Our saga began yesterday, when my husband Dave and I decided it was time to purchase some photography equipment.We needed to purchase both a new Video Camera and a digital camera as well. We are attending an important family event in a couple weeks and “absolutely have to have” the best quality equipment that we can afford. We’ve been putting off this important purchase for some time now, because we really didn’t know which products would provide us with the level of quality that we desire. It’s fairly obvious… we are amateurs when it come to purchasing photography equipment!

We wanted a video camera that was compact, easy to use, and was capable of recording both quality video and audio. We also wanted a digital camera that would allow us to capture portrait, scenic and action shots. As I’m sure you already know, it’s very difficult to make decisions to purchase items that you really haven’t seen or held! What should we do? There were so many choices and so many different options.

We decided to call on family for help…Dad, what do you know about Sony, Panasonic, JVC? Dad came to the rescue with the latest Photography magazines which provided us with mountains of information. Wow, now which one do we choose? In our “Quest for the Best”, we decided to visit the local Best Buy and Circuit City stores because we wanted to “see” and “feel” at least some of the products that were available. Maybe the Sales Associates could provide us with some additional information….Logical and sensible you might think, but this was just the beginning of our saga…

In our quest, we failed to recognize the pitfalls of emotional buying. There is always a better model with higher quality video and better quality audio. The Sales Associates in Best Buy (at least 4 of them) asked us repeatedly if they could assist us, and when we stated that we were “just looking”, they rapidly disappeared into the sunset. I know Sales Associates need to sell product, but has anyone ever heard of sharing information with the customer? Instead of circling potential buyers like hungry Piranha, perhaps asking a question like, ” I see you are looking at the Olympus 410. It is a really good camera for shooting wildlife photos. It received 4 star ratings etc”…I believe this technique is called establishing a relationship with the potential customer. Sharing some information and establishing trust. It takes time…ahhh, perhaps that’s the key. Time. Not the quick fix, immediate gratification purchase. No quick sales commission. Taking the time to really help the consumer decide on the right product. Perhaps that doesn’t have the right look or feel to some of those industrious Sales Associates. I’m not faulting them…they need to SELL PRODUCT NOW!

Ultimately, the responsibility remains with the consumer to research important purchases. Unfortunately we felt unsure because we had not done our homework and now we felt pressured to Buy, Buy, Buy! We left Best Buy feeling more lost than when we entered. Now what? “There’s a circuit City down the street”, I said. “Perhaps, they will be more helpful.” Hmmm…How many times can you be wrong in one day?

We entered Circuit City and immediately encountered the same treatment. I noticed that the Sales Staff was barely old enough to obtain working papers. What is that about? Oh,wait…I seem to remember hearing about Circuit City terminating the employment of all of their experienced sales staff. What would compel them to do something like that? We looked at all of the photography equipment and gathered as much information as we could. We looked at new and “Open Box” items. “Open Box” items. What does that mean?

When we interrogated the helpful Sales Associates, they stated that, “Open box items were products that had been slightly used, and/or were returned by customer. Perhaps the customer had changed their minds. Open box items still carried the original manufacturers warrantee. If anything was wrong with the product, you could always return it for a full refund.” Interesting, and based on what we learned, there were several Open Box items that seemed to be great values. We exercised great restraint and said we wanted to “go home and think about it.” “Don’t wait too long if you are seriously considering a purchase…they go fast”, we were told. Has this ever happened to any of you? Hmmmm…warning Will Robinson. Do you guys remember Will Robinson?

Now because we are Good Guys and because we wanted to do some research prior to making the big purchase, we decided to go home and do what we do best. We searched and researched. Well, needless to say we ended up with a couple amusing stories and a lot of advice on what NOT TO DO when you are trying to purchase photography equipment.

We originally decided to look online @ Circuit City .com . The price in the weekly sales ads were great.The price was discounted by $75.00 from the in store price, if you ordered online. Tip number 1: If you are online and see an item at a good price on Saturday, order it immediately. We decided to order the Olympus 410….but not till Sunday. Sale over. The item was still discounted, but by $65.00 not $75.00. We could opt to have the item shipped or could pick it up at the store. We decided to pick it up. WRONG. The item was not available for pickup in any store. Oh well, we were really stupid for not ordering on Saturday. It was still a good bargain. Lets order it anyway. Tip number 2: This is a great example of what NOT TO DO.

Now, we needed to choose a Video camera. We decided to go back to Circuit City and purchase an Open Box item. Tip number 3: Don’t do it! We bought a Sony 505 Video camera for $293.00. It was “slightly used” but appeared to be in good condition. The cables, remote, manuals, battery charger, and warranty were enclosed within the box. Ecstatic with our purchase and great bargain, we began to drive home. Opps, Circuit City forgot the battery for the camera. All cameras come with a battery. The manual says it comes with a battery!

We need to go back… Back to the store immediately! Being a Good Guy, I couldn’t imagine that an establishment like Circuit City wouldn’t provide all of the necessary items to actually operate the camera. ” Excuse me,” I politely state,”I just purchased this camera and you forgot to enclose the battery.” The Sales Associate looked puzzled,”Sorry Ma’am, but it’s an Open Box item and it doesn’t come with a battery.” I glared at him. “Of course it comes with a battery, all video cameras come with a battery! If I need to purchase a battery, this item is not worth the purchase,” I emphatically state. My blood began to boil and I became increasingly angry. “I need to speak with the manager immediately!” I stated. By now, several customers in the store began to stare and I knew that I had an interested audience. “I can purchase a brand new camera for less than this open box item,” I stated. “This is false advertising. You didn’t disclose that the battery was not included. Batteries cost between $60 and $70 dollars and this is unethical treatment!” ” Why don’t I escort you to customer service,”the nervous Sales Associate stated.” I’ll get the manager for you immediately!”

The manager was slow to respond (what a surprise!) and when I stated that Circuit City was, “falsely advertising a product,” I was told “Ma’am, It’s an Open box item”. That just irritated me…

Needless to say I returned the item and rushed home to cancel my Internet order for the $650 camera. I will tell as many folks as I can about the pitfalls of shopping in Circuit City. Circuit City lost a $950 – $1,000 sale through stupidity, arrogance and lack of customer service. And I’m not finished yet! I will NEVER shop in Circuit City again, and neither will my friends, family or I hope anyone who reads this article. They used deceitful sales tactics just to make a sale. They certainly did not care about customer service or satisfaction.

On a positive note to this saga, we were able to purchase an Olympus E510 from Amazon.com for the same price that we would have paid for the 410 from the Circuit City store. The camera is a step up from our original purchase. The purchase was easy, and we received the merchandise in 2 days. We received exactly what we ordered without any hassle. I love Amazon…they deliver what is promised and it’s hard to find better bargains. We were also able to purchase a really nice JVC Everio GGZMG255 Video camera from B & H. We researched the merchandise that B & H supplies and found it to be top notch. We paid $419, which is about half of what the camera retailed for 6 months ago. The camera is compact, easy to use and downloads pictures onto the computer via USB. Hassle free. I am impressed by B & H. Again, the purchase was easy and the merchandise arrived in two days. Exactly as promised.

Good Guys love the online availability and great values offered by Amazon and B & H. Think twice before you purchase from large chains like Circuit City and Buyer Beware!