Price Rite Photo has Competitive Prices, but Good Luck Finding What You Want
Written: Jan 11 '06
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Electronics on- line stores continue to grow in popularity and during the Christmas season I always seem to discover a new one or two as I surf through cyberspace looking for presents. One site I found this past Christmas season for the first time is Priceritephoto.com, a web site for cameras and other electronic merchandise.
What Does This Site Offer?:
This web site offers products and services such as:
Car Electronics
Computers
Digital Cameras and Accessories
Home Entertainment (DVD Players and Home Theater Systems)
Camera Lenses and Accessories
Audio and Video Equipment
Printers & Scanners
Projectors
Televisions and Accessories
Service Contracts
Customer Service:
Customer assistance can be obtained by logging into your account and going to the help section. If you would rather speak to a live rep, you can call 888-365-4300 between the hours of 9am and 8pm Monday through Thursday; 9am to 5pm on Friday; or 10am to 8pm on Sunday (times quoted are Eastern). The customer service department is closed on Saturday.
Final Thoughts:
Priceritephoto.com is a newer shopping experience for me. I have only recently become acquainted with this service, having used it to look for Christmas presents. I had seen links to this service in the past many times but I didn’t bother logging in because the name of the site misled me. I assumed it was an on- line store that only sold cameras and camera accessories but now I know this isn’t the case. This site sells several different electronic products and it even sells service contracts for different electronic products.
I originally came to this site looking for a DVD player and possibly some other products. My search for a DVD player ended quickly, however, when I noticed how few options this service offered. A total of two DVD players were offered for sale when I did a search. Other product categories are equally bad, with the Printers section offering nine selections; Scanners offering six; Car Electronics offering one; and Computers and portable Audio/Video both offering nothing at all. These offerings can, of course, change at any time but this is how things stood the last time I checked. The only areas that offer a respectable number of merchandise selections are the digital cameras, camera accessories, televisions, and television accessories. And even here, the selections offered are not as good as those found in other web sites.
The construction of this web site is very simple and there are many ways it could be improved. One thing I don’t like is the lack of sorting options when you search for merchandise. Let’s say I’m in the market for a digital camera. I can quickly find the links on the main page to take me to the section for digital cameras, and that is good. But once there, the cameras are listed out in alphabetical order by manufacturer with no way to sort differently. I suppose alphabetical is better than no sorting at all, but it would be very helpful if there were different options to sort (like by price, megapixels, etc.), to make the search process faster. The way it works now, you can narrow down a search only by subcategory in some cases (like with cameras, you can ask for “digital cameras”, “point and shoot cameras”, “digital SLR cameras”, or “pro digital SLR cameras”). Beyond that, you are forced to wade through the entire list to find what you want.
If this web site sounds like a total bomb, there is one redeeming quality about it: The prices. I did some quick price comparisons with other well- known electronics stores and the deals here were better overall. Of course, having low prices isn’t much good if you can’t find what you want or if a specific make or model isn’t offered. But if what you want can be found here, there is a good chance it will be offered at a competitive price. Shipping is also good, and I say that even though I didn’t get my item for a couple of days past the promised arrival date. The reason it took longer was because of the Christmas season, so I can forgive them this time. Shipping charges are added to all orders (unless a special offer is running) based on weight and the company offers a seven- day return policy.
Priceritephoto.com allows guests to browse the site and shop without an on- line account but once it comes time to check- out, you have to register with the site to continue. A logon ID and password are needed to get the process started, but you will also have to enter your shipping address and billing info to complete the setup. If you don’t want to enter your credit card information on- line, they do offer the option of sending in a personal check. This will, of course, slow down the purchase process considerably but it’s nice that they at least offer this option to satisfy those who suffer from on- line credit card paranoia.
One other thing about this site that many will find annoying is the fact that some of the items listed for sale do not even list a price. They are flagged with the words “Call for price”, which means you must phone the customer support line to find the cost. I’m not sure who dreamed up a marketing plan like this, but I don’t like it at all. If I’m shopping on- line, I don’t want to be forced to stop what I’m doing, pick up a phone, and listen to a sales rep try to talk me into making a purchase. I want to know the price right now, while I’m surfing the site. If I have to call to get a price, then what use is the web site? I might as well just call in my order and forget it. This lack of pricing on some merchandise needs to be changed.
Another thing that is annoying with this site is that it will likely send you an e-mail message after you place an order asking that you call the customer support line to complete the transaction. I don’t know if this is the standard practice with this company or if it only happened to me, but from reading other reviews about this service, it appears that this is the norm. The reason they want you to call isn’t because there is a problem with your order (which is what they lead you to believe)- it is actually a part of their marketing plan. Once they have you on the phone, they will try to get you to add more products to your order. Again, this is a bad marketing policy for several reasons but most of all because it really annoys customers.
Overall, Priceritephoto.com is a web site that is generally below average in usability, product offerings, and functionality. It does offer good prices, and this is the one reason that prevents me from giving the service a one- star rating. Even with the lower prices, however, this on- line store isn’t very good and I don’t recommend its use. Chances are you will not be able to find what you want and using it will only lead to shopping frustration.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Camera Accessories
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