From: at887@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott Butler)
Newsgroups: rec.video
Subject: I finally got my camcorder by mailorder (long)
Date: 24 Dec 1992 01:18:36 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Reply-To: at887@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott Butler)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


I finally got my camcorder (a Sony TR-81) through the mail.  After 
tangling with too many sleazy mail-order outfits to count, I decided
to spend a few extra bucks and go with a big-name mail order house 
to avoid the headaches.  For the extra money, I *still* had to put
up with a little BS but came away with (I think) a reasonable deal.

I ended up buying the camcorder from J & R Music World.  I called up 
on a Friday afternoon and talked to a salesperson about the Sony 
TR-71 and Sony TR-81 camcorders.  He quoted me a price of $949 for 
the TR-81, which was out of my price range.  For the TR-71 he quoted 
a price of $799 and then agreed to meet Camera World of Oregon's 
quoted price of $749.  I told him that I needed the camera before 
December 23rd because I was leaving to visit relatives the 24th.  
He assured me that there were some left in stock but seemed hesitant 
to ship it overnight, saying that they would only do overnight 
shipping to "local" areas.  He would only agree to ship it out UPS 
two-day ground for $45, and told me I should call on Monday to verify 
that it was shipped.  Satisfied with that, I ordered the TR-71 and
the NP-66H 90 minute battery for $39.95.

I called on Monday morning and, after bouncing around on hold for 
a few minutes, was connected to a customer service rep who told me 
that the camera was out of stock and would not be back in stock for
another week or two.  A little pissed, I asked to talk to a manager.
The manager told me that there were only two TR-71s left in stock
and nine orders placed for them.  I told him that since I was told
they were in stock maybe he could attach my order to one of the
cameras that actually *was* in stock.  No can do, he said, but said 
that he had plenty of TR-81s in stock!  Great, I said, give it to me 
at the same price and you've got a deal.  The manager laughed at that 
but did offer me the TR-81 at $849.  Although this sounded a bit too 
much like a classic bait-and-switch to me, I *had* wanted to go with 
the Hi8 format all along.  Since they had originally quoted me $949 
for the TR-81 and I probably would have gone with it had they quoted 
me $849 in the first place AND Christmas was breathing down my neck 
AND I needed a camcorder before then, I agreed to changing to the 
TR-81 provided he would ship it overnight for free.  Strangely enough, 
he agreed to it, apparently forgetting about their policy to only ship
overnight to "local areas only".  Although I was pretty pessimistic, 
at 10:30 the next morning the camcorder arrived via Fed Ex.  Total 
damage with camera, battery, and (ahem) shipping (apparently when he
said 'free' he meant that he'd upgrade me from two-day to overnite)
was $938.

The camcorder was in perfect shape - factory sealed, USA warranty
information and all manuals and accessories intact.  We had loads of
fun messing around with the camera around the house - the picture is
superb, and the stereo sound (despite some minor motor noise from the
zoom and autofocus) is startling, especially while wearing headphones.

All in all, I'm VERY pleased with the camcorder.  I would have to say 
that I'm fairly pleased with J & R Music World. Even though I'm not
entirely sure that they were completely honest about the number of
TR-71s they had in stock, I'd probably buy something from them again.
When compared with the sheer staggering amount of bullshit I endured
from all the other mail-order houses I contacted (with the exception 
of Camera World of Oregon; they were my first choice but unfortunately 
didn't accept American Express) J & R came out pretty well.  

It's been educational - I hope my mail order experiences help somebody
else out.  Some parting advice: order with a credit card; make sure 
that they're factory authorized; make sure that whatever you're 
ordering comes in a factory-sealed box with all the accessories;
make sure that it's in stock and pin 'em down to a ship date; get
the names of everybody you deal with.

Good luck,
Scott

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Newsgroups: rec.video