On or about Dec. 3, I accessed the website of this company at www.AMPhotoworld.com and found a JVC GRD33 camcorder listed for sale at $259, plus shipping, which turned out to be an additional $19.99. I placed an order for the camcorder online and authorized that it be charged to my Diner's Club card for a total of $278.99.
A few days later, someone identifying himself as an A&M Photo World employee called our house and spoke with my wife in an effort to sell her a package of accessories for the camera. She declined the offer and authorized no changes to my initial order. She specifically said that all we wanted was whatever came with the camcorder that we ordered.
On Dec. 10, a package containing a JVC camcorder fitting the description of the one we ordered arrived at our house. An accompanying invoice identified it as "Item No. JVGRD33." The GRD33 item is what was listed on the website at a price of $259 plus shipping. The box itself showed the same GRD33 model number but with a "U" at the end. A JVC factory spokesman later said such a distinction is essentially meaningless in terms of making a product distinction and that all the cameras they ship contain the same components.
In any event though the camera we received matched the product specifications listed on the A&M website and contained the same model number except for the supposedly meaningless "U", the charge listed on the invoice was $319.98, or $40.99 more than the advertised price we had agreed to pay when we ordered.
When we called A&M to correct what we thought was an error, a customer service rep claimed that the camera on the website was a "shell" (later described by another A&M rep as a gray market camera) and that we had upgraded our original order to get a more complete camera and that the only way we could get a refund would be to return the camera at our own expense.
Be advised that nothing in the product description listed on the company's website described the JVC camcorder we ordered as a "shell" or a "gray market" product. Be further advised that we never authorized any upgrade whatsoever. I frankly suspect that the camera we received is the only camera the company actually sells and that the whole scheme is designed to extract a higher price than the one advertised.
To me, this practice represents false advertising, unfair and deceptive trade, bait-and-switch and probably consumer fraud. I feel that A&M posts low prices on its website in order to attract buyers, then after getting orders from them it upgrades their orders without their permission and makes it costly and irritating for them to get a refund.
We have demanded by phone and in e-mail and writing that the company charge us no more than what we agreed to pay. They have refused. We have also asked that A&M pay for return shipping if we seek a refund. They have refused. We have placed the entire charge in dispute with Diner's Club, which will investigate and decide whether to make us pay at the level charged by A&M.
It seems obvious to me that A&M operates a highly organized scam. If investigators do a little Internet searching, they will find numerous complaints similar to mine posted at various sites. Here is the location of one such site. (Just copy and paste and you'll find a whole lot of horror stories about A&M Photo World): http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1988-p1-s1-d2.html
I also note, in retrospect, that A&M's website itself seems designed to make the deception easier in that at no point does it give the consumer a fully visible copy of his or her final order, complete with all charges. An order confirmation is sent, but it contains no details, only a number.
It is fairly obvious that the company has thus rigged things in order to create a "he says, she says" situation if a dispute arises. That will probably stalemate credit card and Better Business Bureau investigations. Meanwhile, A&M is banking on the consumer being unwilling to file suit for what is a relatively small amount.indeed, one of A&M's customer service reps laughed when I suggested that he could be sued, saying that we would never find a lawyer who would take such a small case.
One of the negative reviews I have since read about A&M says the company isn't actually located at the Brooklyn address shown on its website. There are also reports that it operates similar scams under several other names. The fact that authorities have not shut down this operation—especially in a supposedly progressive state such as New York—is outrageous.
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