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Jason of Westfield MA (06/18/08)
I did have a very pushy salesman. My intentions were to purchase a canon camcorder and I was talked into a higher priced camcorder. Sony. The photos and advertising on line was misleading and faulty. Nevertheless, i purchased the more expensive camcorder and was ultimatley pleased with this item when I did receive it. The only problem was I was gaurenteed a 5 year warranty on the product and did not receive this paper work with my purchase. I immediately called to ask where it was. Of course they coaxed me into believing it was being processed and may take up to thirty days. I waited a few weeks and called to complain. They kept saying please hold and hung up on me several times.
Finally, when I did get a chance to talk to Adam (the original sales associate) he assured me it was in the mail. I called him several times throughout the following weeks to come and was treated like dirt. Again they hung up on me and played transfer tag with me. Never did I get the chance to talk to anyone who could help and never did I receive the 5 year warranty. This was November 5th of 2007 When I made this purchase. It is now June 18th of 2008 and I have been having trouble getting my camera's tape player to open. Great, now I can't even get a hold of anybody from the company and The one year warranty card I did fill out is [expletive]. I called on it and the company said they don't deal with sony camcorders.
Economically, its going to cost me money to get this camcorder repaired. How much is TBD at this time. It is also costing me money for several weddings I had lined up to do the videographing. Also, some hunting video footage I had recorded I now cannot get to on my computer cause I cannot get any tapes in my camcorder to edit.
Richard of Vista CA (05/07/08)
I saw their ad on the internet for a movie camera and a very respectable price. The critical thing is that they displayed the entire camera. This is the first part of their GAME. (False and mis leading advertising) I place the order and filled in all the blanks.
Here is the second part of the GAME. They didn't ask for the three digit code on the back of the card and thus they had to call for the number. Nick starts by saying that I really didn't want to buy that camera as it is only partially there. He starts by saying that there isn't any lenses, batteries and on and on. Since I didn't know anything about movie cameras, he convinced me to buy a Sony for twice the money and he would up grade different items including a camera case. I was anxious and asked for a next day delivery as I needed the camera ASAP.
Man was I ever disappointed with that tinker toy camera. Nothing was good about the whole deal. Oh! the upgraded DELUXE WATER RESISTANT CAMCORDER CARRYING CASE; my point and shoot barely fits into it. Nick also informed me that there would be a battery charger included in the package. I guess he didn't scam too much about that as it is build into the camera which isn't what he led me to believe. And the camera: I ordered a lens filter and a 2x telephoto lens. With the filter on the main camera lens, the 2x won't attach and with the 2x lens installed, the filter can't be used.
I waited until the last moment to buy a good camcorder and instead of getting help from this New York company I got screwed out of $3581.97. The camera he recommended is also junk in my opinion.
Evelyn of Charlestown NH (02/02/08)
I ordered a Canon 100mm Macro lens via the internet. I did check feedback, but only on their web page. Anyway, the order didn't confirm, said to call, so I did. Got Nicholas, who informed me that I really didn't want that lens, it wouldn't do what I wanted, and he would upgrade me to a Sigma lens that was much better. I am a novice to photography, but I had heard about Sigma lenses, and what he was saying made sense to me, plus I was at work and really busy, so I agreed. I did refuse other things he said I needed. My order had gone from $366 to almost $500. After I hung up, I didn't feel good about the whole thing, so I did some research online for Sigma lenses. The ONLY one they had that was even slightly comparable to the Canon lens I wanted was available almost everywhere for just about $100.
