I'm done with Abe's. I see someone above commented about being happy with their service, but they are a pressure-seller after the online transaction gets a "hold" on it.

You're forced to call them, which is total bulls--t, and it took me 15 full minutes to get past the guy's sales pitch for batteries, lenses, cases, extra memory sticks, AC adapter, even the damn lens cleaning kit. Holy crap, I was so irritated I almost canceled, but I wasn't anywhere I could shop for an alternative.

It felt like something I'd read on consumerist about cancelling an AOL subscription.

Screw Abe's and the horse they rode in on.

pdok

I don't understand something. WHY would your money be tied up for weeks for a product you haven't received? I don't understand why or HOW a company can charge for something they haven't shipped. EVERY company I've ever dealt with ALWAYS states that no charge will be made to your credit card until the item is shipped.

So, where does the advice in the article come from?

sanjsrik

I have a great story about these guys. Happened to me last year. I bought a big screen tv - 65 inch. Long story short it got delivered (and signed for not by me) not new but refurbished. Once you've signed for it you can't return it without losing several hundred on shipping. I also had not checked resellerratings like I normally do. It was a $2500 tv. They guy was ruder than rude. I started a VISA chargeback. And found out they had like 30 complaints with the NY attorney generals office. I went back and forth with this guy and VISA for months. You could tell it was a scam they had pulled many many times.

Finally, VISA decided (and I don't know if this really happened or VISA just had enough of this guy and his scams) that he had missed a deadline. And that I could keep the money and the TV!!!! I had already reboxed it and purchased another from a local retailer. We just installed it in our bedroom. And it feels soooooo good! LOL!

Easily could have gone the other way. ALWAYS check resellerratings. That site is a godsend.

molife

Before spending a lot of money on an expensive piece of electronics from a vendor online or over the phone check the vendor at resellerratings.com for a quick check on the vendor's reputation. That site is gold.

Pixelantes Anonymous

I have been purchasing from B&H for over ten years and yes, they are legit. I've even purchased used gear from them and the one time I received something that wasn't in the condition advertised, they allowed me to return hassle-free.

It would be prudent to check out photography forum discussions about retailers. There are stores with good reputations (B&H, Adorama, Calumet) and stores with very questionable reputations (*cough* Abe's *cough*).

The bad guys have a well-established track record of being sleazebags; their shenanigans are well-documented on the Internet.

cv

@SEMW: damn straight. i bought my xti with the kit lens and that thing is barely useful as a paperweight.

OrangeAlert

@Scott: I would actually say the opposite. Get the body only, and source a good lens that meets your specific needs seperately (maybe second hand). The lenses in the basic bundles (usualy 18-55s) are rarely very good -- and what's the point of paying $1000 for a DSLR and putting a $90 lens on it? The 'enthusiast kit' is usually much better; but if it's not exactly the kind of lens you want, just get the body only anyway -- don't get a lens that doesn't quite meet your needs just because it's a kit.

(Oh, and all that applies to manufacturer's kit's only -- it should go without saying that you should avoid any third-party-on-eBay's fully-loaded-up kit at all costs. Not that all third party lenses are bad, by any means, but the sorts of third party lenses that ebay sellers usually bundle to sweeten the deal are usually a load of crap).

SEMW

Also, when purchasing a DSLR, make sure you aren't buying just the body! Some vendors will show photos of the full package with lens, even when selling just the body! Make sure you order a package that has everything you want, and don't just a deal by it's photo! You would surely lose big (or at least have to hassle with returns, restocking fees, etc). And it would suck to open just the body of a camera for Christmas and realize you can't use it right away!! :)

Scott

Also be aware of gray-market items. Cameras purchased in Asia for example, destined for Asian market but resold in the US.

justswitched

P.S what amazed me too is that these "questionable stores" come up in price searches from "reputable" websites. Plus they also advertise heavily in tech magazines, you would think that magazines would be a little pickier about where they get their ad revenue from. The web-hit and the ad presence in reputable magazines gives them an air of authenticity while in fact a lot of them are scam artists.

justswitched

Just a quick note about B&H, ther are legit. I bought my dSLR from them as well as several pro video products (monitors, mixers, speakers, etc.) for work. They're actually a really good company to deal with.

conigs

resellerratings.com is your friend!! Enter the online store name and check reviews/ratings. Very useful info. If the store is not listed there chances are it is very new and worth avoiding for a bit.
"If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is"

justswitched

I don't understand why so many people try to buy from these No Name retailers. I would say if it is more than $50-100 off retail it is most likely a scam.

