The Problem with BioMats on Amazon and eBay
The BioMat is manufactured and developed by Richway International Inc. You can visit their website here: www.richwayandfujibio.com
Richway does not sell to the public directly. They sell only through their authorized distributors. Of course, their distributors must follow certain rules to remain in good standing, and one of those rules is to not advertise or sell items through Amazon or eBay. (This policy took effect on March 15, 2013).
We certainly respect that consumers are free to make their own choices. We just want to make sure it is a fully informed choice.
If you find a new BioMat for sale on Amazon or eBay, it may or may not be genuine. There are several knock-offs that are designed to look as much like the Richway BioMat as possible, and in some cases the sellers even call the product a BioMat, in order to enhance the confusion. Many customers don’t realize they are getting a counterfeit version of what they wanted to buy, which is the whole point.
We have reviewed many of these counterfeit products and found serious quality issues. They are essentially bulk commodities. You can expect to find lower-quality materials, sky-high EMFs, no indication of manufacturing origin, off-gassing, and thermal performance similar to a standard heating pad.
In some cases there are genuine Richway BioMats for sale on these sites, but these mats will not be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty or repair service. The standard warranty is 3 years, and the repair service extends to 30 years, so there is good reason to purchase through the proper channels.
Sellers on Amazon and eBay are unlikely to have decent product support, and are unlikely to be around for very long. They generally do not provide a phone number, physical address, or email address. They can change the name of their store with the click of a button.
Richway has a public statement regarding these problems, and you can view it here: http://www.richwayandfujibio.com/welcome/index.php/notices/entry/risks-of-e-commerce-purchases