BIG MISTAKE Buying My SONY TV From Them

I went to pricegrabber.com and looked for the lowest priced SONY 30 inch TV- Model KD-30XS955.

I usually buy from places like Circuit City or Best Buy.But the price was so reasonable from this website caled Editors Choice.
So far they already charged my credit card.The tv has'nt even been shipped.Yet they said they had it in stock and would ship it out right away-that was yesterday. They said I would only be charged for the tv and a $179.00 shipping charge.no tax.Well, when I got my e-mail invoice from them they had added a $106.00 charge for shipping insurance. There were horendous reviews from past customers of theirs at eopinions.com..which I just noticed today.Alot of people had experienced the runaround attitude the company gave me.And the double talk.
The company also goes by the name LGD Superstore..or LDG Superstore.

Today I called them again and asked why my shipping tracking number had'nt been sent to me yet.They said"your shipment has'nt gone out yet and you'll get your tracking number within 24 hours".I called later and they changed that to one to two days it would be shipped out and I would get the tracking number then .

I thought about canceling my order-but first I called my credit card company and said I might dispute the charge.Credit card said to call the company and try to cancel.I called and was put on hold by customer service for half a minute..the guy came back to the phone and said my tv had been shipped! I then said.HOW can that be if only 20 minutes ago I called and you said it had'nt been shipped and it would take one to two days for me to get a tracking number? He had no good answer for me..he said it does'nt usually show up on our computer screens for atleast 24 hours ..even though its already in the system as shipped.
DOUBLE TALK !Its already over 24 hours since I placed my order!!!!

What I found really strange is when they asked me to fax over a copy of my drivers license ID when I bought the tv.Even though I phoned my credit card prior to buying the tv and they okay'd it.

Should I trust this place or should I expect the worst? :confused:

Should I trust this place or should I expect the worst? :confused:
I won't speak directly about this retailer. I got reamed the last time I mentioned this, but when I was looking for a good price on the KD34XBR960, I shopped online for the best deal. But I found out that all the 'best deals' had something in common. Here, let me show you...

http://www.nextag.com/buyer/outpdir.jsp?nxtg=586d7d_B91E680FAA6A9CA4&search=kd34xbr960

A few of those well known retailers are selling it for $2199. You know. Circuit City. Crutchfield. Those kind of guys. But there are a whole bunch of players selling this for the amazing low price of $1600ish. Their prices are all very tightly clustered together. $600 discount? Wow.

But then go and click on all the seller reviews for them. Go ahead. What they all have in common is that they're playing games with the customers. "Oh. Out of stock. Oh. You want to cancel? Too late, we just shipped! The normal factory warranty doesn't apply. This model is from Asia. Do you want a warranty with that? Didn't you want insurance on that shipping? That item? Yes, it was in stock when you ordered, but now it is out of stock. Ignore the website when it says we have 20 on hand." Etc, etc, etc... lots of plausable stories ready at every turn.

Don't worry. If you manage to cancel at this point, they'll likely slap you with a cancellation fee.

Here's one juicy quote which kind of sums up my impression...

"As with most NYC-based electronics outfits, you're gambling when you place an order with these guys. They bait you with a low price and then try to sell you useless and overpriced accessories and warranties. Their "stock status" has no basis in reality, and you probably won't ever get what you order, but on the rare occasion that you do, you'll get it for a really good price. I know the game, and I voluntarily played it, but these guys have really gone the extra mile to annoy me. The only thing I've gotten from them so far is virus- infested spam sent to the unique email address that I gave to them and only them. Play the electronics scam game if you want, but play it knowingly and play it with anyone but XXX XXXXXXXXX."

Remember when I said I got reamed for my observations? Well, the one observation in particular that I made is that nearly 100% of these super-low-price retailers you see online for these Sony televisions is that they were all based in New York.

"But New York is a major center of commerce!" "But that's not a fair statistical analysis. Just because you're looking for New York, suddenly you see it everywhere." "You just can't go and slander (liable) an entire state and their commerce!" Fine, and true in some respects. Me personally? I'll be prejudiced and unintellectual.

But if you're considering going through an online vendor with a super low price and customer feedback that fits the bill of what you see on that website, find yourself a better deal elsewhere. Or roll the dice and who knows, you could come out a winner. Or at least, not that bad of a loser.

