Digital Corp.: Stay Away From This eBay Company

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young_fast_&_scientific

Active member
First off, i'm a first time poster here.


So before finding this message board, I was looking to pick up an HVX-200 and I was pretty much going into it blindly. I figured it was as easy as doing an eBay search and bidding on the cheapest offer I could find. Unfortunately, I decided to go with 'Digital Corp.', and their $3500 price point was definitely not worth the trouble.

When I called their 1-800 number to enquire about shipping insurance, I was suprised to hear a heavy brooklyn accent. But the auction said that Digital Corp. was based in Florida?? Oh well.

As I asked about shipping insurance, 'Joe' told me it'd be best if I upgraded my package to the pro package, which includes a bunch of accessories and...free air mail! This would mean i'd avoid a brokerage fee. He asked if I knew what that was, and luckily I did because he tried to tell me that it would cost me 400-500 bucks just for UPS to get the camera over the border. (i'm in Canada) So of course the package that's $700 more would work out best because there's no brokerage fee through air mail, and according to him, the package came with a battery and a charger that ISN'T INCLUDED WITH THE HVX.

Lie #1 - Brokerage Fee - I called UPS to get an estimate on what the fee would be. They said around $77. I guess Joe's 400-500 was a little high.

Lie #2 - The camera does in fact come with a battery and charger.


So while I was on the phone with UPS, I asked if they could give me a rough estimate for air mail on the package. They came up with approx. $160. I call Joe back and tell i'm i'll pass on the upgrade, but i'll choose airmail for the package I initially went with. He says 'Airmail will be $399.' What?? But UPS said 160? 'Well we charge $399.'

Truth #1 - Joe overcharges for air-mail.

I was very frustrated at this point. I felt like I was being strong armed into upgrading my package. So eventually I just decide I'll pay the brokerage fee and keep the package I bid on. Joe tells me that I need an address verified paypal account. I call paypal and make sure mine is verified, and they tell me it is. I call Joe back, and he says that even though it's verified, it will most likely come up as unverified for him due to the fact that I live in Canada.

Truth #2 - Canadian Paypal accounts on occassion come up un-verified in the US even if they are verified.

So Joe suggests I wire the money. This didn't sit well with me, but I guess it was the only option, seeing as my credit card didn't have a high enough limit. Joe emails me the wire transfer info. The address is to Florida, but it's under the mysterious name 'JOE ZERO'. Joe Zero??? What the **** is this, American Gladiators? Will 'Nitro' be taking care of my delivery?

At this point I say 'screw this'. Piece of mind is worth way more than a negative strike on eBay. I wasn't about to put 5 grand Canadian into a product being sold by a company that lies and swindles.

Eventually I purchased my HVX through a great place in Toronto called The DV Shop. (For a higher price. But great customer service.) Today I recieved my first reminder of payment for Digital Corp. I've emailed Joe, but he hasn't responded. I've learned a good lesson with all of this. NOBODY who says they're from Florida should have a Brooklyn accent.

DON'T SHOP DIGITAL CORP.
 
Thanks for taking the time to detail what this board repeatedly states:

Buy from a Panasonic Authorized dealer using the search mechanism at Panasonic's web site.
 
Unlike negative nancy I enjoyed the story. My friend and I were shopping for HVX long before we ever found this message board (full of smartasses, mind you). And we alsmost hopped onto USA Photo Nation which is another Crooklyn merchant. I emailed a friend and asked about the 2500 price, and he referred me to dvxuser and their dealings with scams and grey market. So then I started researching and settled on fullcompass and Shawn Tallard was excellent.


How the hell do you filmmakers justify smartass posts to people who just got here? What kind of welcome is that? See who can be the crabbiest? Most pretentious?

Like it or not, most new HVX owners will introduce themselves with their stories of crooklyn shops. Crooklyn shops advertise the lowest price and that's what everybody is looking for. The fact that HVX is targeted by scam artists is not household knowledge.
 
Thanks for your story.

