Please beware of this website for electronics

[lindaso]

I have had an unbelievable online shopping experience this week. I bought a Sony camera from techondigital.com for a very good price. It was significantly cheaper than everywhere else and the store got 5 stars and good feedback in the past few months.

The day after I purchased it, a salesman calls my cell phone to confirm my address for shipping. I confirm the address and he starts in with very aggressive tactics to convince me to buy a battery and a memory card. I politely decline numerous times and ask him to just ship me the camera. He gets more aggressive and actually says "I'm going to put the $79.99 for the battery on your credit card now". I say to him very emphatically that I do NOT want the battery and can you Please Just Send Me The Camera. Then he has the nerve to say "you don't have to be rude about it."

It was the most unbelievable conversation!! So today I get an email from the website saying that the product I ordered is mysteriously out of stock for 6-8 weeks and my order is cancelled. Funny how Mr. Salesman didn't mention that on the phone!! The only good thing is that they didn't put the charge through on my card (yet!!).

I have never had an online shopping experience like this. I know the people on this board bargain shop around the internet like I do so I just wanted to let you know to STAY AWAY from techondigital.com. They are just bad news.

 

[Jennifer823]

Wow, what a jerk. Hopefully they won't charge your card.

 

[kittymarcy]

Oh my gosh - I had the EXACT identical experience a couple of weeks ago! We were trying to buy a Sanyo digital camcorder. The call with the high pressure & then the email to cancel our "backordered" item. Wow!!! It was a different website (something I never heard of), but I bet they are connected. I guess if it sounds too good to be true, sometimes it is. I am anxiously watching my credit card statement to make sure nothing is charged to it. I don't trust this at all!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Where did this store get "five stars" from? I would suggest reporting this incident to the site where you saw them and their rating.

 

[Lillypug]

Sorry about your bad experience. Next time, check out the store's reputation on www.resellerratings.com . HTH
Thank goodness they did not charge your card. Some stores are just crooks.

 

[Nikel]

Sorry about your bad experience. Next time, check out the store's reputation on www.resellerratings.com .

Just thought that should be repeated. Generally if a price is significantly cheaper than anywhere else, it's the old bait & switch/

 

[4 DZNY NUTZ]

Go with someone reliable. I always buy from amazon. They usually have the best prices anyway. I just bought our DVD camcorder from them, they were about 50.00 cheaper than anywhere else. And the best thing about it, no sales tax!!

 

[lindaso]

Thank you for posting the link to that website. I will definitely check there before I order anything else. What a scam...they need to be shut down. I'm off to search for the attorney general's contact info.

I have bought my last 2 cameras from Amazon but I thought I'd try to save some extra money.

As for the website that gave it 5 stars...I have to go back and leave feedback. Now that I look at it more carefully, everyone who left feedback bought accessories.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

New Jersey or New York?

that is a very common tactic for those "discount" stores in that area.

 

[lindaso]

New Jersey or New York?

that is a very common tactic for those "discount" stores in that area.

I hope it is NY. I just filed my complaint on Cuomo's website complete with the link to the resellerratings website that has 2 pages of complaints (oh how I wish I knew about that before!!). I'm so aggravated over this. I've never had any problems buying anything online, electronics included. Grrrr!!!!

Now I'm seriously considering cancelling my credit card which means I have to change ALL my automatic charges. And this scumbag has my cell phone number to boot.

 

[cglaura]

This was a "customer" quote on their home page. LOL, gee I wonder what they are really trying to push????

Thanks guys! My SD850 is great. I needed accessories with my camera and was not sure what I needed. Let me tell everyone that after using the camera I am glad that I got the bigger memory and the extra battery, case and cleaning kit. These things really do make a difference when you are out using the camera. The standard stuff that comes with the camera is not enough. Anyway thanks guys for recommending the RIGHT stuff. Thanks

OP, sorry you went through this. Maybe you call your cc and see if they can block any charges from them, if not, then maybe cancel.

ETA - You should report them to one of those TV news shows that do reports on bogus sales sites / companies!!

 

[seashoreCM]

I don't think there is any need to cancel your credit card at this time.

If a "mysterious" charge appears you just dispute the charge in the normal manner described on the credit card bill, with the reason stated as "I never ordered those items and I never received those items.[size]

For merchandise never ordered and/or never received, a charge id siputable even if the merchant is in another state and more than 50 miles from your home address, and yuou do not have to deal with the merchant in good faith first.