How did I end up getting my KD34XBR960? Dumb luck. Walked into a Circuit City. Open box return. Looked great, took it on the spot. Got it for a price as low as those guys offer (before shipping), and from a local store. If I didn't like the geometry or something else, I was free to return it for a full refund. I took it home, put it on the treadmill (figuratively) and was happy with what I saw.

Not saying that I got THE most amazing deal on Earth, but keep your eyes open for a good bargain. There has got to be better ways of saving money than to deal with vendors who don't know if they've shipped or not, or if they even have the item in stock. (Of course, those doubts don't come into play until AFTER you made the purchase.)

Excellent story... good advice.

I've always purchased everything from Crutchfield. Some of the other posters on this forum may not like C-Field's prices, but they really are quite competitive with brick and mortar shops.

Nothing beats buying from an authorized retailer, whether it be C-Field, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. If you purchase through them, the warranties are always good. I've purchased tons of new and refurbished goods through C-Field. I've never had a problem with any of their stuff. On top of that, they provide their own warranty on refurbished goods, which mirrors the original manufacturer's warranty. I purchased a set of piano-black lacquer-finished speakers that supposedly had a flaw. When I got them, the "flaw" was a minute scratch on the clear coat in back of one of the cabinets, which you only saw when the light hit it a certain way. I saved over a hundred bucks off the MSRP that way, and you wouldn't have been able to tell these things were considered "damaged' unless I showed you. Bottom line: I've never been disappointed with C-Field. If you choose to speak with their reps, their knowledge of products is astounding. They are never pushy, and never try to sell you something you don't need.

On the other hand, sure, you could conceivably save a few hundred bucks shopping online. But then you run into the scenario you described above. Me personally, I'm not a super rich person by any stretch of the imagination, but I would rather dish out the extra dough and have the piece of mind that no one is going to change the rules of the game midway through the fourth quarter. If my TV/DVD player/receiver/speaker conks out, I can return it no questions asked and not have to worry about some ridiculous fine-print store policy that mysteriously appears after they've unloaded a product on me.

And jmccorm, I live in New York, and I can tell you that I have visited many of these places in person, and the salespeople there make used car dealers look like saints. Anyone who says you're libeling these places is someone who has never been to one of them, plain and simple. :D

Oh man, I was looking through pricegrabber.com, and was reading some of the reviews for these online shops. I just affirmed my vow to never order from one of these places.

One person complained about ordering a plasma TV in November, and in March he still hadn't received his TV. On top of that, he says the merchant kept sendng him monthly postcards informing him that his TV was still backordered, with no delivery ETA.

All I can say is, if you order a TV and five months later, all you have to show for it is a handful of postcards, maybe it's time to go looking elsewhere!!!!!! :D :D :D

I took that leap of faith and thought these guys would be honest and so far they are'nt.
I would of bought the KD-30XS955 from Circuit City or Best Buy..but they are'nt selling that particular model in that size.
My credit card said they'll dispute this charge if I want to...the charge is still pending on my card..but my credit card company said they can't take off the pending charge since i pre authorized it when i made my phone call to the merchant...b ut they said i can dispute the charge in a couple days. :mad:

Dude, I love road trips... lets go get your TV. I'm the kind of person to call 2 days vacation at work and drive out to see the f***ers!

:mad: Wonder what they'd say if 30+ angry HD Forum members showed up. :mad:

BLUE TECH,
You're a great guy ! But I thin k even if we showed up in person they would STILL make an excuse ..maybe that the tv was on the delivery truck already and on its way..when in reality it never even existed in their inventory.These guys are shifty.
But thanks for the support anyway Blue Tech:)

Hmmmm... 30 guys, burning torches, vat of tar & bag of feathers... Now THERE'S Reality TV! ;)

GREAT IDEA..but I think that tar and feathers is'nt the worst we could do....slow painful longgggggg torture..only problem is..they'd probably like it.
What to do,what to do,what to do!

I'm in the middle of a similar experience. I ordered a Toshiba 30HF85 early last week from computerbrain.com. The price, at the time, was unbeatable. $800 shipped for a new set. They also had a decent return policy (they actually would accept them, whereas many sites don't) so that sealed the deal.

