Thedigitalhunter reviews

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.

A new site created through godaddy.com on December 2010.
At the bottom of their homepage they list numerous affiliations, including authorize.net, BBB, verified by Visa, etc. None of the links work. Not a good sign.
The site is sloppily put together, with portions taken verbatim from getitdigital.com and numerous typos. Their phone number area code is based in Florida, but good luck trying to figure out where they are located from their site.

They list a Cannon Rebel T1i (w/18-55mm + 55-200mm lens kits) for $529 on their site. You will not get this camera and lens' for this price, refurbished or new, you just wont, end of story.

If you try calling them they will most often be somewhat rude, and you always seem to get the same guy (not a good sign at all). They generally say it will take about 3-8 weeks (depends on product) to ship from JAPAN but then they try to sell you the "USA" version for $100+ more.

If you ask for a confirmation email, they will say okay and say they will send it (most likely within the next 24hrs). Don't be surprised if you never get that email. If you are persistent and hound them about it enough you might get it. (usually on your 3-4th try)

They have reviews posted on nextag and a couple other places (I think). They aren't BBB (Buero of Better Business...).

Web Sites do not get much fishier than this. I highly recommend you stay away from these guys. They are bad news, and they can't be up to anything good at all.

That is all.