I made my purchase on approx May 15th. I purchased just a Nikon D40 for $315 and free shipping. I did really believe it was to good to be true..but heck aren't we all looking for a good deal? So I purchased it. I did get the email confirming the order. I then was still looking around and saw a Nikon D60 for $399. I thought heck. So I called them and waited on hold FOREVER! I finally did speak to someone with bad english. I asked to upgrade my order, he took my info and said Ok all done. I then asked what the difference was in the Nikon D60 w/ the lens for $399 and the Nikon D60 body only for like $500. He did tell me one is not USA model but is the same except doesn't come with the battery, warranty or any extras. That I couldn't registre with Nikon. I was ok with that because I had recently lost mine and had all the extras. So I still felt positive. The item has never came. I have e-mailed them numerous times and have not gotten a reply. Their website now says they are having phone trouble and can only e-mail. Of course that is a joke. I am calling my credit card company today and cancelling to get a new one. If I had found this ratings website before I would have never wasted my time. Buyers beware. Like always...too good to be true.

I ordered a Canon Mark 5d ii from bingocameras.com and after the rec'd the credit card information, and the three digit number on the rear, I was advised over the phone that the camera I purchased was a gray market camera, did not have the same body material, and the user manual would be japanese. They are bait and switch, and their advertisement on their website, bingocameras.com is clearly intentionally misleading if not fraudulent. When I asked them to cancel the order, they said I would have to pay a 9% cancellation fee at which point I told them I'd sue them if they charged. I may sue regardless as their advertising appears in violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, for the different between the price they advertised, and the price the camera they advertise actually sells for.

People watch out! This is a real bait-then-switch scam. I can't believe NY City and state attorney still let them exist. I filed a complaint with New York City Dept of Consumer Affairs and am following up on the case. Wonder if someone out there has ever sent some news tip to the CBS 60 minutes investigation on this type of evil e-commerce practice. Hope other fellow shoppers may learn something from our lessons.... My story is quite similar to others posted here. The one of an uninformed and cheap-deal chaser. On May 2, 2009, Saturday, I googled for a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS USM lens and Sonic Cameras popped up on top of the result list at the price of $1,049, about $450 lower than most other sites, including Amazon.com and eBay. I checked the website, saw a NYC mailing address in the Company Info section and thought it looked real, compared to other sites which had only toll free numbers. I was wrong! Wish I knew about resellerratings.com then!!! It would have saved me from a month long of anxiety. Since it's Sat the store closed, next day Sun 5/3 called and confirmed about the expedite order. That's when the whole saga started. A guy named Morris talked me into switching to a Sigma lens at the price of $50 more. He said that this new Sigma lens worked better with my Canon XTi. He asked for the 3 digit security code on the back of my credit card. I was so fool and gave it out to him. After hanging up the phone, I did some search and found out that the guy just deceived me. That so-called better Sigma lens was actually sold at the range of $799 for a brand new one, about $250 less than the Canon lens. It was like butterfly running in my stomach. I called back and requested a reversal to the original order. The phone was picked up by a cust svc guy then being transferred to a sales guy. The guy put me on hold forever till a 3rd one answered and said he would take care of it. No confirmation email...Five days later the package arrived and it's the Sigma lens!! Called back immediately and requested an RMA number to return the package. They put me on hold again for about 2+ hours. Finally a guy picked up and said their system was down! He agreed to refund the full amount, thanks God! I shipped the package back the same day. package was confirmed to be delivered at the warehouse 3 days later and yet refund was not credited back till 2 weeks after that. I called and got an explanation that the warehouse was under construction, nobody was there to receive the package!!?? I asked myself, so how could the package being delivered? Someone must have been there and signed off 2 weeks ago! What a bunch of liars!! So basically these guys sit on the $1500 fund for 2 weeks. Just imagine when you multiple the amount by a few dozen of similar cases and you can come up with a good amount of interest they earn on your $$ by using that delaying tactic. The fund was finally credited back to my credit card account after Memorial day. I'll continue monitor the account for 12 months and see if any identity theft may happen. As to these crooks, I believe the law of cause and effect will hit them one day. God bless!

This review was modified by its author, Kare4life, on 6/1/09 10:40 PM.

OMG! I was looking for a super wide angle canon 10-22mm lens for my Canon 50D. I came across bingocameras.com. Which I understand is the same place as Soniccameras. They wanted $429 for about an $750 lens. AMAZING. I couldn't pass that up! So I placed the order on their website. I ordered 2 day air and it was still way cheaper.  
 
