AJ Richies
Complaint 287261 Details

We purchased a Panasonic Lumix camera on line from this company. The on-line price was $319.99, considerably less than other vendors. The price included shipping charges. Two days after we placed the order we received a call from the company. The sales person told us that the camera came with a non-rechargable battery and that for an additional $40 we could add a rechargeable battery and charger. We agreed. Our price should have been $359.99. The package came via UPS and required a signature. When we openned the package we found an invoice for $439.98. The camera was enclosed and looked new. The box in which the camera was contained looked used and the contents were definately changed. It included an in-camera charger and a rechargeable battery, but, no non-rechargeable. The package had obviously been tampered with. The invoice (and box) also included an old Vivitar 4-piece digital camera starter kit "for free". It turns out that even the "free" kit had been tampered with as the screen protectors were not included. In short, we had experienced a bait and switch operation and had been overcharged $79.99. We called the company customer service department immediately. The agent who answered told us that the on-line advertisement was for a "foreign model" of the camera and that the language in the camera processor was Japanese. Of course, that was not mentioned in the on-line ad. After a lengthy discussion with the agent and with his supervisor they agreed to credit our account for $45.00 which limited our loss to $34.99. This ONLY happened after a number of threats from both sides.

In short, in our opinion, this is NOT a reputable on-line company and buyers should beware and protect themselves from a serious loss.