Tim Vasquez
EF5
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2003
- Messages
- 3,411
I went through the ResellerRatings.com website and did a purely unscientific survey to find what might be the worst electronics company out there to order from. I looked at only companies with 100+ reviews, and weighted them to give worse ratings to those with more reviews.
I recommend checking out the links to see the experience customers had with each of the companies. If you're planning on ordering any electronics before the spring season, this will give you an idea of what to expect if you're not careful. Fortunately there are a lot of good places out there to choose from.
So, without further adieu, here's the results:
5. The Digital Dog Out of business, New York City (archived website)
283 reviews averaging 0.97 on a scale of 1-10
This company has been out of business for four years; the website was taken over by graphics designers. The Digital Dog ratings show a lot of outright theft.
4. USA Photo Nation, New York City (website)
284 reviews averaging 0.75 on a scale of 1-10
The reviews show lots of the classic upselling. Here's their storefront if you want to drop by there. The place has a small but unfavorable BBB file.
3. EMS Computing Out of business, Gainesville, Florida (archived website)
508 reviews averaging 2.58 on a scale of 1-10
They went out of business in 2003 but stole a lot of money from people. It must have sucked to place an order and then see this on their website. One customer said " I tried filing with the BBB and I was e-mailed back saying that this is an "uncooperative company" and basically try someplace else." Other customers did some interesting digging and found a huge fraud ring, which got the attention of the Florida attorney general (but presumably nothing more).
2. Best Buy, Richfield, MN, national chain (website)
425 reviews averaging 2.03 on a scale of 1-10
Holy cow, a big box store made the list. Why? The latest reviews show a trail of store pickup screwups, rude employees, restocking fees, and botched inventory. One scary account shows that Best Buy somehow shipped to a customer's old address, which the customer saw on the order confirmation, and they refused to correct the mistake.
1. A&M Photo World, New York City (website)
594 reviews averaging 0.55 on a scale of 1-10
Somehow this company (whose BBB file shows it operates as Broadway Photo) picked up 586 reviews that averaged 0.55. According to my weighting scheme, this is more than double that of the second worst company. Reviews in the past week mention the usual: salesmen calling and trying to upsell, refused RMAs, on and on. The company's web site claims "we pride ourselves in providing the best and most courteous customer service possible"! And here's their storefront:

Caveat emptor!
I recommend checking out the links to see the experience customers had with each of the companies. If you're planning on ordering any electronics before the spring season, this will give you an idea of what to expect if you're not careful. Fortunately there are a lot of good places out there to choose from.
So, without further adieu, here's the results:
5. The Digital Dog Out of business, New York City (archived website)
283 reviews averaging 0.97 on a scale of 1-10
This company has been out of business for four years; the website was taken over by graphics designers. The Digital Dog ratings show a lot of outright theft.
4. USA Photo Nation, New York City (website)
284 reviews averaging 0.75 on a scale of 1-10
The reviews show lots of the classic upselling. Here's their storefront if you want to drop by there. The place has a small but unfavorable BBB file.
3. EMS Computing Out of business, Gainesville, Florida (archived website)
508 reviews averaging 2.58 on a scale of 1-10
They went out of business in 2003 but stole a lot of money from people. It must have sucked to place an order and then see this on their website. One customer said " I tried filing with the BBB and I was e-mailed back saying that this is an "uncooperative company" and basically try someplace else." Other customers did some interesting digging and found a huge fraud ring, which got the attention of the Florida attorney general (but presumably nothing more).
2. Best Buy, Richfield, MN, national chain (website)
425 reviews averaging 2.03 on a scale of 1-10
Holy cow, a big box store made the list. Why? The latest reviews show a trail of store pickup screwups, rude employees, restocking fees, and botched inventory. One scary account shows that Best Buy somehow shipped to a customer's old address, which the customer saw on the order confirmation, and they refused to correct the mistake.
1. A&M Photo World, New York City (website)
594 reviews averaging 0.55 on a scale of 1-10
Somehow this company (whose BBB file shows it operates as Broadway Photo) picked up 586 reviews that averaged 0.55. According to my weighting scheme, this is more than double that of the second worst company. Reviews in the past week mention the usual: salesmen calling and trying to upsell, refused RMAs, on and on. The company's web site claims "we pride ourselves in providing the best and most courteous customer service possible"! And here's their storefront:

Caveat emptor!