Meanwhile, my invoice came via email, and the total was even higher. The worst part was that NOTHING was itemized, not even the shipping part (which was supposed to be free.) Still not feeling good about this order, I did a Google search on Express Camera, and came up with HUNDREDS of horror stories, most worse than mine. By now it was 3 PM, (on a Friday), and, in spite of being fearful about what would happen, gleaned from all the experiences in the reviews, I called to cancel the order. As soon as I gave my name and said why I was calling, I was informed that it was too late, they were closed for the weekend. My next call was to my bank. Remembering from somewhere about a buyer's remorse clause, I thought I had 24 hours to cancel the charge on my credit card. Well, the bank clerk suggested I refuse the shipment, but after I read a bunch of reviews to her, she checked my account, and the charge had not come through yet. She immediately canceled my card and reported it as a hot card. Fortunately for me, this is a debit card, so it was relatively easy to do, and the service charge to issue a new card with a new number was tiny compared to what I was potentially spending on a lens being totally misrepresented to me. I haven't heard any more from Express Camera, but it is still the same weekend. I am pretty sure I won't, since this has probably happened to them before, and they are aware I am on to them, so to speak.
Fortunately, my consequences are negligible, compared to others who have been taken by this company. I basically wanted to post this to thank everyone else for the warnings! Without sites such as this, I probably would have let the whole order continue and really have suffered buyer's remorse'. I thought I was a pretty savvy shopper, but this Nicholas guy is very, very good... he knows exactly what to say based on answers to questions he asks! Most people, like myself, are really excited about making their new purchase and feeling that we are getting a great deal, so we aren't as careful as we should be. How do we prevent these sites from continuing?
Tim of Marietta OH (01/13/08)
I called to purchase a Nikon SB-600 Flash. First, I was given a price of $190.00 with US Warranty 1 yr. warranty. Then I was told if I wanted a Nikon Warranty it would be more money. I believe $25.00 more. I asked if it was in stock and that said they would order it and wouldn't give me a delivery time. Then they quoted me a price on shipping and then also changed it to a higher amount. When I complained, they tried to switch me to an off brand flash of which I never heard before and it was the same price as the Nikon SB-600. Before this took place the flash was in stock and the shipping was reasonable and I gave them my Visa Credit Card then changed the whole story on the warranty, price and shipping quote.
Typical bait and switch internet company. Very rude and they have my credit card number which I am very worried about. I filed complaint from the New Jersey Consumer Division almost 6 weeks ago and have never herard anything back. I am worried about fraudulet use of my credit card!
Wayne of Patchogue NY (01/03/08)
I recently had a bad experience with express cameras.com. I ordered a lens from them and they called me the next day and talked me into buying a different lens (bait and switch). After I received the lens, I started doing some research because I did not think it was the lens they told me it was. I called the lens manufacturer and they told me that the lens I ordered was not due to be released in the US until January 20th, 2008 . I called express cameras.com and they assured me it was because they got it from their overseas distributer and told me to look at the back of the box and the PE on it meant professional grade. I called Sigma again (lens manufacturer) and they told me that the PE meant recycled paper and that it was not their new lens, and they get more complaints about expresscameras.com than any other dealer.
I called express cameras back again and said I wanted to return the lens and they wanted to charge me $240 fee and I had to pay that first. I would end up settling for a $320 refund which they did pay, but I still could have gotten the lens for close to two hundred dollars less at any number of sites. They basically lied and sold me a cheaper lens and were very nasty on the phone. They also sold me a 3 piece glass lens filter kit for more than $300.00 but I received a plastic filter kit I could have bought on E-bay for less than $50.00
I feel I could have gotten the same items from a reputable store for at least $400.00 to $500.00 less. This store is lying and charging for items and sending less expensive items, and were extremely belligerent and nasty on the phone. Now I am stuck with a lens I did not want and cheap, plastic lens filters.
Barry of Baltimore MD (01/03/08)
I over PAID. They convinved me to pay 40% more then what I could have paid from a full price retail outlet. I was DUMB.
