Wawa Digital?

[nonilley]

http://store.wawadigital.net/

Has anyone ordered from them?

Do they look like a reputable business to order from?
Thanks.

[nonilley]

Is it odd that someone called my housing after I ordered to ask me my shipping/billing address just to make sure I hadn't stolen a credit card? Then proceeded hang up fairly briefly after that.

[TheObiJuan]

you should always go to http://resellerratings.com first. Mention it to everyone you know. It will save many others time and money.

[Bluedog]

Good advice Obijuan and as for that Wawa Digital has a Lifetime Rating: 0.56 > :eek: < thats awful! ... The #1 gimmick is only having a yahoo email address for Customer Service.

[Rhys]

I wouldn't expect much from a business that uses Yahoo as a host or that works out of New York.

Domain Name.......... wawadigital.net
Creation Date........ 2004-12-30
Registration Date.... 2004-12-30
Expiry Date.......... 2005-12-30
Organisation Name.... Eric Anderson
Organisation Address. 295 ave o
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. brooklyn
Organisation Address. 11230
Organisation Address. NY
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES
Admin Name........... Eric Anderson
Admin Address........ 295 ave o
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ brooklyn
Admin Address........ 11230
Admin Address........ NY
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... wawadigital@yahoo.com

Admin Phone.......... 1.7186258596
Admin Fax............
Tech Name............ YahooDomains TechContact
Tech Address......... 701 First Ave.
Tech Address.........
Tech Address......... Sunnyvale
Tech Address......... 94089
Tech Address......... CA
Tech Address......... UNITED STATES
Tech Email........... domain.tech@YAHOO-INC.COM

Tech Phone........... 1.6198813096
Tech Fax............. 1.6198813010
Name Server.......... yns1.yahoo.com
Name Server.......... yns2.yahoo.com

[nonilley]

Yeah I "cancelled" my order by cancelling my credit card just in case.

How did you get that information? Rhvs, almost typed RVHS cus that was my High school

[Bluedog]

SamSpade.org can tell you a lot about a domain name or IP address. Just right click and copy the www.stuff to SamSpade digger: Like this (http://www.samspade.org/t/lookat?a=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.wawadigital.net%2F)

[Rhys]

SamSpade.org can tell you a lot about a domain name or IP address. Just right click and copy the www.stuff to SamSpade digger: Like this (http://www.samspade.org/t/lookat?a=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.wawadigital.net%2F)

Aha. Another samspade user. Actually, I also use domain name registration bodies when samspade fails, checking arin, ripe and a few others, manually.

[fightback]

Also check out the flood of bad reports on Wawa Digital on Cnet and on Ripoffs.com.

Beware, they're bad news!

Today before reading the dcresource, Ripoffs.com and CNet forum boards, I was about to push the submit order button for a camera from WAWA DIGITAL w/ all my credit card and personal info, when I had the caution to call Wawa Digital (no address or e-mail contact given) to gain assurance that the camera was new. The single digit IQ guy was a foreigner and was offended to be asked the question. He replied that everything they sell is new, so I asked if that means new in a sealed factory box. He said he wouldn't answer and, in retort to my asking why he couldn't give a polite answer, he made another rude statement. I asked where they were located and he snottily replied that it didn't matter. I told him he needed an attitude adjustment and hit the cancel button. I strongly suggest you do the same.

Perhaps they are not US based and are using the NYC storefront as a front. No doubt they are not factory authorized dealers for anything. This could mean that they might sell a non-USA version camera with no warranty. I checked w/ Fuji and was told Wawa is NOT an authorized dealer, hence no warranty.

Reports detail profanity, hard selling of accessories to release a camera order, and abusiveness. No poster has said they actually received any camera! The Wawa people are louts. Did I mention the danger of credit card scamming?

