{"id":3662,"date":"2014-05-25T22:21:16","date_gmt":"2014-05-26T02:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.canonpricewatch.com\/blog\/?p=3662"},"modified":"2015-04-11T00:02:05","modified_gmt":"2015-04-11T04:02:05","slug":"warning-avoid-abes-of-maine-and-other-bait-switch-retailers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cpricewatch.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/warning-avoid-abes-of-maine-and-other-bait-switch-retailers\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning: Avoid Abe’s of Maine and Other Bait & Switch Retailers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We often get asked why we never list Abe’s of Maine, or post some of their “great deals”, notably the EOS 6D for $1289. The short answer is, we classify the new Abe’s of Maine as a Bait & Switch store<\/b>, alongside other notable ones including Ryther Camera, 42nd Street Photo, Fumfie, and DigitalOutlets.<\/p>\n

We say “new” Abe’s of Maine because the “old” Abe’s of Maine (“Abe’s Electronics Center, Inc.”) used to be a reliable Canon authorized retailer who would regularly beat B&H or Adorama by $20-$30; you’d just have to endure a short up-sell call (and if you were firm they would still ship your order at the advertised price). Unfortunately this Abe’s of Maine filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2012.<\/b><\/p>\n

The new Abe’s of Maine (corporate name now “Westpark Electronics, LLC.”) has been nothing but bad news: first, they are no longer a Canon authorized dealer; worse, readers report a bait & switch style up-sell upon placing orders. UPDATE: At the time we wrote the post in May 2014, we had not heard a positive story since July 2013. Recently we’ve heard of a few successfully completed transactions (after the upsell call described below.)<\/b><\/p>\n

The common bait & switch is you are asked to upgrade your “import body” as it is made out of plastic and at an inferior foreign factory (blatant lie: US and import items are made side-by-side in the same factory and are the same quality), or that your purchase comes with an inferior battery or memory card and an upgrade to a much better version is needed (another lie: the over-priced “upgrade” will be to some generic or no-name brand). If you don’t agree to any of these “upgrades” your order will be delayed indefinitely, claiming a lack of stock; a lengthy process would be needed to get your cancellation processed and your money back.<\/p>\n

We strongly recommend staying away from Abe’s of Maine and other stores that are, in our opinion, bait & switch (some of the worst are named above).<\/b><\/p>\n

You can keep on reading for some tips on how to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

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