Sharon of Rochester MN (12/03/07)
When I called Express Camera for information on an upgraded lens for my Canon xti, I was directed to the 24-7 site. The Lens is listed on the website as new; the salesperson told me that it was the last one they had and they were flying out the door! I ordered the lens and started to become suspicious as I was searching other retail sites, and the lens came up over $1000.00 less than Express had listed on their website. Upon receipt of the merchandise, I then sent an email to Sigma with the model number and the serial number of the smaller lens. I got the fastest response from them; he told me that the lens was introduced into the market in 2004!
Needless to say, I was totally ripped off with both lenses. Buyer beware: they don't list the manufacturers' names of any of the lens filters or kits. Once I got the package, I found they are very inexpensive and can be bought anywhere else for a fraction of the cost. They should not be selling merchandise.
I called about returning the merchandise and the invoice is not itemized, they charged 100.00 for shipping! I was told that there was a restocking fee for all the merchandise (but on the phone placing the order I was told I had seven days), and I would also loose the shipping fee. They have agreed to give me a partial refund for a 2500.00 purchase, I keep checking my Visa account and it has not shown up yet
Keith of Steilacoom WA (11/28/07)
I had used one of the best-value sites to purchase a Canon XL2; expresscameras.com came up. I ordered 2 online during the Black Friday super sale, and on Monday I received an order cancellation notice informing me that they over sold the item I purchased; and they put me on a list that will take six to eight weeks to get more. Monday, the day I got the notice, they still have them advertised for the same price under the title Monday blowout special. Today 11/28/07 the camera is still listed for sale for $999.00. I have my confirmation order and cancellation notice.
I was purchasing the camera for my son who needs it for college. Now due to my attempted purchase, expresscameras.com has a lot of personal information along with my credit card number. If they are a fraudulent company, there's no telling what they can do with that information. This is stressful.
Michael of Berlin MA (11/26/07)
I tried Expresscameras.com based on (what I now believe to be fraudulent) great ratings on Shopcartusa.com. I've even tried to post a (negative) review, but it never appears! BAIT & SWITCH! I had called to order low advertised components (Nikon d80 camera $249, Nikon AUTOFOCUS lens $479, Nikon 800 flash $279). I was told they were not available for 6-8 weeks, even though site says otherwise. However, they are available if you buy one of their *packages* which is no deal--but way overpriced. The package gimmick didn't work so the Rep tried really hard to fast talk and get me to take, instead of Nikon gear, the *better* Sigma items ($1899, $409) for a special $1199 price. However, the lens is 3.5 times and the filter 2 times the price if you shop anywhere else (lens about $500, flash $200). When I told him I wanted to stick with the Nikon gear he hung up on me.
I called again on different day, different Rep, but it was the same bait and switch, items not-available- separately nonsense. I did order the Nikon lens online, but have since canceled my credit card to stop it.
Luckily, I found Consumeraffairs.com site and started reading about similar scams and how these were overseas gray market items that were cheaper or did not fit other US components. Contacted my credit card company and had my card canceled.
Ivan Yeung of Redwood City CA (11/16/07)
i have ordered a flash(Nikon SB800) online and received an email for confirming the order inthe phone. The representative tried to sell me something but i rejected. Unfortunately, he still send me the stuff which i don't want.
i paid for something which i don't want
Anton of Laguna Niguel CA (11/08/07)
I ordered a Nikon D80 camera and the corresponding lens and accessories, on 08/20/07. In a week I received the lens and the accessories. After a month I cold the store inquiring about the camera. In a rude mode I was told that the item is in back order and when I insisted to get a date when I will get the camera, which I bought as a present to my son for the birth of his daughter for taking pictures, I was told that maybe I will get the camera in eight weeks and if I cannot wait, to shop from another store. I would like to mention that when I placed the order I was told by Kenny that the camera is in stock!
This is a Mail/order only store, that sells accessories using cameras as bait!
David of Lancaster PA (11/02/07)
I tried to order a canon 70-200 f/2.8 is lens at $1,299... which is a very low price.. then they tried to sell me a different lens saying this one was junk and a new model was better at a higher price. I tried to order online and gave my AX # and they later told me they don't take AX and would give me $30 off if I use another card.