:eek:

[currahee_2506]

Same experience just a few minutes ago. The guy told me that "I could care less what you do" after I informed him I would take every measure I could to inform others. I had ordered a camera through their site thinking that it was new. Their repersentative called two days later and asked me what kind of warranty I would like. I told him that the factory warranty was sufficient and he informed me that I had bought a refurbished camera and that there is no mandate to state this fact on their advertising. DO NOT BUY FROM WAWA! From their accents (I spoke with two different persons) they sound like they are middle eastern - likely Yemeni. They're probably building up their bank accounts, with our own money, to fund more terrorists.

[veverka]

Someone I know ordered a camera from them, and they called him saying that the battery it came with wasn't rechargeable and would only last 30 minutes. They tried to get him to buy a $100 NiMH. Crooks! The main reason they called was because his credit card transaction was blocked by the bank, because they thought it might be a fruadulent purchase. At least that was the story.

http://www.epinions.com/pr-Online_Stores_Services-WAWA_Digital

see, very bad!

[joann71]

I also ordered a camera from wawa digital. Thought I ordered new and it was refurbished. When I received the camera the battery and software were missing. I called them and yelled so they sent me a battery, but I had to get the software from jvc. I have put in a complaint with the Ct. Attorney General a few days ago. I sent them a copy of the web pages, invoice, pages from the manual. I said in my complaint that this was either bait and switch or just plain fraud. The person I talked to is James and he got angry with me on more than one occassion so I gave up yelling at him and made my complaint to the Atty. General of Ct. I saw the other complaints on this web site and thought I could include them in the complaint if that is ok. Please email me at joann@rhctv.org with any other complaints. Maybe if there is enough of them something can be done.

Joann Hagglund
joann@rhctv.org

[ktixx]

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14677

For future purchases, check the thread above, it isn't all inclusive, but it has a lot of the online retailers.

Good Luck
ken

[kragmire]

I tried to order a digital camera from these scum bags. Got called by their sales rep who tried to sell me accessories I didn't need. When I politely refused he said "you'll have your camera in a few days" and hung up the phone. Within ten minutes I received an email saying my order had been cancelled because the camera was out of stock.

Due to the shadiness of the whole experience, I went to the web to do more research. Imagine my horror when I read reviews on www.epinions.com or www.resellerratings.com about these guys making fraudulent credit card charges. I immediately called my credit card company and put my card on fraud alert (14 years with the same card and I have never yet had a fraudulent charge).

Well just like clockwork, I get a call from my credit card company today telling me that someone was trying to make international charges on my card. Fortunately we caught them in the act and they didn't get to charge my card. I am in the process of delivering a notarized statement to try to get these guys prosecuted.

I would HIGHLY recommend you go ANYWHERE else to do business.

[ktixx]

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller9573.html

[barryware]

Same story here... I ordered a camera because they had the best price. Then I got an e-mail to confirm my order. When I called it was explained to me that the camera was refurbished and new new one would be a bit more. I said I didn't see on the website that the camera was refurbished. I was told that the website didn't have to state it. I cancelled the order. 3 weeks later, my credit card is being used in the UK to purchase stuff. These guys need to be Prosecuted!

[h4ck]

wow.. two offensive posts in one thread..does anyone here proofread and think about what they are saying before they say it? I happen to live in NYC, what is wrong with doing business here? B&H is from here, Adorama, Alkit, K&M, etc.. never any problems...i have however been ripped off by some american asshole in North Dakota. these are pretty ignorant generalizations.

I wouldn't expect much from a business that uses Yahoo as a host or that works out of New York.

From their accents (I spoke with two different persons) they sound like they are middle eastern - likely Yemeni. They're probably building up their bank accounts, with our own money, to fund more terrorists.

[Scambuster1]

I am a retailer and so had the unfortunate experience of WAWA ordering a camera from me on eBay. I sent it USPS with signature confirmation and the USPS website clearly indicated that the scumbag owner personally signed for my $700 camera. The next day, he reverses the charge on the credit card he used so now he has my camera and my money.

