"This store has many negative ratings through epinions.com if you go by its "other" name Foto Electronics. I purchased something and feel that I was duped in the shipping and the extra $10.00 they added on for verification of my charge card. The charge was put on after my total was sent to me. No where does it say that standard shipping takes 10 - 14 BUSINESS days on their site. When I contacted them they said I could pay $20.00 more for faster shipment.
I wish the reviews were with the "Photo Electronics" or Avalon Gadgets Names when I purchased as these store show no reviews. Yet, when you click on them it takes you to Foto Electronics.
Still wondering why they have to use these other names...is it because they have NO ratings. Only Foto Electronics has ratings with epinions.com and they are poor.
I'm in the process of going through Better Business Bureau with them, but having trouble as the Bureau says they have no listing for them. Will keep working on it."

"Foto Electronics are crooks!
They added 7% tax charges to my Amex account that were NOT on my order confirmation.
They are in Brooklyn, NY and I'm in New Jersey which says they should NOT charge me tax.
Also, The memory card for the camera I ordered was NOT in the box. When I emailed them requesting the card, they said the camera was OEM and did not come with a memory card.
I spoke with Canon and Canon told me that ALL Canon cameras come with a card.
When I told the Canon rep it was Foto Electronics, he told me he had received MANY COMPLAINTS about them.
DO NOT SHOP WITH THESE CROOKS!
"

"Unfortunatly, my story is the same as the rest. I ordered new Canon digital cameras for my daughters. One was totally broken and the other just "used". I took them to a local Canon Repair Station where I was informed they were "refurbished and not under warranty". Of course there was no warranty card in the box. No response to emails from these clowns. No phone number and no return address. I've disputed with my credit card company and we'll see where than goes. They also charged me an extra $68.00 on the card over the invoice. These guys are a fraud factory. Buyer Beware."

"BEWARE!
I ordered an Ipod Mini this company advertized as new.
What I got over 2 weeks later was a used Ipod in an opened box.
I also found out they charged my credit card over $30 more than my order confirmation stated.
I did get one e-mail response from them saying they added sales tax to my order. Sorry, but sales tax in my state is not 15%, try again.
They will not respond to my e-mail requesting a new unit as ordered or refund on this used one they sent me.
I have never been ripped off like this by ordering online before. I contacted the credit card company and I plan to file complaints with every agency I can find.
I can't imagine how anyone could give this company a legitimate positive rating."

"I Purchased what the web site said was a NEW Apple Ipod. When it was recieved found out it was used. I tried to stop payment and I was not able. I have contacted the US Attorney Generals office, and www.IC3.gov who is part of the FBI Fraud. I think the more compliants to these places the sooner they can shut Avalon Gadgets Down. "

"This is a dishonest and disreputable business. Unfortunately, I read the evaluations of Avalon Gadgets at this site too late. I purchased a SONY PSP station; the item arrived without a battery and without a memory card. As everybody else here noted, they have no phone number and no return address; they charge sales tax, after you make the purchase. They never replied to my e-mails. I stopped the VISA payment with a disputed claim. The Visa person did reach a person at Avalon Gadgets, who was very uncooperative. The Visa person agreed with me to deny the payment. I just received an e-mail from Avalon Gadgets with a collection agency threat, etc. Tune in to hear the developments in this saga... DON'T buy from this company/person!!!"

"The product, an apple ipod, was described as new. The sent me a used one and said it was a demo. Then double charged me for shipping and tax. They refuse to refund. Beware of this company."

"THIS PEOPLE CROOKS

All merchandise describe as new but it is far from new, it is far old and far used.
Incorrect billing. I was overcharged. Customer service rude and refuse to talk.
I'm still waiting my money back.

The worse Internet store."