He became rude because I wouldn't change cards and said he would charge my account and hung up on me. I checked my email and they said they were out of stock. I call again to talk to a supervisor and he wouldn't give me a name.. I ask if it was in stock and he said yes... I questioned him again and he said I thought you said The (i.f. model not i.s. model) there is no i.f. model.
I told him of my experience and concern and he hung up on me.
I call AX and as of today they did not charge my account. I really believe this is a scam site
Christina of Raleigh NC (09/25/07)
When I called to verify the order, I was up-sold from a $1200 purchase to a $2000 purchase...my fault. However, when I called back to cancel the order, I was railroaded into trying it out for 7 days. NO mention of a restocking fee. I called the next day to cancel the order and spoke to a young lady that said it will not be shipped and your account won't be charged. I received the shipment on Friday, 9/21 and my account was debited $2059.00 on 9/19/07. I am now trying to return the item and am getting NO satisfaction.
1) Jason, the supervisor refuses to give me an RMA number and items can not be returned without one. 2) I've now been told that there is a 30% restocking fee Express Cameras documenation states that there is a minimum 5% restocking fee. 3) I've also been told that there will be no refund for the $60 shipping and handling fee. $60 for shipping and handling! I ordered the same item from a reputable company and they only charged $20 for shipping and handling. 4) I've been put on hold for 20 minutes at a time with no response. This will be my fourth time calling back to receive a RMA number. The attitude and service I've received has been unacceptable. I feel like I'm getting ripped off on every level. Their business practices are less than ethical and their customer service is non existent.
Scott of Nyc NY (08/07/07)
I had ordered a Canon Camera and was sent a Sony which was to be sold in Japan only. I called Sony and they said the merchant was not an authorized Sony merchant.
The merchant www.expresscameras.com, shows a price that is way too low for the Canon camera. They ask you to call them to verify the order in an email sent to the buyer and then bring up the price for the camera. I agreed to a price of 2,000.00 dollars which is still a low price and then had received the wrong item. I have called them and they have put me on hold for a very long time.
Rudy of Winters CA (06/07/07)
I ordered the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens online. I received an email asking me to call and confirm my order. I called the agent said: Do you know for a few more dollars you can get a better lens. I told him I was not interested and then he asked if I wanted filters, closer caps etc. I said thank you, no. I just wanted the lens. I was told the order would be processed and I should receive the lens within a week. I said thank you and hung up. I got another email telling my order was confirmed and ready to ship.
The next morning I received an email saying the lens was on backorder and my order had been canceled. I called to find out when the lens would be in stock and the agent said in a day or two. I should call back then he would not talk to me about my canceled order and hung up. So much for excellent customer service.
Kimberly of Glen NH (05/11/07)
My husband tried to place an order on line w/ this company. They kept trying to upgrade him and he kept saying what he wanted. He was then told that item he wanted was out of stock. Twice i spoke to different people who would not take my order they just kept trying to upgrade me. I called back a third time and that person said to go online and order it. so i did. then i placed the order online and I received an email stating I had to call to confirm the order. so I called and never got through to anyone i just kept being bounced around and put on hold.
I emailed them several times to ship my order as is that i did not want to upgrade anything. we never got the camera- so i called to check on it and they said they couldn't ship it without me talking to a salemen. I said cancel the order and the guy said excuse me? I said just cancel the order and he started yelling at me that I had to talk to a saleman to cancel the order so I just hung up.
Shelley of Arlington VA (05/01/07)
I tried to order a Canon EOS 5D digital SLR camera at an unexpectedly low price ($1500-$1800 below list)from two different web camera shops. The experience for both was similar. For one, the product was not really available despite the deceptive advertising. I was asked to call and then the customer service representative (salesman) tried to sell me something else. I was pretty sure in the discussion that they did not have the product that I had tried to by and had no intention of every really obtaining the product. Basically this is a bait and switch-type scheme. The salesman was extremely rude and pushy. That shop was Express Cameras.com.
