Beware of Avalon Gadgets...

2004-09-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

CRIMINAL-CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT TBA 2004
by judgelaw,May 20 '04

Bait and Switch. They post "in-stock" and "lowest price", then send you a REPLACEMENT item! They hide the text about the "bait and switch" REPLACEMENT within manufacturers specifications. Fraud, Deceptive and BS.

SLEAZY!!by onslowdoggie,Aug 06 '04

Ordered Canon digital camera online. After accepting order they called me and said that, since the camera kit didn't come with the flash memory card did I want to BUY one. Huh? They claimed that since their description included the words 'OEM' I had to buy the damn card separately. Every other online vendor INCLUDED the memory card in their price. When I tried to cancel the order they pointed to the NO ORDER CANCELLATION policy on their website. In short, if you deal with Avalon Gadgets you'd better carefully read their fine print. Better yet, don't deal with these crooks at all

2/7/04 9:20 PM
You'd better think twice before doing business with this company. I ordered a digital camera from them, and when I received my credit card statement from them, the charge was for an additional $10.00. You cannot reach them by phone, so I emailed them and inquired about the charge. They said it was for giving them the wrong security code from the back of my credit card. I replied that I have a printout of the confirmation page from their website at the time of the order, and it clearly shows the code I gave them which is the correct code. They wouldn't answer my email until I emailed them again, asking for them to credit me my $10 overcharge. They answered back that there was nothing they could do. This was their response: "As we explained to you in our previous e-mails, the $10 fee was charged due to the incorrect information provided on the order. We can not remove nor wave that fee." I have even offered to fax them a copy of the confirmation page.

Horrible. Dishonest sellers. Beware!!by mhilo, Dec 28 '03

These guys are what make the Internet a shady place to shop. I bought a refurbished DVD/CD player. It arrived in non-working condition. I contacted them and they told me I could replace it by purchasing a new one for $49 dollars more plus $21 ...

One of the Worst Online Shopping Experiences I've Ever Had
by milnerg, Dec 13 '03

I would under no circumstances recommend buying from Avalon. If you're reading this, there's a good chance that Avalon is quoting you the best price on whatever you're looking for, but seriously--turn back now. It isn't worth it. I bought a refurbished ...

WORST ONLINE VENDOR AT WHICH I HAVE EVER SHOPPED
by st42snail, Oct 22 '03

Avalon Gadgets is extremely shady! Do not do business with them. They pull a classic bait-and-switch tactic by advertising one price and then upping their total price by fabricating extra fees after the transaction has been completed. I received an e ...

Terrible Customer service - beware!
by swarfare, Dec 22 '03

My wife purchased, as a gift for me, a universal remote controller from Avalon Gadgets. When it arrived, it was not in working condition. I contacted Avalon Gadgets about the problem, and they said they would exchange the item…but I would be re-charged ...

Buyer Beware - hidden charges
by tim_p,Nov 16 '03

Beware of trumped up shipping charges. Web page states: $22.95 for shipping and I ended up being charged $44.67 on a $55.32 3lb item (total of $99.99). They argue the differences was the actual shipping costs. They may have had the cheapest prices, but they just added it into the shipping costs (plus they more than happy to send the item out without informing you of these charges).

Buyer beware. Sold me a REFURBISHED model that they said was new.
by strigouli,Dec 17 '03

Buyer beware! I purchased a NEW Sony DSC-P72 digital camera from Avalon Gadgets, but I received a REFURBISHED model. When I tried to contact customer support, which can only be done by email for some reason, they refused to respond. This company is extremely shady. I suggest looking elsewhere.

worst online shopping experience ever! Stay away from Avalon Gadgets!
by cmadier,Jan 23 '04
(Show)
Please stay away from Avalon Gadgets! They may offer attractive prices, but it’s definitely not worth it as you may end up paying twice for the product!!
After Christmas, I bought a portable DVD player PDV-0800 from Avalon Gadgets. When I received it, the player did not work at all. I emailed them within the 7 days period and they asked me to deal directly with the manufacturer, who advised me to return it to Avalon Gadget for an exchange. Avalon Gadgets finally agreed to exchange it, but said they would have to charge me for the new product, but would reimburse me once they receive the defective product. Fine. So I shipped it back in its original packaging with a UPS label provided by Avalon Gadgets and they shipped me a replacement product in the meantime. Then they told me they received an empty box! The way they presented and handled the problem was extremely unprofessional and the Managing Director (himself) called me a liar! An investigation is in progress, but at this point, it’s only my good faith against them. So, please stay away from Avalon Gadgets!

