Add me to the long list of "Credit Card Verification" victims.  
 
I placed my order for my new MacBook Pro on the morning of Thursday January 22, 2009. The status showed "In Stock" and "Ships within 1 to 2 Business Days". My online status on Monday 1/26 showed "Order Submitted". My online status on Tuesday 1/27: "Order Submitted". Again checking on Weds 1/28: "Order Submitted". Okay, now I'm wondering. I called Customer Service and was promptly transferred to the Credit Department. The Credit Department told me that they needed to verify my credit card info. My home address matched, my shipping address matched, and my home phone number matched but now THEY NEEDED TO VERIFY MY WORK PHONE NUMBER! Yes, it matches also. After a friendly conversation with the Credit Department representative, I was informed by her that she would now forward my order for processing. Gee thanks. Finally, my computer was shipped the evening of Thursday 1/29.  
 
Good Grief. I order multiple items online each year but I've never had an order held by a vendor because they wanted to verify my work phone number with my credit card company! WHY DIDN'T JR.COM CALL ME IF THERE WAS A "PROBLEM"? From my view as a customer, this is a totally unacceptable business practice.  
 
Thanks for the great price on my new computer. I'm just glad I wasn't in a hurry to receive it. Will I be back? Probably not.

This retailer really sucks. Read some of the other posts about the credit card verification…it’s not a joke.  
 
I placed an order for a Canon flash on Jan. 15, 2009  
 
Web site was showing the order as “not shipped on Jan. 17th. I called customer service to voice my concern about the order since Canon’s instant rebate expired on the 17th and I was assured that I would get the rebate price since the order was placed on the 15th and also that the item was in stock and would be shipped on the 19th (Monday).  
 
Monday came and went…Tuesday…Wednesday…web site still shows “not shipped”. I called on Wednesday to find out what the problem was and was told about the credit card verification, which I won’t go into detail. (Read other numerous posts.) Question??? Why didn’t they call me to tell me there was a problem? After 25 minutes on the phone trying to convince them of who I was, and offering different solutions I finally told them that I would call my CC company that night, update my phone # and give them an alternate shipping address. (All my mail goes to a P.O. Box.) At this point, the only reason I didn’t cancel the order was because the instant rebate had expired and I would have paid more to order somewhere else.  
 
Thursday the 22nd…I call and tell them that my CC information has been updated. I’m put on hold while they check and am told that my phone # has now been verified, but there is no information linking my name to my address. (Could it be because I don’t have a landline and all my billing information is a P.O. Box?) Besides, at this point what difference does it make…it’s an ALTERNATE SHIPPING ADDRESS!...it's on file with my CC company! I was again put on hold then finally was told that they would ship it out that day. Also, two different people told me that they would upgrade me to overnight shipping, but they shipped it out 2nd Day Air. It might seem minor, but it was the difference between getting the flash on Friday and getting it on Monday.  
 
Oh, by the way, here’s a good one. They talk about protecting the customer so there is no fraud, but they want you to send them a copy of your driver’s license. Real smart! Now some person you don’t even know has your credit card information and your ID.  
 
Amelia, don’t bother writing a reply to this post about how “truly sorry” you are. It’s starting to look like a form letter.  
 
I would never order from these people again. It’s too frustrating. I’d rather get a root canal…better yet, I’ll just order somewhere else.  

I purchased a Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS Lens from J&R for $948.88, through amazon.com. Though Amazon and J&R, were offering the lens for the exact same price, I went with J&R thinking they are dedicated electronics shop and hence their service would be better.  
The good thing is that the Shipping and delivery was on time. But when I received the shipment, I was very very disappointed.  
 
The packing of the lens was way below what you would expect for a $1000 lens. It looked as though they found a box that was just bigger than the Original canon box and put it inside and shipped. The stuffing were awfully off-place and hence served no purpose at all.  
 
The original canon box was definitely not brand new. One side of it was completely bent and hence it gave an impression that it was a lens kept outside and they just packed it inside a ruffled Canon box. I was shocked to see the Canon box in that condition.  
 