The second shop, USA Photo Nation, did the same identical scheme. I ordered the same camera for an equally low price, got an email saying I needed to call back to confirm the order (specifically I was asked to speak with Jason). When I called I was told that the camera I purchased was not the USA model but an inferior plastic model made for the Asian market. I checked with Canon and there is no such model listed on their Asian market website. Then he said he could sell me the USA model with a 3-year warranty for what is basically the list price.
Matt of Cloquet MN (03/26/07)
I ordered the Sony dcr-vx2100 for $999. and when I was sent an e-mail to confirm my order, I called and was bombarded by this guy who wanted to sell me as much accessories as possible telling me that the camera could not work without an external battery charger... He told me I had to add that onto my order for 400$. I refused to at first but then he offered that along with a larger battery and a lens hood. I was in class just outside of the room though as I was confirming the order. I was panicking so I just said yes to get it over with cause I knew I could come up with the cash. He then told me the accessories for the camera would be charged to my aunt's card that friday and the camera would be charged the monday after.
The card was charged about $700 altogether for the accessories that I estimated to only be about $300. A week went by after my aunt realized that the $999 hadn't been charged to the card. She called the help line and was on hold for at least thirty minutes. When she got through after operator after operator kept being rude and redirecting her, she finally raised her voice and demanded where my order was. they told her it was on back order for approximately 4-6 weeks.
I then was convinced that they were telling the truth since I'm not a very experienced online shopper and I didn't even think to do some research on the legitimacy of the site. after about 4 weeks I called and asked if sony had got them thier order to send me my camera. They said it would be about 4-6 weeks again... I asked them, again? and they said yeah we really don't know when the order comes in we just say four to six weeks to safe, so we really do not know when the camera will be in. So then just tonite, I brilliantly decided to do research on this site.
I lost about $400 from spending $700 on overpriced accessories.
Carl of New York NY (03/09/07)
I placed an internet order for a Canon 5D camera package labeled Gold and was convinced to upgrade to a Gold Deluxe package which is only found in their print catalog (which I have never seen). Batteries and other supplemental devices that are included with the camera are being sold separately. The upgrade package includes two Sigma lenses (24-135mm f/2.8-4.5 Aspherical IF SLD Autofocus Lens which retails for $199.95 on amazon.com, listed for $1,349.00 at expresscameras.com;70-300mm Apochromatic Auto Focus DG Macro SLD Lens listed at $199.00 on bhphotovideo.com, but listed for $1,599.00 at expresscamera.com), several long lasting battery packs, glass lens filter packages, and an upgraded memory card. I do not know if these are all the items that come with the package because the company refused to give me an itemized invoice for a total of about $4900.
The final price was spoken so fast on the phone that I wasn't given a chance to confirm before the sales rep hung up. I initially tried to cancel my order within 30 minutes of having spoken to their sales representative, Greg. I was told by another rep, James, that the order had already been processed, a rush process since the order was large, and was already shipping out from California.
Having used my mother's business Mastercard (so she could receive the points) to purchase the camera, I immediately called her to see if she could call her card company and put a stop to the transaction. The charge had yet to made, but on a second call to expresscameras.com to cancel my order, they informed me that the item was shipped and impossible to cancel. I was told to just receive the package, obtain a return merchandise authorization number from them, then just ship it back for a refund.
On a third call to expresscameras.com the next day, again to cancel the order, I told them that the order could still be cancelled since no charges were made to the card and thus could not possibly have shipped yet. The representative, Scott, again said that the items had shipped. I asked for a UPS tracking number, but he wouldn't give it to me. Scott said that it usually arrives by email within 24-72 hrs. I insisted on the tracking number and he still refused.