They processed everything quickly, called me the next day to confirm. Then they call me again the next day to say the cost of shipping is $100 more than I initially thought. They would ship it out that day and I would probably receive it 2 days later (last Friday), if I agreed. I said I'd call them back, checked around, and saw Crutchfield had it for $799 w/ free shipping. I pondered the dilemma for a while, came close to switching my order, but the impatience killed me. CF would take 5-7 days for the shipping company to contact me, and I would imagine a few additional days to deliver it. I didn't want to wait the possible week and half to two weeks to get the set.

Now, it's almost Thursday, and of course, I don't have my TV yet. There's a whole mess going on between various shipping and trucking companies, as apparantly my set is being passed around from place to place. On Monday, I was told by the trucking company that my set would be delivered Tuesday. On Tuesday, the trucking company didn't have my name on record. My contact at the shipping company has told me the final trucking company would have it tomorrow and hopefully call me in the morning to schedule a delivery for tomorrow.

Worst part is, the 30HF85 is 700-800 virtually anywhere now, just a week later. I could have taken my car and picked one up myself for cheaper than I got it for.

I've learned my lesson; I won't make major purchases from a site I've never heard. I'm pretty sure I won't make any major electronic purchases from a store I can't drive to (unless it's a place with an insanely great return policy, like Crutchfield).

Anyway, that's my rant...man, if I have to return this TV, well, I don't even want to think about that.

Am sorry you are also having a problem with these tv selling Low Lifes..the company I'm dealing with goes under several names.They are very devious. :mad:

Am sorry you are also having a problem with these tv selling Low Lifes..the company I'm dealing with goes under several names.They are very devious. :mad:

Sorry to hear of your trouble. The price almost dragged me in, too. I'd like to hear when you end up getting the set. A bit of curiousity on how this all turns out. But also curiousity of what you think of this particular set because I seem to recall you've had your hands on one or two other models from Sony.

For reference, my initial warning was in this thread...
http://www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=6603

Now that the collection of shady low-price places have gone nationwide, they may grow in the short term. But what I'm hoping is that the added exposure to many dissatisfied consumers (beyond the seller's home state) may end up putting an end to their business. Something that probably would never have happened if they stayed local.

I think the first step in this is that people need to understand and identify this as a distinct breed of retailer. Nationwide, I really don't think many people know they need to be aware of retailers that match this particular set of behaviors. They're ill-prepared to protect themselves.

My TV finally came in. It's still in the box, as I was on my way out to work when it arrived...hopefully, I'm satisfied with the set so I don't have deal with them again, as far as returning it goes.

Hope you at least end up being happy with your set...

I cancelled the order last Monday....am waiting for my refund to be put on my credit card.

Wednesday the dealer said he'd send me an e-mail Friday and let me know how much the refund would be for..since he's tacking on penalty fee's because I cancelled the order.

I called today and he said he sent me the e-mail Wednesday-the day we talked.I told him I never received the e-mail and that he had told me he would send me the e-mail Friday.He denied he ever said that and I asked him if he could re send the e-mail today..and he said he would.

But first when I called today I asked the status of the order and the dealer said it is being shipped back to us.

I called the shipment company they use and they have no record of anything coming to me or being returned to the dealer.

My credit card company is totally behind me and will investigate these people...my cards FRAUD department will fight for me..but first we're waiting a bit more to see if this dealer really will refund me.
The Fraud department told me that the way this dealer is acting is very common...they see cases like this all the time where the buyer is ripped off.

I am going to buy from Circuit City in the future.Most of the time they have been honest and I am a return customer.
This OTHER dealer would make more of a profit if they were'nt so dishonest.

We will see if I get my e-mail today from the dealer..or are they still playing games with me? :mad:

Rick,,do us all a favor and file a complaint with your states Better Business Bureau. I hope you get all of your money back but it looks grim. Hopefully you can help someones daughter or grandmother, etc. avoid these scum-suckers.

Rick,,do us all a favor and file a complaint with your states Better Business Bureau. I hope you get all of your money back but it looks grim. Hopefully you can help someones daughter or grandmother, etc. avoid these scum-suckers.

The BBB is toothless and overrated. Not a bad idea to check with before a purchase, but so few do.

