"So here is the thing, I see an ad for this Avalon Dimension place, I guess all the other names have been burnt, and I check out the website. With all these spectacular prices my mind immediately throws up a red flag. So I stumble upon this review site and it's pretty much what I expected, except the customers were actually receiving products. I was thinking they wouldn't even get that. Anywho as I am reading these reviews, I find some 5-star reviews sprinkled here and there and I read into them. Did you people notice how EVERY one of the positive reviews seeks to debunk the exact same negatives reported in the few comments before them? There is no "story", if that makes sense to the positive reviews just opposing statements to previous claims. So this place is obviously a scam, I could tell that by the prices, which leads me to one simple question. If you dropped a whole bunch of cash on this blatantly obvious scam, why didn't you simply Google the name when you saw the prices and look for some reviews? That just seems kind of ignorant to me. This guy isn't robbing you if you are dumb enough to give up your hard-earned money without any research. Lesson learned, bet you'll do some investigation into why things are ridiculously cheap before you hand it over."

"Avalon Tronix (a.k.a. Avalon Gadgets and Foto-Tronix) deceptively sold me an Auto/Road GPS unit that they described as "new" but was actually a refurbished unit. I have since found similar complaints on this and other consumer websites. I shopped for a Garmin "nuvi 1350t" automobile road trip GPS navigation device on an on-line shopping site. The site compared merchants with ratings and prices, and indicated which products were new and which were refurbished. The refurbished units had the lowest prices, but I was looking to buy a new unit. The merchant, Avalon Tronix, had icons indicating customer review participation and favorable customer ratings with the on-line shopping site. Their product listing read “Brand New” and had a good price for that model. When I clicked on “go to store” the Avalon Tronix web site opened and also described the unit as "new." I purchased it, and my email purchase confirmation described it as new.

When I received the unit it was packed in the manufacturer’s sturdy box, which fit snugly inside a FedEx box. Oddly, the last two letters of the model number on the manufacturer’s box were covered with tape. It appeared to me that the tape was placed there with no other purpose than to hide the letters. The tape did not cover any seams in the box. I peeled back the tape and read the letters through the paper that pulled off on the backside of the tape. The letters were "N.O." I was suspicious.

I called the manufacturer and gave them the serial number of my unit. Customer Service informed me that my unit was not new, it was Newly Overhauled, and merchants use the term “refurbished” to describe it. I learned that Avalon Tronix sold me a refurbished GPS while representing it as “brand new” and "new."

I see that Avalon Tronics removed the record of my purchase from my account information on their web site. Still, I have their e-mails, purchase documentation and shipping records.

I had relied on an on-line shopping site’s high merchant rating for Avalon Tronix to indicate that it was safe to buy from them. After discovering the merchant’s deception, I researched them further on the Internet. I found reports that Avalon Tronix operating under that name and various similar names has been scamming its customers the same way since at least 2004. Current websites include www.AvalonTronix.com, www.AvalonGadgets.com and www.Foto-Tronix.com.

Update: The on-line shopping site, where I first found the listing for the GPS sold by AvalonTronix.com, responded to my e-mail complaint against AvalonTronix. Per their reply, they have closed AvalonTronix's account (on the shopping site) as of 05/28/2010 due to customer complaints. AvalonTronix continues to operate on their own web site."

"Don't order from this company unless you enjoy being deceived and frustrated.

I ordered a Garmin 265T new GPS and received a refurbished one. The unit cleverly had the part number covered by FEDEX tape to try to hide the fact that it was refurbished. As for the customer service following this deception, they don't get back to you unless you flood them with e-mails. When they finally respond they are very rude. I think the following e-mail that I received speaks for itself...

Greetings,

We handle customer open cases in the order they come in. With every e-mail and every phone call your case gets pushed to the end of the line and therefore prolonging your resolution.

With regards to the disputes and complaints you allegedly filed......

As a consumer you have the right to file a dispute, but as a merchant we have the right to have a dispute turned over to a collections agency and report it as a delinquency with all credit reporting agencies, and reflect them on your credit history.

Your actions are entirely up to you, as long as you are aware of our reactions.


We sincerely hope it does not come to that, but we would follow our policies as outlined.

And lastly, the refund is issued within 7-10 business days of receipt of the return, provided the customer has not sent a ton of e-mails and left a ton of messages. In your case the refund may take 10-14 business days.