I only buy from Dell.com, Amazon.com, B&H, newegg.com, BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, Microcenter.com.

Remember if you have to call to confirm your order you are being scammed. Don't just Google "Rebel XT" and pick the first store that pops up. Check Resellerratings.com.

Check out dpreview.com and in the forums daily there are people who get scammed buy these "hole in the wall places"

Do homework before you buy something.

GeorgiaBoot

Add to the list:
thecameraprofessionals.com and
expocameras.com

hamfist

I bought one years back from some discount place. Thankfully my camera did arrive and I didn't take one of the bundles... But, the guy on the phone was kinda rude and I hung up the phone wondering if I would ever get the order.

baest

For the Canadians in the crowd, look at Vistek. They're legit, have physical locations across the country, and very helpful sales staff who actually use the cameras they sell.I just bought a Nikon D80 from them after looking everywhere including eBay. The peace of mind was worth the (not so much greater) cost.

Dr. J

I fell for the suspiciously low price on my Canon S3 IS earlier this year. Suspected it was a refurb, but nowhere on the webpage did it state this. They required a phone call to confirm the order (this is a red flag!) and asked if I wanted to pay another $100 to get a new one. Why, no thank you. Then I got verbally accosted by the rep. At least I didn't have to cancel my credit card, but you can bet I kept an eye out for that charge.

Bottom line, do the research on the seller BEFORE you put in your CC info. It will be worth that extra 10 minutes.

jaxun

I second bestpricecameras.com
Scam artists. You order a camera that appears to be cheap, but then you are told to call them back at which point they pressure you to buy overpriced accessories for the camera and if you don't , you simply won't get your camera. Oh, and by that time, you've alreardy given them your credit card info :) Be careful, go with a well-known retailer.

bnosach

LOL!! I almost just got suckered by one of these deals. Avoid all companies based out of Brooklyn, NY.

Joseph

On photo.net forums I see this all the time. Daily. Abe's, B&HPhotovideo and adorama are all reputable dealers. Please check out a dealer before buying from them.

inajeep

I almost got scammed after dealing with a store in Brooklyn. They just canceled my order and I was grateful.

One thing you can do is a google search for "'store name/website' scam'". If the place is not reputable, there will be people posting about how bad it is. DO NOT rely on some of the aggregation websites. The bad ones will post positive reviews for themselves.

rubinow

Just ordered my DMC-FZ8K from Abe's Of Maine but I'm in Canada so I was a bit hesitant. I placed my order on a thursday night and friday morning I got an email to call them. I called to "confirm my order" but they just tried to sell me more stuff. Then I waited. The shipping was free but yay for UPS, $40 brokerage fee. Either way, I got my camera 3 days after I ordered, great deal, good service.

Ash A

Wish I'd read this a week ago - ordered a Camera from bestpricecameras.com and then decided to Google them a few hours later only to find hundreds and hundreds of comments from dissatisfied customer. Rather than argue with an aggressive sales guy for hours, I canceled my card.. and learned a decent lesson. B&H photo on the other hand aren't quite as cheap but seem legit. As a comparison - BestpriceCameras were offering the CanonHV20 for $499, whereas B&H are offering it for $750 with a $150 gift card to spend in their store... is it really worth the risk, time, effort, and stress you are undoubtedly going to expend with a scammer like BPC to save $100?

TheWoolMonster

I've fallen for this before. The tried and true rule applies here as most situations in life:

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!

