Beware of a Marketing Stategy!

[franco14]

Hello Folks! I just received my Rebel Xti purchased from amphotoworld and

surprisingly when I opened it it was the japan version Kiss Digital X. Also

the sales guy asked me about what battery I wanted because the body only

camera did not come with battery. I told him I had the batteries and another

surprise, the camera came with a battery and the charger. Also there was no

warranty card with the camera. Mm this smells bad, I write the customer

service of the company, will keep you updated of their answers.

[pto189]

A&M Photo World is another online name of Broadway Photo. We all knew except you. You'll have to keep your camera without warranty. If you return the camera, it'll take a very long time to see your money back. Check <a href="http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1995.html">here</a> for their rating.

[digitmstr]

Ah...but, you got it cheap right? ;p

 

IF someting sounds too good to be true...

[PuppyDigs]

The Kiss is identical to the Rebel save the name. In Japan this camera is marketed to

women hence the cute name. In North America they're trying to appeal to the outlaw vibe

of the wild West I guess. If they gave you a good price you should cut your losses now and

be glad it didn't come with red lips and a Hello Kitty bag.

 

You did want an unreasonably large discount right? A price below the whole net of your

local dealer I bet. Places like this depend on ignorance and greed to reel in suckers. You

purchased from an outfit with one of the worst reputations in the industry. Returns and

refunds are extremely difficult as is getting in contact with customer service. Once you get

them on the phone--they'll never answer an email--they'll probably extract more money

and/or grief from you. MAybe even curse you or hang up if you get demanding.

[Ken Katz]

If you buy from slime ball camera stores, this is what you get. If you deal with legitimate stores (like B&H, Adorama, and a few others), you get what you pay for without this type of bull s**t.

[pavel_olavich]

Efrain, don't feel too bad....I too got stung by those guys many years ago....big ordeal, shouting, incriminations, calls to American Express, they treatening to ruin my credit, all kinds of slimmy stuff, in the end justince prevailed but what a hassle....this must have been 1999/2000 or so...PuppyFace has it...just keep the kit and be happy.

[hyunyu]

You'd better check with your credit card company to see if you got charged "extra" for the battery and the charger!

[neild]

Just think of how original you'll look walking down the street! People will want one, but the won't be able to find them - you'll be one of a kind!

[ken munn]

Keep quiet and buy a small can of black paint.

[wandern]

Honestly, if the camera was not mis-represented to you at sale time (i.e. they didn't tell you it was a US market camera with battery and charger, etc.), you're stuck with it- like any other "deal" that's too good to be true, you should actually investigate before pulling the trigger.

 

If, however, they did mislead you at the time of sale, you should immediately contact your credit card company and reverse charges for the transaction. Most credit card companies are extremely good about this, and will provisionally reverse charges with merely a phone conversation. You'll then be required to send the item(s) back to the seller via an insured delivery method with delivery confirmation, and fill out a form for your credit card company detailing the issues with the original transaction. Many check or debit cards with the MasterCard or Visa logo also provide this consumer protection.

 

The credit card companies have little incentive to kneel under to the negligible pressure that a small, corrupt retailer can exert, so you have little to fear about a protracted war with the retailer.

 

I will also note that if the retailer provides you with no valid physical address to return the goods, in general your obligation is merely to make a good-faith effort to obtain that address and return the goods. If they refuse to provide you with an address, the onus normally falls upon them to initiate the return.

[PuppyDigs]

"The credit card companies have little incentive to kneel under to the negligible pressure that

a small, corrupt retailer can exert, so you have little to fear about a protracted war with the

retailer."

 

Now that's not always true. I had a similar situation that dragged on for about a year. After I

reversed the charge and returned the item, I was charged multiple times for shipping. $120

for a lens shipped UPS Blue! In those days it actually cost $15-20. I did learn my lesson and

that was before the Seller Rating site days.

[andrew robertson]

You got screwed by one of the oldest scam companies in the business. I would be careful

with them - they are also involved with a certain ethnic Mafia (not Italian).

[tom_christiansen]

You know... A lot of pros (and amateurs alike) "black-tape" their gear. They cover all brand names, model numbers with black electrical tape. You can see James Nachtwey has done this in War Photographer.

 

Why don't you just cover the brand name and model number with tape? Cut it to shape, and it'll look like it was meant to be there.

 

If you don't like the tape solution, you might as well go with the pink Hello Kitty sachel as someone else suggested... ;-)

 

And for the smell: I bet ordinary household cleaner (one of the citrus or pine oil based ones) would take care of it. Use warm water and as mild a cleaner as you can get away with. Soak a rag in the water/cleaner solution, wring it thoroughly, and wipe off the gear. Be careful around electrical contacts and openings.

 

Tom