I've been in the market for a digital camera for a while. A couple of days ago I decided to bite the bullet and order one online. I used Froogle to find the best possible deal, and was able to find a Canon Powershot A510 for $124 with only $7 shipping.
I went ahead and placed the order. I then received an e-mail that said I had to call and confirm my order during regular business hours. This was a Saturday evening, so I had to wait until Sunday to make the call.
The next day I placed a call to the number provided in the e-mail. A man picked up and told me that the computers were down, and if I gave him my phone number, he would call back in a half an hour.
About an hour later the man called back. He told me that I had ordered a beautiful camera and asked who recommended it to me. He then told me that I should think about getting a memory card for the camera, and quoted prices for 128mb and 256mb cards. I informed him that I could get a 512mb card online for $30, half the price he quoted for the 256mb card.
He then informed me that this was a "low speed card" and I needed a high speed card for a high speed camera. All this despite the fact that I never told him the brand of the memory card I intended to buy. Next he tried to sell me the same memory card for $99 and he would throw in a free case. When I passed on that he said he would lower the price to $89. I again passed on the offer.
Finally, he told me not to use any Duracell, Energizer, etc. AA batteries. He said they would leak and ruin the camera and that wasn't covered in the warranty. He suggested I buy their special rechargable batteries, complete with AC recharger, car recharger, and converter for European outlets. After I passed on this offer he said, "Ok, thank you." and hung up the phone.
At no point during the call did he say my order was cancelled. Curious about what he said concerning the batteries, I did a search on this supposed leaking phenomenon. This linked me to a consumer complaints where a woman had been told the same thing. My curiousity further peaked, I went to the track order link provided in my e-mail. Sure enough, my order had been cancelled.
I called the number again, and was told by another man that the camera was "completely out of stock" and was subsequently hung up on. Right. I've been purchasing items online for years, and this is the first truly negative experience I've had. Luckily, it's taught me to be that much more vigilant in the future.
Now I'm worried because this company has my credit card number, phone number, and my home address. What should I do to make sure that these people aren't going to rip me off even further?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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