San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

Nic: Issue a credit card dispute and call it a day. For $200, it's not worth the time and aggravation to pursue this. You've probably already spent that amount in wasted time.

Thanks, Allan. That's reasonable. Hopefully it won't take too much time to assist credit card company's investigation.

Nic: You're welcome. As crappy as it sounds, you have to chalk this one up to experience. I had a similar experience with my 11 year old son and an eBay purchase of some Star Wars action figures. I figured that it was a rip-off and told my son, but he was adamant about the purchase, so I let him use my PayPal.

Following, I sent an email to the seller and let him know he had just ripped off a heartbroken 11 year old boy and he sent me a snotty response along the lines of "live and learn". It was a valuable, if unfortunate, lesson for my son, but he took it to heart.

Definitely issue the credit card dispute. That's about the only way you'll get some money back. Plus, its pretty simple to do and fairly hassle free.

Go to the Sky Point Digital web site and print the $929 ad. You'll need to send a copy of it to your credit card company later on. Good luck.

You should have recourse with PayPal and Ebay - what was the sellers feedback? For me to buy from a seller the feedback has to be 99.5% and above to even start considering a purchase.

I agree with the feedback form. The honest vendors take it seriously. The crooks will just change their selling name on ebay. Always use pay pal and back it up with a credit card so you can dispute it. I know someone who went after a crook for fraud, but he was able to track him down locally and got some kind of case filed against the seller by filing a police report. I think that would not be easy. This was a pretty tenacious buyer, who refused to be ripped off. I think most police departments would not want to touch any of this and I do not know how good e-bay is about policing its site. I also would read some of the feed back on the seller if his score is not in the very high 90's and see what kind of complaints are filed against him/ her.

Concur with the "dispute the charge" folks - a couple of years ago when I ordered something online, it was charged and never arrived, I got my money back with zero hassle. When you dispute the charge, the burden goes to the vendor to prove they were honest.

NicMM,

This is a very popular scam at the electronic shops in Hong Kong, Nathan Road. They show you the camera at a great price, have you sign the credit card slip, then send someone off to a different location to collect the camera. That person, comes back with a different camera because the one ordered is suddenly "out of stock". Happened to me.

I told the guy, I dont want it.. Period. Im not taking it. Period. He started with all the "blah blah blah" about this that and the other, just like your story. I raised my voice a bit, sternly. "Im the customer, and your not listening. It's not your turn to talk, it's my turn!!!! Take it off my credit card right now!! PERIOD!!! Im going to call it in tomorrow, and if it's on there, i going to dispute it and come back down here with a representative of VISA to ensure it is taken off.

It was a 1 minute conversation. They took it off. They didnt want a scene in their shop with other customers around. It wasnt a scene yet, but if that guy kept trying to sell me, it would have been.

DEFINITELY DISPUTE THE CARGE!!!!!! It is free, you were ripped off, and that is why it is there. As long as you dont dispute a dozen charges a month, your credit card company should be very open to the discussion. Call them. Explain your side. They should remove the charge no problem.

Then, you can show the "sent" email stating what you ordered, and then what arrived. The advertised price, then the invoiced price. It's wrong. Plain and simple. It is then the responsibility of the seller to send a courier to pick up the item once you have stated you want it returned. If they dont come around, you have a free camera. Granted, that is a moral issue, but, if it is a big problem, sell the camera and give the money to charity. Scams like this must be taught a lesson if we are ever going to stop them.

I know from personal experience (at least in my experience) that VISA charges a 25% holdback on all charges for a new business. This is their insurance account against chargebacks. The vendor must demonstrate several months of clean business to have that reduced. (VISA releases the 25% hold back 6 months later).

They have tools in place to handle this type of fraud. You were ripped off. Bait and switch. Call it what you like, it wasnt what you ordered, and wasnt what you were told. That is unethical, unfair, and if you dont do something about it, we'll all be next.

Obviously, scams like this piss me off. So i would offer, dispute the charge, dont pay for return shipping and keep the camera until someone comes by to collect it from you.

J

Fyi, when the customer disputes a credit card charge, the vendor automatically pays a fee ($25) to the card for the investigation-- regardless of the outcome. Sucks for the good guys but this hopefully puts the squeeze on the crooks.

