Look around for Better
Written: Nov 04 '01
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The Bottom Line
Their prices are low because they charge too much for shipping and handling and they also phone you to hassle you to buy additional accessories.
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| Full Review |
I will qualify my review by saying that I did not successfully complete my purchase of a Canon Optura Pi Camcorder.
After looking here and elsewhere, I decided that this was the model I wanted to buy. On the Epinions web site, they have helpfully listed different vendors and their prices. Discovery Cameras and Electronics had the most attractive price. I placed my order online and noticed these things:
- Price gouging on shipping and handling. The camera weights probably two pounds including packaging. The lowest level of shipping was $41.91 (ground service). Checking other sites, I found that $20-25 more common.
- The process is not automated. After submitting all information, you are given a confirmation that says, "Your credit card will not be charged until one of our customer representatives contacts you.". I was unsure why they needed to contact me, but I found out later.
- The website advertised that if you use the Discover credit card, you would receive a discount ($10 in my case). The confirmation web page says, "Your discount will be applied when we process your order. Thank you.". This later proved to be untrue.
The next day I receive the call from their customer representative. This turns out to be a high pressure call to sell further accessories. While I don't mind being given the option, the attitude here was clearly "If you don't buy this, you are an idiot". As well, I found his information somewhat questionable. He kept mentioning the "biocircuitry" of the camera. I can assure you as someone who works in electronics manufacturing, that there is nothing "bio" about the circuits.
After turning down the offer to buy additional accessories, he listed ten reasons why my purchase would be inadequate without it. The impression given is that the camera would be next to useless. This is obviously a large overstatement. The final straw came when he said I couldn't get the $10 discount for using the Discover card. I was so disappointed in the whole process at this point, I cancelled my order even though this pretty small compared to the overall cost.
After thinking about it later, it is clear that the reason the ordering process is not automated is to give their customer reps a chance to upsell you. I wouldn't mind it so much if it was handled with respect, but in this case I did't feel that it was. Maybe I got a bad customer rep, but I will likely never know since I will buy this product from a different vendor. I hope you have better luck, but I would recommend going somewhere else.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Location: Plano, TX
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me: I am an electronics engineer that currently works in marketing for a telecom company.
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