The Digital Hunter
Complaint 9704 Details

  • Date Occurred: 07/15/2013
  • Reported Damages: $1,199.00
  • !

The complaint is against an online dating profile

The complaint is a listing fraud posted on public forums or sites against an anonymous entity

The complaint is mobile text spam or smishing related against an anonymous entity

The company or person contact no longer exists

International boundaries

I ordered a Panasonic TM900 Camcorder for $749 from Digital Hunter and was talked into buying a 8GB memory card for $199 along with other accessories. I was also told that the battery would be upgraded for an additional $99. He was a very slick salesman. He said that it was a special type of memory card. I thought that was a ridiculous price for a memory card, but made the mistake of ordering it anyway. I don't know how I could have been so stupid, but after doing some research online, I decided that I didn't want the memory card. It was 75 minutes later and I called back to cancel the memory card. Customer service told me that the order was written up as a package so a manager would have to call me back. The manager did not call me that day, Saturday they were closed, Sunday I did not hear from them so Monday I called them again. At that time I was told that the order was already mailed, but to call when I receive the order and they would give me a RMA # and I could return the memory card and the $199 would be credited to my account.

The website states that if you “buy any camcorder or camera you get a soft case - $29.99 value, mini-tripod - $19.99 value, cleaning kit - $19.99 value, and screen protectors - $9.99 value.” I did not receive any of these items.

Beware of the “60 day return policy – your satisfaction is our guarantee” stated on the website. In the email I received after placing my order there was different information that contradicted the 60day return policy.

When the order arrived I called to return the memory card and they told me that it was not $199 (it was only worth $89 despite that it is listed on their website at $349 and I could NOT just return the memory card. I also told them that I did not receive the upgraded battery, but they said that the VW-VBN130 was the upgrade and that it would last for 5 hours. I told them that the VW-VBN130 is listed on the box as the supplied battery and according to the manual maximum continuous recording time is 1 hours 35 minutes. I was told by the manager that I was mistaken. When I charged the battery it gave me 1 hour and 35 minutes NOT the 5 hours he claimed. This was obviously a lie.

I suggested returning ALL of the accessories that their representative talked me into adding to my order and just keep the camcorder. On the website the camcorder was $749 when I ordered it, reduced to $719 a week later and now three weeks later it is listed at $689. I was told that they camera was really $899. He said the $749 model is an import and everything is written in Japanese. In order to find this information, you have to click on the specifications tab and then click on the word imported. The salesperson never disclosed this information when I told him I wanted the $749 camcorder.

I decided to return the entire order (camera and accessories) and was told that there would be a 15% restocking fee. I made the mistake of saying that I would not be filling out a favorable survey. The manager yelled at me and said that the restocking fee had just increased to 40%! I was shocked at the 25% increased restocking fee and he said if I was going to give them a bad survey I was going to pay for it. I told them that this was a scam. They said that according to New York law they could charge up to 50% for restocking an item. He continued to raise his voice and interrupt me when I tried to talk.

After making 7 phone calls and spending 2 hours dealing with the manager of customer service, I was finally told that I could return the memory card and the $199 would be refunded to my account, but there was a catch. I had to fill out the surveys with 5 star ratings. After they saw that I had filled out the surveys, they would send me the RMA# and would credit my account when the memory card was returned. I was BRIBED to give them a 5 star rating! I wonder how accurate any of the other surveys are and if other customers been "strong armed" into rating this company high. I agreed to fill out the 5 stars ratings and get my credit. I received the $199 credit, have accessories that I will not use, and spent $250 more than I had planned. I was not totally happy with the outcome, but at least I managed to recover $200 of the extra $450 that I had been charged. I will write this off as a learning experience. Now that I have the credit, I am resubmitting the surveys.

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Business Profile Summary

  • The Digital Hunter logo

Company Statistics

  • Complaint Against The Digital Hunter
  • Complaints Filed: 28
  • Reported Damages: $100,052.25
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