top notch from ny to oklahoma.. very pleased with sony dcr-sr100 for 200 cheaper than locally. was slightly upset to find out battery was 15 more than listed on their own web site and given lame excuse that talking to a person deserves a higher premium. this was easily corrected with absolutely no problems. i liked the fact that berger bros is an authorized sony dealer and is listed on sony's website. brad is very helpful and seems very fair. quality of service was high and that is all this review is intended to represent..
I'm a professional photographer who was in a bind. I needed to purchase an add'l camera body for an important event I was covering in 2 days. Yikes. Most sites told me there was no way they could ship in time -- they needed 24-48 hrs to ship, and many sellers had some BS about their price being different from what was advertised. Berger Bros. to the rescue.
They took my order (it was for a Canon 5D), and within 3 hours shipped it out Next Day Air. No curveballs with the price. They did offer extras, but not pushy at all. Then get this -- the manager Danny and the owner Brad called me (separate calls!) later in the day to personally tell me they shipped it out, and gave me the tracking #. Whoa. As a pro I've shopped them all (42st St Photo, Butterfly, B&H, etc.), but never quite the service like I rec'd with Berger Bros..
I'm super busy and usually don't write these reviews, but they deserved this one.
I shopped for a camera & lens. Went to Berger Bros. in Amityville, NY. We agreed on a price. I left a deposit this morning and told them I would return today with a company check (they call layaway instead of a deposit?). I went back this afternoon with the check. Then they said I would have to buy an extended service plan, camera filters, a camera bag and who knows what else. When I said I did not want any other stuf they told me that they would not sell the original camera & lens to me because they had other customers they could make more money on.
This was a first-time order based on feedback from members of Nikonians.org website. Aside from their non-automated shipping notification (a minor thing)this was a totally positive experience. I'll buy here again. Delivery was on time as they said.
My dealings with this company located in Amityville N.Y. turned out to be a horror. At the first of the year I ordered and cleared their website buying a Minolta Maxxum 70 for $209. That afternoon, I am notified by email to contact them. I am informed that the camera is actually $249. After 10 years of being disabled (fixed income), I am trying to register for college photography class. I chose a less expensive camera but the following day, I find the model that I want at $219. I notify Berger Brothers. and speak with the owner Brad. Lesser model has already been shipped but we agree that I should refuse shipment and when he receives camera back, he will ship 70 model and chare my debit card the $30 difference.
Brad calls me to inform me when he is shipping camera that I wanted all along. He states that he will now charge me the additional $30 which includes $10 for shipping and makes transaction $229.
My debit card was indeed charged $30 but, $30 was reaccredited to my account and on the very next line of my internet banking statement, $31.75 was debited from my account. Because of the extra negative $1.75, I made three negative bank transactions that my bank originally charged me $96 at $32 transaction.
I call company and remind them of promises and pledges made in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and to ask that they consider that some of their customers may have endured entire lives of pain for various reason such as growing up in institutions knowing unending abuses and never having or knowing your family. Whatever the situation, I would hope that they treat future customers better than I was treated unless it is their view that customers exist exclusively for benefit of Berger Brothers.
Looking for a hard to find camera or related device? Brad Berger is your man. I had scowered the county looking for an out of production camera with no luck. The manufacturer pointed in the direction of Berger Bros. They came through.
PERSONAL service not seen in this digital age. Had what I wanted, at the price I wanted, and got it to me when I requested. Excellent phone and e-mail follow through. Can't say enough good things about the service and personal care. Excellent in every way.
OUTSTANDING customer service. The day after I placed my order, I rcvd a msg saying they were preparing to ship my camera and wanted to make sure I didn't need memory cards or batteries to go with. They also followed up with me before they shipped to make sure I knew that the $50 rebate was no longer available, did I still want the camera. I was very impressed with the lengths to which they went to make sure I was satisfied.
I ordered a D50 from Berger Bros. online, received a follow up call to varify CC info. There was a small glitch with my bank and the processing, and received a follow up from Brad the owner. Order was processed and delivered in a prompt manner.
These guys were very helpful and honest, even discouraging me from purchasing equipment that might be incompatable with other items I was interested in. Will shop here again.
This is the only e-store I've ever dealt with which is not upfront about shipping charges.
After placing an order, I got an email (which it appears is sent to all buyers) stating that free shipping MIGHT not be available for the item I had ordered.
When I called to inquire, the item indeed would NOT be shipped free. They wasted the time I comparison shopped on line, they are less than clear about their shipping charges policy.
Berger Bros. is great store to do business with. They had the best price and the service was super. The camera arrived on time and exactly as expected. The personal touch of the phone calls I got was also a tremendous plus in this day of no human touch automation. At first I thought the phone call was going to be the high pressure pitch that so many write about but instead, it was just like having a conversation in a real across the counter store. It was a conversation to make sure I was getting what I wanted. I will definitely do more business with Berger Bros.
Excellent store with tons of product in stock! The sales people are into the hobby and that helps a lot! The owner Brad is even in the stores to make sure everyone gets good help! This is the kind of place that runs like a "mom and pop store" where they look to go way above and beyond to help you enjoy your new equipment. Plus NO high pressure sales! They even offer classes for us newbies!!! What other place does that??? 2 Thumbs up!
I purchased a Minolta 5D kit,(EXCELLENT DSLR!) extra battery and filters...all at a very fair price. HIGHLY RECOMENDED!
This review was modified by its author, cleanmaxx brian, on
9/6/05 9:55 PM.
The staff was courteous, and professional. When someone didn't know an answer they asked another associate in the store. When I sought a better price due to special circumstances, the owner came over and helped out. This is a regional/neighborhood store that brings the technical down to everyday terms. You will get what you pay for, and know that you won't be pressured or scammed!
A thoroughly enjoyable experience buying from these folks. Deborah, the salesperson helped me out on a Sony DCR-HC90 camcorder purchase. She was very polite and not pushy at all. She suggested some accessories like a cleaning tape and UV filter but nothing I didn't need. I've heard and read some horror stories about other vendors who advertise low prices on Froogle, then they go postal when you don't buy their $500 accessories package. I found Berger Bros. from a link on the Sony website of fully authorized mail order sellers, and they happened to have the item I wanted in stock for the lowest price out of any of the authorized dealers. The camcorder came the next day even though it was shipped UPS ground (the salesperson advised me that it would arrive next day because I'm in the NY metro area, thus saving me a few more bucks). So, my hat's off to the Berger Bros. and to Reseller Ratings for making this purchase go so smoothly.