War-N

*(yet not) sites about...

oops.

OrangeAlert

i read up on these twats when i was shopping for a dslr maybe 6 months ago. apparently, 90% of them are the same place and based in brooklyn. they have stuff on their 250 different (yet not) about "we get 5 stars for service!" but they don't tell you it's all votes from their employees. you can spot them when you google a camera model -they come up in the sidebar of ads at the right and always have "too good to be true" prices. like your piece says, you won't get your camera until you call and deal with the INSANELY rude sales guys, and even when you do it will be in an open box. refurbished? used? broken? good luck getting a refund or even a returned phone call. from what i've read on anti-them sites, the better business bureau has a stack of cpmplaints but doesn't seem to be doing much except harassing them into giving refunds (which is good enough, i guess.)

OrangeAlert

I second CBANDES' advice. Stay away from any camera shop that has a phone number with a 718 area code or that provides little / no information on its physical location, other than being somewhere in Brooklyn.

info_fiend

BTW it was BarclaysPhoto, which is a front for Broadway. I guess they don't scam everyone!

flyingcowofdoom

I bought a Nikon D40 from a seller on ebay that I researched and discovered had scammed many people. The deal seemed too good to be true, but I said, "what the hell" and paid with my oh-so-helpful-with-chargebacks Amex. I got my camera in pristine condition in 2 days. I suppose I'm one of the lucky ones. I wouldn't recommend my strategy to the faint of heart.

--FCOD

flyingcowofdoom

The best advice is to avoid any "too good to be true" deals, especially if the camera shop is in Brooklyn (718 area code) - broadway photo has literally dozens of fake companies fronting for it, and they are every one of them scammers. Check resellerratings first, and mostly stick to reputable shops - b+h, j+r, adorama, samy's, calumet... Better yet, support your local vendor - they will be an important resource if you find yourself needing support.

cbandes

if you're going to order digital cameras, make sure you order from a reputable site, not some sketch site that will save you a few dollars off the MSRP.

I'll vouch for [www.bhphotovideo.com] as I've ordered my Canon 20D DSLR and lenses from them. There are way too many sketchy discount electronics stores online that will scam you any way they can.

bwknight877

I second PDOK's comments. The first thing about Abe's of Maine is that they are in New Jersey. That should tell you something right there.

I too had a "problem" with my order, and had to call, and was subjected to a know-it-all who told me the Image Stabilization on the camera I was buying was going to bleed the stock battery dry in no time flat. He sold me an upgraded battery and a memory card, that, by some marketing miracle, was "50% off today only."

Wow, such a deal. Like an idiot, I bit, only to find when the package arrived that my salesman, Mr. Smarty Pants, didn't have a clue about the Image Stabilization problem. Canon did not offer an upgrade battery, probably because the stock battery works very well. Abe's neither shipped nor charged me for one, so I guess I got off lucky.

I wound up with a generic memory card that I later discovered could be had all over the Internet for not much more than I paid.

I will never do business with these guys again.

SalParadise

@SalParadise: "...is that they are in New Jersey."

What the hell? I resent that statement. Why is being from NJ somehow imply that the sellers are crooks? Beach Camera and NewEgg operates in NJ, too...did you know that?

bubuli

@inajeep:

Abe's is a reputable store?? How long have you been up on the internet? I am sure you are joking, right? Not so long ago, there was a story making waves on the internet about how one guy got screwed by Abe's of Maine store (if you are talking about the same store, they do business by 4 more names..) They first of all didn't ship his item for a while. When he tried to cancel the order, he was verbally abused and threatened of consequences. Just search on the internet for the story. He actually maintained a blog to follow up on this story.

The weird thing though, many of this price matching websites like pricegrabber, simon, cnet etc. excluded abesofmaine.com from their listings for a while but they are back again so I have started wondering how credible these sites are nowdays...

Mindstyle

How to Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying a Digital Camera on Of Zen and Computing

Wow, I think that was plagiarized word-for-word straight from the latest PopPhoto magazine.

glasswindow