If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Shame on me for not checking further before placing the order. However, I trusted the retailer rating of 4 out of 5 stars on the website www.everyprice.com. Besides, the package price for a GPS device bundled with a bunch of extras was $100 lower than I could find elsewhere. Like many of the previous postings, the retailer required that we call in to confirm the order at which point they pushed more expensive models and unnecessary add-ons. My husband declined the offers several times before he got frustrated and twice threatened to cancel the order. At that point, the guy on the phone had the audacity to tell my husband he didn't need to be rude about it. The salesman finally accepted the fact that my husband was not going to modify my order, but then as a last minute comment said the item was on backorder and would not be shipped for another 3-5 weeks. I received an e-mail confirming the backorder status. I called the retailer again to check on the order at which time I was put through the same exercise as my husband. I had a bad feeling about the whole ordeal and was about to do more research on the company. However, upon checking my e-mail this morning, I received a message from 86th Street Photo & Video saying my order had been canceled, my credit card would not be charged, and my information would be deleted from their system, with no further explanation. Frankly I am a bit relieved, but frustrated that I have lost a couple of weeks since I need the item for an upcoming birthday. After all of this, it sure appears to me that this company is not willing to stand by their advertised prices unless you are willing to pay a ridiculous amount more for additional items.

Same situation as what "SunnyState, on 6/24/09 11:04 AM" wrote except I was trying to purchase the Canon Rebel Xti package. Same guy got me to buy into the extra battery and upgraded lens. I checked on the internet and he was charging me almost 2000 percent above the market for the battery. I called them back and asked to remove the battery but he said there would be a 20% restocking fee.  
I called Amex and asked them to stop any charges from this business and they said I would have to wait until the charges went through then I could file for fraud and get it taken off my bill. I didn't feel comfortable with this and with 86 having my card intel. I ended up canceling my card (after having it for 14 years) and searched for a good web review site to post my situation. Amex did say they could get a better restocking rate from a loan shark....I think the max her in California for a restocking fee is $50 so the $200+ charge 86 wanted was going to be outragous.  
Be VERY careful when dealing with these guys. As in a bar, "they will 86 you!".  
 

This review was modified by its author, nesius, on 6/24/09 2:54 PM.

24 Jun 09 Update:  
As of yesterday, 86streetphoto&video site appears not be active. The pricing/advertising suddenly changed, and no orders are being accepted until further notice.  
If anyone would like to file a complaint you can file with:  
 
Internet Crime Complaint Center www. ic3.gov  
Better Business Bureau NY www.bbb.org  
 
 
23 Jun 09  
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! I went through similar scam scenario. I called first to make sure the camera I liked was actually coming with battery (the price was really good and I was suspicious). I was assured that it did. So I placed an order on line for a Sony T 900 digital camera on 6/22/09.  
 
I received an email asking me to call James at ext 204 and confirm the order. James called me first at which time the guy tried to sell me rechargeable batteries, memory stick and other accessories. He was very pushy. I declined the offer and told him that I was only interested in the camera. He said that the manufacturing batteries last only 30 min. and I should purchase the 2 hrs, or the 4 hrs batteries. He offered me the 4 hrs. battery for $ 89 (50% off!) and a free camera case. It was not a Sony brand as I wanted so I told him that I was not sure if I want any other brand. When I asked if I could return the battery if I did not like it, he yelled at me “YOU WILL KEEP IT, AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!” I was shocked with his attitude, so I told him that he was being rude. To my surprise, he kept yelling “DON’T YOU HAVE EARS!!! I’M CANCELING THE ENTIRE ORDER, NOW, RIGHT NOW!!! CAN’T YOU HEAR???” He did cancel my order at that moment. At this point I told him that I do not want anything from him anyway.  
 
He got even crazier and threatened me with charging me with 15% restocking fee. I told him that he cannot do that because I did not order anything yet. He kept insulting me until I hang up the phone. I called my credit card and made sure no payment will be processed for this business. I have dealt with a number of internet businesses over several years, and never experienced anything like it.  
 
I did some research and it looks like this company is listed under several names, so beware! I will be filing a complaint with the BBB in New York, and other places to try to stop this business from operating. I hope that everyone out there, everyone who was mistreated by those people, will post a review, and file a complaint. If anyone is planning a lawsuit, I will be glad to join.  

This review was modified by its author, SunnyState, on 6/24/09 11:04 AM.

Ordered product. Salesman told me it wouldn't work without charger, maps, memory card etc. I knew all I wanted was what was in the box. Terrible company! Cancelled order!