I have written to the Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer's office about wawa several times with no response. Many people have done this I am sure. Yet the company still operates even though it is obvious that their real business is NOT cameras...it is the stealing and selling of credit card information.

IMHO the only way that these bastards have managed to stay in business for years, is that they must be tied to organized crime or at least, are paying off the right people.

I don't even care about my $700 so much anymore. I want this guy out of business and in prison where he belongs. These people screw every single person they come in contact with. STAY AWAY!

[Rhys]

I often wonder how much money paid for items on ebay and via dodgy internet retialers ends up in the hands of al-Quaida.

[Jrnytolife]

Live and learn. This weekend I did a web search for a Casio EX-750 to see if I could find it at discount prices because it's being discontinued. I found it for $206, well below what anyplace else was selling it for. I should have trusted my instincts -- the web site wasn't quite right. As a web developer student, I saw where there were rough edges; as someone else posted about there wasn't an address for the company, and when the e-mail confirming purchase came through, it said that I needed to call the company to confirm. That's the first time I've ever had to do that. Well, after years of buying items online, I became too complacent. From now on I will pay attention, and look up any unknown company for reviews first.

When I called to confirm, it said that their hours started out at 9:30 but it didn't state what time zone. When I called after 9:30 I was hung up on several times after being put on hold. The people I talked to seemed very unprofessional and I thought that maybe my new cell phone was dropping the line (this is the first day I've used it). Still, I was thinking "oh, well, this is how they can sell things so cheaply -- they don't have much overhead (with phone systems, with a good web app)". I did look at the URL when I purchased and it wasn't just an IP address.

Finally I was on the line long enough to talk to someone. I am never going to automatically trust a salesperson again. He said that he has the exact same camera himself and that it's the best and that I would be happy with it and asked how I chose it. Well, I read the reviews, and it did seem like the best (other than a lens error problem that could be avoided and a weak flash). So, I was thinking that I made a good purchase but I wondered why he didn't confirm the fact that the flash is a strong weak point of the camera.

Immediately he tried to sell me a SD card. I said I didn't need one, I have several. Then he tried to sell me a battery. He asked whether I wanted the 2-hour battery or the 5-hour battery. Now I was very suspicious. One of the strong points of the camera is battery life, and as far as I knew camera battery life is not "per hour" but typically "number of shots". Everything clicked and I then knew I was talking to pure scum ..... Then he first said that the camera I ordered was a "refurb", and practically in the next sentence he couldn't even keep his story straight and called it a "kit" and that I could have the complete camera for $259 "which is still less than what other sites are selling it for". I said that I looked at the web page very carefully and it didn't say "refurb" anywhere. That's when he said, yes, it's a "kit" ...

When I said that I wanted to cancel the order, the line promptly went dead. I was in the process of calling back to confirm that it was cancelled, when an e-mail came in saying that "the product I requested is currently unavailable". So then I decided to do a web search on "Wawa digital feedback" which brought me to here and to a few other places where people shared their stories.

I called and cancelled my credit / debit card, which is another learning experience for me. From now on I will purchase strictly with credit cards. All of my automatic payments were set up on that account, so it is going to be a lot of work to change things -- well, at least some were set up with a routing / account number.

My car stereo was stolen twice from my car this past year and I learned that it does not feel good to be a victim of scumbags who have no consideration for others. This felt very similar. If you are reading this and gave them a credit card or debit card I recommend cancelling it. The work to do that would be less than the trauma or thought that your credit or debit card number is now in the hands of crooks.

For me this is a wake-up call to be much more careful. Identity theft could be far worse and who knows, maybe in the long run this will save me some future grief. I am glad we have this forum and if someone knows how I can help prosecute these thugs feel free to e-mail me.

Journey

[Jrnytolife]

OK, I have been reading other sites too and this company (with other names too, like Stargate Photo, CameraWhiz) has been engaging in illegal use of credit card information and many other serious activities. If they are in fact physically located in NY at an identifiable address, why aren't they in jail awaiting a long prison term? Maybe the nature of the Internet enables them to operate out of the reach of authorities, but in addition to these crimes there is obvious negligence in the case of some efforts to notify authorities even to get a response, like "Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer's office" mentioned in an earlier thread with no response.

