Board index Equipment Digital Cameras WARNING TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS FROM ONLINE CAMERA STORES

Digital Cameras

WARNING TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS FROM ONLINE CAMERA STORES

ugot2bkdng
 
Posts: 929


Post Sun Aug 21, 2005 1:51 pm


Personnally, I wouldn't touch that kit or that vendor. The kit has a lot of cheap no name stuff in it. I also don't like microdrives. I don't think you would be happy with the flash unit. The wide angle lens is a joke. The tripods look like junk.

If you want a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and this is your first SLR, look at the standard kit with Canon lens here http://ww1.onecall.com/PID_27221.htm . BTW, I don't work there, I am just a happy customer. :)

Use the built in flash for a while until you have the dollars for a Canon flash. After you use the camera for a while and get used to it, consider adding quality glass to your kit. There are some fine lenses out there that won't break the bank. Just decide what focal length and f stop you want and do your homework. Stay away from bargins that seem too good to be true. They usually are. :)
Chuck

gsansoucie
 
Posts: 214


Post Sun Aug 21, 2005 7:00 pm


I've bought all my digital gear from J&R (http://www.jr.com). I became aware of them when I bought something electronic off of Amazon. In the box that arrived was a J&R catalog.

I've stayed clear of the super low deals, you will know if it sounds too good to be true.

To give you an idea of how much I like J&R, I bought the Canon S2 IS from them, sight unseen. I bought a 1GB SD card and the 3 year extended warranty. I got it, tried it out and decided to upgrade my Rebel to the XT instead. I called them up, ordered the Rebel XT & they passed me onto Customer Service. They use caller ID so they knew who I was and what my last order was. Instead of run around, I got "Mr Sansoucie, are you returning the S2 IS, SD Card, & Warranty?" I said "Yes", got an RMA number and that was it.

They are great with Digital cameras and popular lenses. They don't have a huge lens stock, however. I have found B&H Photo to have the best lens offering. B&H has the same kind of return policy. I bought the new Tamron 18 - 200mm Zoom from B&H and returned it after a week because I wasn't impressed with the clarity. I got the 100mm Macro instead and am very impressed.

I know a lot of people say "try your local camera shop first". Truth be told, I have. I have had two problems with my local (est) camera shop, both dealing with a shady practice (sort of bait 'n switch). I won't buy anything expensive from them any more because of that. I do go in every once in a while and look at camera bags, frames, etc.

Not all online dealers are bad.

</soapbox>

-=Glen=-

captured_by_carol
 
Posts: 8


Post Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:00 am


These scams are operating all over the internet. I ordered 20D ($600)from Amazon Marketplace (should have known better--too good to be true!), but would only pay through Amazon. Later that day, Amazon canceled the order, stating "we have no record of this seller," but this person was able to e-mail me asking for a Western Union payment to Romania? It's just amazing the things these people are able to do because apparently they were able to list on Amazon in the first place.

Only go to links that you type in--don't go to the link that the seller sends, don't send Western Union or any other type of payment directly to the person selling the item, check feedback on Ebay. Sometimes people sell inexpensive items to build up good feedback so they can make a quick killing and disappear, so if you can, check the previous items they've sold.

I've been scammed on Ebay, but had my money refunded by them.

Good luck.

dougj
 
Posts: 2276


Post Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:57 pm


A number of the online low price stores are in Brooklyn:

http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/pictures/BrooklynStores/

this_is_me_999
 
Posts: 23


Post Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:31 pm


Good thing that this thread came up. I was gonna get the nikon 105mm macro lens. I just posted a thread on it too.
I knew their price was too good to be true. If I had ordered the lens, what you think they might not include?

ugot2bkdng
 
Posts: 929


Post Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:00 pm


The glass?? :shock:
Chuck

dvesper
 
Posts: 1

Online Camera Stores - A good experience

Post Sat Sep 03, 2005 11:50 pm


Thanks Chuck for your info above. Your post and some other ratings on other sites led me to Onecall.com and I made my first online camera purchase through them (actually a phone order after viewing their site). They also have a brick and mortar establishment in Spokane - for many years. And they are an authorized Canon dealer.

I bought a Canon 1Ds II and they agreed to a great price after I mentioned some other quotes from other online stores. Everything else with the entire transaction was very professional. I received my camera body 2 days later (I paid extra for that since I needed it quick). No problems, no hassles, and I saved a lot of money versus buying it at a store here in Southern California.

I've since signed up for their referral / link program and have recommended them to others and am planning to order from them again shortly.

tradescant
 
Posts: 50

eBay

Post Sat Sep 24, 2005 2:50 pm


Been reading with interest the troubles some folks are having on eBay - and I agree it can be a minefield for the unwary. One of the best bits of advice I was given early on is to ask the seller if they will accept a cash payment on personal collection at their home of the item that's for sale - genuine sellers should have no problem with this - shady dealers usually will say no, give a rubbish reason or not bother replying at all. So far it's worked for me and in three years of using eBay, I have, thankfully, had no problems buying or selling.

