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dougrek · 12-14-2007, 08:29 AM

I did A LOT of research into resellers hoping against hope that I'd be able to find at least one vendor that proved all the negative reviews wrong. I finally settled on ShopSunshine, which impressed me because their CSR manager was on some of these boards countering charges against them. Well, guess what gang? There really is no such thing as a free - or seriously discounted - lunch.

I was eager to pick up a Panasonic AG DVX100B and agreed on one of their packages on eBay. Once I clicked "Buy" I was prompting to call them to complete the sale. The first warning sign should have been when the CSR told me he couldn't complete a sale if there were different billing and shipping addresses (I mean, I have something like 10 addresses for family, friends, etc., on Amazon). The CSR, Josh, was friendly and connected me with the Photography department to complete the sale - makes no sense but whatever. The camera guy, Joe I think, assured me I'd get the package within 4 days (I was traveling for a shoot) and then said, "Ok, you have a choice between a 5- or 8-hour extended life battery." I thought it strange that if someone had a "choice" he would not choose the longer battery life and smelled a rat. "How much does this 'choice' cost?" I asked, and it became clear he was simply trying to upsell me without actually telling me he was selling me. Ok, sloppy sales technique but no damage done - I said 'no' and we moved on. He asked for my credit card number and then said, "Ok, now as you know from our website your package needs insurance." I thought, Well sure it would and they no doubt insure it since, until I take receipt, it's THEIR responsibility. So he told me all the wonderful things about the insurance, about how if the package arrived with a 'cracked lens' or a 'hole in the box' he would be sure to send me a replacement the next day "at no additional cost to me." That sounds great, I said, but YOU'RE covering it, right? "No, we charge you $276 for the insurance and I have no choice he said, I must include it. It is a mandatory 10% of the value."

Well, that old sinking feeling kicked in and I immediately canceled the sale, noting they were pulling a bait and switch. "It's not a bait and switch," he said. "Well, maybe not by definition," I answered, "but if you're asking one price on the website, including tax and shipping, and then not telling me about the insurance cost until we're completing the deal THAT is misleading." Furthermore, the new costs added up to what I'd pay Amazon for the camera and Amazon doesn't charge me for insurance. When I told him that he said, "Yeah, but you're paying retail for the camera at Amazon." In other words, "We have to make up our costs in other ways by including things like 'mandatory insurance' for shipping."

Bottom line: Most of these operations are scams. If they're offering a really low price plus a lot of other goodies and beating the pants off the legitimate operations like BH, Amazon, etc., you can be sure there's something sneaky - they'll add "insurance," cancel the order, suddenly not have it in inventory, etc. Spend the extra cash on a reputable shop - you'll sleep better and get what you pay for. I went with Amazon.

12-14-2007, 08:29 AM	#16 (permalink)
dougrek Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2	I did A LOT of research into resellers hoping against hope that I'd be able to find at least one vendor that proved all the negative reviews wrong. I finally settled on ShopSunshine, which impressed me because their CSR manager was on some of these boards countering charges against them. Well, guess what gang? There really is no such thing as a free - or seriously discounted - lunch. I was eager to pick up a Panasonic AG DVX100B and agreed on one of their packages on eBay. Once I clicked "Buy" I was prompting to call them to complete the sale. The first warning sign should have been when the CSR told me he couldn't complete a sale if there were different billing and shipping addresses (I mean, I have something like 10 addresses for family, friends, etc., on Amazon). The CSR, Josh, was friendly and connected me with the Photography department to complete the sale - makes no sense but whatever. The camera guy, Joe I think, assured me I'd get the package within 4 days (I was traveling for a shoot) and then said, "Ok, you have a choice between a 5- or 8-hour extended life battery." I thought it strange that if someone had a "choice" he would not choose the longer battery life and smelled a rat. "How much does this 'choice' cost?" I asked, and it became clear he was simply trying to upsell me without actually telling me he was selling me. Ok, sloppy sales technique but no damage done - I said 'no' and we moved on. He asked for my credit card number and then said, "Ok, now as you know from our website your package needs insurance." I thought, Well sure it would and they no doubt insure it since, until I take receipt, it's THEIR responsibility. So he told me all the wonderful things about the insurance, about how if the package arrived with a 'cracked lens' or a 'hole in the box' he would be sure to send me a replacement the next day "at no additional cost to me." That sounds great, I said, but YOU'RE covering it, right? "No, we charge you $276 for the insurance and I have no choice he said, I must include it. It is a mandatory 10% of the value." Well, that old sinking feeling kicked in and I immediately canceled the sale, noting they were pulling a bait and switch. "It's not a bait and switch," he said. "Well, maybe not by definition," I answered, "but if you're asking one price on the website, including tax and shipping, and then not telling me about the insurance cost until we're completing the deal THAT is misleading." Furthermore, the new costs added up to what I'd pay Amazon for the camera and Amazon doesn't charge me for insurance. When I told him that he said, "Yeah, but you're paying retail for the camera at Amazon." In other words, "We have to make up our costs in other ways by including things like 'mandatory insurance' for shipping." Bottom line: Most of these operations are scams. If they're offering a really low price plus a lot of other goodies and beating the pants off the legitimate operations like BH, Amazon, etc., you can be sure there's something sneaky - they'll add "insurance," cancel the order, suddenly not have it in inventory, etc. Spend the extra cash on a reputable shop - you'll sleep better and get what you pay for. I went with Amazon.