Three days later, I didn't get it. I called them and this N.Y clown Chris answers and tells me he needs the 3 digit number on the back of my card. I said ok. (I thought it was cool being protective like that, at first) I didn't realize this was a ruse to up-sale me something else. He asked me what camera I have. I said 50D. He says "you don't want that lens because your camera has a cropping factor and you don't get the true aspect" I said I know that. "you want this brand new Sigma digital 10-20mm EX that stays a true 10mm at its widest, but then it goes to 32mm because of the 1.6x cropping factor. You get more out of it. Its $1499 on sale for $689. I said that doesn't make sense. Plus, I didn't research that one so I'm not sure. He then tells me "trust me, i use this lens myself, it's the best lens for that camera, and this is what you want." I said alright, I'll do it..  
 
I'm such a fool.. After I hung up the phone, I felt kinda sick to my stomach. I looked up that lens on the internet and there is a Sigma 10-20mm, EX, but, nowhere does it say that it stays at a fixed 10mm then stretches to a 32mm. That just doesn't make sense. I've been cheated.!!  
 
AND, to top it off.. He charged me $689 for something that everywhere else it's $450 or so. They tried to rip me off $250! That guy is Good!!!  
 
I called back to cancel my order and they gave me such a hassle. They transferred me to someone else. Before I told the new girl that I wanted to cancel. She told me my shipping address didn't match my billing address. " Who lives at my billing address?" I said don't worry about that, I want to cancel my order! She immediately says "it's already been shipped." I said "no It hasn't, then why did you ask to confirm my address! cancel my order!" She says " I have to bring you back to sales." THESE GUYS ARE CROOKS!!  
 
I hung up the phone and immediately called my bank to tell them what's up, and they said there was an order pending for $689. Damn! It went through the next day too!!  
 
So I called back again. this time I said I need to get the tracking number on an order thats been shipped (just to try and throw them off) when he brought up my order, he said it was cancelled. (thank God) I said good, F you guys. but, they still have my money!!!! It took 2 more days to reinstate my credit. But I did get my money back.....  
 
DO NOT BUY FROM THESE CROOKS. Thank you guys for posting these reviews, I saw this site and everything everyone says here is spot on!!! I wish i saw this site before I went through that 2 week headache!!  
 
 
 

TOTALLY BOGUS! April 29, was looking for a Nikon SB900 for my D90. Best price I saw was $420 till I hit Sonic Cameras. Their killer price $369 including free shipping. WOW! The Christmas tree decorations and gifts, atop their website, in April, should have been a giveaway. But an SB900 for $369 - AMAZING. So, I placed the order. Odd that the confirming email had no details of the order just an order number.  
 
April 30, email arrives. I need to call about my order. Guy told me the SB900 is "too strong" for my D90 that I need the SB800, made especially for the D90, and $20 cheaper (ONLY $20 cheaper!). Nikon lists the SB900 as compatible with the D90. I said, "No thanks. I'll stick with the SB900." Guy said I'd be sorry for rejecting his help, but I told him I was OK with that.  
 
Nothing arrived. May 7, I called. Where's my order. It was on hold. No reason. What camera do I have? I said I'd been down that road. Then he said the SB900 for $369 is for a film camera. I need the model for $469 for a digital camera. The one for $369 has a plastic foot, for $469 it's a magnesium foot. So BOGUS, I said cancel my order. He said, "I'll throw in the batteries you ordered ($59.99) for free. I said, it won't get to me in time. He said, I'll overnite it and charge just a $20 Saturday delivery fee. He wasn't letting go, so I finally said OK and hung up. My wife called back (as I'd been too weak to cancel) and got the same run around, ended up just yelling, "Then it'd better be here by Saturday."  
 
I was angry, started calling the three credit card companies I use, not knowing which card it was on. The charge hadn't showed up on any, yet. Chase was good. They closed the account and issued a new card. The others told me I could dispute it, advising to refuse the delivery.  
 
While doing that, I got a confirming email from Sonic, now with details. SB900 - $469, batteries - $59.99 (not free), shipping - $54 (not $20). The credit card was the one I'd closed, to my relief.  
 
Yesterday, I got a call from Sonic. The charge didn't go thru. I said, "Good." Guy said, "Well, you could have just cancelled the order."  
 
By the way, I called Nikon. There is only ONE SB900. It's compatible with the D90 and has a metal foot.  
 
These guys are slick. If you don't get away, try to close your credit card, before they charge it. If you can't do that, have a note put into your record that you called before they charged your card. If all else fails, refuse the delivery and dispute the charge.  
 
IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!!!

This review was modified by its author, dwf0730, on 5/9/09 9:55 AM.

BEWARE!!! This company is not an honest company. I received a phone call wanting to verify my order. They also asked for the security code on my credit card. Then proceeded to tell me that the camera did not come with anything, not even the battery. When I asked them to cancel my order, the salesperson told me there is a 10% cancelation fee. I told him I would dispute the charges with my credit card company because the item was not even shipped. He then told me I was a difficult customer and it was a shame that I wanted to pass up such a great savings. He would cancel my order and not charge the 10% fee. He went on to give me a guilt trip so I hung up the phone. I am now watching my credit card statement to see whether Sonic Cameras charges my card. Dealing with a dishonest company is a huge headache!

This review was modified by its author, lovemyfmly, on 5/8/09 9:52 PM.

I jumped on a smokin' deal for an XSi package. They called me the next day to confirm my credit card, which was a ruse to try and upsell me some ridiculously priced memory cards, batteries, and a charger. I checked out Amazon.com as I was on the phone with him and politely said thanks but no thanks. The reply was "then all I can say is [I hope you?] enjoy your package" and he hung up. That gave me a funny feeling and that's when I checked out this site and started hoping for the best.  
 
A day after I respectfully declined the upsells (today), I received an email that they were out of stock for the next 6-8 weeks and that my order had be cancelled. Well of course it had, I guess they couldn't afford to sell the camera package that cheap by itself. There's no excuse for that kind of mishap in the era of e-commerce. Buzz kill.  
 
Sonic Cameras are some shady characters, I wouldn't recommend them. Customer service took 20min to get on the line. There's no real contact info on their website, no description of "USA" warranties, and well just read the other reviews.

This review was modified by its author, beachjunkey, on 5/5/09 10:02 AM.

Today I placed an order via the Sonic Cameras website to purchase a Nikkor 18-200 VR lens for $409. My wife received a call from them and gave them my cell phone number.  
 
I spoke to someone who proceded to tell me that my three digit security code was required for my purchase.  
 
I was informed that my decision was a bad one, that the Nikkor lens had cropping issues and that I should buy a digital one for $40 more. I was told to get th Sigma 18-200. When I asked him how the DX could not be digital he told me again that it had cropping issues.  
 
Something did not feel right here so I told him to cancel my order. In reality, how can anyone really sell a $700 lens for $409 with free shipping?  
 
I ended up buying a dual lens kit (18-55 & 55 - 200) for the time being, from another vendor of course.

This review was modified by its author, cmr72, on 4/29/09 10:04 PM.

Thanks to this website, I immediately called and cancelled the order I placed a short while ago. Their website listed American Express as a carrier and they accepted my card and sent me a confirmation. When I called and cancelled, they informed me they no longer worked with American Express and asked if they could switch my order to another card. This scared the hell out or me! I called American Express and reported their actions and made sure there are no other charges on my card... Thank you thank you thank you for the service this website provides. I made sure I told them that I read their reviews and that was the exact reason I cancelled my order....I was headed right down the same path everyone else who made posts was headed... Beware!!!!

Thanks to this site I was tipped off about SONICCAMERAS.COM. I was nearly through with my $1700.00 order for a Nikon D700 when I got that uneasy feeling. I called them and spoke to some belligerent a-hole for 30-seconds before realizing SONIC is a complete scam. But wait...there's more! Quickly thereafter I found BINGOCAMERAS.COM, and I was already suspicious. The bingocqameras.com site has many of the same sidebar graphics as soniccameras.com and, sure enough, when I called it was the same idiot from Soniccameras. It looks like you guys have fingered these crooks out, and now they're trying to change the look to keep the rip-off alive....Thanks to all who posted, Way to go!!!

Bait and up-sell crooks, plain and simple. My story is no different from all the others on this post, so I won’t bother to recap it. If you’re reading this because Sonic Cameras disappointed you with an order cancellation e-mail, consider yourself lucky. If you are researching that company prior to giving them your CC number, you are luckier still. Put your card back in your wallet, and keep shopping. This company is a scam, ran by thieves.  
 
You know, the worst thing is the emotional rollercoaster they put you though. I did a lot of research, agonized over which model camera to buy, the perfect lens, then spent a great deal of time shopping online for the best price. (Sonic’s prices seem too good to be true… because they aren’t.) My order was not a fortune, but it was a sum that a guy like me can’t afford to throw around. When I finally screwed up the courage to commit to order, I was very excited!  
 