I had my mother call her credit card representative. There were two charges of $1900 and $3000 pending from this company. They told her that I should refuse the package and she can dispute the charges. At my request and final precaution, she closed her business account.
Jonathan of Middleburg FL (01/18/07)
Found a good price for a digtal camera on expresscameras.com website executed a web order then received a confirmation number approving my order via email, three days later received an email asking that I call 18007720136 opt#3 to confirm my order this is when my nightmare began. I was transferred over to an account rep. Don, he then tells me that they no longer accepted american express due to there company having to pay 8% per ever purchase made with amex.
I then asked how long has this been in affect he stated 24hrs I then told him that my order was placed 96hrs ago if not longer, Don then placed me onhold for about 5mins. when he came back to the phone his first response was could you change cards to either Visa or Master Card I informed him no because the company had already approved my purchase long before they discontinued accepting amex. I then ask to speak with someone that could fix the problem so he transferred me to customer service where I was disconnected due to they being closed.
I've spoken with these people several times and after speaking with a Bruce Knightly claiming to be the manager which he wasn't, I'm really tired of trying I just want to prevent them from using my card at a later date on something I don't need or want.
Jonathan of Middleburg FL (01/18/07)
Found a good price for a digital camera on expresscameras.com, executed a web order then received a confirmation number approving my order via email. Three days later received an email asking that I call 1 800 772 0136 to confirm my order. I was transferred to Don. He then tells me that they no longer accept American Express due to their company having to pay 8% per every purchase. I then asked how long has this been in affect, he stated 24hrs. I then told him that my order was placed 96hrs ago if not longer.
Don’s response was could you change cards to either Visa or Master Card. I informed him no because the company had already approved my purchase long before they discontinued accepting amex. I then asked to speak with someone that could fix the problem so he transferred me to customer service where I was disconnected due to them being closed.
Tomislav of Sesvete, Croatia (12/26/06)
At Monday 12/18/06 I placed an phone order via toll free number advertised at website www.expresscameras.com. My plan was to order 3 items (Nikon D50 w/Exclusive package - $579, Canon Elura 100 MiniDV Camcorder - $330, Elura Starter Package - $79,99) + fast shipping option 2nd day air - $59,67 that makes total of $1047,67. Since my credit card was not US issued I could not use web form for ordering but had to do it by phone.
After that moment: - sales person John (id 251) did huge upselling pressure on me and got me to buy some upgrades that I did not need or plan to buy - desinformed me about content of original manufacturer packages stating that I have to buy separately some items as battery charger etc. - some items that were sold to me (additional memory card, additional battery) were not in the package. When I complained by phone they tried to explained me that they did upgrade of existing items instead of shipping additional ones. - set of 2 camera lenses was replaced by one that is better and replaces other two, but basic internet search proved it as a lie - instead of camera tripod I recieved a 10 cm tall stand that can't even carry weight of camera - there were at least $40 on the bill that they could not explain when I complained by phone.
George of Bellvue CO (12/19/06)
Bait and switch and documented fraud as alleged in the pending lawsuit filed by State of New Jersey 12/04/06. I ordered a web package priced at $1609 and then was conned into calling them and pressured into merchandise of less value for a total cost of $2672.77, which I eventually managed to return at my own expense ($49.54) for a partial refund ($2499.99) and a net loss of $222.72 plus hours of time on hold, arguing, investigating, and documenting, and weeks of delay.
I got them to take it back only after pointing out some of the material and deliberate lies they had told me about the merchandise. (I had specifically named as unacceptable the lens make/model that I suspected they planned to send at a price of $1500 inflated from $400, and they twice denied it would be that lens and then sent it anyway. They also lied about the advertised package contents.)
I managed to limit monetary loss to $222.72, which I'm thankful for since it could have been ten times worse. It cost me at least eight hours of effort, for which my most recent employer would have paid me $500, and weeks of delay getting the equipment I wanted..
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