eTronics

Full review
Dishonest, cheats, liars! -- I am Internet road kill after ordering a Panasonic PV-GS500 camcorder from Etronics.com in early November 2006. An Etronics.com salesman put together a "package deal" including tripod, case, battery, filters, charger, etc. for me as part of the purchase (I deeply regret allowing that!). I was charged immediately for all items, even those on back order, and am still trying to get a resolution on items billed, but not shipped. The invoice I received with the package was not itemized (listing each item with a zero cost, then the actual price as a total amount only -- preventing me from seeing what I paid for each item), but the value of the included accessories was grossly exaggerated on the phone from what I actually received (On balance, I was charged about three times what these things are actually worth!!) and I am now ordering replacement items for almost all accessory items (tripod, case, etc.) from other vendors, because what I received from Etronics.com was cheap junk for the most part. The Etronics.com salesman I called after I received my purchase said that I would be charged a 15% restocking fee (plus my postage) and all items had to be returned (not just what I found to be unacceptable), so I am stuck -- hardly a "satisfaction guarantee". Etronics.com no longer posts a customer service phone number on their website and they have not replied to any of my e-mail concerning the backordered items for weeks. I am considering referring this matter to my credit card company for their help in getting a resolution. I am documenting my effort to at least receive the items for which I was billed. I am in the military and am in the Middle East (FPO AE) and this is how Etronics.com supports the troops! Avoid this vendor!

I am updating my original Epinion thanks to the helpful comments by other members who have provided feedback:

First, I don't personally have a problem if a vendor has a restocking fee, as long as it is not used as a tool to fleece customers. Most vendors I have dealt with in the past used a restocking fee if the customer returned items because he changed his mind on what he wanted on the purchase, not because of a legitimate dissatisfaction with the order. I called my credit card company concerning Etronics.com's 15% restocking fee policy and they said it is unusually high (excessive) -- clearly, it doesn't require 15% of the purchase price to cover the expense of restocking the item! The Master Card agent recommended not shopping at vendors with this type of restocking policy. Going forward, I am not going to make large purchases at outfits having this type of policy, since it is open to exploitation.

Second, Etronics.com had a posted customer service phone number on their website when I made my purchase, but it has been removed since. Based on an earlier posting (another negative review posted on this website in 2005 -- thanks drbobgold!!), I found that Etronics.com's customer service number is 800-541-1490. This is still a good number.

Third, when I called Etronics.com after I received my order, the salesman I was referred to was rude and insulting.

Fourth, concerning the Etronics.com's website, adequate information (such as the name of the manufacturer, manufacturer's model number, etc.) was not posted concerning the accessories that I received as part of the "package deal". This made it hard for me to use Google and make comparisons as to the value of the items being included. For instance, I was told that the camcorder case that was being included in the deal is valued at over $100, but I find the same case on Amazon.com for $10 (ten dollars). I was grossly overcharged for virtually every accessory and MACK warranty for the camcorder -- $250 at Etronics.com vs. $150 at Adorama.com.

The website was fairly easy to navigate and make the purchase; however, Etronics.com required me to call my bank to verbally authorize the transaction and have a note to that effect posted on my credit card account. At the time, I though that Etronics.com was just being cautious in order to avoid potential problems, but now I think that this vendor has probably been flagged by credit card companies due to too many complaints and they did not want me to be notified about that (with a warning call from my bank) -- just my own personal theory. In any case, this was a hassle. I have never had to do that for any other credit card purchase in my life and I am 50 years old!

I thought Etronics.com's package processing was slow (taking four business-days to get into the mail), but I received my purchase just in time to use on a trip for which it was purchased.

Since I am on an overseas military base, I needed to have my package mailed through the U.S. Mail and Etronics.com does have this shipping method; however, they initially flagged it to be shipped via DHL (their preferred carrier), but I caught this on their online order status and was able to get it corrected -- only after making many phone calls to their customer service. I specifically asked that the package be shipped USPS when I placed the order!

Basically, what happened with this transaction was that the salesmen figured that he could get $1500 out of me and simply lied about the cost of the warranty and accessories to fit the $1500 sales total -- this says a lot about with whom you are dealing with here. I was told that Etronics.com supports the military and they wanted to give me a good deal -- right! Lucky for me, I was not in the market for a bridge. Brooklyn might be missing one with Etronics.com on the case.

I found the camcorder itself to be brand new, fully functional and exactly what I was expecting.

Update on my purchasing experience with Etronics.com (08JAN07):

I called the Etronics.com customer service number and after 40 minutes of waiting, I got through to one of their customer service agents. I tried to get the shipping address changed for the backordered item, since I am leaving the Middle East to return to the USA at the completion of my military duty. The customer service agent said that he could not update the shipping address and I had to call one of their electronics salesman. I called the salesman and decided to just get a refund since they (Etronics.com) will not or cannot change the shipping address once the order is placed regardless if the item is backordered. The salesman tried to get me to just cancel the backorder without a refund, saying that the item was really cheap and not worth the trouble to refund -- what a crook! After a discussion, I will be receiving a $13 refund, which is laughable considering what I was charged for the item when I made my purchase. Time will tell if I actually get my $13 refund! Basically, I just want to move on and I am going to take the hit of being cheated by this bunch -- mugged on the Internet!

Etronics.com's customer service never did reply to any of my e-mails.

I took the time to file a formal complaint with Master Card concerning the business practices of Etronics.com. My point is to at least get their dishonest business practices documented with Master Card. Apparently, Master Card will bring my complaint to Etronics.com's attention. I am sure that I am not the first to do this.

I went ahead and placed an order for replacement accessories with Adorama.com (I don't want to use the trashy stuff that Etronics.com sent me) and they have been shipped promptly. In hindsight, I wish I had placed my original order with Adorama.com. I would have saved over $300 on my transaction (no more than $1200, instead of the $1500 I was charged -- over 20%), not including all the aggravation. I didn't even have to call my credit card company to request a note authorizing the transaction! The price for the camcorder is the same ($870) as well.

I will post an update to this Epinion when and if I ever receive the paltry $13 refund on the remaining backordered item I mentioned above.

I was steered to Etronics.com by www.bizrate.com and I will never use them again without first checking this website for verification.

After looking over other negative Epinions concerning this vendor going back to 2002, it could have been much worse! Take the time to look over other negative reviews posted on this website and you will see what I mean. This is the vendor from hell!

Overall, I rate this vendor as the worst (by far) I have ever dealt with through mail order or the Internet (in my experience -- since 1970). True Brooklyn sharks! This experience will color my Internet transactions going forward.

Update (15FEB07): I finally received a credit card credit for $12.99 for the item on the order that was never shipped. It took over a month to get the credit -- another example of their poor customer service.