I think there's an internet site called the Badder Business Bureau or similar... quite the expose...

The only thing a company has to do the be rated "EXCELLENT" is to pay their dues on time... it exists to deflect criticism, it's a business owner association. I played with them for months during a commercial dispute, and did nothing but waste my time.

Contact the attorney general. This case may be right up their alley......

Don't accept a "refund"; just dispute the charge. Based on what you are telling your credit card company, they should be aware that they shouldn't accept the charge, as opposed to accepting the charge and then you getting screwed with a bogus penalty fee for a sale that as far as you know never happened........!

Then you should call back this dealer and let him know that the charge is being disputed and not being paid, and that you are going to contact the state attorney general. I'm sure we'd all love to hear what totally baseless threats he would make to scare you! :D

Wow,,get my head out of the sand. The Better BB helped us out about 20 years ago in an auction dispute,,I had no idea they have (had) been reduced to useless status. The AG would be the logical choice,,,unless ya want to swing this swindler from the yardarm!!

The company also goes by the name LGD Superstore..or LDG Superstore.

LETS GO DIGITAL
1643 McDonald avenue
BROOKLYN, NY

HYPE AUDIO
1643 McDonald Ave
BROOKLYN, NY

Store front:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0056.htm

If you think that's bad, look at their competition:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

It seems that they're not universally loved:
http://www.m4040.com/AssholeFiles/HypeAudio.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff56997.htm
http://www.globalmediapro.com/av/messages/111805.html

Ha! Looking at those splendid store fronts (and I know exactly where each of those stores is located), I can tell you that their "customer service" is probably whatever crackhead they can drag in off the corner to watch their phones that day.

I went to one of those many, many moons ago, when I was little tyke. My dad was looking for a VCR (back when VCR's were the newest thing to come out). What an ordeal! Didn't have the model, didn't know when they would have it in stock, why don't you look at this (more expensive) model, yadda yadda yadda.

It was much easier back then for someone to just walk out of the store. Now with the internet, they just cast their lines and see who they can hook.

Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks that the deal they are getting is too good to be true. People really need to look at those pictures and realize that THIS is where they're sending their hard-earned cash. :D

What I found really strange is when they asked me to fax over a copy of my drivers license ID when I bought the tv.Even though I phoned my credit card prior to buying the tv and they okay'd it.

Should I trust this place or should I expect the worst? :confused:

Actually because fraud is so high in this industry they ask for your ID to verify that the card you are using is yours by checking the billing address to shipping address. (This is also why most companies including myself will only ship to billing address.)

Actually because fraud is so high in this industry they ask for your ID to verify that the card you are using is yours by checking the billing address to shipping address. (This is also why most companies including myself will only ship to billing address.)

"They verify your identity to help protect you against scams." LOL

My credit card is disputing the charge.They are so suportive and I saved every e-mail and I documented every conversation with those "BLANK bags from the tv dealership and faxed it all to my credit cards Fraud and legal department.

The tv dealer sent me an e-mail 4 days ago saying they have stopped the order and would refund me..nothing has been refunded as of June 15,2005.

Thankyou ALL for your support here at this forum.I don't feel so alone in this. :bowdown:

The entire forum is behind you on this. Keep us posted.

Plus I learned my listen..I'll stick to useing companies who I'm familiar with..like Circuit City or maybe Best Buy..though Best Buy got a 1.5 rating out of ten for customer satisfaction on the Better Business Bureau website..well ,maybe I won't buy from Best Buy.

Don't be afraid of BB,,,they offer great products at great prices, plus they still maintain a storefront,,,,,now if we could get them to drop those silly rebates,,,,

Don't be afraid of BB,,,they offer great products at great prices, plus they still maintain a storefront,,,,,now if we could get them to drop those silly rebates,,,,
The reason I prefer BB to CC or the other mass market stores is that (to my knowledge) BB staff are not on commission so they tend to leave you alone when browsing.....

Good point JA,,but as hard as they push their "service plans" they have to have some incentive. We were in BB about 2 years ago trying to decide on a new TV when the salesman approached us. When I inquired about the tv,,his immediate response was that the price on their service plan was lower than the other tv we were looking at. That sold it right there,,,I went to Sears and bought the same Sony for the same price.

