I Ordered TP-Link Deco M4. They Sent Me Mercusys. Now I'm Stuck

[iyengar]

Order ID: #4006743
Date Added: 29/11/2025
Site: vlebazaar.in

I’m writing this not just as a frustrated customer, but as someone genuinely exhausted by the mental toll this experience has taken.

I ordered the TP-Link Deco M4 (Pack of 3)—a trusted mesh Wi-Fi system I’d researched for weeks. What arrived instead was a Mercusys Halo H30G, a completely different product. Different brand, different specs, not what I paid for.

At first, I thought: maybe it’s a mistake. These things happen. So I reached out to their support.

And then the real ordeal began.

The Silence, the Evasion, the Stonewalling

• No acknowledgment of the wrong product.

• No apology.

• No clear return process.

• Just vague replies, delays, and eventually… silence.

I kept trying. Emails, messages, everything. Days turned into weeks. Each time I hoped for a resolution, I got more evasion. It’s not just about the money anymore—it’s the mental torture of being ignored, dismissed, and left helpless.

Why This Hurts

I’m not a tech reviewer or influencer. I’m just someone who wanted reliable Wi-Fi for my family. I trusted the product listing. I trusted the platform. And now I feel cheated.

The Mercusys unit might work for some, but it’s not what I ordered. It’s not what was advertised. And the refusal to even acknowledge the issue feels like a slap in the face.

To the Community

If you’ve faced something similar, please speak up. Share your story. Help others avoid this trap. We deserve better from online platforms—especially when they handle essential tech purchases.

And to Vlebazaar.in:
You still have a chance to make this right. Own the mistake. Respond. Refund. Restore trust.

Until then, I’ll keep sharing this story wherever I can. Not out of spite—but because no one should feel this powerless after a simple online purchase.

[shrimann]

Honestly you should have done little due diligence before ordering from an unknown website. The internet is full of horrid stories of vle bazaar. In your case you should be happy that atleast you received comparable product. Many of them have had worse experience receiving broken product, bar of soap and even not even receiving the parcel at all.

[kagz]

File a complaint with the police.

[N-TEch.11]

@iyengar

vlebazaar

Read this horrifying incident..

Anyone know about vlebazaar.in?

[SPOILER=–Now the real drama begins–"] He patiently waited for almost a week for the replacement but no response. Every time he dialed the no. his call used to be on wait with some silly music and he never ever got connected even after waiting truly for a good 20 30+ mins. He wrote few emails and only a new ticket would get raised every time. Thereafter, even that stopped stating that numerous tickets have been raised for you and no more new requests will be opened until old requests are resol…

[iyengar]

I have lost count on the calls I have made… They have blocked me on WhatsApp and hardly take call. Those calls connected have challnges with the language and they simply disconnect. Now I hope I would send my horric experience where ever possible as awareness. I hope one day someone local reads this and takes VLE Bazaar to task.

[rsaeon]

Something is off here, I checked specs and pricing and it looks like they sent you a more expensive product with better features?

Mercusys is a subbrand of TP-Link, so you’re not getting anything significantly worse/different, they’re both made in the same factory with the same standards/workers just different firmware.

Both are dual-band, both have two gigabit ports, both have mesh/roaming, the key difference (apart from aesthetics and ui) is that the tplink is 300mbps 2.4GHz and the Mercusys is 400mbps 2.4GHz.

Vlebazaar is known to be shady, yeah, but you got a good deal here?

[rsaeon]

Did some more research, found a few more interesting things.

Mercusys products are also offered to other brands to be relabelled and resold as their own, kind of like a OEM blower-style graphics card that looks the same but is sold by Dell or PNY or Zotac.

Mercusys products have the same pcb inside as the TP-Link equivalent but in the case of switches, the enclosure is plastic instead of metal.

But the main chip/soc in TP-Link products are of well known manufacturers that have standards compliance and patented/copyrighted intellectual property while for Mercusys they appear to be using either clones or unmarked but original chips (chip manufacturers do this if they don’t want to be caught selling to sanctioned customers).

A user on reddit even desoldered and swapped the Realtek chip on a TP-Link switch with the unknown chip from Mercusys switch and it worked just the same.

Basically it looks like Mercusys serves to legitimize subsidized Chinese manufacturing without the risk of penalty against the TP-Link brand.

For us as consumers, it just means you get TP-Link quality and reliability at a different, sometimes lower, price point.

edit: Mercusys may just only exist because of software related restrictions for TP-Link devices that prevent it from being sold in certain markets or something similar.

[iyengar]

@rsaeon

Mercusys is a subbrand of TP-Link, so you’re not getting anything significantly worse/different, they’re both made in the same factory with the same standards/workers just different firmware.

Both are dual-band, both have two gigabit ports, both have mesh/roaming, the key difference (apart from aesthetics and ui) is that the tplink is 300mbps 2.4GHz and the Mercusys is 400mbps 2.4GHz.

i hear you loud an clear. This is not about Mercusys being good or bad. This is about principle, legality, and consumer rights. That is substitution without consent. Full stop.

Even if:

• Mercusys = TP-Link sub-brand
• Specs are equal or better
• Same factory, same chips

The seller has NO right to decide “equivalent” on your behalf.“Equivalent or better” is NOT the seller’s call. These are two different brands, two different SKUs, two different product listings.

In Indian consumer law: “Sending a different brand/model without explicit buyer approval = defective service / unfair trade practice”. Even Amazon/Flipkart would never do this without consent.

[rsaeon]

@iyengar

Full stop.

Vlebazaar is well-known to be scammy. You got lucky. Full stop. You can pursue this but there are very few reports of positive resolution when dealing with them.

This is the risk of online shopping, it doesn’t always work out. Not just here but in other countries do. Nothing replaces the assurance of a face-to-face transaction.

I’m sorry but you really did get a very good deal compared to what others have suffered. Count this as one of your blessings and sell the Mercusys here or on OLX/Facebook if it doesn’t fit your needs and purchase the TP-Link one from Amazon.

Next time, a simple “websitename scam” search in Google will protect you: Google Search

They’re probably politically affiliated for them to continue operating the last five years like this without consequence.

[Uvula]

I had ordered a monitor from their, which never got delivered. Opened a compliant with online consumer forum and they ended up refunding the full amount after a month or so of back and forth.

You can try your luck that way, also try cybercell, idk how effective will that be.