Cameras Online? How The Shysters Work

earlylate writes "How do certain photo and electronics dealers thrive despite widely-circulated warnings by unhappy customers? According to a new investigative website "many apparently separate and competing dealers are actually jointly owned and run" and "go to great lengths to conceal their locations and management." Further, some comparison-shopping sites "are in effect marketing partners with their affiliates," the very dealers they rate. There's a contest based on the suspicious "flood of similar, glowing reviews some dealers receive," as well as links to several sources of information and advice for the careful online shopper."

Comments

Re:Happens in real life, too.

[MrNougat]

Mod me down if you must, but the inference that two 'foreigners' at different stores were in cahoots against the shopper - only evidenced by one's use of a walkie-talkie and a language the shopper didn't understand - smacks of racism. I could be wrong, but that's certainly what it seems like based on what was posted.

While it's possible that both stores were owned and operated by the same person, there's nothing wrong with this. And there's nothing wrong with a store clerk using a walkie-talkie to get a price check on an item, even if the person he's getting a price check from is at a different store location.

I do agree that it was much easier in years past for stores that sell high-priced items to fudge pricing. Now that people are able to do their own research online instead of having to trust colleagues, drive around, or make innumerable phone calls, stores are less able to play games like that.