I paid for a camera via the Camerabox website. I chose them because they claim that their cameras are “Not HK Import Like Simplyelectronic” and that they give a “Free 5 Year Warranty”. You will probably find these statements in one of their ads on most comparison sites. DON’T BE FOOLED.
Before telling my story I’d like to point out that I eventually called the Trading Standards Office in Oxford where Camerabox are based. the Trading Officer I spoke with was very aware of this company and confirmed that Camerabox do trade in grey imports. Whether their stock comes from HK or not they certainly try to convince you that what you buy from them is not an import.
Anyway, I made my purchase but didn’t receive a confirmation email from them. The following day I left a message for them to call me (they say they’ll call you back within the hour – they don’t). I finally got through to someone who told me not to worry that the item would be with me in the next few days and I would receive an email. I had paid for the item through paypal so I checked both my bank account and Paypal and the money had definitely been transferred. After 4 days with still no email I called again. I was told to send them an email and they would check paypal to confirm the money was in their account and they would email me back. The following day, with still no email I called to speak to a supervisor. The person who answered the phone (Chris Allen) said he was a supervisor. And how rude was he!! I have never been spoken to by a retailer like that in my life. He looked at my account and said that the money had definitely not been transferred. He refused point blank to even check their paypal account to see if the money was there saying “we’re not here to check our accounts – we’re here to sell cameras”. He refused to do anything more about it so I was left with the money not being in my account and Camerabox refusing to check their accounts to see if the money had indeed arrived. I contacted Paypal and they advised me to set up a dispute which I did. I wanted to let Camerabox know this was happening in case they “found” the money and posted my item. So I called and asked to speak with Chris Allen. He refused to speak to me or call me back. The person I spoke to (Thomas) asked for my order number which I didn’t have because I had no email correspondence from them. So he told me “if you don’t have an order number then you can’t have an order, so why are you bothering us? ” I’m sure his mother would be very proud of him!!!
I finally got my money back through paypal and bought another camera for only £5 more from a reputable site and the camera ISN’T AN IMPORT!!!
Although it is always tempting to buy from the cheapest source, the moral of this story is that it’s not – I should have read their feedback before purchasing from them. I urge you to do the same.
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