I don't have the time to be able to pursue this but if some authorities have been negligent then they should be held accountable too.

I found out by reading some reviews that Casio is going to have the EX-1000 available in June, and if it gets good reviews (unlike the poor reviews of the Casio EX-850's movie function which is a huge step backwards) then I am going to treat myself to that camera.

Stay safe !!!

Journey

[Jrnytolife]

Further research -- this has been going on for months. I am fortunate enough to not have to work and have a lot of free time, so I am going to see whether and if not why not the NY Atty General is not actively pursuing this and is not responding to complaints. There may be two stories here -- 1) criminal fraud and other charges, and 2) negligence on the part of the NY Atty General.

[tah2442]

Hi,

I want to share my complaint, mabye it may be helpful. Yesterday I made a online purchase through wawa for a kodak v570, because they had the lowest price listed on priceline.com.

The next day I recieved a phone call from a sales rep named Scott, who was trying to confirm my order. Then he try to sell me a memory card and I declined. So he offered me a 5hr battery for $99 and a 5 year warranty for $69 which he dropped to $59, so I agreed. Then he speed read me a confirmation of some sort. Then we ended the call.

A few minutes went by and I was feeling like I got suckered, so decided to call back and cancel the accessories. I dialed the number and then his extention. He answered and I gave him my name and I told him I did not feel comfortable with my order and that lit the fire! He told me that that was an insult and that he gave me a good deal. Then he said I would have to pay the now infamous 20% cancellation fee. He told me that if I did not pay the cancellation fee I would be sent to collections.

I said i was not cancelling my order just the accessories, he then said I would be charged the fee still. By this time he was extremely rude, he told me that I was not getting the concept through my head and if I did it would make things easier. I asked why he was getting smart and why he was so pissed about his $13 commission he claimed he made. So I asked to speak to a manager, he said the wasn't one available and to try back. He said it would not help to speak to a manager because they would tell me the same thing. I then said that there had to be a manager available he said no.

I tried to call back and asked for a manager but it was him again. He asked if he had just spoke to him an dI sd yes. Then he got pissed. So I hung up and tried some different extensions which did not work. Then all the red flags popped up.

1. What type of call center rep speaks that rude to someone if the call is gonna be moniterd.

2. Why could I not hear anyone else in the background if it is a call center.

3. What type of company won't let you change an order?

4. Why is their email address a yahoo.com account?

etc.

Then I reverse seached the number he originally called me from through the whiteppages.com and if came back as a verizon cell Phone number. Then I googled them, which led me to numerous complaints similar to mine. I then imediately called my credit card company and had them cancell my card, so now I can sleep.

[JenniferS]

Wow - same horrible experience for me!
I tried to purchase a camera from them online, and received an email response they needed to contact me about my purchase. Then, I received a call today from their salesperson pushing me to buy add-ons, and when I didn't he got even nastier, so I then told him to cancel my order & hung up on him.
He called back and said many of the things other people have posted - including how his commission was "only $10" and then THREATENED me!

He THEN vowed he would do everything in his power to ruin my credit!! (the card has been cancelled).

I was actually shaking when hung up on him again. I only wish I had gotten his name!

[Rhys]

Why, oh why don't more people just hang up when they get unwanted calls? I get people pretending to be representing our mortgage company without giving their company name. I just hang up without a word - the same as I do with all unsolicited calls.

[Mount Olympus]

I got the same rude salesperson type when I tried to buy a camera online the first time. (I called in to order figuring I can avoid a one-day delay of having a salesrep calling me trying to sale accessories) I hung up WITHOUT buying. That was ButterFly camera.

A few days later I ordered using the web at http://www.BeachCamera.com and I got a great price + FREE SHIPPING. I received no annoying phone call or any hassle at all.

