Abusive Bait & Switch - Story

[lights]

i found this as i was surfing some of the forums i regularly visit. for those of you who don't already know, the brooklyn camera/electronics stores (online and the brick and mortars) are one of the worsts to buy from. as far as i know, there isn't a single brooklyn store that is an authorized dealer of nikon and canon, but they've flooded the internet with fake ratings and prices that are absolutely ridiculous.

for those of you who are shopping for digicams (or electronics), please be wary. the article linked below is one of the worse ones i've heard... this is just a beware post. :)

http://thomashawk.com/2005/11/priceritephoto-abusive-bait-and-switch.html

(i do not know this guy personally... but his article is circulating in one of the professional photography groups that i frequent)

[eSDee]

Interesting story thanks for sharing lights. I love seeing justice being served on the internet this way. I have always heard to stay away from New York camera companies in general. Guess now I know why.

[Nija]

I bought my g/f's n65 & some lens from adorama, which is in new york city.

/Just sayin'

[lights]

it's specifically brooklyn. b&h and adorama are fine... new york city is fine.

although adorama is quickly going down the drain. the last few times i bought from them was horrible.

[Daedalus]

This has been going on for years. Exact same thing happened to me in 2001 from an online vendor in Brooklyn...familycamera.net or something like that--one of many sites operated by the same shady company. They were so happy to take my order, said they had it in stock, then tried to upsell crap and warranties, which I declined. After hearing nothing for a few days, I called them and, suddenly, they were out of stock. A friend of mine, against my advice, ordered a camera from the same outfit a little while later. She had a decent experience, but of course she couldn't say no to everything they offered her. Glad her camera never broke, cause I'd bet with low odds the warranty would've been on par with low-grade toilet paper.

[Nija]

it's specifically brooklyn. b&h and adorama are fine... new york city is fine.

although adorama is quickly going down the drain. the last few times i bought from them was horrible.
Pfft, I can find NYC on a map. I know Brooklyn is IN New York City, somewhere. Therefore, all of New York is bad.

=]

[SnowSurfer]

i love b&h photo, lots of good prices on stuff...that sucks for that guy. Is there a reseller ratings on that site?

[tupacboy]

sad part is... they'll probably just change their web adress and name and do it again...

[Thesifer]

I always stay away from most camera places unless they have a great reputation. I will buy camera equipment from Amazon, as long as it says it's shipping from their warehouse. But not other vendors through them. George's Camera in San Diego is a Bit expensive but I like knowing I'm getting what I expect :)

[sizemic1]

I tried buying a camera from one NY store and since I wasn't buying accessories, the camera was magically backordered for 6 weeks. I ended buying it from another Brooklyn NY store (Marine Park Superstore,aka MP Superstore). I caved and bought a memory card and the camera was shipped promptly. Looking back, I wouldn't buy through any of those NY vendors again.

[ialsohaveadream]

Pfft, I can find NYC on a map. I know Brooklyn is IN New York City, somewhere. Therefore, all of New York is bad.

=]
:stupid: The man makes a good case.

[MrGreg]

I've had very good service for cameras (and other electronics) from onecall.com. They also usually have the best prices I've seen for an authorized retailer (i.e. includes warantee). I don't know if it's still the case, but I ordered once over the phone and they gave me a discount for mentioning got|apex.

[Nanotech9]

b&H is really good... when i worked at EMSCO we used to order through B&H at their regular prices for our customers and add 10%... we couldnt get the stuff cheaper through our wholesale dealers.

i got my n90s body through adorama off ebay... its in the shape as described. a little more worn internally than i had hoped, but it still fell within the description on the auction.

[CornMonkey]

here's a link to see what some of these "brooklyn" stores look like:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

[lights]

Pfft, I can find NYC on a map. I know Brooklyn is IN New York City, somewhere. Therefore, all of New York is bad.

=]

i apologize... i meant MANHATTAN.

this is what the holiday season does to me.... hehehe.

i also want to include J&R in the reputable and authorized dealer for the majority of the camera manufacturers.

[lights]

here's a link to see what some of these "brooklyn" stores look like:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

WOW. good link... thanks! i'm going to pass this around now... hehehe.

[Burzhui]

disagreed i know several b&m places in BK which i buy from, which are very good
focuscamera.com is one of them, since they are close i just go to the actual store, been buying from them for years

And Adorama and B and H, although are pricier, are always a safe buy

[lights]

disagreed i know several b&m places in BK which i buy from, which are very good
focuscamera.com is one of them, since they are close i just go to the actual store, been buying from them for years

And Adorama and B and H, although are pricier, are always a safe buy

that's good to know... i've heard at least a few decent reports from focus camera....

maybe since you're there you can shed some light on a couple of others?

and as an aside... if the b&m place is not listed as an authorized dealer on the nikon or canon site, rebates, warranties, and promotions are all null and void.