[Cdt-l] camera search experience

Fri Mar 12 09:05:05 CST 2010

Fellow  hikers,    

    I've always carried a  better than small, point-and-shoot camera; none 
of them had much of a zoom.  So it was a 3 lb, compact, film until my 1st 
PCT section in 05; a 2 lb, compact,  digital until this year; and now a 1.5 
lb, compact digital (Nikon  L-110). Yesterday I had an experience with Ritz 
Camera, when I made a 24-hr  "reservation"; an email I found this morning had 
turned that into an "order",  even though they had no payment info:

Order  Confirmation                  

Thank you Bob Brewer for shopping at  RitzCamera.com. 

Here is your confirmation for order #2555840  placed on 03/10/2010.

Thank you again for shopping with us. We are  delighted to have you as a 
customer.  

So, the subsequent online customer service  dialogue from this morning is 
below:

THIS  WAS A 24 HOUR RESERVATION ----- NOT AN ORDER ----- THAT'S WHAT I WAS 
TOLD -----  THESE PACKAGES WILL BE RETURNED TO SENDER ----- THE MAN I TALKED 
TO WAS NOT  HONEST WITH ME, AS I SPECIFICALLY ASKED HIM IF IT WAS A 
RESERVATION AND NOT AN  ORDER ----- HE SAID YES ---- SO MUCH FOR YOUR HONESTY ----- 
IF I CAN FIND A  SITE TO GIVE YOU A ZERO RATING FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, I 
WILL ----- YOU DON'T EVEN  HAVE A PAYMENT METHOD, SO HOW HAVE I ORDERED? 
Please  wait while we find an agent to assist you...  
All agents are currently busy. Please stand  by. 
You have been connected to Patricia  J. 
Patricia J: Hello Bob. Welcome to BoatersWorld.com. I will be glad to  
assist you. 
Patricia J: May I have the order number please? 
Bob Brewer: What the  hell is 
Bob Brewer: Booaters World? Read the message! 
Patricia J: I apologize  for the inconvenience caused. 
Bob  Brewer: How can you take an order without  a payment method? 
Bob  Brewer: I repeat, what is Boaters  World? 
Patricia J: Yes, we can place the order only with the billing and the  
shipping address, so that the items are reserved for you. 
Patricia J: You can get  back to us and provide the payment details. 
Patricia J: Otherwise the  order will be cancelled automatically. 
Patricia J: Have you  received any order confirmation e-mail yet? 
Bob Brewer: Read the  message I posted to you; I did not order anything, 
and you will not get any  payment info. I just realized this may be a scam. 
Patricia J: Have you  provided any personal information like your name and 
billing address?  
Bob Brewer: Since I think this is a scam, you will not get any order  
number either. The email was allegedly from Ritz Camera. You have still not  
answered me, What is Boater's World? 
Patricia J:  BoatersWorld.com and RitzCamera.com are the parts of the  
Ritziteractive.com. 
Patricia  J: I request you to provide the order number  so that I can give 
you the status of your order.  
Patricia  J:  Please note that we place order without the Payment details 
so that the item can  be reserved for you.  
Patricia J:  There is no need to worry, Bob. 
Bob  Brewer: I didn't order anything, don't  want to order anything, and 
would never consider ordering from Ritz in the  future. Furthemore, I will 
tell everyone I talk cameras with about your  dishonesty in sending an email 
thanking me for an order I didn't  place. 
Patricia  J:  I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.  
Patricia J:  We have placed the order only to keep the items reserved for 
you.  
Patricia J:  If you wish you cancel the order. 
Patricia J: We do not  charge any sales tax. 
Bob  Brewer: There is no order to cancel; there  never was an order.  
Patricia  J:  Please stay online while I transfer this chat to my 
supervisor.  
Victor T has entered the session. 
Patricia J has left the session.  
Victor  T:  Please stay online while I check this information for you.  
Victor  T:  Thank you for being online. I appreciate your patience.  
Victor T:  The order number is 2555840. 
Victor  T: The items are reserved for you.  
Victor T: If  you want to proceed with the order, then you can provide the 
payment  details. 
Victor T: Or you can cancel the order. 
Victor T: May I know if  you want to provide the credit card details? 
Victor T: Are you online  with me? 
Bob Brewer: Victor, read my original post, and my conversation with  the 
Patricia; can't you read? There was no order; there is no order to cancel,  
and you will get no order number or payment info.  
Victor  T:  Please note that without placing the order, we cannot reserve 
any  item.  
Bob Brewer: This is amusing, Victor. You keep trying to get an order  from 
a never befor and never again customer you have made angry by assuming an  
order from a reservation. 
Victor  T:  Shall I cancel the reserved items now?  
Bob Brewer: I was told the reservation expired in 24 hours, but you  
changed it into an order without asking me. Neither of you are reading what I  
say, so goodbye. 

    Shop where want, of course. I bought the same  camera from Sam's for 
$75 less, including a 3-yr extended warranty for $25  (including "normal wear 
and tear"), paying TX sales tax of 8.25%, and getting  2nd-day air shipping 
for $9. Ritz and Crutchfield charged, as I recall, $50-100  for extended 
warranties; shipping was free; and there was no sales tax.  Caveat emptor!

Brick, in case you  think this isn't pertinent or proper, I strongly 
disagree.
Bob "Trekker"
Big  Bend Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of  Texas

"Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See,  if it 
wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' " -- Harry Browne

"If you think  health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it 
costs when its free."  -- P J O'Rourke

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