"I am such a sucker. Why didn't I read these store reviews before I purchased my ipod. NEVER BUY FROM THIS STORE. I received my ipod in the mail today and it is clearly used regarless of the advertisement saying the ipod is new. Also the reports about tax being added without ever showing up on an invoice or total is true. I just happened to catch the extra $36 dollars added to my purchase on my credit card statement. "

"DO NOT BUY FROM THIS STORE. It is not worth it. You will not save any money. They jack you for tax, even if you are in another state and they jack you for shipping. The money that you "think" you will save will get tacked on and you will end up spending MORE than if you just bought locally or from a solid vendor. Not only this, but I Pod that I bought, which was said to be NEW, was opened and repackaged. What a joke. They have NO PHONE customer service, and will not respond to e mails. You cannot return anything. It took forever to get here. If you have questions, e mail me at ****@****.
Again, DO NOT PURCHASE from these conmen and shysters. TERRIBLE COMPANY."

"All of the horror stories are true! According to Avalon Gadgets "OEM (NEW)" means display model and "customer" means another sucker! Here are your "TEN STEPS TO ORDERING FROM AVALON GADGETS".
1.You see a GREAT price on their web site for a OEM (NEW) item.
2. You place the order and see the term "all sales are final" at check out.
3. Your item arrives and it is NOT NEW but instead looks quite used. It may even have parts missing.
4. You email "customer service" and get a reply that states "the ad states that it is a display model, you got what you ordered".
5. You email back to tell them that you are going to dispute the charge with your credit card company and return the item to the address on the delivery box (save it because it's the only place you will find an address).
6. You get a reply stating that "all sales are final" and if you contact your credit card company you will be charged an additional 40% fee, have your account turned over to collections (I bet it's called Avalon Collections) and will have a negative report put in your credit file.
7. Your credit card bill comes and the charge is at least $15.00 more than the email receipt that you received from them. 8. You email to question that charge and are told it is for "sales tax" (don't worry about where you live, everyone pays sales tax at Avalon Gadgets).
9. You realize that you have now spent more for a used item than you would have spent at any store in the world and give up OR
10. You start writing reviews about these clowns at every consumer site you can find, dispute the charge anyway and let Avalon Gadgets do their best to get another dime from you and contact the New York attorney general's office, the FBI Internet Fraud Web Site, the New York State Department of Revenue Tax Department, and the FTC web site and enjoy every minute of it. Avalon Gadgets must pay people to write positive reviews to keep their ratings somewhat high. You can always tell if it's a "fake" rating when people mention that they TALK to a sales or service representative. At Avalon Gadgets you don't Talk to anyone because they have no phones! "

"The Company charged more than what they confirmed on my order confirmation without telling me what they were charging for. They tried to tell me that there were $34 in sales tax on an order where there was none. They have refused all communication. I will not purchase from them again. "

"UPDATED> SEE BELOW. I have had fairly good luck with ordering things online in the past. Unfortunately, I got a little too trusting and didn't research these guys enough before purchasing something from their website. I ordered a digital camera, for my Fiancé’s Birthday gift, and after shipping, it was still cheaper than anywhere else on earth! (that alone should have sent up a big red flag… but we all make mistakes right?) The shipping charge was indeed high, and they did specify 10-14 business days shipping for the standard option, which seemed awfully slow for a pick-and-ship order, but hey I’m saving over $50 on this camera, and it’s in-stock, so let’s go for it! Well, 14 business days will be this Wednesday (ordered 3/16), and UPS still only shows the package as "Billing Info Received." This means Avalon has set up and paid for the shipping through UPS, but hasn't actually gotten my camera in the mail yet. As you all know, communications were less than satisfactory regarding the status of my order. If it arrives 2 or 3 days late, I can live with that (based on what I've read here, that would be some kind of record probably) but if this product turns out to be refurbished, used, missing parts, DOA, or anything other than their website claimed, I will file a lawsuit against Avalon Gadgets for false advertisement unless they refund all charges including shipping and handling IN FULL and pay for the return shipping of the product as well (I have a feeling that if it comes down to this, we will likely end up in court).
I welcome and encourage all of you with similar experiences to collect ALL the documentation and evidence you have that shows they promised you a new item and you received otherwise. We should join together and file a class-action lawsuit against Avalon Gadgets if this is the case. I will gladly take the lead role in this pursuit if my product is not as promised, because companies like this should not be free to continue scamming honest people over the internet, and I do not appreciate being deliberately ripped off! If my camera is not “new” as promised, I will already have plenty of documented proof that will show how they used false advertisement to persuade me to purchase this product.
By the way, I did get a hold of a company phone number for their “security” department (that’s what the guy who answered called it) and apparently they have no other phones in the company (yeah right) because he could not give me anyone else’s number or transfer me anywhere. He simply told me I would have to direct all my questions through customer care email. What a joke! I'll keep you guys updated.