We hope not to hear from you any time soon, so we could successfully complete your case in the timely fashion!

Thank you!
Avalon Tronix

As for a refund, I received a refund twenty-one days after the company received the returned merchandise. The refund, however, was $10 short. Inquiry into this missing money has yielded no response from Avalon.
"

"SAME STORY AS MOST "RIPPED OFF CUSTOMERS"! Ordered a Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS. I had actually emailed these scam artists prior to making the purchase to ask if this product was "BRAND NEW, NEVER OPENED, IN IT'S ORIGINAL BOX". They responded to that email with "Everything is clearly identified on our web site as to it's condition and we guarantee it". Of course their web site indicated the GPS as new.
After I received the GPS I had to email their customer service and tell them I was having trouble registering my GPS, they responded back that "they register the units before shipping them to activate the warranty and for me to email them back the serial number and they would take care of getting the GPS activated". ANOTHER LIE! Of course since I had trouble registering it on Garmin's website I decided to called Garmin myself because I felt something was up, and it was of course a refurbished unit. When I sent Avalon Tronix another email to tell them Garmin shows this as a refurbished unit, I have not been able to get them to respond to anymore emails no matter how threatening. And like everyone else, until a friend found me this website, I had been unable to locate a phone number for these bottom dwellers.

I am going to dispute this charge with my credit card company and hope they will back me up. I refuse to spend one dime to send this GPS back to these idiots. If they send me a postage paid return label, with a copy of my credit card refund, they will gladly get it back and I will chock this up to a lesson learned.

By the way, this is the first time I have actually been ripped off on an online purchase. It is very frustrating!
"

"I ordered a 1st generation Ipod Shuffle from Avalon Tronix. Without any notification that they actually did not have such beyond the picture on their website, they sent me a 2nd generation refurbished shuffle, and want me to pay for the return. When I emailed them requesting a telephone number, they replied that they did not have an "inbound" number. What kind of business is that?"

"Add the url: www.AvalonTronix.com to this company's deceptive stores. I purchased a GPS advertised as NEW and could not register it because it was actually refurbished. They are refusing to refund my money and threatening to turn me over to a collection agency if I do cancel the charge on my credit card. It cost me $15 to send the thing back to them, which I had to do because my credit card company required it. On one of the emails I noticed that they were actually Avalon Gadgets, located in Delaware. I have reported them to the BBB in Delaware and hope they will be shut down. If anyone wants to chase them down, their address is:
110 West 9th StSte 815
Wilmington , DE 19801
I'm in California or I'd go myself."

"Update: 02/03/2009:

After I emailed this fraudulent merchant,saying he'll be contacted by Federal and NYC law enforcement authorities, I was told I would receive partial refund for the two rejected packages but would still be stolen $383.08 even if that refund will be credited.

I've reported to NYC FBI and also my case reported to Department of Justice in DE was forwarded to FTC. I encourage all victims doing the same, i.e. reporting to NYC FBI online and also to FTC as this is definitely an intended fraudulence and organized business crime. Please refer to my following earlier information to file your case.

Update: 01/30/2009

The two rejected packages were sent back to their following NY address signed by O Heldian:

MK/Avalon Tronix/Avalon Gadget
2990 Crotsey Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11214

B. I managed to get a phone number (voice mail only after i called )for this fraudulent seller: ***-***-**** (obviously not a NY number).

C. I managed to get feedback from Department of Justice in DE and was told the address Tronix used is a mail drop and it has no jurisdiction over it. For people who are also filing fraduluence over Avalon/Tronix, you need to mail or go to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website to fill out the form and the following is its mailing address:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
600 Pennsylvania Avenue-NW
Washington, D. C. 20580

C. I will update my experienc with all parties involved in my case and encourage all victims to report this fradulent seller to authorities so that all of us can make online shopping safer.



I regret not to have read all of these wonderful but horrible reviews before i placed my order with them. I haven't received my order yet but have felt very disappointed from their emails. DON'T BE CHEATED INTO BUYING THEIR LOW-PRICED ITEMS ADVERTIZED AS NEW BUT ACTUALLY REFURBISHED, USED, OR EVEN DAMAGED ITEMS AS OTHER VICTIMS HAVE REPORTED.

