I'm VERY glad that I found this thread and others like it before I ordered my camera. I was looking for a Canon A720IS and everyprice.com sent me to (among others) Broadway Photo, Digital Nerds and Fotoconnection. Broadway Photo has the same type of ratings and complaints as Fotoconnection. I tried Digital Nerds and put the camera into my cart and was about to check out when I noticed that they had the Canon SD850 IS in there, which I hadn't even looked at. I went back to the start page and clicked on the A720 again. This time the cart showed 2 of those. I cancelled one and it showed my cart as empty. I tried this 3 more times before I got leery and started reading this thread. I ended up ordering the camera from Amazon and paying the extra $20 for it, which bought me peace of mind. To those of you who got scammed, I hope you prevail. Stay on them and communicate with your cc company.
I've been searching for an SD1000 for a while now. I found a really good price at Fotoconnection.com. I placed the order and I thought things were fine. Next thing I know I get an email saying that they needed more information on my credit card. Next thing I know I call to see what the problem is. They asked me to confirm my credit card telephone number. No big deal, that's standard practice. Even TigerDirect does that. So before hanging up, the sales person tried to sell me an SD card. I go ok, how much. He responds 80.00 dollars for an 2GB sd card. I go ecost.com sells them for 10.00. He goes you're checking prices while you're talking to me. I respond with a yes. He hangs up. I found that to be terribly rude! Next thing I know they send me another email saying they can't process my credit card. I call them up. And they ask me all sorts of information to process my credit card. Then before hanging up they tell me the battery that comes with my camera only lasts 20 minutes and the ccharger takes a full day to charge the battery. So he up sold me an extended life battery and a power charger. So there it is. I was sold. I felt really bad about the sale. So I call up my credit card company. Low and behold, they don't waste time. The charge was made. So I get the camera today. When you order a camera with extra options, you get the basic kit in the camera with extra options. HERE YOU DON'T. WHAT A SCAM! Next what I got in the box wasn't what I was promised. I didn't get a camera with the extended battery life. I didn't a camera with a rapid charger. I got the basic camera kit that I would have gotten from Best Buys or Staples or a big retailer. I WANT THESE GUYS OUT OF BUSINESS FOR GOOD!! They also promised me free stuff but it would take them two weeks to process that??? I bet if I paid for it, it would get here in no time. I have never felt bad about a purchase in my life and I wish I had found reviews about them before I made the purchase. I blame myself for not doing a review on a webseller but after having read all the reviews, I want them out of business for good.
I'm curious, I've read all the bad reputation of fotoconnection leading all the way to 2002 all over the internet and they're still in business, 5 years. How come they're still around? Could it be possible that they're getting some protection from somewhere? In my opinion these crooks should've been spending the last 4 years in jail already and not preying on hardworking consumers.
I almost bought an expensive camera from fotoconnection. And yes my story echoes many of the others here.
I had never heard of these guys. They had a nice looking package deal on the internet that seemed a great price. I called them, asked if I could substitute a different memory card - they said yes. But it would cost a bit more. I decided not to go with the substitution - and the sales person said please order online. So far so good. Everyone was nice, got a person on the phone right away. So I placed my order online. Three hours later they call me. (They also sent an email). They tell me the battery that comes with the camera is only a starter 15 minute battery, and I need to order another, and they are only $100 extra or so. I tell him that I just cant decide right then and ask if I can call him later. He tells me he is closing shop for the day and he says: "What is the hold up? You must have a new battery or else you are stupid." I tell him I just want to research a little more. We hang up.
This phone call was so odd in my experience with placing orders online I finally do what I should have done first - research the company... I come to this forum. Wow - what an eye opener. Wish I had done so earlier, before I gave these people my credit card number. I also research the camera.
Well since they have my cc - I sent them email back saying - just give me what I ordered. No extras. And of course they send another email 2 days later - saying call them. I call them and talk to a different sales rep. He gives me the same line about the 15 minute battery - so I ask: "So you guys actually open up the box, take out the battery that Canon ships with the camera, and replace it with another one?" He says YES! I say: "I find that hard to believe." Click - he hangs up. I call back, tell him: "well I guess we are at an impasse. I want what was is in the package with the original Canon camera." He says well how about canceling the order? I say "Wonderful, would love to". He says "Okay, the order is canceled." I then tell the guy I am going to post this story on the internet and let people know they use aggressive sales techniques.
So guess what - I basically forgot about these guys. I ordered the camera from Amazon and received it and I am delighted. So why am I posting? Because get this - 7 days later... they call me again and ask about the order! I tell them the order was canceled and that their sales man last week suggested canceling the order. I tell them I have already ordered and received from someone else. The new sales man says he doesn't want to cancel the order. We go back and forth for 3-4 times and I finally say: "Well you canceled the order 7 days ago." Click. And I hang up.