Dishonest price quotes
by paulbignoze,Jul 22 '04

Beware, Avalon Gadgets is a dishonest dealer, you will not know the true price of the item until the charge shows up on your credit card. When buying a digital camera, I was given a price on their website and in a confirmation e-mail. Then I was charged an additional $20 in taxes, but was never given the full price until it showed up on my credit card.

Also they have NO concept of customer service: after I ordered my camera they sent me an e-mail telling ME to call them about my order. When I called (long distance), the socially inept man on the phone wanted me to buy extra items, such as a memory card, rechargeable batteries, etc. Incredibly lame!

Ripped Off -- Product Not Delivered
by jonmm,Apr 11 '04

I placed an order for a set of wireless headphones for about $60. Later that day I received a UPS tracking number and a delivery estimate of 7-10 days. UPS ground shipments from the west coast normally take four days to reach me, so that sounded reasonable.

My credit card was charged immediately. The UPS tracking number said they could verify billing, but could not track the shipment. I inquired nine days after placing the order and was told by Ross, "The order is in transit". Fourteen days after placing the order I inquired again and did not receive a reply. On the fifteenth day I advised them I was reversing charges, and still received no reply.

My bank is in the process of reversing the charges now.

In my opinion, no one should risk doing business with them.

Re: $434.79 down the drain Revisited.

April 20, 2004

Update of Skoglund letter posted below on April 17, 2004.

I wrote to some friends who are elected officials and also mentioned on my Public Radio program that Avalon Gadgets had sent me used and defective merchandise, and that it looked like I had been taken for over $400.

Probably because he had received a letter or phone call from my Congressman or the Maine Attorney General, Ross, who appears to be the owner and sole employee of Avalon Gadgets, called me and, after some negotiation, offered to refund my money for the second-hand Minolta Dimage XT camera kit and inoperative memory chip (+$100). But I would still have to pay his exorbitantly inflated $46.74 shipping charge. I’m presently waiting for a legal opinion from the Maine Attorney General, because from what I read in the letters posted below, a promise by Avalon Gadgets to refund money for faulty merchandise would probably be broken.

Ross gives me his address as:

Avalon Gadgets
6512 20th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11204

When Ross called me, he told me that he had not received my earlier letters for help because there were two men named Ross working there and that he was the one in shipping.

Until a check for $434.79 from Avalon Gadgets clears in my checking account, I’m going to invest some time and perhaps twice that much money to find out what I can about them and their business. I’m also featuring Avalon Gadgets in a special radio program on Consumer Fraud which will hopefully introduce people to intelligent online shopping.

I hope that while investigating Avalon Gadgets, The New York State Attorney General asks Ross to provide a list of his suppliers. Who are these eager merchants who load his shelves with all of the expensive but often defective second-hand merchandise that I bought and that we read about in the letters below?

His suppliers might well be the same people who wrote the fraudulent letters that praise his business.

If you have done business with Avalon Gadgets, Eliot Spitzer would probably like to hear what you have to say:

Eliot Spitzer, State of New York Attorney General
Regional Office
55 Hansen Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217-1523
(718) 722-3949

Eliot Spitzer, State of New York Attorney General
Executive Office
Albany, NY 12224-0341
(518) 474-7330

You might also find these addresses to be of interest:

The National Consumer Complaint Center
The National Consumer Complaint Center is offered to provide a method for consumers to promptly and directly communicating their complaints to United States government agencies that are interested in investigating and taking action for consumers.

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center
IFCC's mission is to address fraud committed over the Internet. For victims of Internet fraud, IFCC provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation.

Thank you resellerratings for making this forum available.

Robert Skoglund
http://www.TheHumbleFarmer.com

4/11/04 8:32 AM (1 of 1 users found this review helpful)
Did not receive merchandise. Sales rep claimed order was "in transit" but it never arrived. After three weeks, I reversed the charges.

Update -- A week later, they sent a replacement even though I told them not to, then threatened to charge me $35 reversal fee and send it to collections. They also lied and claimed this was in their Terms of Service.

I am reporting them to the Arizona Better Business Bureau.

2/5/04 4:17 PM (1 of 1 users found this review helpful)
The merchandise arrived in its original box, retaped as if previously opened, with no outer packaging or other protection. It was defective and the company has refused to respond to all inquiries regarding replacement or return. My credit card charge was $9 higher than my order total. Again no response from the company to my requests for an adjustment.

7/27/04 8:35 PM
Bought new digital camera, refurbished one was shipped.

1. Number of scratches on the camera’s body.
2. Clear signs of refurbishing on the camera body.
3. 8mb SD card (originally provided by manufacturer 16 mb card).
4. If to examine battery compartment signs of previous use visible.
5. Optics was cleaned (not well).
6. Screen was cleaned and scratched.
7. Absence of original packaging (OEM packaging I am talking about).

Truth

Beware of Avalon Gadgets...