KEEP IN MIND, just specifying OEM in the heading without giving a tailored or customized definition of OEM in the terms and conditions or ANYWHERE ELSE (the true definition of an OEM product in the electronic-sales industry refers to items sold at wholesale cost from the manufacturer to a registered reseller in plain packaging with little or no bundled goods) does not give someone rights to sell used, damaged, or refurbished goods without specifically telling you that that is what you will get. ALSO, if it says "OEM" and it also says "NEW" in the title, like my item did, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for sending you anything other than a brand-new camera from the Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEM or not, it had better be "NEW". FURTHERMORE, the item description specifies all items that will be included in the box, and these exactly match the retail version's bundled goods for the camera I ordered. Everything was included except the 1-year warrantee (the bundled item I value most), and it was all opened, scrathed/used, and rewrapped).

UPDATE 4/18/06
FINALLY FINALLY got the camera last week, and as expected, it was an OEM product in USED, not NEW, condition. OEM was expected, but the title also stated NEW, and it was not NEW. I told the seller via email I wanted a full refund, shipping also, and gave him 5 business days to reply, and he is ignoring me. I am currently taking legal action, and even if it costs me an extra $5,000 and 500 hours of my life, I am going to see this guy brought to justice and make sure he can't do this to people for much longer. I urge you to make as many well-documented complaints as you can to help the effort of communicating how poorly this company does business."

"I purchased a low-priced digital camera from Avalon. I was referred to them as a result of a Nextag.com search for the lowest price on the camera that I wanted. Of course, Avalon had the lowest price, and even though Nextag showed that a shipping charge would be added, Nextag indicated that no tax would be charged. Without checking around about Avalon as a trusted retailer, I immediately purchased the camera I wanted on Avalon's website and provided my Visa credit card for information for payment. A shipping charge was indicated on top of my $108 purchase price in the amount of $14.95. Again, without checking, I went ahead and gave approval to Avalon to debit my Visa card. I then realized that I needed the camera in 5 days for my daughter's 9th birthday. I went back to the Avalon website in search of a customer service telephone number, but none exists. That's correct! No telephone number exists for this company !! You can only communicate on-line through e-mail or by fax. So I e-mail a question regarding delivery time. The response was almost immediate from Avalon that I would need to upgrade shipping to guarantee delivery in time for my daughter's Birthday party. The extra charge would be $25 in addition to the original $14.95 for UPS 2-day air delivery. Reluctantly, and without any other choices, I paid the extra $25. Of course, my camera did not arrive on top, but three days late. I ask for a refund on delivery, but was told "no way". Even though the Avalon website advertised my camera as "New", it was not delivered in the manufacturers original box, but instead was packaged in a plain box freshly taped by Avalon. To add insult to injury, my Visa card was charged $12.56 tax on a $107.70 item with no explanation other than this was the required amount. When I e-mail Avalon to say I was considering returning the camera and informing my Visa card company that the charge from Avalon should be denied, Avalon e-mailed back with threats of collection agencies, 40% surcharges, and delinquency charges reported on my credit history. Bottom line: Not a pleasant buying experience.....please recognize the potential risks here when dealing with this company."

"STOP DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. ITEMS RECEIVED ARE DAMAGED OR RETURNED OR DISPLAY MODELS ALTHOUGH THEY STATE NEW ON THEIR WEBSITE. YOU CAN NOT CONTACT THESE PEOPLE ANY OTHER WAY THEN VIA EMAIL. THEY ALSO TOOK ADDITIONAL $25 FROM MY ACCOUNT WHICH IS ABOVE THE PRICE + SHIPPING AND OFFER NO RESPONSE ETC,"