RazzPhoto

oooo… k…so I’ll officially declare myself the most negative, bitter, kiss-​my-​ass Unilocaler. Not proud of it but I can’t help it! Why is it that yucky service is more noticeable than the warm and fuzzy service? Human nature i guess… well, actually, MY nature i guess. I promise, my next entry will be a happy, warm&fuzzy, minimum 4-​star review. :)
So I’ve been VERY (I have an obsessive personality) interested in photography lately. I only own a couple of point and shoot cameras that are nice but I really want a digital SLR so I’ve been researching, reviewing and searching for what SLR I should buy and where. Today I came across a website called
. They have a Canon XSI on sale (which is actually misleading i found out. it’s flippin’ cheap cuz it doesn’t even come with the battery! it’s pretty much the bone that it’s selling). Being skeptical, I called their 800# to ask if it comes with the battery (never buy without checking every hole). Here is how the conv. went… literally. I have a pretty good memory and I’m not even exaggerating here:
Punk: «hello!»
Me: «Hi, I have a question about a camera you have on sale on your website»
Punk: «Yea what is it?»
Me: «…do you need the serial #…or uh, just the name?»
Punk: «name»
Me: «It’s the Canon XSI»
Punk: «Yea, what do you need? Oh, hold o (he didn’t even finish the word „on“)» and he put me on hold.
Punk: comes back on the phone after like 46 seconds «Ok what’s your question?»
Me: (getting a little WTF???) «Does that price come with a battery?»
Punk: «No!»
Me: «oh, ok»
Punk: CLICK
Me: punching my phone like it’s the phone’s fault.
Seriously? Seriously! He hung up on me, without even asking if I had any other questions, thank you for calling, or even and «alright bye». No nothing! And here’s the kicker — this is what their website says…”…but we also knew low prices alone could not make our business superior. We understood that long — term customer satisfaction depended on our ability to maintain a knowledgeable and courteous sales staff assisted by the best support systems available.” You’re kidding right??? I of course sent the company a nasty email about my experience today. They probably won’t read it or do anything about it but I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t send an email… I’m OCD about things like this.
I don’t care how cheap you sell your things for (and they’re cheap for a reason — always check why they’re cheap) but service is what sells.
I think it’s time
does some major clean up of their employees because if all their employees are like that… good luck staying in business. I guess they’re an online store for a reason. And just because it’s an online store, doesn’t mean your phone reps have to have bad attitudes cuz eventually, clueless people like me will call and end up NOT BUYING because of punks like the one I talked to today! Or maybe
just hopes people don’t call and do everything online because they know they don’t spend a dime on training their employees. Maybe they… Ok, i’ll stop analyzing… typical of me to go off tangent and let my crazy, imaginary stories take off.
** If anyone knows where I can get the XSI at a great price, please let me know. So far, I think I should stick with the trustworthy
…i suck at ebay and craigslist doesn’t list much of it. I just want the body. Or if you have one that you want to sell (XSI or XTI) — let me know please~? :) Happy looong weekend!

SCAMMERS!!!
Just look them up on
— they and a vast majority of online electronics shops are pulling the same types of scams. Here are some warning signs to watch out for. But in general, just refer to the Better Business Bureau or Unilocal…
–based in Brooklyn
–cheaper than average (or sometimes not) electronics
–unknown company
-**not an authorized reseller of the product you are purchasing** (refer to the manufacturer’s website for a list of their authorized resellers)
–if the deal sounds to good to be true, it probably is
Razz Photo is just one of many websites operated by the main company,
. These sites and countless others that often come up first in searches through Google and various price-​comparison sites and they all try to pull the same basic scams.
My personal experience:
–purchased Canon DSLR camera and lens
–customer service called me to «confirm» the order, and tried convince me to pay for a phony «upgrade» to a magnesium body for an extra $ 200 (they’re all magnesium). The guy claimed the camera would be «useless» without this upgrade. Also tried to sell me the battery seperately for nearly twice the manufacturer’s price. He would not let me call back with a decision and pressured me to pay extra for things I didn’t need.
–I was confused but still went through with the original order. After 2 weeks I hadn’t received it so I called customer service, and they claimed it was on backorder, which they hadn’t bothered to mention to me previously (this is apparently what they do when someone refuses to purchase the «upgrades»)
–canceled the order and requested email confirmation, which I have not received
I later discovered others have had similar experiences, despite the website’s supposed good ratings on ShopCartUSA.
So the moral of the story is, DO YOUR RESEARCH.
is your new best friend :)