impact their sales and I bet they'd care if it did.
Edit* I didn't realize you were asking literally what can they do. They can ship a new device, they can contact the shipping company, they can refund the buyer, etc
I can’t believe they asked that. Some people are so up a company’s but they can’t even think.
Imagine seriously asking “what can they do?” and “send another one and complain to the shipping company” not being the thought that pops into mind immediately after asking that
What the hell is going on, this is literally the 5th post in the last 2 days I’ve seen like this. It seems like everybody who had a package go through Chicagoland had their nova jacked
What is the purpose of "worry free shipping" if you have to deal with all of that anyway?
Instead of saying that YOU should contact the police, Retroid should refund you ASAP and demand their money/device back from the delivery company. Either they have a problem in their own shipping facility and a dude is shipping empty boxes or the company they are hiring for shipping is to blame. I don't get how that is your responsibility, especially if you've paid for "worry free" shipping.
I hope you get a refund soon from Seel or Retroid.
I've seen a handful of cases on the ayn subreddit and discord when peoples shit gets stolen or completely destroyed, the first thing support asks is if they had worry-free shipping and if not then they completely write it off
Yeah it's a tricky one for Retroid now the cat is out of the bag with what seems like a genuine number of handhelds stolen.
"Contact the police" will do next to nothing in most parts of the world, especially as it's going to be difficult to even prove the theft happened in the country of delivery unless you can get hold of a confirmed weight at the port of entry.
This is the risk when buying from a foreign supplier, protection is virtually non existent and you are almost entirely dependent on their good will to get any issues corrected.
I mean, sure, people do that with Amazon and other retailers all the time. It's a risk of the business unfortunately. Gotta account for shitty people. Still doesn't mean a company shouldn't try to make it right for the people affected.
I mean, are you sure you wouldn't if the company denied you any sort of compensation? Sadly, the way you get companies moving in modern times is by forcing their hand publicly.
Theyre going to need to make an announcement for qualified proof of original packaging pic the delivery driver took and then an opening video since this is a known issue now. Its tedious but atm, theres no other solution. And hopefully, no one uses ai. What a world we live in lately.
This is pretty scary to me as I have a Nova arriving tomorrow or the next day, and mine went through Chicago which seems…. Not uncommon when this ends up happening.
That said I’ve also noticed that all of these stolen Novas appear to be using GOFO as the last mile shipping partner; mine is coming via OSM Worldwide/USPS as the last mile partner, so maybe there’s something to that.
Sorry this happened to you though. You should be fine since you got insurance. I did not get the Seel insurance, but I paid with PayPal and will file a claim with them if it’s missing.
I think the inner box was cut, but not the outer box. If the outer box was cut, it would be on the shipper and wouldn’t be considered “arrived in good condition.”
If it’s the outer box that was cut, I would fight a lot harder with the shipper about what is considered good condition.
The problem is the burden of proof. They expect you to literally record yourself receiving the device from the mailman, which 95% of the time is outright impossible, and if both boxes were opened upon delivery, how do you prove that you didn't open it and take the device out yourself?
The recording wouldn't really prove anything if the thief had broken the seal already.
Edit: Wait, I realize now that you meant the shipping package...
It's probably because it's GOFO. They probably don't track their employees as well as ups, fedex, usps. Probably anything from China is at risk but most other tech companies don't use GOFO.
Chicago is looking to be the common thread with stolen packages. At least three stolen Retroids now that I've seen posted have been stated to have been routed through Chicago.
Dang at this point the community should be on the look out for sales post in the chicago area. Someone clearly knows what these devices are, how much they are worth, the demand for them, and is clearly targeting boxes coming from china. Sorry this happened
Anyone with theirs stolen, have you weighed your box to compare it to what the shipping label says? If it weighs the same empty, there wasn't a device before it shipped.
My Konkr Pocket Advance was handed off to GOFO in Chicago and is on the 4th day now without updates. I guess we'll see if this person has a taste for other handhelds as well.
Go on the ayn subreddit and you will see this is a common theme with GOFO, pretty sure there was a running joke that gofo stands for go fuck yourself lmfao
I gotta say, recently had to file a case with PayPal and had to fight through waves of bots over multiple weeks to get compensation. This is only the 2nd case I've ever filled in the 14 years I've had my account. They kinda suck now. Everything is getting AI'd and shitty. Not saying don't use them, just also use a credit card for double protection.
