Warning about A&M Photoworld

[davedlg 0]

I've been in the market for a Sony DCR-HC30 Camcorder for awhile now and I found one online at A&M Photo world for $369 ...about $100 cheaper then I have found it elsewhere. I ordered it and got an email to call them for confirmation. When I called, they proceded to try to sell me the "charger and battery" upgrade for an additional $110. It turns out that they sell the camcorders only without everything else that Sony ships with it. They lure you into buying them with a low price, only to try and sell you everything else that comes with the camcorder as an upgrade back to the standard retail price Nowhere on their website does it say that the camcorder price as quoted does not include these items. Needless to say I canceled my order

[skydyvr 0]

A&M Photoworld has a bad reputation.

It usually pays to take a look at http://www.epinions.com when contemplating an internet purchase from an unknown dealer. Here's the scoop on A&M Photoworld:

Horrible Experiences

. . =(_8^(1)

[PhreeZone 20]

Always, ALWAYS look at www.resellerratings.com before making an internet purchase.


http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1988.html A & M scored a .7 out of 10. Not even a full point

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[davedlg 0]

Lesson learned. Fortunately at no cost but my time. I looked around at several sites for ratings on this site before I purchased and didnt see anything too bad... Guess I need to do more research next time.

[blazetailman 0]

B&H photo/video is what I use.

Not always the cheapest but always a good price. They are one of the largest if not the largest photo/video retailer in the world. A huge store front in NY and never had a problem.

http:/www.bhphotovideo.com

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[Lickablecode 0]

Knowing about the bait&switch deal that they do, I still bought a PC109 from A&M. I had to do the whole "upgrade" thing, but I still got the camera in the factory sealed box for a cheaper price (by about $30) than anywhere else.

Yeah, A&M's business practices are unethical, but if you play the game, you can still come out on top.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Yeah, A&M's business practices are unethical, but if you play the game, you can still come out on top.

Unless there's a problem with the transaction, say a DOA product. I'd be afraid to deal with a scummy vendor in such cases, and would happily pay someone like B&H another $30.

For smaller priced items, or commodity types that don't suffer many defects, I might experiment with a grey dealer.

[dorbie 0]

This is a standard practice with shady dealers. If you don't take the options they won't actually sell the camera to you. The call for order confirmation is the classic way of pitching the fake upgrades. Given their ethics it may be a grey import at full price i.e. no manufacturers warranty.

They merely use the items in the box to talk up their base price to match a standard retail.

You found a camera $100 cheaper than other sites, and after a call they added $110, letting you know they're assholes out to exploit the naive, and there's no bargain, but you figured that much out already.

There are actually dealers that will give you discounted price on boxed gear with a manufacturers warranty without the sleaze, chances are they won't be the cheapest offer but they won't be full retail either.