I guess what I find funny from my experience and that of others on this forum - is that the company will not send you just one of their internet package deals - unless you order an expensive accessory. Why couldn't they post that on the internet? Why put so many people through this hassle, and question their customers intelligence in the process? I guess they advertise the low package deal, to lure customers in. They must make $0 on that deal - and they MUST upsell to make any profit. I guess now that I am a little smarter - I really did not want to order from them - even if they were actually nice - because they are grey / after market sellers - not the real Canon approved sellers. You know I have read some sales books, but these guys take it to the next level. I wonder how many people are just shocked and belittled into buying from them because they are just so rude. I guess it pays to do your research. To answer a previous question about how this company can still be in business after 5 years of shady practices? I had the same question! But I guess part of it is: People do not research the company first. fotoconnection is listed on several internet pages and search engines. Even Amazon had a link to fotoconnection on the same page they had the camera. (They don't seem to right now - but that may be because I complained to Amazon about them last week.) By having such a big presence on the internet - I figured they were legit and didn't bother to research.
Well to be honest... it is kind of entertaining to have gone through this... I really did not think that sales people like this existed. It really boggles my mind to see what they were coming up with next! So far they have not charged my credit card.
In my experience, the best advice I can give you in to order with American Express. All other credit card companies side with the merchant, Amex is the only company out there that sides with the consumer and you probably have a 100% chance of getting refunded if you were scammed.
Although, I do have to disagree with all the F NYC scammers which is a little immature and not always true. There are alot of reputable merchants in NYC like B&H Photo, Adorama and others that are very honest and wont try to upsell you overpriced accessories.The best advice is check with BBB, Reseller ratings before you purchase and always pay with American express.
I admit I was lazy and didn't check these guys out before ordering which is something I do like (almost) 100% of the time.
I ordered an expensive camera and a storage device. Then for some reason I THEN checked them out and was horrified to find that they are crooked.
I then canceled my order like 20 minutes after making my order.
The next day, when they opened for business, I got an email asking me to call to "verify" my order. As if. I had no interest in calling them and assumed they would not be able to fulfill my order if I never called. Wrong.
After a day full of periodic emails from them asking me to call them and me telling them each time that I canceled the order, they went ahead and processed my canceled order for the storage device.
When I discovered through my online access to my credit card account that evening that I had been charged for the storage device, I THEN called them up to bitch about it. The sales guy tells me that they don't take cancellations by email. Oh, I thought, they can take online orders, respond by email, but they can't take cancellations by email!?!?!
Anyway, I immediately called my credit card company and said I lost my card so these jerks could not charge me for the more expensive item.
At any rate, my CC company tells me that it will take 90 days for the dispute process to work, but I sure as hell made a complaint to the BBB.
Last edited by Joe Mahma : 11-23-2007 at 06:11 PM.
I recently bought a Nikon d80, package 21 from fotoconnection and as many others have experienced, I received an email a few days later stating that my phone number was invalid. I contacted them and asked them for the number I gave them and they repeated the correct number. That's when up selling began. They told me that my camera came with a battery that would only last about 20 minutes and with a little haggling I ended up purchasing an additional $200 of extended warranty, battery and charger. During this up sell I specifically asked if who the warranty was through and was told Nikon USA. Well, when the package arrived, it was missing many different items and the camera was an import model. The warranty was through a company called CPS and they had swapped my $300 SB-800 flash for a flash that was a piece of junk, something you'd give your kid to play with. I called them and started with the fact that the camera was an import and they continued to say that it wasn't. I moved on to the warranty and the response was that the salesman should never have said that it would be a Nikon USA warranty. Then I moved on to the flash and the guy put me on hold and came back with a statement saying that he had sent an email out that would allow me to return the package without a restocking fee. I never got to the other missing items nor had I asked to return anything yet. I asked who would be paying for the shipping cost and he said everything you need to know is in the email I just sent and then hung up the phone. I contacted my cc company and they told me to send it back and they would issue a dispute. I sent it back, with tracking and insurance and a few days later I receive a call telling me that I didn't return everything. It got to the point where they asked me if I had put rocks in the box to make up for the weight. It was my turn to hang up. Now, two weeks later they issue me a credit of $99.99 from a $1599 package and I have nothing from them and I hope a pray that the cc company will come through.
I was looking for 2 Kodak EZShare Z712 cameras for my husband and myself. The website Everyprice.com listed TECHonDigital.com as having the best price so I ordered from their website. I received an email instructing me to call "James" at an 800 number to "confirm my order". When I called he started out nice enough but then launched into a series of hard sells on a memory card (told him I had quite a few), a battery (because the one that comes with it only lasts 5 hours)and an accessory pack for $69 which included a case, a cleaning kit and a tripod. I pointed out to him that the web ad said that the cleaning kit and tripod were ALREADY included in that price. He then spouted off a bunch of other accessories and "dropped" the price to $59, then $49. I held my ground and he finally gave up. I hung up thinking that I had ordered the cameras. Two hours later I got an email stating that
"Due to the product you ordered being out of stock for 6-8 weeks from today's date. We regret to inform you that the order is canceled due to the product being on backorder. when or if we get the product again in stock soon will send you an email to place an order please do not resubmit your order again . sorry again and thanks for your understanding ." (the email didn't even make grammatical sense!)