Then, the wait. Checking the front porch every day in hopes that UPS had paid a visit. Thinking that if I had just sprung for another $12 I could have upgraded to faster shipping. A full week later I’m told that my order had not yet shipped (in spite of two previous follow-up calls when I was told that the order had been “confirmed, and would go out today”).  
 
Then comes the incredible rudeness of their customer “service” person who wanted to sell me a $150 battery. (Because, you see, “this is WHOLESALE, not RETAIL, and wholesale NEVER includes a battery”). It’s not even the hard up-sell that made me so angry. It was the arrogance, disrespect, and harshness of the person talking to me. I speak to customers in my job, and I could not imagine talking to my customers like that. I wouldn’t even speak that way to another human being.  
 
Anyway, I was relieved when I read their order cancellation e-mail. I felt duped too, but relief was the overwhelming emotion. As far as I know my identity hasn’t been stolen, yet, but I’m still anxious over the fact that I was dumb enough to give those crooks my CC number.  

I had ordered a Nikon D90. They had sent one email that stated that the order has been received. The email had no information about the order itself. I waited for 10 days before calling them to check upon the status and I was told that the camera was out of stock and they will not get it anytime in the next 2 months. I promptly canceled the order. I called them mainly because I panicked after reading the reviews on this site. I hope they actually canceled my order. I think good business practice would be to contact me and let me know that the camera is out of stock.  
I checked their website and the camera is still listed as available for purchase. Hope no one else orders it and wait for eternity.

It seems my experience was typical of those posted. I ordered the D80 Continental package which seemed too good to be true. That evening, I was contacted by Bill at customer support who gave me a 10 minute speech on why I chose the wrong package and should ‘upgrade’ to a D60 with a non-Nikkor lens which was part of a special one day only package. I told him I would call him back in about 30 minutes (since they were thirty minutes from closing).  
 
 
When I called him back, I told him I needed more to think about this so he put my order on hold and said he would guarantee the D60 package until tomorrow. When I called back the next day and told Bill that I wanted the original package he again lectured me on why I made the wrong choice. When I called him on the inaccuracy of his information, he got offended because I was calling him a liar and then he tried to say I didn’t know what I was talking about. When I told him I wanted to cancel, he threatened to charge a 45% cancelation/restocking fee. I asked where this was coming from and he had no answer so I just told him to send the original package. He then asked if I wanted to buy the battery and data cable. When I said no, he said that because I called him liar that this deal was too good for me so he would cancel my order as I requested.  
 
If I had to guess, they did not have the camera I asked for or where going to loose money unless I purchased the battery, charger and data cable for an additional $200. To sum up this review: DO NOT SHOP AT THIS WEBSITE!!!

Avoid this seller. Worse experience I have ever had shopping anywhere.  
I checked with the sellers via email and I didn’t get a response. Then 12 days after the order I called the customer service number to find my self talking to a very rude and unprofessional rep that told me that they cancel my order because they ran out. When I told them why did I not receive an email or a call (especially that I send an email inquiring about my order)? The guy started to yell and all he could of come up with that his busy and he doesn’t know what else to tell me. I don’t know who is running this site. But I hope they run out of business soon.  

I ordered a Nikon D300 camera package online at soniccameras.com. Shortly after ordering I received an email saying that I needed to call the company to confirm my order. The salesman told me that I had forgotten to put the pin number of my credit card on the order form. He told me that he was going to do me a big "favor" and upgrade all of the lenses in the package for me because I had just missed a big sale they had. He kept telling me things I needed and ran up my previously $2200. bill to $3495. I told him that before the order was placed, I would like a detailed invoice of everything I was buying. He said he would send it. I recieved an email with a ton of stuff on it totalling $8346.99. Even the camera I had ordered had been changed to a lower model, the D90. I called to immediately cancel my order. I was hung up on 3 times before reaching the salesperson I had talked to, he told me that he had not adjusted my order yet, and that he would send me a detailed invoice. It never came. The next day I called to see what was going on and was told that my order had been shipped and I had been charged $3495. I had been told the order would not ship until I received the email. The package arrived at my house, UPS left it on my porch. The package included the correct camera and a bunch of grey market junk. The lenses had been changed to an off brand, I was sent the wrong card for the camera, some things were missing. I was charged $3495 for a $900 camera body and about $200 worth of off brand lenses, filters, etc. Some of the stuff was in packaging that looked like it came out of a gumball machine. Horrible quality. I have called to get an RMA to return the stuff. Everytime I give them my order number, they hang up on me. They are a total scam!