anne h.

I ordered a Panasonic TM900 Camcorder for $749 from Digital Hunter and was talked into buying a 8GB memory card for $199 along with other accessories. I was also told that the battery would be upgraded for an additional $99. Steve was a very slick salesman. He said that it was a special type of memory card. I thought that was a ridiculous price for a memory card, but made the mistake of ordering it anyway. I don't know how I could have been so stupid, but after doing some research online, I decided that I didn't want the memory card. It was 75 minutes later and I called back to cancel the memory card. Customer service told me that the order was written up as a package so a manager would have to call me back. The manager did not call me that day, Saturday they were closed, Sunday I did not hear from them so Monday I called them again. At that time I was told that the order was already mailed, but to call when I receive the order and they would give me a RMA # and I could return the memory card and be credited the $199.

The website states that if you "buy any camcorder or camera you get a soft case - $29.99 value, mini-tripod - $19.99 value, cleaning kit - $19.99 value, and screen protectors - $9.99 value." I did not receive any of these items.

Beware of the "60 day return policy – your satisfaction is our guarantee" stated on the website. In the email I received after placing my order there was different information that contradicted the 60 day return policy. The first email stated that returns are accepted within the 30 day period with a 10% restocking fee. The second email stated that returns within the 7 day period are accepted with a 10% restocking fee.

When the order arrived I called to return the memory card and Ben told me that it was not $199. He said it was $89 despite the fact that it was listed on the website at $349 and I could NOT just return the memory card. I also told him that I did not receive the upgraded battery, but Ben said that the VW-VBN130 was the upgrade and it would last for 5 hours. The VW-VBN130 is listed on the box as the supplied battery and according to the manual maximum continuous recording time is 1 hours 35 minutes. Ben said that I was wrong. When I charged the battery it gave me 1 hour and 35 minutes NOT the 5 hours he claimed. This was obviously a lie. There was also a special on the website that if you bought a battery you would receive a second battery free. That special was not honored.

I suggested returning ALL of the accessories that Steve had talked me into adding to my order and just keeping the camcorder. On the website the camcorder was $749 when I ordered it, reduced to $719 a week later and three weeks later it was listed at $689. I was told that the camera was really $899. Ben said the $749 model is an import and the menu is in Japanese. Steve, the salesperson, never disclosed this information when I told him I ordered the $749 camcorder and I don't think that this is accurate information since I can use the menu to change the language.

I decided to return the entire order (camera and accessories) and was told that there would be a 15% restocking fee. What had happened to the 10% stated in the two previous emails that they sent? I made the mistake of saying that I would not be filling out a favorable survey. Ben, the manager, yelled at me and stated the restocking fee had just increased to 40%! I was shocked at this increased restocking fee and he said "if I was going to give them a bad survey I was going to pay for it." I told him that this was a scam. Ben said that according to the law he could charge up to 50% for restocking. He continued to raise his voice and kept interrupting me when I tried to talk.

After 7 phone calls and spending 2 hours dealing with Ben, I was finally told that I could return the memory card and the $199 would be refunded to my account, but there was a catch. I had to fill out the surveys with 5 star ratings. After he saw that I had filled out the surveys, he would send the RMA# and would credit my account when the memory card was returned. I was BRIBED to give them a 5 star rating! How many other customers have been "strong armed" into rating this company high. I agreed to fill out the 5 stars ratings to get my credit. I also involved the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Finally, I did receive the $199 credit, but still had accessories that I would not use and had still spent $250 more than I had planned. I was not totally happy with the outcome, but at least I managed to recover $199 of the extra $450 that I had been charged.

After I had the credit, I resubmitted the surveys to reflect my experiences so others could have the full truth to make informed decisions. Ben obviously saw that I changed my surveys and called to ask why I had changed my surveys from 5 stars. I explained that I still had items that I didn't want. After a long discussion he agreed to send me RMA # so that I could return the unwanted items and receive the $250 credit. I sent the items back and have verification that they arrived on August 15. After a couple of weeks I contacted Ben asking where my credit was. In an email that I received July 18 it stated that "All refunds posted within 30 days of receipt of return" and in an email I received July 19 it stated "All refunds posted within 10-14 days of receipt of return." The first time I had the credit within two weeks. When I contacted Ben he replied "AS AGREED" YOU ARE A CHARACTER. JUST LIKE YOU WENT BACK ON YOU WORD, WHEN WE DID ACCOMMODATE YOUR REQUESTS, SO YOUR REFUND WILL POST IN THE APPROPRIATE TIME FRAME WHICH IS 45-60 BUSINESS DAYS."

It is now past the 60 days. I have emailed him to find out where my credit is, but as usual Ben has not replied. I would NOT recommend ordering anything from this UNREPUTABLE website.