AJ Richies
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AjRichies is an unscrupulous business that conducts deceptive business practices. Numerous complaints appear on several consumer-watch websites. Similar complaints have been reported by many customers. Do not do business with them!!! If you are taken in, don’t waste your time trying to deal with them. File a complaint with your bank’s consumer claims department and request a full refund for your credit card transaction. Since phone calls and e-mails are routinely not returned by AjRichies, it is unlikely that they could successfully dispute a customer claim when a bank attempts to investigate a sale and negotiate a settlement.
AjRichies conceals unfavorable terms of sales on their website. They charge a 15% restocking fee and a 10% fee for refused shipments. A common complaint is that sales people call back customers after an initial to upsell accessories that are exorbitantly priced. If this is not accomplished, deliveries are long delayed or do not occur at all. All sorts of excuses are made. Customers who thought they were getting a deal wind up being charged more than advertised prices or getting wrong products.
The history of my purchase is revealing in many ways. I was persuaded over the phone to purchase a $3,000 “package” for a camera body, 2 lenses, accessories, and extended warranties. I naively agreed to the sale without an itemization of prices. An e-mail with confirmation of sale and tracking number was promised, but was never received. Unlike many other customers, I actually received my shipment in a few days. The shipment enclosed a sales invoice which did not show unit prices for ordered items. At the bottom of the receipt was a s 15% restocking fee policy in fine print. Another policy was absent that states that Incorrect and missing items are replaceable, but no refunds are allowed.
At the time of purchase, I was never informed orally or in writing of the restocking fee policy and other terms and conditions of sales that are buried in the website. When the restocking fee for a phone sale was questioned, the policy was justified by the explanation that the policy appeared on the website. However, when one looks carefully at the language on the website, it explicitly states that the sales policies apply to website-based orders. There is no mention of phone transactions.
Several of the delivered items were deficient. The camera and lenses were defective in packaging and were missing items. The camera and lenses were missing original manufacturer’s certificates of warranty. This placed in doubt whether the items were new products and US warrantied. It was evident that the camera body was restocked merchandise that had been resold. Manuals and accessories were missing from the box. The extended warranties that were purchased were not what they were purported to be. Insured replacement and repair costs were limited and accidental damage was explicitly excluded contrary to the representations of the sales person.
I called the company and obtained the unit prices for my order. After accounting for the actual prices of the order and the prices of comparable products on the internet, I determined that I had been overcharged by $700. When I complained that I had been overcharged, an offer was made to adjust the sales price by $700. This was a clear acknowledgement of an overcharge. I refused the offer to the surprise of the salesman. I was intent on not doing business with AjRichiess and getting all of my money back. I bought identical equipment from an Amazon company to my satisfaction.
When I received a Return for Refund form enclosed with a merchandise RMA , I was charged $450 for the 15% restocking fee based on the original inflated price of $3,000 and not the true sale price of $2,300. Interestingly, the language of the form contradicted some of the return policies on the internet. It stated that items that were incorrect or missing parts would not be charged a restocking fee.
In case AjRichies planned to defend my bank’s credit card claim, I sent the bank a 7 page memo, attachments, and 4 unanswered e-mails to document the circumstances of my purchase. My bank credited me immediately after doing an “investigation” on the day I made the claim. I am sure that they had no better luck in reaching AjRichies than I had when I was repeatedly placed on hold for one and half hours over several days.
The lesson I learned is always to investigate the reputation of a company before making a purchase. I feel quite safe making purchases on Amazon. They have very good customer support and back the sales of the companies that do business on their site. My wish is that someone can hut down AjRichies and warn all potential customers. AjRichies business address is not the place where they actually conduct business. It is a rundown storefront in an apartment building in Brooklyn. It can be viewed on Google Maps. The location is obviously used only for shipping to conceal the true business address of the company. This prevents frustrated customers from serving legal papers on the company. An enterprising person in New York could do a great service for many were they to stake out the storefront and follow carriers to the actual location where shipments are processed and hopefully where the sales office exists.