PricesandCoupons.com leading the way to protect online shoppers

 

CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- PricesandCoupons.com has announced a bold move to help consumers avoid unethical merchants by partnering only with authorized online retailers. By eliminating merchants who are not authorized by the manufacturers, PricesandCoupons.com has created a much a safer environment for online comparison shopping.

 

"Our research and experience have shown that unethical and/or fraudulent merchants are almost always unauthorized online stores," stated David E. Chase, co-founder of PricesandCoupons.com. "We want to increase awareness of the risks involved with unauthorized resellers and help consumers make an informed purchase."

 

Buying from an authorized store provides a level of safety and assurance that your product will arrive in a factory sealed box with a valid manufacturer's warranty. Conversely, consumers purchasing from unauthorized stores should be aware of the following risks:

 

-- The manufacturer's warranty may not be honored

 

-- They may receive an open box/refurbished product advertised as 'new'

 

-- They may receive a non-U.S. version (gray market product)

 

-- The manufacturer's rebate may not be honored

 

-- They may encounter 15%+ restocking fees for product returns

 

-- Customer service may be unresponsive or nonexistent

 

-- They may encounter unethical or fraudulent sales practices

 

 

"Comparing prices from unauthorized stores to those from authorized stores is not an accurate representation or comparison," explained Mr. Chase. "A gray market or open box product without a valid manufacturer's warranty is an inferior product. Imagine ordering a $3,000 Flat Screen TV and finding out that the manufacturer refuses to honor the warranty because it was purchased from an unauthorized store. At PricesandCoupons.com, we believe the peace of mind provided by authorized online stores far outweighs any nominal savings found through unauthorized merchants."

 

To demonstrate the prevalence of unauthorized merchants, we researched the stores listed on other price comparison sites for the Nikon S70 Digital Camera (a top seller in the Photography category) and here's what we found:

 

-- PriceGrabber.com - 15 Stores listed (8 Authorized & 7 Unauthorized)

 

-- Shopzilla.com - 22 Stores listed (10 Authorized & 12 Unauthorized)

 

-- PricesandCoupons.com - 12 Stores listed (12 Authorized)

 

*Analysis conducted on November 6th, 2009 using Nikon's Authorized Dealer List

 

 

Of the three shopping sites, only PricesandCoupons.com excluded the unauthorized stores. And since the Nikon warranty applies only to purchases from authorized stores, many consumers will unwittingly receive a product with a voided manufacturer's warranty.

 

While PricesandCoupons.com cannot guarantee a flawless order every time, purchasing from only authorized retailers is the safest and smartest approach to online ordering. Consumers can spend more time researching prices on their favorite products and less time worrying about unethical merchants. Many consumers believe the lowest price on the Internet is the best deal, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The best deals are found by combining price comparison with coupon codes and purchasing only from authorized online stores.

 

**For consumers wanting to verify whether a retailer is authorized for a specific brand, PricesandCoupons.com has created an Authorized Retailer List which provides links directly to the authorized dealer page for each manufacturer.