Horrible Service Beware

[SBM-RL]

Ok so my girlfriend wanted a digatal camera for christmas. I wanted to spend around $300-$400 but she wanted an SLR which range $600-$5000+ so i decided to shop around on the internet. I found a place that was selling the camera i wanted for $400 (circuit city charged $700) I was skeptical but it said they recieved 5 stars so i ordered the camera. The guy calls to confirm it then jumps into hardcore salesman mode and tries to sell me a $160 memory card telling me my girlfriend will love me more? lol he wouldnt stop he went on for like almost 5 min till i threatened to cancel my order then he hung up so two an half weeks go by and no camera so i call and they tell me my order was cancelled bc the item was out of stock didnt anybody call u? NO

       so I searched again found another place this time $390 free shipping! go ahead order it. I call to confirm my order then the guy goes which battery did u want the 2 hour for $80 or the 4 hour for $100 WHAT? theres no way to work this camera w/o purchasing one of those batterys? No sir... whatever ill take the the cheaper one ok your total is $502 click.. huh $502? so i look on the website and under the camera is a list of optional accessories and third one down rechargable AA. so i call back and get put on hold 4 times speak to 6 people then a guy tells me that the camera does not take AA batterys the website is wrong I ask about why its $502 instead of $450 u got a $370 camera $100 battery and the insurance click. By now confused,mad, real mad, pretty mad so i call my friend who has the camera and he tells me yep takes AA. Forget it im cancelling it. So i call to cancel they put this b#*chy women on the phone and really dont feel like explaining/arguing just want to make this quick. she ask why are u cancelling i tell her personal reasons.. personal reasons?? she replies. ya so just cancel it well its gonna cost you 20%($100) what! i ordered it 30 min ago and the real reason im cancelling is bc your sales reps lied to me and i dont appreaciate that o really what about? so i tell her about the battery and she admits the camera takes AA's well who told u it didnt two of ur employees what was there names? IDK they mumbled o well you have to get names you have to research when u buy things and you must ask names. im ferious now no way ur going to cancel for no charge ur company lied and u should be held liable. she repeating me now so i was like forget it cancel the battery i dont need. now my total is $410 $16 for cancelling the battery I was lied to about then some $20 somethin for insurance which is mandatory for there co. never said anything on the comfirmation print out.

The first website was Digital Super deals . com not recomended

The second was Best Price Cameras .com scam artist both websites horrible absolutly horrible

[Dan:]

www.buydig.com

www.tigerdirect.com

www.buy.com

www.mwave.com

good sites, have some awesome sales

You should have threatened to call the Better Business Bureau. Probably could have made more progress that way.

[burleytog]

Remember, just because they advertise a low price doesn't mean that you're getting a good deal.

I would never (and I mean NEVER) buy a camera online or sight unseen.

[Dan:]

yeah, i agree with burley on that one too. If you are going to spend that much money, you should go to a store to actually hold the item you are thinking about purchasing. That way you can learn more about the item. Then, if you are satisfied with the product, you can search on the internet for better deals. Just make sure that you buy from a respected site. Lots of sites have reviews on their customer service, but just try to stick to the mainstream ones and you'll be fine.

[SBM-RL]

I totally agree with burley too i research what i buy too my friend has the camera and ive seen the great pics it takes and i read reveiws its a great camera just a horrible website/s >

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I think the internet camera business is very shady.  I've heard of more people having problems including my best friend and either LBH or Hawg_Hunter from this site.

If I remember correctly, they ordered a camera from one of those B.S sites and thought they got a great deal.  When their camera arrived they found that they were significantly overcharged and were sent a bunch of stuff they didn't want.  I don't remember the exact numbers, but I believe they were overcharged several hundred dollars.

[Dan:]

yeah, it happens. The key is to just be careful and know that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It's  cliche, but it's true.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Well, if you know the model you want, searching for the best price online is a good move, but don't be discouraged, there are some shuysters out there.  

Below is my story that KU reffered to, Hawg also had issues with his camcorder but ended up flipping the tables and made out in the end.  This is my story from a previous post.