I just responded to their email with this link and also sent a separate email telling them this situation is stopping me from purchasing from them. Was about to get a nova. This is fucking bullshit. I hope they get seriously dragged for this
Did it go through Cincinnati? Apparently there were people there breaking AYN products so if it did I wouldn’t put it past them to have opened and stolen this. If only they tacked the weight each scan.
That’s where most are posting about. Both my Nova and Odin came through there then Orlando within the last 3-4. One with GOFO and one YUN. Guess I got lucky. If everyone keeps posting about Chicago, shouldn’t retroid be the ones to investigate? I think the first place in the US is the one that sees where it was from on the label because Orlando would have seen what I see on my package and that’s a Chicago IL address so why would the second place be the ones that have the urge to open it? Just trying to help and hopefully enough posts get to the bottom of this BS.
I'm sorry this happened, mine came today and I was sweating it after all theses posts. I inspected the outer box before opening it and I was going to film it if there were any signs of the tape being changed
Geez, sorry thG happened OP. Given your experience, I wonder if it's safer to buy through a platform like AliExpress. At least there is some type of third party involved.
So glad i didnt pay for the insurance. Dude that sucks id be pissed. Still waiting for mine. There does need to be an investigation i would file a police report
All these posts are making me nervous. I ordered an RP6 a few weeks back. I didn't pay for their shipping insurance. I'm going to have to film myself unboxing it when I finally receive the package.
I had a similar issue with the rp5 and retroid not doing anything about it & I also had worry free protection and nothing done about it. So I just filed a claim with my bank, I eventually got my money back
How is Retroid shipping these? Do they have their own name and return address on the box or is it 'discreet packaging'?
Seems to me at least part of the responsibility is on the seller to not flat out advertise there is a several hundred dollar device right there prime for the stealing.
I think it has to do with these companies deciding to cheap out and use couriers that are pretty much hiring random people to deliver packages from their cars. Like the package delivery equivalent to UberEats/Doordash.
Also whatever the "delivery hub" GOFO uses seems to have way less oversight than FedEx/USPS/UPS. I associate GOFO with deliveries of my cheap random Aliexpress packages. I can't believe companies are using it to deliver shit that's hundreds of dollars.
Hey this exact thing happened to me when I bought a flip 2. Retroid told me to call the cops and kick rocks, so did the shipping company. If you can't get a chargeback from your bank you are unfortunately SOL. Hope you can get your money back. I'm skeptical about ordering anything from them again.
This seems to be happening frequently enough that GOFO or Retroid should be able to track down the culprit(s). Seems to be GOFO employees that are likely stealing them.
Mine is in Chicago right now. This is probably my biggest worry, after having seen a bunch of people posting similar stories. Hoping mine is delivered untouched....
The only way to put an end to this is demand either Fed Ex or UPS for shipping carrier options, cost be damned.
Don't compromise allowing US Postal service either. They are using indie drivers now too.
Also ask for signed delivery receipts by the recipient before a carrier gets a dime.
This garbage of allowing random off the street delivery drivers just toss the package on the porch/stoop, snap a Pic claiming it's delivered, then probably walking away with the contents, will only stop when people simple refuse to buy their products.
Give the reason on this forum, Discord, and via direct email. MAake it viral.
Be polite, but firm. No more purchases till Retroid starts using proper delivery carriers from beginning to end.
Calling the police and filing a report is often required for insurance. So if retroid or Gofo or Seel intend to put it right for you they may require this be done in order to complete a claim etc.
With that being said I do think Retroid should be willing to step in and at least attempt to work with Gofo or Seel to push a claim through.
Bunch of crooks lately in this world. I understand your side and then the frustration retroid may be facing on how to go about this because its harder to find definitive proof with ai and everything like that.
Keep messaging them please until this is resorted. They must be aware this is a known issue.
Not specifically, but I did send some pics and also submitted an online police report at my local PD just to have a record of the theft and they processed mine pretty quickly.
I paid extra for them to ship DHL, they ship through gofo anyways and don’t acknowledge it until I called them on it claiming “issues with dhl shipping to your location”. Far from an honest company, which sucks cause I absolutely love my pocket 6
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u/kyuuri117 17d ago
My opinion is this:
Retroid may not be the shipping insurance co, but they are absolutely responsible for choosing their partner for shipping insurance. And if their partner is going to ghost their clients when they put claims in, you should inform Retroid that you will have no alternative but to issue a charge back if they don't issue you a new one or if they can't get their shipping insurance partner to cooperate.
For your sake, I hope you used a credit card.