Usacomplaints.com » Electronics and household app. » Complaint / Review: Best Price Cameras - Delivered far less than promised Brooklyn New York. #247336

Complaint / Review
Best Price Cameras
Delivered far less than promised Brooklyn New York

It was a classic bait & switch scam. The Company offered the Canon XH-A1 camcorder for $1,099, substantially less than its competitors. So I placed an online order. I understood that the camera pricing was potentially a loss leader, and I had planned to buy my accessories elsewhere, at a reasonable price. After not receiving a confirmation e-mail, I called to confirm my order. The representative said that the camcorder included only the body—nothing else (no lens, no cables, no batteries, etc.).

There is no reference to an unbundling of the Canon retail package on the web site. The advertised item is "Canon XH-A1,3CCD HDV Camcorder, (1 YR USA Warranty)".in fact, here is an excerpt from the product description which specifically includes the lens: "For the professional and serious non-professional alike, the XH-A1 combines a wealth of features with the outstanding performance of a 3 CCD, High Definition camcorder. The excellence of the XH-A2 begins with its Genuine Canon 20X HD zoom lens with Professional L Series Fluorite." On the same page, the company claims "Everything we sell is BRAND NEW and FACTORY FRESH. Everything we sell comes with a full US WARRANTY." There was a footnote which said "unless otherwise specified." So that there would be no confusion as to what was on the web site, I created a PDF of the web page as supporting evidence for my case. It was clearly not "otherwise specified".

Interestingly, for $1,799 the Company advertises a "Canon XHA1 Platinum package", which includes vastly more items that my "custom package" for $4,000. I figured this needed some clarification. So earlier today, I spoke with a different Company representative, who specifically told me that the $1099 camcorder does not include a lens. I asked him for the Canon part number of what he was selling. He said "XHA1". I asked him if they opened the Canon package to remove certain items. He directly lied and said that Canon sells a body-only model, but he didn't know the Canon part number. When I asked him about the Platinum package for $1,799, he said that the camera would still be unusable (sans lens).

Moments ago, I spoke with Christine, a Canon representative, who confirmed that the camcorder is a fixed-lens system. Furthermore, she confirmed that Canon does not sell a body-only model. She stated that removing the lens would seriously damage the camcorder. She advised me to file a report on this site. I disclosed the name of the Company and also provided her with my contact information. She asserted that if one were to call the pre-sales department at Canon, at 800.385.2155, any representative would also confirm that a body-only model does not exist.

When "confirming" my order, the aforementioned Company representative offered an array of additional items to bundle with the lens-less, battery-less camcorder. (Again, Canon says such a product does not exist). He claimed that it would include everything necessary to operate the camera, plus a lot of additional premium items. After some negotiating, we agreed to a "package deal", which included a number of additional products, for a total selling price, inclusive of tax/shipping, of $3999.

I received my package and reviewed the contents. There were a number of items he had agreed to provide, valued in the thousands of dollars, that were not included. Among other things, my package was to include a four-year extended warranty. The packing slip that outlined the contents of my "custom package" clearly omitted these items.

The problem is simple. I am in possession of some products, for which I paid $3,999, that are worth approximately $1,518. This is based on purchasing the camcorder from the Company at $1099 as advertised, in addition to purchasing elsewhere the so-called bundled items (actually included on the packing slip) separately for an estimated aggregate price of $419. I used average prices, inclusive of tax/shipping, from other well-established online companies.in short, I believe the Company essentially owes me approximately $2,500.

In recent research, I learned that this is a common practice for the Company. Someone needs to stop them!


Offender: Best Price Cameras

Country: USA
Phone: 7189982975

Category: Electronics and household app.

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