4:19 p.m. - 2008-05-14
Victory is Mine! and other ramblings
I want to start this entry off with a celebration of sorts! Hurrah for the little guy! I won, against the evil bait and switchers, Sonic Cameras.
I contacted these evildoers to purchase a lens for Diana's camera for her birthday. I had found them via a (phony) electronics rating site. They were so sweet, so helpful. Why, they acted as if they were my neighbor next door, informing me of all the accessories they own, and how good they work, etc. So charming! They even steered me away from the "inferior" Canon lens I really wanted by introducing me to all the ways that the Sigma so and so lens was much better!
I bit. Hook, line and sinker.
When I received the lens, I began looking online at others to compare my purchase. (would have been much more advantageous for me to do this BEFORE purchasing!) I was sick inside. The lens I paid $500 for(well, $528.94 when they included the undisclosed insurance charges they added) was in fact only work between $150 AND $200.
I googled "Sonic Cameras" and "scam" and boy did I find a wealth of other folks out there who had been hoodwinked, or nearly so, by these scumbags. Meanwhile, Diana had taken the lens to Ritz Camera and absolutely confirmed my findings.
I thought I'd just learned a very expensive lesson til a friend told me how she disputed charges on a purchase and ended up getting the money back. I quickly began compiling all my facts and contacted Wachovia. YES! They could help me! They almost immediately credited my account the full amount of purchase while investigating. I still wasn't home free.
Yesterday I recieved a phone call from ....GUESS WHO???? Jacob of Sonic Cameras. He wanted to discuss settling the "dispute". I returned his call today and he was more than happy to refund my account for the money and would even send UPS for the package, which would be shipped back for free.
Well all-righty then.
So I learned something and I saved myself some money and I feel TRIUMPHANT! JUBILANT! $500 RICHER! (or more acurately, $528.94) And so determined to post as many comments as I can on various sites to keep others from falling into this trap with Sonic. I learned that camera fraud is one of the most prevalent on the internet.
More later on how the rest of my world is turning.....
Just returned from therapy and dinner out. I was not looking forward to this session, but it was quite the pleasant surprise. I had prepared notes earlier, knowing that 45 minutes can FLY by especially with tangential thinking ME. I didn't even need the notes. Things just unfolded and it was probably the best session I've had yet with Penny. She started out by asking me if I WANTED to be in a monogamous relationship. From there we explored why I do the things I do, and she painted a really vivid picture of what my life could have been if things had gone further. Most of what she laid out for me, I'd already considered. It was the first time she's ever expressed the way she sees me, as someone who enters a room and everyone knows I'm there, and she also called me a "Sweetie". BUT, she cautioned, then one gets to know you and you constantly are in crisis. She asked me if I grew up in that kind of home situation (I did) and told me that people seek repetition according to what they've known. I didn't feel judgement at all, laughed alot during the session, and we talked alot about boundaries. She really wants me to stop self medicating with the brownies for a couple of months so I can see who I am without that "exit". I told her that wouldn't be good, I am much nicer under the influence. I told her in fact I had a bite earlier in the day. She was surprised, because I was more focused than usual. Ok enough dribble. To sum things up....all is on track, I'm feeling good about myself, and my future. Much progress in a short time. Went to Houligans for wings and it was ladies night. $1.50 drafts AND great wings....as close to heaven as you can get...and as an added bonus, a pretty good band playing. It was a good day!