I checked the website and it said they were still in stock...hmmm...I probably lost my order because I didn't order any extras. So I checked Everyprice.com again and found that Fotoconnection had the cameras for only slightly more so I ordered from them. Funny thing, though, the same thing happened. I got an email asking me to call "Jack" at another 800 number to confirm my order. It was after business hours so they were closed. My husband and I talked it over and we decided that it was probably going to be the same deal...high pressure sales and a cancellation when we didn't cough up the extra money. We knew that prices would increase over the weekend as retailers replenished their supplies from "Black Friday" so we decided to go with BuyDig.com in the meantime for a little more money. This time the transaction went through smoothly. No phone call required for confirmation, no hard sell ********!
Today (Sunday, Nov 25)I got another email from fotoconnection instructing me to call to confirm the order. I replied with the order to cancel the order immediately. I received an email stating that I would need to call since they do not accept cancellations by email. Gee, I wonder why? Because they can't strong-arm you via email as effectively as they can by phone? So I called and it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have ever had on a phone call. First of all I was put on hold for 25 minutes listening to the most obnoxious R&B versions of Christmas Carols EVER! Finally someone picked up. I explained that I wanted to cancel my order. The person asked for my order number, verified who I was and then told me he would transfer me to "my rep." Another 10 minutes on hold with the crap music blaring at me. Finally a person picks up who sounds suspiciously like the first person who answered. I tell him I want to cancel and he wants to know why. I tell him I am all set with my purchases. He starts badgering me to tell him where I bought and for how much, tells me he is ready to offer me a $50 discount. I insist that I am not interested. He says he wants to throw in a battery and charger. The man is DESPERATE! I tell him it is too late and that I already have a confirmed sale. He finally hangs up.
An hour later I get a call from "James at Fotoconnection." I tell him I am not interested in talking with him about this. I am cancelling the sale. He gets very nasty and insists that I tell him where I bought the cameras. I refuse. He then goes on to tell me that he will have to charge me a "cancellation fee." At that point I remind him that I have no confirmed deal with him and he tells me that he put time and effort into my order. I tell him that unless he wants to hear from the FTC and the Maine and NY Attorney General's Offices he will NOT put anything on my credit card. I also say that I will be contacting my Credit Card company about this transaction. He responds with "Oh, you're one of THOSE kinds of people." I was so furious I just hung up. After I hung up I realized that "James from Fotoconnection" was, in fact, "James from TechonDigital." I did call my credit card company to put them on alert and told them that if any charges did appear I would dispute them. The Customer Service Rep was very helpful and gave me instructions on how to appeal. I really hope it doesn't come to that but I will fight this thing all the way if I have to. What a sleazeball!!!!!
The lesson I learned was: Don't rely on reviews on the merchant's website OR on the Pricefinder's websites. Use impartial, reputable sites like CNET to get the real scoop.
Well, it took 2 1/2 months, but I finally got a call from a Fotoconnection CS representative last week asking me what it would take for me to be satisfied and drop my BBB complaint. It seems that the Bureau actually went after these guys and now FC is trying to resolve some of the complaints. I told the rep that I either wanted to return the camera for a full refund, or I wanted exactly what I had ordered (new US model camera, one year warranty, manuals, additional battery and charger, etc.). She said it was "too late" to return the merchandise, and as it turned out, they don't even sell a "high speed charger" for the TZ-3's type of battery. So we haggled for a while, but in the end, I settled for the warranty, manual, and a Power2000 ACD-261 battery that sells for more than what they charged me for the "long life battery and high-speed charger" I originally ordered. The camera is definitely the import model. (In fact, I think that's all they really sell.) But the rep claimed that they never advertised the US model. (The web description says "Brand new factory sealed. 1 year US warranty." However, the rep noted that it doesn't say "US Model," and explained that the warranty is not from Panasonic, but from a 3rd party in the US. I pointed out that some people might say that was misleading...) Whatever. I decided to just settle. The camera, itself, works fine, and I was tired of wasting time and energy on this. In the end, I got more or less what I expected to get for more or less what I expected to pay, and they got a black eye both here and with the BBB.
My advice: if you've already been screwed, then do what I did and stop payment through your credit card company and file a complaint with the BBB. If you are still considering buying something from Fotoconnection after reading this thread, then you'll get exactly what you deserve!
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