I must admit, reading such unfavorable reviews about expresscameras.com scares the hell out of me - especially considering that I just purchased and received camera equipment from them. Fortunately, my experience with them was not as bad as some of you are describing, but I will say that they were not completely honest with my company throughout our transaction.
The story goes like this:
I was looking for a Nikon D-100 and some accessories for personal/professional use when I discovered expresscameras.com. Being the editor of a news media agency, I was instantly suspicious of the deal being too good to be true, but I wanted to give it a shot anyhow. I tape recorded all correspondence with the company via telephone and got the salesperson on tape telling me that the D-100 Professional Package came with a battery and charger. I also have him on tape stating that it comes with a full U.S. Manufacturer's Warranty.
Ultimately, I wanted to put safeguards in place in the event that we got ripped off. And I have learned through my years as a reporter that there is no evidence more damning than a tape recorded confession.
Anyhow, our transaction was at least a partial victory on our parts and I attribute that to the manner in which we dealt with the company. We placed our order for the camera and the accessories on Monday (Nov. 21) and we received it all on Friday.
Now, the company did misrepresent the shipping cost - originally quoting us approximately $50 and actually charging us $155, but I received the camera, the lenses and a warranty card (BIG SURPRISE!). Also, they originally told us that the camera came with a battery, but later told us that it didn't. That, I think, is a sucky business practice, but I still consider our deal on all the goods we ordered to be fairly competitive.
Some people have made reference to a salesperson named "Scott" acting like a jerk, and I would only echo those comments. Out of a few people we dealt with at EC, Scott was indeed the mouthiest and uncaring sounding. However, we spoke to at least one person that seemed somewhat human.
As for the free accessories that EC states come with these packages, I can happily say that we received everything that was promised. The camera bag actually seems to be half-way decent, the lens kit was pretty standard, the card reader and card seems to be of good quality and the tripod is average.
Overall, I'm not terribly pissed off about our experience with them. I guess we must just be one of the few lucky customers. We plan to dispute the shipping charge, since the company quoted us a figure and didn't come through with it, but the camera and lenses are working great. I would happily post some pictures of the goods and paperwork if anyone else is interested.
And, just so no one thinks I am an affilliate of EC, my PERSONAL e-mail address is
freepressright@yahoo.com. If you care to e-mail me, I will answer any questions or prove my validity.
As for those who have had bad experiences with EC, I say take your complaints to the appropriate junctures and see what you can do. If you band together, you have greater potential for progress.
Thank you for your time.
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