It is also OK to deal first with the credit card company first if you are billed a higher price than what you ordered even if there are superfluous items in the shipment that supposedly justify the added price. It is up to the company to arrange for the return of superfluous items including paying in advance for return shipping.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[rflorek]

Oh my gosh - I had the EXACT identical experience a couple of weeks ago! We were trying to buy a Sanyo digital camcorder. The call with the high pressure & then the email to cancel our "backordered" item. Wow!!! It was a different website (something I never heard of), but I bet they are connected. I guess if it sounds too good to be true, sometimes it is. I am anxiously watching my credit card statement to make sure nothing is charged to it. I don't trust this at all!

Wasn't a company called Express Cameras or Genius Cameras, by any chance?

 

[NMW]

I'm so glad I read this. My friend needs to buy a new digital camera and said she found a Sony one for a LOT less than they have in Circuit City or Best Buy. It's some crazy website I never heard of (I can't remember it for sure). I am going to tell her to check out the site before she buys. I was telling her to stick with Circuit City Best Buy because it is so easy to return something at any of their stores, they gaurantee prices, they are national chains, etc.

 

[kittymarcy]

Wasn't a company called Express Cameras or Genius Cameras, by any chance?

I just pulled out my order receipt and looked - it was Broadway Photo. http://www.bwayphoto.com. We found them through a google search for the item we wanted, which yielded http://www.everyprice.com who listed them as the cheapest. My guess is that all the cheap ones recommended on that site are somehow in on the scam.

We wound up getting almost the identical camera from http://www.overstock.com for a great price. Well, not quite as cheap, but hey - we really did get it...no pressure to buy more stuff obviously.

One thing that I forgot to mention, when the bogus company called us they tried to say that we ordered a non-US version that came standard with a battery that only lasted 20 minutes and it would be inoperable if we didn't buy the larger capacity battery. Yeah...right.

 

[simpilotswife]

I had the exact same thing happen a couple of years ago when I bought my husband a DVD camcorder. It happened to me twice and when I started checking into it I discovered that these places all have the same address in Queens, NY.

 

[TENIA66]

I definitely think these guys are a little shady. notice their customer testimonial is from Jason, from Tennesee, Ky??

Also if you have a concern you are to send an email but no email address.

If you have a question about placing an order however, call them with a number posted:


Quote from site:

Contact Us

Help and Support
We value you as a customer and greatly appreciate your business. We constantly strive to give you a satisfactory, pleasant and enjoyable online experience.

Customer Support
If you have any questions regarding your order please email us for faster response.

Item Not Found?
If you do not find an item on our site call us and we will let you know as soon as possible if we have your item in stock.

Returns
All returned merchandise must be accompanied with a RMA number from our Customer Support Department. To speed up the process you may call our customer service department at the number listed above during business hours regarding any returns or questions you may have. Our representatives will be more than happy to assist. Please see our Policies page for more information.

Thank you for shopping.
We appreciate your business.

 

[rflorek]

I just pulled out my order receipt and looked - it was Broadway Photo. http://www.bwayphoto.com. We found them through a google search for the item we wanted, which yielded http://www.everyprice.com who listed them as the cheapest. My guess is that all the cheap ones recommended on that site are somehow in on the scam.

The reason I asked is that I work across the parking lot from the company that goes by the name of Genius Cameras, and Express Camers - among numerous others. They are also highly recommended by Everyprice.com.

My recommendation: ANY camera firm recommended by everyprice.com is TO BE AVOIDED!!! The company I work next to is VERY shady - and they have been under investigation by the NJ State Atty General since November 2006 for Consumer Fraud and Bait & Switch. They also have terrible ratings on the BBB. They show Brooklyn, NY addresses on many things, but their office is located in Edison, NJ.

It's best to avoid them at all costs. Spend the extra money and purchase from somewhere more reputable.

 

[swilshire]

What a timely post (and a major disappointment). I found exactly the camera I wanted for my daughter at a very good price on the technodigital website and ordered it last night. They left a message for me saying I need to call to confirm the order before it will be shipped.

They don't open until 10, so I'll be calling them. The reviews looked pretty good, but could have obviously been doctored.

Guess I'm back to the drawing board on searching for a deal if I wind up cancelling this order.

Sheila