Monday, August 6th, 2007...9:39 am
1wayphoto.com? NO WAY!!
Okay, the beauty of already having a blog is that I don’t have to set one up purely to dis a company and pile onto its already bad reputation. Let me add, too, that living on Bainbridge Island means either driving 45 minutes to the real shopping center or ordering online. Given that Kid is still spunky and long car rides can spell disaster, I order online.
So, I’ve said before. I’m cheap. I’m stupid. I went online bargain hunting for a digital SLR and found these guys. Somehow after doing searches and price comparisons, including reading bad reviews of these guys, I spaced out and hit the checkout button for a Nikon dSLR at a price a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than anyone else. My first clue.
Well, second if you count the bad reviews.
These guys have a “system” of requiring a “verification phone call” back to them before they’ll place your order. Place your order, I can only imagine means, send a thug out to steal the item of your choice somewhere in the tri-state area. The verification call is the equivalent of a phone rough-housing. You need ____ and ____ to go with your order and ______, too, which we have on sale today! All offered by a real fast talker, I mean, literally. I could hardly understand him he spoke so fast.
As I was politely declining the add-ons, it finally sinks in: THESE ARE THOSE GUYS. AND THEY HAVE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER. HOLY CRAP.
The floodgates open. Fear. Shame. Tales of getting charged hundreds more than their orders, receiving a lens and not the camera body, a canceled order (by THOSE guys) after a “dispute” on the phone (bullet dodged, actually), and more swirled in my head. I got nervous.
I emailed and asked about my order. I actually received a reply that my order was “backordered” for 4 weeks (trucks to roll were outside their quadrant?). I had read about backorders not coming in until…. like…..never. THOSE guys having my card for another month was just too terrifying, so I called and canceled. I tried to be nice so as not to be charged for a camera every month for the next 12 years.
Given the other horror stories I read, I got off easy. There was just a small cancellation fee (kidding!).
Meanwhile, I believe I have found a reputable retailer and ordered from them. Keep your fingers crossed. They have extra security measures in place for my protection, which is great — in addition to a credit card, they ask for a social security number (kidding!).
Just remember: 1wayphoto.com? NO WAY!!
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6 Comments
August 6th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Good show, Wendy. Usually if an online deal looks too good to be true, it’s because it is. Bait-and-switch BS is commonplace there. If I make any purchase of more than $100 online, I usually take a little time to check out the company or Web site through Consumer Reports.
August 6th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
One of my favorite electronics sites is TigerDirect.com. I’ve ordered more things through them than I want to fess up to and have always gotten both good service and prices.
August 6th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
I’ll try and be more smart now…..
tigerdirect.com I will be checking them out!
August 6th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
The only thing that could be more exasperating is dealing with Time Warner Cable. No HD viewing at our home since their “upgrade” occurred 27 July, although 3 techs have been out to try to fix things since then. Adding insult to injury, when checking on our billing, I discover TWC has quietly added a charge for 2 extra options that I had not requested. Not that I could view them at this point anyway!! I do believe their “upgrade” was for TWC, not us helpless consumers. No end in site as yet. Two dozen people in our building have signed on to a list of angry customers.
August 6th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Thanks for the warning. And I hate creepy online retailers … the idea that some weirdo in heaven-knows-where has my credit card number just freaks me out.
August 24th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Hey never visited your blog before but it very good. I just accidentally stumbled onto this post though and glad I did. I had just placed and order to these guys not 24 hours ago. Needless to say I got on right away and canceled it. I am not at all sure if that really DID cancel it but at least I have it documented that I tried. I called the bank to watch for this and if they try to take the money after I canceled they are set to skewer them for it. Funny how I had a strange feeling about this when I did it and did talk to one of them on the phone. He sounded vaguely annoyed to have to talk to a customer which made me wonder. I will be calling them like a stalker until they answer and definately cancel this order. Thanks for “venting” it might have saved me big time.
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