RE: Buying electronic equipment " rules online"

[Danusmom]

 
In searching for the best price for a  video in a bag  system (hopefully with DVD capability as well) for our long trek to VA next month, I stubbled onto to this site which has " rules"  about buying electronic equipment online.  According to this site (I didn t check into the manufacturer s links he provided) many manufacturers do not honor warranties on their equipment if purchased online.  
 
 Has anyone run into a problem with this scenario?  I never thought about it being a problem until now.  Once I read --albeit, briefly-- through this site of " rules" , it did make sense that online selling of stolen or illegal electronic equipment could be extremely easy for con-artists.  Guess I ll stick with the sales at the local " brick & motar"  stores.
 
 Peace be with you all.

[wahoonc]

 Danusmom
Hey MOM, MOOOOOOOO![8D][]
 
 I buy electronic stuff online all the time[] like cow flashlights...other stuff too, digital cameras, computers pieces and parts, printers...boy wait till BB (beautiful bride) sees the credit card bill this month[&:][]. I think if you buy from a reputable source warranty shouldn t be a problem. I would not expect to purchase a " new"  product from somwhere unkown like E-bay and expect the manufacturer to warrant it, but if I buy something online from Wallymart, Best Buy, Circuit City, TigerDirect etc. unless it says there is no warranty I expect to have the full manufacturers warranty in affect. So far I have only had to return one item that I  purchased from Targus and the replaced it no questions asked.
 BTW our local Staples store will price match a legitimate online offer as long as you print it off and bring it in. But they do want to see how much the online guys are charging for shipping and handling. Can t blame them though, found what should have been a good deal on a digital camera online, but the company wanted to whack me for $28.00 shipping and handling...ended up ordering it from Wallymart...online...now if I could just order groceries online....[8D]
 
 Aaron[]

[labontefan]

 Danusmom
Hey Danusmom,
 
 I would be cautious about buying electronic gear online unless you know for sure the dealer is authorized. (And don t just take their word for it...go to the manufactuer s website and see if they are listed as an authorized dealer.)
 
 I work for a company that sells consumer electronics. We are authorized dealers for everything we sell. That means we buy direct from the manufacturer and all warranties are valid. I work in web sales and my primary job is to answer e-mail from customers. One question I constantly get is " will you match prices with reallycheap.com (or whatever)."  We don t match prices, but we try to give customers VALUE for their money.
 
 A lot of electronic goods that are sold online (especially cameras) are what s called " gray market"  goods. The products are purchased from the manufacturer, but they are purchased overseas and then brought into the U.S. for sale. What s the problem with this? Well, if the item was meant to be sold in Taiwan, then the warranty is valid in Taiwan. Yes, it has a manufacturer s warranty, but if you want to get it fixed, you ll have to send it back to Taiwan!  Make sure the product has a valid U.S. warranty, not just a valid warranty.
 
 Also, some retailers that have retail stores as well as Internet sites may be authorized to sell a certain brand in their store, but they re not authorized online retailers. Some manufacturers are really picky about selling stuff online.
 
 If the dealer is not an authorized dealer, you don t know where they got the merchandise. It may have been through some type of " middleman"  so the goods may be " seconds"  or " B"  merchandise. It may even be reconditioned.
 
 Some dealers may say that they re not authorized but that they will warranty the merchandise. That s good, but we all know how volatile the " dot.com"  business is. If you buy a Sony or Kenwood or JVC product, do you want it warrantied by the manufacturer who s been in business for a gazillion years, or by reallycheap.com who s been in business for three weeks. If your product breaks down during the 3rd year of a 5-year warranty, will the dot.com still be in business? Sony and Kenwood and JVC will!
 
 Based on a lot of stuff I ve read and my own experiences (as a shopper and as a retailer), here are some things I always look for:
 
 Make sure the company has a physical address. If it s just a PO Box, or no address is given, it may be someone drop-shipping out of their garage.
 
 Make sure they can be contacted by phone, preferably with a toll-free number.
 
 What is the company s return policy? Some only give you a few days, and you have to pay a restocking fee unless the item is defective. Some won t let you return certain items for any reason other than a manufacturer defect.
 
