Fumfie.com is a relatively new website that has good reviews on resellerratings. I personally don’t buy it. Here’s a photo of their “headquarters.” As the Don Wiss website points out, Fumfie claims that it “began its operation in October 2001 with the vision of expanding its New Jersey-based retail chain into the online arena. The internet operation has successfully broadened its customer base from the regional to national level, fueling the company's growth as a leader in home shopping e-tailing.” Yet the domain was registered in 2008 and the site didn’t appear until January 2009. Per the Better Business Bureau, the business started in April 2008.
The Fumfie website goes on to state:
“Fumfie.com's mission is to provide an online home shopping emporium that caters to the home connoisseur. As Fumfie.com has grown, so has its product selection. It features an eclectic variety of over 10,000 items sure to dazzle any home enthusiast. With its intrasite search feature, customers in a rush can easily find the item they need, while those with time to browse can feast their eyes on the vast selection within each category.”
That’s weird. They don’t actually provide the name of the “New Jersey-based retail chain.” Maybe that’s because they never had one, and they actually just stole the above language from www.homeandbeyond.com:
HomeandBeyond.com began its operation in October 2001 with the vision of expanding its New York-based retail chain into the online arena. The internet operation has successfully broadened its customer base from the regional to national level, fueling the company’s growth as a leader in home shopping e-tailing.
HomeandBeyond.com's mission is to provide an online home shopping emporium that caters to the home connoisseur. Formerly operating as Polsteins.com after the name of its parent retail chain, the internet operation was renamed Homeandbeyond.com in November 2005 to more effectively brand the site as an expansive source for home goods and more. As HomeandBeyond.com has grown, so has its product selection. It features an eclectic variety of over 100,000 items sure to dazzle any home enthusiast. With its intrasite search feature, customers in a rush can easily find the item they need, while those with time to browse can feast their eyes on the vast selection within each category.
Here’s the link to Home and Beyond. I’ve saved a copy of the Fumfie About Us page, as they most likely will take it down once they read this.
Additional evidence that hints this questionable:
Here’s a negative experience on ripoffreport.com.
They are not registered as a corporation with the State of New York.
Read this discussion on Photo.net.
Please post your experiences with Fumfie below.
4 comments:
Hello, Dave (and whomever else!)--Although I can't speak to some of the questions raised by your comments, I can share my recent experience with fumfie, which has been POSITIVE.
Having looked around the Internet (resellerratings.com) and reassured myself that I could reasonably expect to actually get what I ordered, I bought a Canon Digital Rebel XSi (WITH the 18-55 mm lens) on their website Friday (July 17) morning. I got spooked and almost ended up canceling my order when I was mysteriously unable to open the confirmation e-mail they sent to my AOL account. It just seemed like a red flag. And I wasn’t able to get anyone on the phone until after about 10 AM. I had one conversation with someone who did try to sell me a memory card, battery, etc. I said no, and he didn’t push it. I wasn’t thrilled when he told me I’d be charged $30 for insurance (I don’t RECALL seeing this charge when I ordered the camera, but I can’t say with absolute certainty that it wasn’t there), but that seemed reasonable, so I sucked it up. Even with the extra $30, I was still getting a better deal on the camera (priced at $579 when I ordered it) than anyone else was offering. Anyway, the guy I spoke with didn’t seem to understand the problem I was having reading the confirmation e-mail, and by this time, having read your comments (and others) questioning the legitimacy of the company, I was beginning to freak out. I actually called fumfie back to cancel my order, and fortunately, I was connected to Steve, who talked me down off the ledge. He reassured me that I was dealing with a honest business, and seemed to understand the problem I was having with the e-mail. He sent another one containing a link that allowed me to view my order confirmation, and explained that fumfie was in the process of upgrading its web site, and even gave me a web address so that I could view the in-development new site (site has not yet “gone live”).
Happy ending (so to speak)--the camera was waiting for me when I got home yesterday—two business days after I ordered it (and in spite of my having chosen the cheapest shipping option). Everything seems perfect—no banged-up packaging (although a few more foam peanuts in the outer shipping box might’ve been advisable—I don’t know). But everything, as far as I can tell, is perfectly fine with the camera, and I’m happy with both the product and the customer service I got with fumfie. I can’t wait to start shooting (the camera :-)) THANK YOU, STEVE AND FUMFIE!
yay! so glad i found this site before jumping in for their cheap cheap nikon d40. unfortunately, pricegrabber.com reviews (and plenty other) websites list raving reviews, but each reviewer only has a single review - which seems odd for hundreds of reviewers. dont get ripped off. shell out for the proper goods people! this is a scam.
I believe the site is a scam. Also, I let the additional $30 for shipping go because of the price of the item...but there is no mention of this additional charge ANYWHERE. I ordered a camcorder, waited for it to be shipped 10 business days, and contacted "steve" to find out what is going on when it didnt arrive. I found out they dont even have the item in stock that I was already charged for...so I asked to cancel my order. Luckily, my credit card has fraud protection which will save me from paying out to this company. BEWARE!!!!
I won an auction on eBay from:
Email:ebay@packagesbymary.com
User ID:packagesbymary
Name:Packages By Mary
Company:Packages By Mary
City:Brooklyn
State:NY
Country:United States
Phone:(866) 402-4776
The phone number is the same one that Google shows for Fumfie. I got a call from them about an upgraded battery and extended warranty, but they were not a hard sell and said they would ship the item immediately. I got it three days after the phone call. Everything was included and checked out.
They are no longer registered on eBay, but they had 99.x% positive feedback at the time I won the auction.
I am satisfied, but perplexed.
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