Caveat Emptor! (with apologies if that's the wrong bit of Latin!!)

David.

ps - this doesn't mean you MUST follow through with a cash payment at their house - I have never yet paid in cash - but it does filter out, oftentimes, the good guys from the bad.

andrew57
 
Posts: 10

E Bay, Amazon etc

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 3:00 am


Most of the comments seem to come from the US but in the UK I used Warehouse Express and E Bay and occasionally Amazon UK. In several years I have only had 1 problem with a woman who was shortly afterwards delisted by E Bay. I have no link to Warehouse Express other than being a happy customer. Amazon I find fine but not competitive in the main. If I can find a genuine internet price and take it to my local dealer he will usually match it - try it and see. If the difference is small I support my local dealer. E Bay has given me some real bargains and a few things I have overpaid for but then its my fault. Caution is the watchword.

Andrew

nimmot23
 
Posts: 1

Re: WARNING TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS FROM ONLINE CAMERA STORES

Post Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:05 pm


I just placed an ORDER on Bestpricecameras (SONY DREAM SYSTEM) Reading all the reviews, looks like I am in for a battle, any advice, I called my credit card company and they said they can not do anything, I went to the website, can could not reach it. did anyone have anything good to say.. PLease let me know. Thanks
[url]bestpricecameras.com[/url]


khtaylor wrote:Recently I had a winfall that would have allowed me
to purchase a better digicam and so went about
researching the various cameras, prices and stores
online.
I decided on a Nikon D70s - the evolution of last
year's award winning D70 and a grade up from the new
civilian model D50.
I found a great price on a package
athttp://bestpricecameras.com/229995-23 ... 0-&-70-300)-PLUS-EXTRAS.html

Granted, $799 for all that (the lenses they say are
Sigmas) seems like too little money I admit, so I
really asked questions. I was then treated like a tool
by two different salesmen and eventually a "manager"
named Dennis.

It all started over batteries. This "kit with extras"
does not include such basic "accessories" as
batteries, charger or a manual - they'll sell you the
book for $80 and allegedly the cheapest batteries they
have to offer are the nikon EN EL3 which are the very
ones that come in the package directly from Nikon and
the recommended ones from the Nikon website which
claims they last up to several weeks and 2,500
shots...BUT...BestPriceCamera.com claims (verbally)
that their cameras are hybridized by the Nikon factory
before they reach their warehouses, and that they only
use (insert generic name here) batteries which start
at $200 (the charger is even more). The guy went on to
tell me that the EN ELs are crap that Nikon made too
many of and are now trying to foist upon the public.

Also, you must be very careful to check the shipping
prices at these sites...theirs started at over $45 for
UPS ground (10-14 days) and in one day went up to $60.
They also stated on the link to buy "just the camera
body" that if you upgraded to a package that shipping
would be upgraded to express free of charge. After I'd
given my cc info to "Ted" he informed me that that was
only for "deluxe packages" not any old generic package
as it states PLAINLY on their site:

see here: http://bestpricecameras.com/227265-0-1- ... y-USA.html

When I started asking these hard questions each of the
people I spoke with became more agitated, then
aggressive and then downright rude and even a bit
threatening. The last words from the last guy before
he hung up on me (Dennis, the "manager") were: "Lady,
look at our prices...think of it this way..you can't
get a Mercedes Benz for $10k and if you can, let me
know, I'll take a dozen....You get what you pay for"
After I added up all their additional costs for
"accessories" the price is more than going to Circuit
City and buying a starter kit with a standard US
Warranty, lens and (surprise) a freaking manual.

Whew! At least I was able to hammer them down to the
truth before I made a $1000 mistake.

Please pass this warning along to any and all others
who might be drawn in by these "unbelievable prices."
The guy as much as admitted that these cameras are
crap and not legitimate Nikon D70s as they are hawked
on their website.

Caveat Emptor and happy shooting.
Kimberley
http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor

orion700
 
Posts: 2

bestpricecameras.com IS A SCAM!!!

Post Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:54 pm


I ordered a Fuji s9000 from bestpricecameras.com for $439. I was called two days latter for an "order confirmation" by a guy named Adam. He immediately started a HIGH pressure sales pitch to get me to buy accessories, like lenses, filters, batteries and charger, memory cards, etc. I added a memory card and filter. This camera uses AA batteries and the batteries they offered to sell me were ~$150. I can get a set at Wal-Mart for $20. I turned down those and most other items a. Adam started to get frustrated that I wouldn't buy. Finally he gave me my total of over $850. So I politely asked to cancel the order for now. Adam got mad and told me "you're buying a digital camera, you should expect to spend a lot of money!" He started to argue and finally, angrily, said that he would charge me a $100 restocking fee. Nothing had been shipped. At that point we were yelling at each other over the phone. He continued to insist on charging me and hung up. I immediately called my credit card company, told them my story, without embellishment, and he transferred me to their fraud department. I had to cancel my credit card and get a new one issued.