I was at Circuit city's store 3 years ago and they were'nt all over me.
I found out that they don't work on commission anymore either..just like Best Buy.UNLESS CC is back on commission again.

Well, maybe I'll try them again....except they don't sell Toshiba!

I went to pricegrabber.com and looked for the lowest priced SONY 30 inch TV- Model KD-30XS955. But the price was so reasonable from this website caled Editors Choice. The company also goes by the name LGD Superstore..or LDG Superstore.

Your "favorite store" is in the news now, taking quite the richly deserved beating. Now called "PriceRitePhoto" or "PricesRite" or other combinations of the name.

The public beat-down:
http://www.digg.com/links/Apology_Letter_From_Ed_Lopez,_Owner_of_PriceRitePh oto

Here is their new name found on the same deal site (nexttag) that I mentioned in an earlier post:
http://www.pricesrite.com/kd34xbr960.html

Editor's Choice is gone, of course. Evidently, it got a bad reputation. :confused:

Editor's Choice is gone, of course. Evidently, it got a bad reputation. :confused:
http://store.edschoice.net/

I stand corrected.

I often recommend people to check pricegrabber.com and a few other price search engines, but I always assume they would use their better judgment in choosing the store! Buying from a no-name outlet is always asking for trouble! At least read the user reviews of the stores! To go simply by who offers the cheapest price is just dumb. You get what you pay for, too good to be true, etc. - all those apply. Alot of times, those no-name stores are just little shacks selling gry market or refurbished goods. If one no-name place is offering an item at significantly less than everyone else, it should raise eyebrows. I buy online to avoid taxes (a few hundred in you buy an HDTV). Some places even throw in free shipping. But the key is to use your judgment as to what is legitimate and what is not. Most likely, stick with the big names like Amazon, Crutchfield, etc.

Without a CNet certification I won't go near an online dealer. But don't worry your best defense is your cc co. If anything you want it on your card just for the insurance purposes. Amazing how internet ripp offs and bait and switchers still stay in bizz. I say burn'em all down!!

I've always purchased everything from Crutchfield. Some of the other posters on this forum may not like C-Field's prices, but they really are quite competitive with brick and mortar shops.

Nothing beats buying from an authorized retailer, whether it be C-Field, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. If you purchase through them, the warranties are always good. I've purchased tons of new and refurbished goods through C-Field. I've never had a problem with any of their stuff. On top of that, they provide their own warranty on refurbished goods, which mirrors the original manufacturer's warranty. I purchased a set of piano-black lacquer-finished speakers that supposedly had a flaw. When I got them, the "flaw" was a minute scratch on the clear coat in back of one of the cabinets, which you only saw when the light hit it a certain way. I saved over a hundred bucks off the MSRP that way, and you wouldn't have been able to tell these things were considered "damaged' unless I showed you. Bottom line: I've never been disappointed with C-Field. If you choose to speak with their reps, their knowledge of products is astounding. They are never pushy, and never try to sell you something you don't need.

On the other hand, sure, you could conceivably save a few hundred bucks shopping online. But then you run into the scenario you described above. Me personally, I'm not a super rich person by any stretch of the imagination, but I would rather dish out the extra dough and have the piece of mind that no one is going to change the rules of the game midway through the fourth quarter. If my TV/DVD player/receiver/speaker conks out, I can return it no questions asked and not have to worry about some ridiculous fine-print store policy that mysteriously appears after they've unloaded a product on me.

And jmccorm, I live in New York, and I can tell you that I have visited many of these places in person, and the salespeople there make used car dealers look like saints. Anyone who says you're libeling these places is someone who has never been to one of them, plain and simple. :D

I love crutchfield, I will gladly pay extra for the support and all around great service that they offer. I've ordered a many of things from that company and not once can I recall ever having a problem.

Crutchfield is quite good. In the past, my only knock on them were their prices, but they are very competitive now. And when I order from them, I know I'm getting a brand new product. I simply do not trust other online places I've ordered from, and I'll spend 30 minutes inspecting the tape to wrap the box, the wrinkles on the manuals, and the fresh plastic smell from an unopened box. I don't have to do it with Crutchfield. The no-tax and free shipping is like a 10% discount for me.

I've had good luck with OneCall...