I will not buy from them again.  
 
 
Update:  
------  
One gentleman from J&R indeed called me and took responsibility for the mistake and promised that he will look into the packaging issues. I was happy that they are listening to our complaints.

This review was modified by its author, randomrambling, on 1/30/09 8:24 AM.

I had exactly a similar experience with J&R like the reviewer below for Canon 5D Mark II.  
I knew that the since the camera was a hot item and most likely to back ordered made a phone call to customer service and was reassured that I would be receiving the item in 7 business days.  
I placed the order online taking advantage of the live.com 7% cashback promotion. I called back on tuesday to check if my order had shipped and guess to my suprise the rep told me that they had orders from August that they had not fullfilled and that camera were trickling in 2 -10 per week. I was shocked so to reconfirm I called back again... this time another rep picked up and said that the information was totally false and that they were shipping orders from January. The rep then connected me with a manager who told me that were indeed shipping orders for January but still would not guarantee that my order would ship. Very dishonest and I would not recommend this company to anyone. I did not know which information to beleive and cancelled the order. I am extremely disappointed that the company of the J&R caliber would engage is sly business practices

Pretty good price and shipping. Shipping was slow but that's expected since it's free and coming from NY to WA. They had to confirm my phone number on the card but even after that was updated, it took 2 days to send out. Customer service was responsive but seemed quite rushed to get me off the phone. One rep, Vito, said hello and hung up after 1 sec before I could say anything at all. Maybe this is to improve his call time numbers... I don't know.

I ordered $1000 worth of camera equipment from this website because (a) I was referred to them from a reputable source and (b) they had an item in stock that none of the other photo sites had. Shortly after I placed my order, I remembered ResellerRatings and came here to check J&R out. Some of the reviews scared me but I'd already placed my order so it was too late to change it.  
 
Here's my timeline:  
I placed my order online at 2am on 10/23/08. I received email notification that my order had shipped at 6:30pm on 10/23/08. My order arrived at my house on 10/27/08.  
 
I didn't pay any kind of rush processing fee. I qualified for free 3-day UPS ground shipping so I used that. (New Jersey to Michigan)  
 
I guess people are more likely to write a review if they have a complaint with a company, and I wanted to come share my very positive experience with J&R. I hope everyone's experience with this company is as fast, easy & flawless as mine was.

I had heard of the mixed reviews on here, but I knew they had been around forever, and had heard good things word-of-mouth. They had the new Canon XSi at the best price (same as Amazon) and 6 month SAC, so I went for it. My order came in 2 days and in perfect condition. Nice camera! Based on that, I would give them a positive review, though I had no idea how customer service was since I hadn't needed it.  
 
But, over the next week, I kept my eye on the price at Amazon. First, it dropped by $50, then $90. Not really betting on a price match, I called them, got a very nice CSR with about 30 seconds on hold. She was very nice, and after 5 minutes getting approval, she offered me a refund or gift card for $90. I took the gift card and it came in about 3-4 days.  
 
While Amazon had the same price, their free shipping isn't nearly as fast as this was. I'm a very happy camper.  
 

i ordered a Zalman ZM1000-HP from them through Amazon.com (because they had the best price, and a very good reputation) on July 11,2008. Received it 5 days later through UPS, which means it was delivered in a satisfactory time frame. However, when I opened the box, the box was very poorly packaged, resulted the power suppy to be defective. This wasn't a big deal, it just meant I need to get a replacement. Called up JR, and they sent me another one, giving me return labels. Their method was that I buy another one, and they would refund me the first product. The problem with this is that the second time I "placed the order" the cost was higher, so I called in, and they price matched it to the first item. No problem, a little inconvenient, but nothing drastic.  
 
Second item came, BADLY packaged again. I opened it up, and it suffered from the same issues as the first one: poor packaging, dented power supply -- thus not allowing me to mount it on my pc case. Called it in the next day, telling them I waited 2 weeks for this, and it's still not good. I sent them pictures of the packaging and the damage that resulted from poor packaging (along with a picture from the internet on how a GOOD one should look like), and they said they would check the item before it shipped, and they would package the item better. They said they would check the item before it goes out (that way, I can assure it wasn't the fault of the place that sent them the power supply) and if they packaged the item better, I should get a GOOD power supply.  
 