 Check the shipping costs. As wahoonc said, some make up their cheap prices with exorbitant shipping. (Nothing irritates me more than a website that makes you start the checkout procedure before they will even give you an estimate of what the shipping charges will be.)
 
 If they sell electronics, do they have any kind of tech support? Who can you call if you have a problem hooking it up or installing it?
 
 On the subject of authorized dealers and valid warranties, some sites sort of dance around the subject. Most authorized dealers will tell you right up front that they are, and they will give you a direct link to the manufacturer.
 
 Sorry to be so longwinded, but these unauthorized e-tailers that constantly undercut the business of legitimate online retailers is one of my pet peeves!!
 
 BTW, if you want to see an example of an online retailer that meets all my criteria, you can check out my employer s website here:
 
 http://www.crutchfield.com
 
 P.S. I have to brag a little bit since I do work in the Web Sales department! Our website was just named one of the " 50 Best Websites"  by Time Magazine!!
 
 http://www.time.com/time/techtime/200306/lifestyle.html
 

[Danusmom]

 labontefan
" labontefan" :
 
 Thank you so much for your reply!  Learnig from those " in the trenches"  is such a great way to hear both sides of the  coin .  Actually, I ve searched through Crutchfield s site....very nice equipment!  Unfortunately, they are out of our budget.  I did find some nice possibilities on circuitcity.com.  The real attractive feature is ordering the unit online, then going to the " brick & mortar"  store to pick it up.  Saves on delivery charges & I can refuse the item if it is not high enough quality.  There is a Circuit City ~2 to 3 miles from our house.
 
 The other possiblity is Overstock.com.  Never purchased electronic equipment from them.  However, the books, video tapes, CD s, etc. have all been in great condition even with some of them being sold as " used" .  Never had a problem with delivery or the products.  Yet, they aren t heavy electronic equipment either.
 
 This is one site which offered a " possibility" : http://autronics.site.yahoo.net/plvcpbg.html   Yet, I have never heard of this company.
 
 I ll take another look at Crutchfield s.  Thanks again for your input.
 
 Peace be with you all.
 

[SactoCampers]

 Danusmom
Danusmom,
 
 I have attempted to buy electronic equipment online from " cheap"  retailers and it ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth. For lower end items, I suppose the risk is minimal, but if they happen to send you the wrong product, it really becomes a hassle to repackage and send it back, wait for them to receive it, and then have them resend you the correct product.
 
 Labontefan s point about warrantees is correct. When I was looking for a high-end receiver that was in fact beyond my budget [], I looked at the online " cheap"  stores. I then contacted the manufacturer and low-and-behold they wouldn t honor the warranty unless it was an authorized dealer. Of course, many of these " cheap"  online sites claim to honor the manufacturers warranty in-house, but would you really trust them? For a $1k piece of equipment, I wasn t. For ~$400-$500 for what you are looking at, I think the risk is too high. I was fortunate and went to a nearby authorized hi-fi store and got an unblemished open box receiver that was more in my affordability range (sort of). Ended up being " cheaper"  than the " cheap"  online stores and I m fully covered.
 
 You might try going to the big name authorized electronics stores to see if you can find an open box video-in-a-bag. In summary, I haven t had great luck buying electronic equipment online, only average luck buying other stuff, and really bad luck trying to buy an electric scooter online. Sometimes it s not worth the hassle or risk, especially when you re spending a lot of money.
 
 Labontefan s employer, Crutchfield, is one of the few very reputable online/phone retailers. It s a great company, I just don t like their prices [&:][], except their clearance items are competitively priced. And since I m very familiar with home theater and video and don t install my car stereo equipment myself (too lazy), technical support doesn t have additional value for me. But it does to many people, which is why they are successful.
 

[wahoonc]

 Danusmom
Danusmom, and others[]
 
 Just got a new Canon Printer that I ordered online from ShopAmex (used my points) It came from Dynadirect.com Inc out of Newport News, VA. Just wanted to say the service so far has been outrageously great! Ordered it late on the the 6th and it delivered today the 9th. And the shipping was FREE![]
 Wasn t really expecting it until Friday or Monday.
 
 Aaron[]