>Sorry but these days no one should take the word of anyone about products.
>We live in an age of spam, virus and rampant liars.
>
>A request for a digital picture is reasonable.
>
>Many companies want you to return a product first and delay things for two
>weeks or more. I have had to convince a vendor that the return postage is a
>waste in order to get service. In one case all I had to do was send in or
>email a product sticker.
>
>HOWEVER, I find that many companies now will accept an email photo of the
>product in question. I see this as convenient. If I were in your shoes I
>would have emailed the photo first before the telephone interview.

Except that a digital image is dead-easy to reverse...