3rd one came, 8/1/2008, and I was EXTREMELY dissatisfied to find that the box was STILL poorly packaged. The power supply (ONCE AGAIN) suffered from the SAME DENT, at the SAME place. I called in today 8/2/2008 to be greeted by a representative named Julie, who was very uncourteous and just wanted to get the job done (instead of providing me with service, she just wanted to finish with whatever she had, as if she was having a bad day) which gave me a bad sense of the organization. Granted, she did follow through and told me she would send me return labels.  
 
Obviously if I go for a 4th time, I would be EVEN MORE disatisfied with my order, as it would probably be the same thing. I'm done wasting time and money on this item, as I should've ordered it from Newegg.com in the first place. I've NEVER had any issues with them, and their customer service is VERY QUICK AND PROMPT, and are EXTREMELY courteous.  
 
I've ordered from JR.com before (Nikon D300), and now I'm worried about THAT item will fail due to poor packaging.  
 
My dealings with them left me very inconfident of their dealings, and I will NOT purchase from them anymore. Not listening to their customers is an extreme issue that I believe should've been corrected the first time!

Fantastic service! I ordered a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L lens at the last minute with 2 day shipping and I was worried I wouldn't get it by Friday (going on vacation). I knew they allow 1-2 business days to process the order so I called up CS and they expedited the billing process so they could ship it same day for me! That was fantastic! I received the item today, on time, and I'm looking forward to using the lens extensively while I'm gone.  
 
Thanks for the great service! You guys have great prices!

I ordered a Canon lens for $689.99 on the 29th of April. The next day, I got the message below:  
 
"Unfortunately, your order has not shipped. We’d like to request that you advise your credit card issuer of your most recent home telephone number associated with this card. Please advise us when this is done and we’ll be able to get your item shipped without further delay."  
 
BS. I don't have to provide my telephone number to them for a sales call, that's what email is for. In fact the only thing I needed to provide was my home address, the same as the billing address. Well, I called their "credit department" and got a recording. Called again twice and got hold of some lady who said that she had to "Verify" the order. Verify what? She said that it was their policy to verify orders over $500. Fine, harass your best customers... okay, fine. CALL ME. They didn't! In fact, though they had me on the phone, they INSISTED on calling me back at that number, right away. They didn't. Half an hour later and I had to leave.  
 
Fast forward about four hours and I call again. Get somebody ense... THEY said they'd call me back. Again, half an hour passes and I have to go again. Can't sit around waiting for their call. I come back later and call their customer service desk to see what's up. Customer service rep says that they don't have the lens in stock! I ask, "Does that mean that you never had it in stock, sold MY lens, or that you have my lens waiting to ship out when you "Confirm" my order." She said she didn't know.  
 
Well, I cancelled my order and at least that part went well. They had never charged my credit card and I got an email confirmation later that day.  
 
Here's the kicker, they JACKED UP the price to $829 between my first and second calls. No, I don't think that they were trying to charge me that in the end, however they DON'T have the item in stock. But, they still show it in stock on the web site! Why didn't they level with me?  
 
FOLLOW-UP on 07 May:  
I'm not going to call BS on J&R's response, however I will say that the number I provided was my office number. My office means that I run the office... I am the boss, this is my phone, and those answering it know whose phone it is. Your reply is incomplete as it didn't answer my core question. Did you have the lens in stock? Were you trying to verify my address, it's EXACTLY the same on my invoice as my billing address. I'm a professional and had to defer business for three days because I was unable to get the lens from you. I have the lens, case, and DVD's now... Ordered them from another company that I'll not name here. I appreciate your time and efforts to resolve this after the fact and really wish that you had been more responsive initially, such as actually shipping the lens, case, and blank DVD's to my credit card address as I had contracted with you to do. You've lost a customer for life.

This review was modified by its author, FredShoe, on 5/7/08 5:42 PM.

