Marta Z.

6 DAYS after receiving the camera during the Christmas holidays and after trying to register its warranty with Canon and being told by Canon's official helpline that the serial number is not recognised by them, we contacted the seller and he is angrily refusing a return and a refund.

We received the camera 7 days after purchasing it by Royal Mail, not DPD, and when we attempted a return 6 days later we realised his 'no quibble' 14 day return promise is a lie as he will not accept a return no matter what. This is in breach of consumer rights law.

We received the camera in a damaged box with no seal and with a sticky, dirty patch on the lid as if a contents list sticker had been removed. There was no CD-Rom software in the box and Canon told us that all their products come with it as we already knew from our previous Canon purchases from other retailers. Upon questioning, this seller said they remove all the CD-Roms from the boxes because the discs are of date. Weird: we still rather have all the components, even if the software is out of date, than items strangely missing and the original product and box having been tampered with.

Second red flag: things inside the box looked repacked which made us think it might be a previous return or an ex-display item. We tried a couple of shots and at least we saw the camera was functioning.

Third red flag: after the Christmas holidays we contacted Canon to register the warranty with them but the serial number is not recognised and it is actually non-compliant with EU Canon products. In this situation (i. E. an import camera), Canon warned us that a warranty would be valid for 1 year, not 2 as claimed on seller's website.

Fourth red flag: we checked the real name of NEXTDADEAL.com with Company's House and they are not a currently trading company but a dormant company which raises an entire new minefield of potential problems and alarm bells regarding product aftercare, etc.

Fifth red flag: we contacted the seller feeling hugely uncomfortable with the number of irregular issues found. We asked him if he is selling grey stock but he has not given us an answer yet. Instead, he talks over you as he doesn't want to hear your more than legitimate points of concern and reasons why, as a consumer, you want to request a return. He simply shouts at you in the most unprofessional manner as he clearly has no logical justification for his odd trading practices and standards.

As stated, he is now refusing a return to us just 6 days after delivery but he keeps on changing his reason why he will not accept it:

REASON 1: he asked how many shutter clicks we had carried out on the camera because after clicking the shutter it is not regarded as new any more. We explained that we only clicked to see if the camera was actually in working order after receiving it in a damaged, unsealed box that didn't look new. However, we have not USED the camera and it hasn't left our home. Nevertheless, clicking on the camera shutter counts for this individual as not new anymore (he refused to specify how many clicks render a camera not new, he seemed to want to hear a figure from us first to then say that that was a number beyond what he would accept for a return). For about 40 minutes on the phone, he became fixated with the SHUTTER CLICKS, which made us think that this is what HE uses to check how much the cameras he sources and stocks have been previously been used. We explained it was only a handful of clicks, less than 30. Which led to:

REASON 2: he would now not accept a return because, according to him, we only purchased the camera to test it. First, that is the most ridiculous thing to say (you dont spend £450 to test a camera, you go to a high street shop without having to spend any money first to test a product without the obligation to buy) and second, we had already used that Canon model before (we own 5 Canon cameras) and didn't need a test. We only tested if it was working as this particular item looked not new and it was not an unsealed product as you get from a newly factory packed camera.

He then moved on to REASON 3: he would not accept a return now because we had changed our mind about the camera. No, alas, we have not changed our mind, we still want that camera model and we will be paying a bit more to purchase it from John Lewis as soon as he has issued our returns note and we can send it back to him. What we don't want is the one he sent to us in a damaged box, without all the components and without an EU compliant serial number. It is not brand new and it is not as described, that is our reason why.

Under consumer law and by obligation from this seller's own promise to customers, we are entitled to an honest return and full refund of an unused product returned to them in the condition it was received in. Yet he is refusing for all kinds of outlandish reasons, simply making them up as he goes along.

Beware, he may sound polite and accommodating on a pre-sales phone call as he did when he spoke to me reassuring me that a return within 14 days was not a problem at all if needed. Post-sales it is a totally different story, you will be left out of cash with a dodgy product and spending days trying to get a lawless retailer to comply with his legal obligations. We have seen his replies to other negative reviews where he accuses customers trying to exercise their consumer rights of attempting extortion on him, when the only person guilty of extortion and manipulation is himself.

This is a scam. I started filling in form on their site as it was the first that came up in google search and realised that it was a non-official, dodgy site. Got out straightaway. They still went on to apply -with only half the details required- for an ESTA for a school trip for a child that has invalidated my own application for my own child. These individuals HAVE TO be sued and convicted. I never even pressed "Confirm" and "Submit" to allow them to proceed. Illegal and legal action will be taken.

Plus Google are not only permitting this scam but endorsing and encouraging it. Not sure how long it will take but they will both be held accountable for this.