Originally posted by volosong No, no, NO!!!! Debit cards, even in they have the Visa or MC logo do NOT have the same consumer protections as a 'real' credit card. Using a pin or not does not affect your rights as a consumer, one way or the other. You are at the mercy of the merchant and/or bank to refund you money. Think of it as 'plastic cash'. Once you spend it, it is gone!
This is one of the 'dirty little secrets' of the banking/credit card industry. And with our corrupted political system where corporate campaign contributions are more important to our legislative members than the people who vote them into office, the many attempts to create industry enforcement regulations, rules, and laws have always failed.
The only way to really protect yourself is to use a real credit card.
This is where you're wrong. If you have a Visa/MC Debit card, it is protected through the issuing bank and through Visa or MC. I had a dispute with the Camera Hunter (guy who owns a store, also runs through ebay) In which I order a filter and a hood in October and hadn't received it two months later. I called my issuing bank, and disputed the charge, told them I had attempted to contact him several times, hadn't returned my emails or calls, so they refunded me the money, and told me that if 30 days passed and they couldn't resolve the dispute, the money was mine either way, and if they got a response, their dispute center would handle it and if my claim was valid, I'd get a refund. It never went that far, claim was resolved, and I got my money back.
Broadway Photo is part of this JJ Digital Co. There is a guy who researched all of these "camera superstores" locations and found most of the registered locations to be rundown warehouses, abandoned or condemned businesses, or random houses. There are many variations on the Broadway Photo name, but they are all the same. Go to ripoff report and you'll see what I mean.
What really disgusted me was a couple months ago Pop Photo ran a story on Bait and Switch Camera shops like this. The next month rolls around, and my issue Of Shutterbug comes in. As I'm flipping through Shutterbug, I notice a two page spread ad for Broadway Photo. I contacted the advertising manager, to no avail. The ads continue to run in Shutter bug monthly. Needless to say, I've canceled my shutterbug subscription, and will be writing the editor shortly, which I encourage all of you to do as well...this place is just scamming more and more people, and now are advertising in a reputable magazine.