On March 21, I ordered several titles from the Lionsgate Blu-ray Sale J&R was having, they were all showing in-stock "ships in 1-2 business days" on their website. On March 24 I emailed them asking what the status of my order was and never received a response. On March 26 I emailed them once more asking the status of my order, still no response. Finally on April 2nd I emailed them asking to cancel my order because they were unable to ship it in a way over average time frame. They emailed back almost instantly saying my order was canceled. Then again on April 2nd I received an email from J&R offering a substitute because my order had been canceled plus free ground shipping. When I emailed them regarding the offer one of their Lead Representative's Amelia emailed me back saying the offer was actually only for free shipping. The email clearly states "We would like to offer you the opportunity to receive a substitute or alternative item by calling our Toll Free Sales department at (800) 806-1115 and speaking with one of our sales representatives referencing your canceled order number. As an accommodation for your understanding and loyalty to J&R, we will ship you your new selection for FREE." To me substitute is a item of equal value for the same price I originally was promised. I tried to give them another shot and they just don't seem interested in keeping their customers satisfied which is a disappointment.  
 
 
Update - Reply:  
 
4/11/08  
 
I have tried to reach a satisfactory agreement with J&R and each time Amelia was unwilling to do so. As you can see from her previous responses on Reseller Ratings they are all canned scripted responses, the same applies to the responses that are received via email. Again J&R has made no attempt to stand good on their promise to deliver the products I ordered, if they had they would have found a way to provide the movies I ordered at the prices I ordered them for(or similar titles for the same prices) with free shipping as the email offer I recieved from them stated "substitute items with free shipping".  
 
-Nathan

This review was modified by its author, Nathan0490, on 4/11/08 4:39 PM.

I ordered a copy of a windows operating system that was on sale and in stock. My order was not shipped out and notified 3 days later it was canceled. An email was sent to me to call customer service for a substitute. Customer service offered me the same item (full version instead of upgrade though) for 4 times the price and one other alternative for 6 times more. I'm upset they take orders for items not in stock and were unable to give me a break on a suitable alternative. Customer service was polite but did not seem interested in helping me other than trying to sell me the 2 other much more expensive alternatives.

I have had a horrible shopping experience with J&R. I tried to purchase a camcorder from them a week ago but the order was held up since the credit department said they needed to verify my billing information. I called in and provided the SAME information three days in a row and the order still did not ship. I provided information for two different credit cards and it still did not ship. I called my credit card company and they said that they had authorized the order and had no idea why J&R did not process the order. I shop online frequently and have never had such a problem with placing a simple order. I will never buy anything from J&R again.

Have made a number of purchases from them; one of the few online stores I've bought from that ships to APO addresses in a TIMELY manner, and also send "item shipped" emails with tracking numbers. Competitive prices too.  
 
Only thing they could improve on is better packaging - as typical with a lot of online merchants I buy from, they often send in an oversized box with not enough bubble wrap/packets. The product(s) inside the box are free to bounce around inside the shipping box.

Ordered a Brown Zune for $99(in stock), 2 days went by and it still said "processing" called and they told me they didn't know if they had any left and it would be impossible to say if they were out or not. I figured it was backordered and they didn't want to tell me, I cancelled and ordered it for the same price from Newegg. J&R emailed me -  
 
"We would like to offer you the opportunity to receive a substitute or alternative item by calling our Toll Free Sales department at (800) 806-1115 and speaking with one of our sales representatives referencing your cancelled order number. As an accommodation for your understanding and loyalty to J&R, we will ship you your new selection for FREE."  
 
the offer was a different colored zune for $19 off list price, so $180, I felt insulted, I do not plan to purchase anything ever from J&R, never bought anything in the past there so I don't feel I'm missing much.  
 
I could purchase this "substitute" for the same price at about 15 other stores, for being an accomodation to a dissatisfied customer it is insulting, why even offer a substitute of it isn't even a substitute? "well I'm sorry the corvette is out of stock, but hey I can get you into this ferrari for a slim $240,000! it's a substitute"  
 
thanks, but no thanks.