The reason I am writing is over a false advertising issue we have with a local Circuit City store in the Hamburg area of Lexington, KY. My wife and I were shopping there this past weekend (3/1/08), just out for our 24th anniversary. We came across what appeared to be a good deal on a video camera. Long story short, they were using a higher end camera to display for a cheaper cameras price, this was very apparent. They were caught red handed and they still refuse to own up to it and sell the camera for the price displayed. My other concern is how many customers were ripped off with this scam?
We have already purchased a much better camcorder for around the same price as they were asking for the cheap camcorder they were selling. If the cheaper camcorder had been displayed for the $229. Price I would have not been interested in the camera, I don't believe anyone would, however they had a higher end model same manufacture on display with the cheaper cameras price tag. Now they knew and I can prove it! That wasn't enough, when I asked the supervisor how that happened, he said that maybe a customer switched price tags on the cameras, the thing is that they cheaper camera was not on display at all, so where would this customer get the tag? He said that it should have been on display but it wasn't. Still does not answer the question! Then he tells me that hypothetically there could have been both tags at the same display even though there wasn't.
This scam is called bait and switch, i.E. A customer comes in and looks at a camera, its a nice camera with all the features. The price advertised is for a cheaper camera but the customer does not know this. The customer says I would like to buy this camera and the sales associates sales him the cheaper camera, remember the customer thinks he is buying the better nicer camera he looked at on display and played with and decided he wanted. Now the customer will get the camera home and be shocked to find that the camera they just bought is not the camera they looked at. Now you have a unhappy customer.
This senerio almost happened to me, except I caught it and the sales associate grabbed the actual camera that was on display, this camera cost $599., big difference from $229.. But the supervisor still tried to sell me the cheaper camera for that $229. Price, he assured me that they were exactly the same except for the $599. Camera was HD and the other was not. So I have the specs here on the 2 cameras, you decide if they are the same!
Samsung SC-MX10 Digital Camcorder
SDHC/MMC card slot
34x optical zoom
2.7" LCD display Long lasting battery
Image stabilization
512MB SD memory card
Features
Easy to use: Enjoy power and portability in one easy-to-use camcorder. Samsung's SC-MX10 offers an amazing 34x optical zoom along with a unique Dual Mode recording feature, for optimizing viewing on both PC and TV.
Zoom: The professional-quality Schneider 34x optical zoom lens lets you get close to the action. And for those ultra long-distance shots, the 1200x digital zoom picks up where the optical zoom leaves off.
2.7' LCD screen: This screen delivers a clear picture of the action during recording and playback.
Electronic image stabilization: This feature eliminates picture shakiness so your images are sharpeven when zooming in for close-ups.
Memory card slot: Enjoy the option of recording onto MultiMediaCard or Secure Digital memory cardsa 512MB SD memory card is included. Shoot video to your memory card and upload to the web just like still pictures.
Long-lasting battery: The battery lasts up to 120 minutes, letting you capture even more memories.
Samsung Flash Drive/SD Card HD Camcorder
8GB flash drive
2.7' LCD screen:
Image stabilizer 10x optical zoom
CMOS sensor
Records to SD/MMC card
Features
The elegant, compact Samsung SC-HMX10 lets you relive your favorite moments in widescreen high-definition.
Records to flash drive/memory card: With the 8GB flash drive, you'll have built-in memory that prepares you to capture the unexpected. With an external slot for SD and MMC memory cards, you'll always have options. Add memory, play videos, transfer images, music and documents quickly and easily using the memory type of your choice.
CMOS sensor: The SC-HMX10 features a 1/4.5 CMOS sensor with 1.6 megapixel resolution.
HD recording: Record the scene in 720p high-definition video and 16:9 widescreen movie format.
Zoom: Optical zoom magnifies subjects without sacrificing resolutionthis camcorder features a 10x optical zoom. The 20x digital zoom picks up where optical zoom leaves off, stretching pixels so that your favorite part of the image fills the screen.
Pro-quality lens: The SC-HMX10 uses a Schneider lens, so what you see in the viewfinder is what youll capture.
2.7' LCD screen: The wide touchscreen LCD makes it easy to access key menu functions and frame important shots.
Electronic image stabilizer: This camcorder digitally compensates for distracting camera shake, distinguishing between unintentional and deliberate movement. You'll appreciate the enhanced videoespecially when viewing in HD.
HDMI output: With a single cable, you'll send a pure digital signal, audio and video, to your television to get the ultimate HD viewing experience. You can also connect using component, composite or USB.
Digital still mode: Use your camcorder as a camera to shoot crisp 1440 x 1080 pixel photos. This camcorder is PictBridge-enabled, so you can connect directly to a printer to print your photos.
Records in MPEG-4/H. 264 format: This state-of-the-art format lets you save more high-quality video in less recording space. H. 264 has already been adopted by a wide range of products including HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Xbox 360, PSP, iPod, Mac and moresharing, posting and viewing your video will be a breeze.
So there you have it, and I will never shop at Circuit city ever again.
Mark
lexington, Kentucky
U.S.A.
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