DO NOT do business with these scam artists. Since I live in Alaska, I doubt they will send anyone this far to break my kneecaps. They have many complaints about their selling practices listed with the BBB. Their listed contact info is:

Phone Number: (718) 998-2975

Additional Phone Numbers:
(718) 627-7245, (800) 281-1724, (800) 593-0026
(718) 627-6066, (718) 627-7245

Fax Number: (718) 627-7245

1938 McDonald Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11223

The BBB also lists other company names for these scum bags:

Infiniti Photo,
Infinity Cameras,
J&K Cameras, Inc.
Report as of: 1/25/2006

(Taken from http://www.bbbnewyork.org)

And they should be shut down!

khtaylor
 
Posts: 53

Re: WARNING TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS FROM ONLINE CAMERA STORES

Post Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:22 pm


[quote="nimmot23"]I just placed an ORDER on Bestpricecameras (SONY DREAM SYSTEM) Reading all the reviews, looks like I am in for a battle, any advice, I called my credit card company and they said they can not do anything, I went to the website, can could not reach it. did anyone have anything good to say.. PLease let me know. Thanks
[url]bestpricecameras.com[/url]

I don't know why your cc co wouldn't do anything. Did they already give money to them? I recommend calling the Better Business Bureau as well as possibly an atty. I've heard from half a dozen other people about this company who googled my blog either before or after they were burned. It's incredible that these guys can continue to rob people so openly without consequences. Why nobody's gone to confiscate their stock and arrest their employees and business owners yet baffles me.

Guess this is what free trade has come to. Republicans are gypsies in golf clothes (or in this case cowboy hats).

Kimberley
p.s. please read the post before mine which lists alias business names for the same characters at bestpricecam.com

michaelography
 
Posts: 2

I think they are all the same crimal circle-jerks

Post Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:59 pm


orion700 wrote:They have many complaints about their selling practices listed with the BBB. Their listed contact info is:

Phone Number: (718) 998-2975

Additional Phone Numbers:
(718) 627-7245, (800) 281-1724, (800) 593-0026
(718) 627-6066, (718) 627-7245

Fax Number: (718) 627-7245

1938 McDonald Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11223

The BBB also lists other company names for these scum bags:

Infiniti Photo,
Infinity Cameras,
J&K Cameras, Inc.
Report as of: 1/25/2006

(Taken from http://www.bbbnewyork.org)

And they should be shut down!


I have a very similar story from ExpressCameras.com. I suspect they are all really same crime ring. Exact same tactics. I posted my story in a new thread (ExpressCameras.com - Do Not Buy From) in this forum. I think we need to keep the awareness level of these dirt bags up for sake of helping and saving others from becoming victims. Thanks for sharing.

dirtyol
 
Posts: 147


Post Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:23 pm


I think eBay should only show the bidders user name to the seller & not everyone else. They can still let everyone know that a bid has come in from someone, the bid amount & their rating but you shouldn't be able to click on their username to see what they have purchased in the past. I don't particularly want people seeing what I have bought off eBay.

I am sure that would have to be possible.

edwindjb
 
Posts: 4

BestPriceCameras.com - beware!

Post Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:10 pm


I ordered a Canon professional series lens and wanted overnight delivery.

2 business days later, a rep from the BestPricesCameras.com calls and first thing tries to get me to agree to the inferior Sigma lens. He told me it was just as good, actually better, for the camera I have (Canon Digital Rebel XTi).

I told him it isn't, said I wasn't interested and asked how long it would be until I got the lens I ordered.

He said 3 weeks.

I said that won't do and I want to cancel my order.

He said, "Fine, not a problem." - and hung up on me! No confirmation that the order has been canceled, not a goodbye, sorry we couldn't help you, and all that nice stuff a good company that wants to keep customers does.

I tried to call the number that my Caller ID said called - it was a bad number.

I called the customer service number and talked to a guy there who sounded slightly nicer, but still a weasel. He confirmed who I talked to and that the order had been canceled.

Then I asked to speak to the first guy's manager.

The manager made no apologies. I accused him of bait-and-switch. He had no defense. I told him about the above rudeness. His reply was "That's weird. Chris has been with us for years and we've never got a complaint about him."

It is obvious from 5 minutes of interaction with these people that all they want is to speak to suckers they can pull their crap on. As soon as they get someone who is on to them, they get rid of them as soon as possible.

Don't! Don't! Don't do business with this company!
-edj

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