Another fyi, while I always try to buy locally the largest mail order camera houses(Adorama, B&H, Calumet)have really cleaned up their act now. 20+ years ago it was risky to order from them but now they have good pricing, no tax, and terrific customer service.

There are alot of these scummy B&S camera/electronics dealers back in New York.

I won't buy from any online dealer that I've never done business with...no matter how good their price looks...unless I research them first on resellerratings.com or some similar site. Many times the low price is just a hook to pull you onto their site.

Yeah... It has Sony guts... Sony guts...

Tom Hanks SNL Skit...

I filed credit card dispute. But now as I checked my statement, I learned that my credit card failed to protect me. They rebilled the $358.25 dispute amount back.

When I called back, I was told because I didn't send order confirmation, the credit card company could not decide what the right amount is. See, SkyPointDigital knew this. That's why it never sent me any order confirmation or receipt.

What can I do?

There are only two photo shops that I would deal with - Adorama and B&H Photo. They are real and very respectable companies.

The scenario you describe is standard operating procedure for the shady NY electronic store. When I was new to it all (1996 or so) I got lightly burned but it all worked out.

You need the Nikon lens, that is a classic bait and switch. Sigma makes some good lenses, but I assure you that you want the Nikon kit - this guy lured you in with a Nikon "kit" but swapped out all the pieces but the camera body for cheap crap.

Box everything up, send it back with delivery confirmation and dispute with your credit card company. DO NOT PAY off that balance, if you do you forfeit the right to dispute.

Then buy what you want and deserve at Amazon, the two companies above, or -- quite frankly -- a local big box store.

Sorry. You're not the first.

1) Chop it up as as a lesson learned.

2) Call your credit card company back. Tell them you are going to cancel your credit card and take your business to other company (like American Express) because you are unhappy with the dispute resolution and that you have been a company for XXX years. Remind them that you have spent YYYY average each year, and that corresponds to approximately ZZZZ in merchant fees for them (assuming that you don't carry a balance on the credit card). Remind them that's ZZZZ per year they will not receive and that American Express is now going to get, because you have heard how well American Express handles merchant disputes. Ask to talk to a 2nd line customer service because 1st line cant do anything.

When I called back, I was told because I didn't send order confirmation, the credit card company could not decide what the right amount is. See, SkyPointDigital knew this. That's why it never sent me any order confirmation or receipt.

Did you let VISA know that "Sky Point Digital" didn't send you a confirmation or receipt? Realize that without a receipt/order confirmation, Sky Point Digital themselves can't prove that they billed you validly. Demand a copy of the receipt from "Sky Point Digital". If "Sky Point Digital" doesn't give you a copy of the receipt, dispute the entire charge (full $1299) with VISA because if "Sky Point Digital" does not have a valid confirmation number or receipt themselves for the charge, they can't prove that they even tried to send you the merchandise that they charged you for as well as what that merchandise was. The burden of proof is on "Sky Point Digital". There should be a tracking number on the package.. you'll need that too, but if you have it, don't tell VISA or "Sky Point Digital" (and tell those that opened the package that was addressed to you, to never do that again.. seriously.).

You should have printed out the web page and sum of charges from the web page right before you ok'd the payment... and right after if possible. You can use something called 'PDFCreator' as a printer driver to create a 'pdf' file from a web page. The page would have served as 'proof' of what they claiming that the charges are for the item and what you were trying to buy.

Now if "Sky Point Digital" is able to provide the receipts and tracking numbers.. it gets more difficult. It becomes he-said/she-said (because you don't have a printed copy of the web page when and after you ordered). "Sky Point Digital" sounds like a closet operation.. so I don't think they keep good records.

If it all falls out, you can file complaints with both the FBI and Better Business Bureau of New York(if that is where they are located). FTC complaint might be another avenue.

Keep the pressure on you card company. Even if they can't deceide what the right amount is-- it doesn't matter as all you want to do is cancel the order.

Reference Resellarrating.com to help back you scam claim. I wouldn't send it back until you get the credit.

Then when you do.... what's the hurry;)

BTW, Costco now lists the D5000.

Good luck.