We online price shop to find the best deal, and when Courtney Convry found the camera she'd been wanting for hundreds of dollars less, she thought she found a steal.
“Yes, it was awesome. I was excited,” said Convry.
The Fujifilm X-T2 typically runs around $1,500, but on JetCameras it’s $1,239. Convry selected the high-ranking site on Google and headed straight for the checkout. She then received an email to call customer service to finish processing the order. When she did, the representative started asking her about batteries and other accessories the site says are included.
“He kept saying, ‘Yes, we’ll package this. We’ll bundle this, you’ll save money that way it’ll be fine.’ And I believed him obviously. I was excited and I got an email and my price was $350 more and I was never told that on the phone. I was never told what they were going to charge my credit card and my jaw just dropped like what just happened?,” Convry said.
With a battery and charger, the price jumped back up to $1,500, not the deal she had in mind.
“They said it was sent, FedEx picked it up, and there was nothing they could do. And then the icing on the cake was there was nothing they could do but also they’re going to charge me a 15 percent [restocking] fee to return it, which is $350,” said Convry.
Convry's case is similar to other complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.
“It's not sold in whole, and so it's a bait-and-switch. In other words, I'm going to market it at a lower price, I'm going to ask you to buy it and when you receive it, I'm going to upsell you,” said Angie Barnett, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving greater Maryland. “So, you're paying hundreds more to make the camera work.”
The BBB site says the business is no longer operating, however, it appears to be fully functional.
Convry wants it exposed and shuttered.
“I was blinded by a good deal, I was excited. The website looked legitimate so I kind of went for it and I recommend everyone looking into what you’re buying. Don’t get overly excited, do some research,” she said.
Fortunately, Convry was able to get her money back by refusing the shipment and opening a case with her credit card company. She received a full refund within a few weeks.
ABC2 also called JetCameras and sent them an email, we're still waiting to hear back.
And ABC2’s Mallory Sofastaii spoke with the office space provider for JetCamera's listed location. She was told that JetCameras is not located there and is using the address without their permission.
