So of course I have to have one Christmas gift nightmare story and mine comes in the form of an order gone awry with WolfCamera.com. I’m posting this to warn other people and encourage you to buy in the store whenever possible. Here’s the chain of events that have transpired over the past month, for those who are interested. By the way, this gift was for my mother, and its the only significant thing I’m getting her this year.

December 1st: I purchased the Hewlett-Packard Photosmart M527 Digital Camera with Instant Share and HP Photosmart 385 Compact Photo Printer from wolfcamera.com.
December 4th: I received an email from wolfhelp@wolfcamera.com stating that the camera was backordered, yet the website still said it was in stock
December 5th: I received a notification that my order had been shipped.
December 6th: I received an email from customerservice@web.ritzcamera.com that stated “We just wanted to let you know that we have your order and have not forgotten you. We will ship the order as soon as the products are received from the manufacturer.”
December 6th: I received the printer, but not the camera.
December 6th: I called 1-877-690-0061 and spoke to a customer representative who told me that the camera was now in stock and would be shipped from the manufacturer so she could not give me any more information, but that I would receive an email from the distribution center when the item was shipped.
December 12th: A week after being told the camera was in stock and would ship shortly, I called the above 877 number and was given the same rhetoric. I was first told that the item was backordered, but then told it was in stock, after I explained what the last representative told me. I asked the gentleman to send me an email confirmation of our conversation and he assured me he would. I received no such email.
December 17th: I called the 877 number and was again told that the item was on backorder, oh no wait, its in stock. I then asked to speak to a supervisor.
The supervisor told me that the camera was not in stock and that he could cancel my order. He explained that wolfcamera.com is a separate company from the Wolf Camera stores and that I could not go to one of the stores and select a different camera in order to still receive the $100 rebate that was part of the camera/printer purchase. Therefore, he said he would have to cancel my entire order and would send me a prepaid label to return my printer (which is already wrapped and under the tree), to which I agreed. He also informed me that my refund, for the full amount, would appear on my credit card statement within 24-48 hours.
December 18th: I ordered a new camera and printer from Ebay, spending the same amount I was to be refunded.
December 19th: I received an email from wolfhelp stating that the camera I ordered had been discontinued. This email was a clue to me that my cancellation had not gone through yet.
December 20th: Still no refund.
December 21st: I received an email from Google Checkout that a refund has been issued, but only for the price of the camera.
I called the 877 number and was told that they would not refund the rest of the money until they received the printer and processed the return. However, I was told on the 17th that I would be refunded at once for the full amount. I still have NOT received a pre-paid return label. The customer service representative told me that the email address they have for me does not work so that’s why I did not get the label. I gave him a new email address and he said I will receive the label within 24 hours. Miraculously, I have just received the label.

This is all part of a letter I’ve already sent via email and snail mail to Ritz Camera, the parent company. The thing that really gets me about all this is that the website still says the camera is IN STOCK!! So, other poor saps can still pay for a camera they don’t even have any more! AHHHHH!!!!!