A lot of ppl on here will say, "do not buy from them"
but never say why you shouldn't.

I appreciate your detailed story about D Corp.
 
The reasons are given in the sticky on where (and where not) to buy a camera. Of course nobody can be forced to read that thread or learn from it, but it's there for a reason.
 
This is all well understood. I'm not sure if you've noticed how many stickies these forums have. Its pretty ridiculous.

But of the two scenarios, which is more ridiculous?

#1 A new forum member misses that sticky?

#2 An old forum member becomes frustrated every time the issue is brought up and treats every new member as if he's the guy who's been posting the same thread all along?

I came very close to posting a similar story. I didn't, but the hopeless attitudes of some here make me wish I had. They're some of the only pleasant posts on this forum.
 
THoff, mcgeedigital, David S.,

Thanks for the warm welcome! My enthusiasm for further posting on this board has skyrocketed!

Anyways, the post wasn't intended for seasoned veterans like yourselves, who not only know their way around this site better but also have a much greater knowledge of this stuff in general. In fact, i'm not entirely sure why you didn't just skip the post all together. Maybe there should be an entire section for junior members to discuss issues that everyone else are now above?

Anyways, i've seen the question of eBay deals come up a number of times (from new people), so obviously the stickies at the top aren't for everyone. Just have some patience guys! Jeez.
 
Just to say, not everyone here is a miserable so-and-so, you will find lots of folks willing and able to help.
Welcome to the Forum
Cheers and Regards,
Dave
 
Knoxworth:

Very few people here are anything but polite, respectful, experienced and willing to help.

Some have been here two years or more patiently responding to all requests.

The question of who to buy from is basic. Something too good to be true usually isn't true. That's a basic tenet of life.

Glad to have your experiences here, but please stop all the negative characterizations.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome! My enthusiasm for further posting on this board has skyrocketed!
Click to expand...

I hope you get to enjoy telling happier stories in the future... Welcome.
 
yeh Knox, just chill. I read David's reply as genuine. He said thanks for stating in detail what the board has repeatedly stated. This was not a personal attack nor sarcasm as I saw it. It both acknowledged the post, thanked him, and reminded everyone reading it that the wheel has already been invented.
 
One of the problmes of written type is you cant read inflection in the "voice". Im surethere was no ill intentions in that response. EVerybody Chill....... Welcome YF&S... Glad you finally got a good experince buying the HVX.
 
Ming said:
yeh Knox, just chill. I read David's reply as genuine. He said thanks for stating in detail what the board has repeatedly stated. This was not a personal attack nor sarcasm as I saw it. It both acknowledged the post, thanked him, and reminded everyone reading it that the wheel has already been invented.
Click to expand...

That's what the intent was in any case.

Hard to see anything else from what I wrote.
 
David S.,

Sorry to mis-read your post.

Anyways, now that I have the camera, I hope to see some of you in the screen grabs and clips section of this forum in the near future!
 
Glad you posted.

While we VERY often tell people on these boards "DON'T USE AN UN-AUTHORIZED DEALER!!!," it's not often clear what the risks are. For a long time I assumed that I'd pay the 4,300 (that was the cheapest gray market I saw when I got an HVX200 years ago) and I'd just have a 50/50 chance or getting the camera or getting a wooden box with a paper cup and eyeglass lense attatched. It took one of Barry's post to explain how most greymarket scams work which is also what your story illusrates. It's not that they're always going to fun off with your money and head to Mexico (though that's still a possability). It's that the super low price is just to get you on the phone so suddenly they can charge you a huge amount for the battery, shipping, the lense (even though it's not detatchible!!!), so that eventually you pay about as much or more as you would at B&H but now you don't have a warrenty, authorized product key, or any security.
 
Yeah, I think DavidBeier hit it on the head by pointing out that it's not just about recieving an empty box.

I spent so much of my time only looking out for not getting completely ripped off and ending up empty handed that I didn't even really consider the many other ways that these companies will try and get your money.
 
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