A bit long but a good one!

Of course, with 10 days before I leave for Lake Fork, my trusted, go with me everywhere camera, decides to not want to power up for some odd reason.  I did all the basic troubleshooting,nothing.

Now I can replace the camera body for $250 or so and as we all know, it's the batt's , charger, memory cards, camera case, ETC. that makes a camera cost so much.  So my dilemma is do I bring it to a local shop where they'll charge me $50 for a diagnostic and probably no less than a hundred to fix it, or just buy another body.

So after looking around, I learned that they now have the same camera body with better components so there are 2 models better than mine now.  That accept all my accessories.  Great time to upgrade.

I searched the net and found the one I wanted for $209. I called and asked if they had it in stock, sure do.  So I confirmed the price, made sure I could get it before Fork, and proceeded to give all my info.  

After this tiresome chore was done, He started to ask if I wanted accessories.  I cut him off right there and explained that I already had this camera and had allll the goodies, even extra lenses.  

So he moved on to the "warranty".  He began by explaining that the factory warranty was terrible, he could up grade it for blah blah blah......if it breaks w/o warranty It'll be $200 just for Fuji to look at it,...blah blah blah, so I explained that it is only a $300 camera (upgraded) and that I use them like disposables.  I explained that I fish, and the camera is in the UPS truck everyday,etc etc so I just replace them when they break.  So now he goes into "well just hear me out, I can give you the 5-yr $400 plan for $229"

I said "IT'S ONLY  A $300 CAMERA!  I appreciate it but I'm all set with accessories, warranties, etc, I just need the basic camera.

His next words, I kid you not ,were. "Your order has been cancelled"  AND HUNG UP!!

Well, if anyone here knows me,.....I called back.

I said Hi, this is Russ, I think we just got cut off" and he starts stuttering saying, "no,....people like you make me nervous,...you're shady,....."  AND HUNG UP AGAIN!

These sites draw you in with the ultra low price then won't even sell you the camera if you don't buy the add-ons!

***************TURNING POINT***********************

I waited till this morning and went downstairs and borrowed my friends phone.  I looked on their site and found a camera for $2119.99 (still not the most expensive).

I called the place and got "Kevin" again.  I asked if he had the camera in stock and you could hear his ears perk when I said the model number.  So I started asking about accessories, explaining I need everything because this camera is a full 2 levels above what I had.

I ordered,

3 - 1gig memory cards

case

tripod

2 sets of batts and charger

3 piece filter kit

telephoto lens

wide angle lense.

Then I said that I should probably get some kind of extra coverage with all that stuff.   He's VERY friendly, laughing and being alllll so jovial.  I've been on the phone with him almost 25 minutes now.

He starts explaining the first plan and I came with just a question or 2 then he realized I would go bigger so he kept upping the plan and I kept agreeing but made him explain each one in detail.

Time on phone-1 hr 5 mins

I told him I would take the final plan and asked him to give me a grand total w/ 2nd day shipping so I could enter it it in my book and he said "$3,246.46 but I'm going to round that to $3240 and send a shirt out with that order.

I said "well thank you Kevin, I really appreciate all your time and help, but this is Russ from yesterday, and your commission,....has been cancelled".

AND HUNG UP.

Don't mess with the little guy ,lol

[squid]

I MUST HAVE BEEN WORKING A FISHING SHOW BACK THEN WHEN YOU WROTE THIS ONE....NICE...VERY NICE.... 8-)

[Siebert Outdoors]

My buddy ran across a similiar situation.  He told them to stick the camera and he canceled his order, they told him basically the same thing about extra charges.  He said I dont think so.  He called the credit card company and explained it to them.  They canceled the card and got him an new # card.  If you dont want this camera I suggest doing the same.  Dont put up with it or just give in and pay it.  Cancel all of it and dont look back

[Redlinerobert]

I just went through a similar situation - I was looking for a Sony DC10, found a couple sites online and had the same sales pitch BS. I eventually bought one from Pauls of Maine or something like that. Got the sales call, said no thanks I'm just replacing a broken camera and have all the accessories. I got a shipping confirmation a few days ago so hopefully I will be receving my camera soon. I'll keep you posted.