EVERY review written on this page is 100% accurate. I purchased a Canon SX10-IS digital camera for the great low price. i went ahead and selected the next day air shipping for the price of $39.99 which is also reasonable. On the website, it clearly stated that this camera was in stock and ready to ship. I had also called before the order was placed to see if it was in stock, and whether it would be shipped same day or the next morning (it was mid afternoon when i called, and the man on the line simply stated they had it in stock and it would ship out the next morning (again... reasonable)). after I placed the order, i called back literally 2 hours later to be SURE they had it in stock and ship out the next morning. the salesman pulled up my order, and was EXTREMELY pushy trying to sell me a "discounted" SD card for $159.99, which he said was not the same SD card that i could purchase at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. I said no to his attempts at upselling and told him that i just needed the camera ASAP. after declining his selling, he proceeded to tell me it was on BACK ORDER. i then told him to cancel my order. He then immediately hung up on me (i refreshed my computer screen and my order had updated to "Canceled". I then immediately went to best buy to purchase the camera, and also bought the "Special" SD card (WHICH IS A FREAKIN STANDARD SD CARD THAT YOU CAN GET ANYWHERE) for $15!! Save yourself the hassle, the headache, whatever you want to call it. just go to your local Best Buy, Frys Electronics, even Wal Mart had this camera. Just buy it in person

Whatever you do, stay away from this business. Everything negative you read on the internet is true. They advertise low prices and then try to sell you $159 SD cards -- which I was told was $59, expensive protection programs, etc... Since you receive no itemized order confirmation by e-mail, the first time you know what you've actually been billed is when you look at your bank account (I used the poor judgment of paying with a debit card -- never again) The $9.95 shipping charge became $49.95 and the $39.95 three-year protection plan became $39.99 PER YEAR. My $149 GPS became $455 total. They make sure to note on the invoice they send with the item that it is a "package deal". This keeps you from returning any single item and if you return the "package" you get hit with an outrageous "re-stocking fee". If you try to reason with them they use foul language and accuse you of trying to take food from their children's mouths. I wish someone would stop them from preying on consumers. I always considered myself to be pretty savvy but they sure nailed me. They are VERY slick. My hope is that I can save at least one consumer from the headache I ended up with. The GPS seems okay but I will never look at it without remembering what this company did to me.

I ordered a camcorder from these folks now about a year ago. Salesperson lost interest in the order when I didn'r order any accessories. The product went from in stock to out of stock during order.  
I've been waiting now 1 year after order placed. No email or other communication. Checked with 'customer service'; were rude and unhelpful.  
I will NEVER EVER order from these folks again.  
Recommend treating them like the swine flu!!!

SCAM artists. I ordered a $205 camera. Was requested to "confirm" order by phone. Got some high-pressure sales pitch trying to sell me a package with items "required" to make the camera work for $600. I said no, and the sales guy got real antagonistic. Then they sent me an email notifying me that the camera was on back order for at lease a month. At that point I cancelled the order and notifed the credit card company not to authorize payment. When Discover heard the 86th Street Camera company name they recommended that I cut up my card and let them send a new one with a different number, which I did.

TOTAL CROOKS!!!!  
 
STAY AWAY...You have been warned. Bought a Pioneer Avic-f90bt head unit for a great price and then like everybody else sent an email to me to call and verify my order with Alex. They wanted to sell me an SD card for the unit at a rediculous price over $100 and then proceeded to flat out lie to me saying the card was specially formatted for the pioneer unit and that i could not update maps without it. I would have to send the unit in to Pioneer to have them do it. As soon as Alex argued with me about it I promply cancelled the order. I have run an online business in the computer industry for over 8 years and longer buying on the web and I have never seen price baiting like this in my life.  
 
Some one needs to seriously report these guys to the locals.

My experience is just about like everyone else. I ordered the Garmin 885T for the relatively low price of $465 plus $9.95 shipping. The web site said the item should ship in 1-2 days. Sure enough, I get the e-mail saying I need to call "John" to confirm my order. I call and John asks which memory card I want. I tell him I don't need a memory card. He says the unit won't work without a memory card. I tell him the unit has internal memory and doesn't need a memory card to work. He says: no it doesn't, you need a memory card. I say, well, I don't want a memory card. Then he says that I wouldn't be able to download the 2009 maps without a memory card (which isn't true). So I said again, I don't want a memory card. So then he says OK, we'll ship the unit when it's available. I asked when that would be and he says 6-8 weeks, so I canceled the order, and got an e-mail confirming my cancellation. I'm thinking I got away rather easily. I guess if you can wait them out it might be worth it, but I didn't want to take the chance.

This place is a rip off! Once you place an order you are required to call to confirm. When you do that you are offered add ons at inflated prices. If you decline the add ons they cancel your order and hang up on you. Bait and switch is all they are about. Stay away!

