Comments

boomhower wrote on 1/17/2006, 9:24 AM
That is a good one.

I think a lot of people are fooled by the "best price" search engines on the net. After all, if it is on the internet it must be true.

I love the part toward the end when the sales rep asked the caller why he (the caller) was trying to trick him (the vendor)....that and cursing at him - How many clients would you keep if you cursed them (even though you might want to sometimes)?
craftech wrote on 1/17/2006, 1:43 PM
This has been going on in New York City since WAY before the internet. It has sickened me since I was a young kid and after this many years I am convinced it will never change.
I did some research and posted on these forums in 2004 regarding this whole thing. And the research I did that prompted that post was from 2002. The only rule of thumb you have always been able to use is that if a low price search engine points you to a store (front) located in New York City, stay away from it because it is probably dishonest.
There are exceptions like B&H and a few others, but the low price search engines don't usually point to stores like that. And don't let the names fool you either like "Abe's of Maine". Abe is in Brooklyn and his name isn't even Abe.

John
Jay Gladwell wrote on 1/17/2006, 1:52 PM

... and his name isn't even Abe.

LOL -- Maybe it's Abdul.


Coursedesign wrote on 1/17/2006, 2:02 PM
At least "Lady Fanny of Omaha" was from Omaha.... :O)

(From a con in the very funny and very well written 1988 movie, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", with Steve Martin and Michael Caine.)

rman wrote on 1/17/2006, 2:30 PM
Overstock.com is another BIG scam site that sucks people in quite a bit. Nothing more than a ripoff joint.

It's probably already been mentioned in this forum, but I find it important to check the ratings of the retailers on sites like Resellerratings.com, etc. I dealt with the whole up-sell thing when I purchased a VX2000 a couple of years back. Experienced several of the lame behavior from so-called merchants that were claiming "hot deals" written about the article. I got sucked into it and ended up buying a bunch of crap accessories for $300, but my camera was an actual US version.

Before finally buying from the retailer I mentioned above, I had a few other merchants do the whole bait and switch to the international version or "out of stock" when I refused to buy the accessories.

I'm glad this article was written and do agree it should be put up as a "Sticky" because more people need to be aware of these scam artists.

I usually stick with stores like B&H, CDW, newegg, etc... They have to have a name and good ratings before I'll buy now.
p@mast3rs wrote on 1/17/2006, 2:40 PM
Why doesnt anyone ever challenge the charge with their company. From the way I understand it, if you advertise a product for a price and I agree to that price and you over charge me, I have the right to file a claim with my bank. If I order a NTSC camera and you send me a PAL camera, I file a claim with my bank stating that I had purchased in good faith and was misrepresented and tried to return the product in good faith. Some banks even let you keep the merchandise if you honestly tried in good faith even after they refund your money.

Either way, those scammers need their nutz cut off.