I ALWAYS buy stuff online and use my American Express. If I get any flack from the sellers about anything, a simple call to AMEX and they will chargeback to the sellers. They are really good about that.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Robert- Abe's of Maine!  That's where I ended up buying the one I got!! lol

[Redlinerobert]

Correct LBH.  It wasnt Pauls  ;D

Camera came in today.  The factory seal was broken, but camera appears ok.  I'm leaving for Acapulco tomorrow night, so we'll see how it holds up

[cart7t]

Just some insider info on the consumer electronics business. Whether you're dealing with some internet seller all the way up to purchasing something on sale at Best Buy, it's all the same.

These companies are making virtually nothing on the sale.  You're essentially purchasing this stuff (camera's, computers, Plasma TV's, etc. ) at nearly cost.  The retailer makes up the difference by trying to sell you all those add ons, (memory cards, attachments, PSP service plans, software upgrades, etc.)  without selling those, they're selling at a loss.

In fact,  MANY OF THESE RETAILERS, WHETHER INTERNET BASED OR BRICK AND MORTAR BASED USE ADD ONS AS A MEANS OF BASING WHETHER AN EMPLOYEE GETS HOURS TO WORK.  In other words, it's no longer enough to be an employee who offers friendly, knowledgable service that brings people back in to buy more, unless you sell enough add-ons, you, the sales employee, may or may not get enough work hours next week to live on.  

That's how life in the consumer electronics fast lane works these days.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Good point, but I would rather they advertise it at a price they can afford to sell it at.  I don't think it's fair to suck you in with an amazing price but refuse to sell you it at that price unless you buy more stuff.

[Dan:]

Good point, but I would rather they advertise it at a price they can afford to sell it at.  I don't think it's fair to suck you in with an amazing price but refuse to sell you it at that price unless you buy more stuff.

they shouldn't be refusing to sell it at stated price. I think most of the times that happens is from sketchy stores that probably shouldn't be given business (like the previous posts of guys having people hangup on them when they refused to buy add-ons). If that happens, get the BBB involved. But I would say with confidence that if you go to a respectable seller, they will sell at the marked price even if you don't buy add-ons. With the lower prices, you can get a better deal if you can just say no to the add-ons, it's the people who get duped into buying that add-ons that are the suckers, you benefit if you can say no.

[Redlinerobert]

OK I tried the camera, works great!  killer deal too.

[Water Dog]

Best Buy rooked me on a nonexistant REBATE.  I read the fine print, jumped through the hoops, did everything that was required and never received the rebate.  It was't that much but I will never buy anything from them again.  There are other sources.

Trust is important with me.  

I've had good luck with Wal-mart, Sams, Target, and Cabela's and many others.  

I keep a mental list.    "Best Buy" ain't on it !  

Cabela's sent me a new rod for the one that was damaged (nicked) in shipment and I got to keep the damaged one.  One on one on the phone, no questions asked, can't beat that.  I will pay a little extra in order to deal with honest people.  

[justfishin]

www.tigerdirect.com

[cart7t]

Best Buy rooked me on a nonexistant REBATE.  I read the fine print, jumped through the hoops, did everything that was required and never received the rebate.  It was't that much but I will never buy anything from them again.  There are other sources.

Trust is important with me.  

I've had good luck with Wal-mart, Sams, Target, and Cabela's and many others.  

I keep a mental list.    "Best Buy" ain't on it !  

Cabela's sent me a new rod for the one that was damaged (nicked) in shipment and I got to keep the damaged one.  One on one on the phone, no questions asked, can't beat that.  I will pay a little extra in order to deal with honest people.  

Best buy has had numerous class action suits filed against them over the years for their "inattentiveness" at getting BBY backed rebates back to customers. I was one of them.  It was only a $10 rebate on an internal CD writer but when you start adding 10 + 10 + 10 +.......etc  it starts to add up.  

I've found CompUSA has one of the best rebate policies. Keep copies of everything. If the rebate doesn't come in the advertised time, they refund the money in the store.