Counterfeit MagSafe 3 cable from OWC ?

[zesta]

I recently purchased a MagSafe 3 cable from OWC that was listed as "Apple Genuine" and was the full Apple retail price.

When I received it, I immediately noticed it was not the same as the others that I have. It is significantly lighter and the USB plug looks to be cheaper plastic. There are no markings on the cable at all, specifically on the USB-C end where markings are typically found on the Apple woven cables. The woven part is also different than my known-genuine cable. The USB-C plug is also a different size. It was sent in a generic bag that is reminiscent of the cheapy cables I have seen from eBay or Amazon that do not claim to be genuine.

I reached out to OWC and they claim that it is genuine. They can provide no proof and say they do not need to.

Apart from OWC knowingly selling a counterfeit item, I see only 2 choices:

1. Somewhere upstream is selling them what they (OWC) believe to be genuine, but are not
2. Apple is actually selling cheapier versions of their cables (I find this exceedingly difficult to believe)

OWC claims to order these in bulk from Apple without any packaging, which I find a bit hard to believe. They also claimed the difference is because Apple uses "multiple warehouses." I assume they meant multiple suppliers. Even so, I have never seen something like that from Apple. Only an updated design that differs starting at a particular time. All of the MagSafe 3 cables I have access to, be they 3 years old, 3 months old, or brand new, all appear to be identical. The one from OWC is the odd one.

Does anyone have any experience with the OWC MagSafe 3 cables, or any other information that could be helpful?

Thanks!

 

[chrfr]

I reached out to OWC and they claim that it is genuine. They can provide no proof and say they do not need to.

Apart from OWC knowingly selling a counterfeit item, I see only 2 choices:

1. Somewhere upstream is selling them what they (OWC) believe to be genuine, but are not
2. Apple is actually selling cheapier versions of their cables (I find this exceedingly difficult to believe)

OWC has been known to sell counterfeit Magsafe 1 and 2 adapters. I would not be surprised if the MagSafe 3 cables are also counterfeit.

OWC Selling Fake MagSafe 2 power adapter? | MacRumors Forums
OWC sells counterfeit Magsafe 2 85w power supplies as "genuine". Beware. : mac (reddit.com)

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you have doubts about its authenticity (and I accept your observations), return it.
Buy a GENUINE MagSafe charger/cable from an Apple Store, or online.

(what else is there to say?)

 

[xraydoc]

I'd return it, TBH.

I used to buy a lot of stuff from OWC back in the day. But a few years ago I purchased an open-box black & silver aluminum Magic Mouse from their website (the ones that came with the Mac Pros but before this color combination was available at retail). They sent me a very worn white one. They tried to tell me that it's what I ordered and when I forwarded to them their own invoice that stated "used excellent condition black and aluminum Mac Pro Magic Mouse" (you'd think they would have already had their own invoice, right?), they said they didn't have any black & silver ones despite what was advertised on their website... and since their open-box items are non-refundable, they wouldn't have normally accepted its return but they would make a "one time exception." Fortunately, they did accept the return and refunded me the purchase price.

I quit buying stuff from them at that point as the whole situation seemed a little shady.

 

[zesta]

OP:

If you have doubts about its authenticity (and I accept your observations), return it.
Buy a GENUINE MagSafe charger/cable from an Apple Store, or online.

(what else is there to say?)

The only wrinkle is that I bought it with a store credit I had, so the only thing I would be left with is a credit to a place I would not likely ever shop at again.

I was mainly wanting to see if anyone had similar experience with this particular part.

Curiously, the part is now not listed on their site anymore.

 

[OWC_TAL]

Curiously, the part is now not listed on their site anymore.

Pulled them all to investigate what is going on. I'm sorry about your frustrating experience.