The worst online experience that I've ever had. I ordered a GPS. They called to "confirm my order" and I got a hard pressure sell where they told me that my GPS didn't come with a memory card (which is does) and that I would need to order one with the unit. They wanted $199 for a memory card similar to one that I could have bought @ Best Buy for $30. When I passed on the card, they told me that the unit was on backorder and that it would be 4-6 weeks. After 6 weeks I called. Same sales pitch, same 4-6 weeks. Now into October, I emailed (I didn't want the pressure sales pitch)asking about the order. on Oct 23, I got a reply telling me that the unit was still backordered and that I needed to reply with the order # to confirm my desire to accept backorder. I did. "4-6 more weeks". Bear in mind that, all this time, their website showed a 1-2 business day lead time. This continued every 5-6 weeks into January. On 1/15/09, 5 months after the initial order, I called and spoke to Chris. He informed me that the GPS units were being shipped and that they would be in at the end of January. I allowed a little extra time (for UPS etc.) and called in early February. I asked for and spoke with Chris. He told me that my order had been cancelled. I asked why, after almost 6 months, my order had been cancelled. He couldn't answer. I asked to speak to his supervisor. I was given to Peter who offered me a "bundle" which sold for almost $300 more than the original order. I asked for my original order to be reinstated and he told me that they could not do that as the price had changed. I knew that the price had changed on the website several months prior as I had continued to moniter the "1-2 business day" lead time throughout. I asked Peter (The Manager) why I continued to get the run-around and and he told me, "you know what, we're not going to sell you the GPS. Your order is cancelled and how about I bill your card anyway". I told him that I still have every email and had logged every conversation that we'd had for 6 months ( which I still do ) and that, given the type of customer service they offered, it would bring me great pleasure to file the credit card fraud charges. He replied (explative deleted) and hung up. This is the type of business that makes people wary of internet transactions. So before placing an order with 86th Street, think twice and be wary.

These guys are jerks. I had to call to "confirm" my order. At that point they tried to sell me a battery. Heck, the cameral comes with a battery i said. They told me it is a "starter" battery, good for 15 minutes. Only a few pictures"  
 
Told them I knew better and did not want to purchase a second battery for $90 dollars nor an extended warranty for over $150 dollars. Okay they said, we will ship you your order.  
Ooops, in three hours I recevied an email stating cancelled, not in stock. Hmmm, still on website, still "in stock" if i call them to order it. Only not in stock if I try to buy it at their lowball LIARS price. Scam artists, liars, thieves. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!!

I oreded the Nikon P80 almost 6 months ago, everytime I called to find out the status of my order it was still on back order. In February I was told that the would be getting a shippment in April, I called on April 3rd to find out if they have the Camera in stock and he said they did. Then when I ask about my order he said I had to order the package for $265, that the camera I ordered is still on back order. Its the same package I ordered in October for $189. I was also told that I would get the lowest price they offered and I believe the lowest price was $139. I have recently cancelled my order and will never recommend this company to anyone.

In a hurry to go out of the country on vacation, I ordered a Canon digital camcorder ONLY on-line from 86th Street photo and video. The list price was $599.99.  
The website seemed legit with low price guarantee, all new products, manufacturer warranty, etc....  
As all the other complaints state, I received an email to call and verify the order. After doing so, my total went to $1,200 with travel battery charger (perfect for overseas according to Brian), a $50 large waterproof deluxe camera bag (it is a small cheaply made piece of garbage which costs $10 on another website) and a 4 year extended warranty for $299.95. The charger is not the same one that is listed on their website with the same SKU #, but probably a counterfeit of some sort. It currently does not work.  
 
Not doing research on these items before I was hounded into buying them, I was at a huge disadvantage. The extended warranty is through a company called Consumer Priority Services which I called this morning. They could not quote me a cost on an extended warranty as the dealers make up their own cost. Researching the internet came up with costs of $40-190 for same warranty and same company. But you guessed it, the fine print of 86th street states warranties are not refundable. I haven't even signed up for it yet.  
 
Brian also tried to get me to purchase lenses, a tripod and filters. The prodding never ceased.  
 
Having trouble with the Canon battery included with the camcorder, I called Canon today. I need to send in the camera, battery and charger. She thinks the after market travel charger that I purchased from them for $179.99 has ruined the battery contacts of the camcorder. HOWEVER, in order for my warranty to be covered by Canon, I have to have an itemized receipt. I only have a total invoice from these scam artists. Nothing is line item priced.  
 
As other reviewers have stated, I did not know that I was receiving a "package deal" and therefore cannot send just one item back.  
 
Point of story--- I have paid $1,200 for $700 worth of products and can't even get Canon's support since I cannot verify a legit itemized invoice.  
 
What a rip-off. I hope these people sleep well at night while the rest of us make an honest living.