My second mistake was to let the salesperson at Broadway Photo (who also appear to operate under several other names and websites online) explain to me that the camera needed an expensive “High Speed Error Free” SD Card and special battery to replace the one that came with the camera.   This was a gift and therefore I had not done any research myself and needed to get the order going immediately so I went with the recommendation.

The “high speed error free” SD card and battery were both overpriced – in fact they didn’t charge me the quoted prices anyway, and this added  $109 to the cost of the camera.  Although I was foolish not to have checked for online complaints against Broadway and checked to see if this really was needed, I was short on time and they had already delayed my order telling me I needed to call in to clarify something.

My credit card company can help resolve this but it’ll take a lot of paperwork, so the take away from this is pretty obvious – before making online purchases you should:

1) Check the merchant to see if they have a lot of complaints.   If they do, do NOT buy from them.

2) Do not buy any parts or accessories without at least a bit of research to confirm they are needed for your device.