Don't be lured by low prices. You'll pay more through frustration.
Written: Jan 14 '04
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I had hopes of a good buying experience after reading both high and low reviews on Epinions. Those hopes were dashed. After a positive on-line ordering process (clean and straightforward) through ePhotoClub's web site, my bad experience began.
I placed my order for a Coolpix 3100 on November 30 after evaluating a number of camera models. This was intended as a Christmas gift for my father-in-law. I thought, "This is so far ahead of the usual holiday rush, I'll see this thing in 7-10 days." Wrong. I never received any e-mail confirmation that my order had been placed (good thing I printed the order confirmation from the web). I never received any e-mail confirmation that my order had been processed, or filled, or shipped, or anything. Communication issues are significant with this company.
Days passed. I gave the customary 10 days before I contacted ePhotoClub by phone. I said, "Hi, I am calling to find out the status of my order; I see my credit card has been charged." I was informed that a "warehouse accident" had caused the complete loss of Coolpix 3100 camera stock. Would I like an equivalent Olympus model instead? Uh, no. I chose this Nikon model for good reasons.
"And why have you gone ahead and charged my card when you couldn't fill the order?" I asked. No answer. I said, "I want to cancel the order." No problem, the customer service rep said, the charges would be reversed, and he'd take care of it the next day. He also claimed that the lack of communication by e-mail was because the address on file was incorrect. Sure.
Two days later-- no action, no communication. Hmmm. Didn't they have my "corrected" e-mail address? I called back, sat in a queue for a looooong time. Finally a rep came on the phone. I asked about the status of the credit card charge and its impending reversal. He looked up my record and said curtly, "We're working on it," and promptly hung up on me. The rudeness you read about in the other ePhotoClub reviews--it's real.
I let five days more go by (I mean c'mon, is life so dull that I want to spend each day nagging these people to do their jobs and run a decent business?)
I called a third (and last) time. A friendly rep says, "Oh, there was a problem communicating with the warehouse. They think your order is still considered open down there." The rep then promised to run down personally and take care of it. Hmmm. I thought, "This online retailer doesn't have a networked system that reaches the warehouse? Is everything posted on clipboards down there?" Instead I simply said, "Okay, thank you," wished happy holidays and hung up, knowing at last that this was another stage in the game. The story would change again if I ever called back again. The company was simply riding out my charge to help cash flow. Sad, really, when you have to resort to such business practices.
So I didn't call again. I picked up the phone and called my credit card company instead. Awesome customer service, that Capital One. The rep listened patiently to my story, apologized for the poor retail experience and explained that companies typically have a 30-day grace period in which to reverse charges or credit you. But because I had made best efforts to communicate to ePhotoClub and because it sounded like ePhotoClub wasn't being cooperative, the Capital One rep said, "We'll just go ahead and credit your account and go after the reversal ourselves with ePhotoClub. That way you don't have to worry about it or spend any more time chasing this." Wow. A couple of days later, I checked my account and saw the credit appear. A few days later I received a printed apology from Capital One for my experience. Can you believe it? My credit card company apologizing for something that was the fault of a third-party online retailer!
I will NEVER order through ePhotoClub.com again, no matter how low the price.
Happy ending: I went with my tried and true B&H Photo/Video, which had the Coolpix 3100 in stock. Another pleasant surprise, the "listed" price turned out to be lower than I expected when I actually went through the order process, so the camera turned out to cost me just $12 more than it would have through ePhotoClub. It also arrived within 4 days, no shipping cost. Communication/confirmation e-mail was right on point with B&H, too.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Nikon Coolpix 3100 digital camera
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spinview
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Reviews written: 1
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