this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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The website failed, went to an error page, and then charged my credit card the wrong amount of $64.70. I received a confirmation email saying I’ll receive a confirmation when my order has been shipped, but I haven’t provided a shipping address or paid the full $499 price tag. It is the worst experience I’ve ever faced buying a consumer electronic product and I have no idea whether or how I’ll receive the phone.

I look forward to learning more about how terrible these phones turn out.

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[–] viking@infosec.pub 8 points 3 hours ago

Lol, did whoever set to the shop configure it in Australian dollars? 100 AUD are just about 65 USD. Given the currency fluctuation, that could just about work out.

[–] RadioFreeArabia@lemmy.world 12 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Plot twist: there are no phones, the whole thing is a scheme to rip off people for $64.70. Enough money to make the scam worth it, not enough for people to put in the time and effort to reclaim their money unless their credit card will compensate them.

[–] possumparty@lemm.ee 9 points 3 hours ago

I mean, it's literally just a rebranded CP12, it's a $50 phone that's been painted gold.

[–] throwawayacc0430@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Fun fact, the alt right released a "Freedom Phone" after the jan 6 insurrection at the US capitol.

Spoilers: The phone was just brought from some no-brand Chinese company and then rebranded and sold for more. The "Freedom" is just called sideloading, which a Google Android phone could already do. And the CEO claim to have "build the OS" all by himself...

Like... some rich Millionaire trust fund kid with zero experience writing an entire android fork all by himself? 🤔

Its probably just spyware so the far right can monitor their cult followers. Once their leaders get into power, they'll just get purged like the brownshirts.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 hours ago

Very plausibly what started as a FBI monitoring tool which no longer has any staff with knowledge of the program anymore.

[–] MBech@feddit.dk 27 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

There's a very high probability that the company will shut down before they even get a working product. All the pre-order money will have been spent on "research" and "salaries", with 80% going directly into Trump's pockets. And there will be fuck all anyone can do to get their money back. Scammers gonna scam.

[–] YesButActuallyMaybe@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago

OP sounds like this is a B2B gone wrong… the 67.47$ is what they pay the factory. For the consumer this should be 499$

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 4 hours ago

I sometimes wish I had no moral code. This demographic is super easy to scam. Like the guy who listed the non-woke beer or the people who listed the freedumb phone, etc. Just attach some bullshit marketing to a thing and stupid people eat it up.

[–] sommerset@thelemmy.club 3 points 5 hours ago

I'm confident it's simply going to be a white label of some Chinese brand. Only question is which one.
Also there are tons of similar mvno networks, so that part is fine.

[–] figjam@midwest.social 7 points 7 hours ago

On the upside, its good to see the Fam wasting grift money on business that are doomed to fail.

[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 59 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I look forward to learning more about how terrible these phones turn out.

It will be a bog standard white label china phone with android, a custom wallpaper and maybe some cover/protector like you can get on temu. It's not like they develop their own hardware configuration, apps or phone os.

[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 20 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

But the world's best professional bullshitter wrote on Truth that it's built in the USA, it's not a China phone

[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 15 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Which American companies actually manufacture displays, ram, CPUs, batteries etc. for cellphones in America?

[–] notgold@aussie.zone 2 points 4 hours ago

Trumps companies if you believe him and disregard the 'made in china' sticker

[–] rajkopz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

well, hope this spreads quickly as a lesson to everyone avoid that crap!

[–] TimeNaan@lemmy.world 24 points 11 hours ago

Those who buy this deserve it.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 17 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Latest sneak peak of the phone in action:

toddler with phone

[–] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)
[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Maybe they meant parrot parents?

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 342 points 22 hours ago (5 children)

Daily reminder, Jimmy Carter willingly sold his peanut farm because his morality told him of his own viewpoints that it may be seen as unfair for a President to own business interests while serving the most important role of government. Which in his mind may come off as corrupt.

We now have a president who see's his name as a brand. That's where we've gone.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 44 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Daily reminder, Jimmy Carter willingly sold his peanut farm because his morality told him of his own viewpoints that it may be seen as unfair for a President to own business interests while serving the most important role of government. Which in his mind may come off as corrupt.

Well, that and he was complying with the Emoluments Clause. You know, that thing that should've seen Trump impeached on Inauguration Day -- 2017, not even just 2025!

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 137 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

People are forgetting too that this is just a job that he can be fired from. The SCOTUS and Republicans can fire him at any moment, but they aren't. These middle managers suck.

[–] residentmarchant@lemmy.world 70 points 21 hours ago

They're complicit. You don't fire a boss because some people don't like them, you fire a boss when you don't like them.

What a state of affairs we're in...

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 37 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's much worse than that, he's actively exploiting his position in government for personal gain. They have a gold Trump credit card that advertises that it's "an official website of the US government".

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 29 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Worse than that, he's hosting $1M a plate dinners for "access" and attendees get things like pardons for their family members or government approval of business deals after paying these bribes.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 10 hours ago

Land of the free!*

* but only if you're rich enough

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[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 69 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

well i'm definitely shocked that the guy banned from operating a charity in new york because he scammed children with cancer would operate a shoddy business.

[–] BuckenBerry@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)
[–] LePoisson@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

Unfortunately true. Worth reading that snopes article just to see how much fucked up stuff was actually happening though. It's not a mischaracterization to say they stole from kids with cancer through self dealing.

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[–] GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml 83 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

extremely non-zero chance the entire site and payment system was coded by morons with chatgpt

[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 23 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

The preferred term is "vibe coding" nowadays!

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 36 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 4 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Consider sharing that with !vibecoders@lemmy.ca. I’m sure they will appreciate it.

[–] Nasan@sopuli.xyz 9 points 12 hours ago

At this point, his sons are just vibe scamming. Kind of surprised that they haven't started a gun company yet. Truth rifles that literally blow up in his followers' faces.

[–] stebo02@sopuli.xyz 5 points 11 hours ago

vibe coding sound way too cool for what it is

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 42 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Can't say I feel bad for you buddy. Count yourself lucky if your cc info isn't abused.

You are literally dealing with known felons.

[–] Cyclist@lemmy.world 50 points 15 hours ago

It's a 404 Media journalist, he did it on purpose to point out how stupid it is.

[–] GuyFawkes@midwest.social 77 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

Clearly the wrong price; should be going for $86.47.

[–] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 hours ago (2 children)
[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago

Americans say "86 [thing]" to mean "get rid of [thing]"

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 10 hours ago

86 is a term used in restaurants to tell the staff when a product is no longer available. 47 means the 47th president of the US

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[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 117 points 22 hours ago (22 children)

Even as a 'lets see what this grift is all about'...why the hell would anyone order this horseshit..beyond stupid.

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 25 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

...because the author is an investigative journalist?

We all know it's a scam, but it's their job is to prove it. To prove it you have to (attempt to) buy it.

I agree any actual people trying to buy it are morons.

[–] vaionko@sopuli.xyz 14 points 9 hours ago

It seems a lot of people have forgotten that proper journalism is more than repeating what someone tweets

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