Sorry to hear of your bad experience.

[JTL]

I hate to say it, but with all of the information out there regarding the most disreputable companies, anyone who gets burned asked for it...

Sad but true. If everyone who got burned had used their brains and spent just 5 minutes doing some research, they wouldn't have gotten burned and these companies would not exist. I have no sympathy...

How come everyone finds this thread (and the others like it) AFTER they screwed up? What is the excuse for not checking before you buy? NONE!

[acepho99]

Wawa's parent company and its CEO, and the other dealers in that company's "family", are listed here:
http://sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/list/dealers-stop4fam.html

They have a history of the kind of behavior detailed in this thread.

[moondoggie]

Do NOT buy from these thieves. They used my Credit Card fraudulently. They sent me a refurbished camera instead of a new one. I am filing a report with the NY District Attorney. Find somewhere else to purchase from.

[Kimmie-99]

I too fell victim to these scam artists. A couple of weeks ago I was looking online at www.everyprice.com. Yes Wawa was the cheapest and so I ordered my Panasonic Lumix from them. That was Friday the 2nd of June. I got the confirmation email but really didn't read it (telling me I had to CALL them to actually confirm this order). Sunday sitting at home relaxing, the phone rang. Since we have caller id and did NOT recognize the number we didn't answer it. Later I checked voice mail and it was Scott from Wawa Digital. So I called back and he asked if I wanted to buy an SD card - I said no - then said the battery doesn't last long do I want to buy an extended one - gave me good price (what I thought at the time) and I said ok. I also wanted to expedite the shipping so that I could get it quicker - no problem. Monday I came home and thought I'd check to see if it had shipped. Well the site wouldn't come up. Fortunately I remembered the phone number and I called. I asked non-chalantly about my order and Scott said it will ship Tuesday.

Something didn't seem right. I was sure I typed it right so I did a search on Wawa Digital - that is when I read some of these posts! I felt SICK - I knew I had been scammed - they had my CC number along with the 3 digit security code - and that was one of those CHECK CARD Visa's!

Since it hadn't shipped I called back and asked to have the ordered cancelled. That was when Scott told me it had in FACT shipped but wouldn't give me a tracking number - said they didn't have one. I told him you ALWAYS get a tracking number when you ship FedEx or UPS that's standard business and that I deal with FedEx on a daily basis. He got really ignorant and rude with me - said it was 8:30 at night (it was actually 8:10) and wouldn't give me a tracking number. I told him I was going to refute the charges and call the BBB. He said go ahead and hung up on me.

Tuesday I called my bank - but since the charge was just "pending" at that time they couldn't do anything. I had to wait for it to clear. Weds when I checked the charge had cleared BUT there was also a NEW charge on my card - one of those feeler charges for Netflix when you first sign up. I told the bank I had NEVER signed up for that service and felt that it was a fraudulant charge coming thru - once again - have to wait for THAT to clear. OK - block my CC, cancel it and re-issue me a new one. Doing a search online for Netflix I found a 1-800 number for them and called them to report fraud going on. They were deeply concerned and would look into it from their end. I also noticed that Wawa's site was back up (oh I was told Monday it was down for reconstruction - Starghate was still up however). I thought why not - I'll call. This time I spoke with Jeffrey. He said my order shipped yesterday (Tuesday) but I'd have to wait 24 hours to get the tracking number - I said it's Weds - that IS 24 hours and I was also told on MONDAY when I called that it had shipped and to call TUESDAY to get the tracking number (from obnoxious Scott). He put me on hold for sometime, came back - got my name, on hold again. Finally he comes on and asks if I tried to cancel the order Monday - I told him yes but was told it was shipped. He said it was in fact cancelled. Fortunately I got my $$$ back and that NetFlix charge disappeared the following day. I did write a letter to the BBB of NY and also filed a complaint to IC3 (internet fraud). Hopefully ENOUGH people read this and NOT shop at their site - or enough file complaints and these idiots are doing LOTS of prison time.