***Update, on 01/14/2009, they sent me two small packages, each was marked as 12 pounds and 24 pounds but neither of each weighs over 2 pounds; each has the size of only about 7 inches by 7 inches by 7 inches. Are they for 18 units of Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS. I rejected them directly and will also report to local authorities.

"

"Indeed, I wish I would have found this great review site before purchasing from Avalon Tronix (same as Avalon Gadgets / Foto Electronics, they appear to use several different online identities). The Garmin nuvi 350 GPS I purchased was emphatically described as "NEW" and "BRAND NEW" (caps theirs) in two places within their online ad. They sent me a factory refurbished Garmin nuvi 350. This was confirmed by Garmin, when I talked to them after finding that I could not register the unit on their website (as it had been previously registered). Honest merchants sell the same refurbished units (for less than Avalon) and describe them as such, as would any reputable company. In fairness, I was not charged more than their advertised price for the mis-represented merchandise (for "sales tax" or any other reason). Otherwise, no difference from most of the reviews you see here. They remain an unscrupulous and disreputable seller !"

"Good price on the Gramin nuvi 260 we ordered. Had not done business with this company before but they responded quickly to my email questions,then the order which could have taken between 7-10 business days came in 3 days! All was in order and the unit is working well. Very pleased. Thanks"

"A few days after I placed my order, I checked my credit card statement online and I found that this company added$28 more than what was on the confirmation. Sent two e-mails but so far no one has got back to me. Also the gps I purchased was sold as NEW they sent a refurbished one. "

"Fotoelectronics a.k.a Avalon Gadgets is a BIG, BIG scam. My story is the same as everyone else's. Ordered a new iPod, received a refurbished one. I started to have suspicions about this place two days after I purchased the iPod because my order still said "pending" and they never replied to my emails! So I found a number and called Fotoelectronics: ***-***-****. They have hung up on me EVERYTIME! Guys this so-called business is a hole in the wall scam operation that 1 guy is running out of his wife's custom tailoring store in Brooklyn, NY! They act like they're so professional on their website but everytime I called the number, it was the same guy who answered. Many times he tried to say he was just the billing company. One time, he told me brother that he was PayPal!!!! We need to bring this guy to justice. I told him on the phone one time that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't rip anyone else off anymore and you know what he said to me? "Good luck with that!" Let's all make a collaborative effort to put an end to this. If you all have Facebook or Myspace, email me at ****@****. "

"I ordered a camera from FotoElectronics. They claim to ship most items in 48 hours. I got an email from them two weeks after my order saying they were about to ship the camera that I ordered from them. They sent me a UPS tracking number that tells me nothing, and may not even be legitimate. I would like to give this store a very bad review. I'm very unsatisfied with them. I still have not received the camera.
Dale Fisk"

"wow, I see they have been doing the same scams for a while. Ordered digital camera, warranty card was missing, memory card was missing, USPS stickers on the box. Was charged to much for sales tax. If they even have a store in my state? It took nearly 3 weeks to get. Asked to get my sales tax money back and was told they would hit my credit if I disputed with my CC company."

"Yes, same as all the rest. My husband is in Iraq right now and he bought me an iPod Nano that was "NEW". When I tried to use it, I couldnt get it to turn on. I called apple and they confirmed that it was refurbished and I would have to pay 30 dollars to have them fix it. My husband spent $187 and I could have a refurbished one from the manufacturer for $150 that works!! Paypal was not helpful. Please contact the better business bureau. I want this company to get shut down. They take advantage of people. They lie and sell bad products. They are not friendly and they charge more than they tell you in the total price. Terrible terrible company. How can this happen? We live in a country with laws, they should be enforced."

"Terrible experience. I ordered two "NEW" 30GB ipods MA146LL and was sent two refurbished models FA146LL. The packaging had knife marks in it where the "refurbished" stickers were removed but the idiot didn't remove the model number (FA146LL). I've tried contacting them through their e-mail links and haven't heard back. I filed a "not as described" dispute with VISA and reported Avalon Gadgets (www.fotoelectronics) to the BBB. BUYER BEWARE!! If only I had seen this site before my purchase. I will win my VISA dispute (so I'm told) and Avalon is going to have to work to get their refurbished models back. I'll have my money returned via VISA and two refurb ipods. I think I'll take a dump in each box and return them. A bitter sweet outcome. "