I have to agree with all the dissatisfied posts I've seen. I was in NY on business last week and had the worst shopping experience I've ever had. These guys would be shut down by the regulators or consumer watch dogs in most countries due to their sharp practice, but the survive by exploiting unsuspecting honest customers. Just before I was due to leave for the airport, I searched on the internet for prices on a canon rebel xsi (450d in Europe). 42nd street were the cheapest by about $40 so I decided to call in. I should have read the honest reviews from previous customers first as I would have gone to a mnainstream provider instead. Anyway - when I arrived, and asked about the Canon, the guy behind the counter was completely disinterested. Once he realised I was serious, his scamming skills came to the fore. With all such products, you need to buy a memory card (overpriced here), a carry case (over priced here), and perhaps a second battery (at least 100% dearer than anywhere else and un branded). My $650 camera soon became a $$850 dollar purchase. I still felt OK, but then came the killer punch. I was originally offered a wide angle lese retailing at $500 for $350. I refused. Just as I was about to leave, I was offered the same lense for $240. i don't know anything about lenses, but a 50% reduction had to be good. They already had it on the bill when I was about to pay !. Stiupiditly I agreed to buy it (my fault I'm not normally an easy tough). Went back to the office to find that the Digital Optics lense he sold me for $240(originally ($500) was actually worth $50 ! I also dicovered that the camera he gave me was not the US Rebel xsi, but one called the kiss x2. Checked this out and they are in fact the same camera, but this is obviously a grey market import as it is the Japanese model (but in fairness, the same as far as I can tell). When I went back, I asked for a refund on the lense (willing to write the overpriced other good off to experience) - the lense was unopened and unused. He pointed to the wall to show me their 'no refun' policy which actually says 'No refund. Exchange with in 7 days' They have the full stop blocked with a cable so it reads as if there is a refund withing 7 days. Anyway they point blank refused a refund and offered exchange only (bear in mind I was back within an hour. I asked if the did ipods, but he said they did but they weren't apple ones ! If its not Apple its not an iPod - is it legal in US to ell counterfit goods. I hope my cannon is a cannon ! Anyway eventually exchanged reluctantly for a casio compact camera which I know is a 2 year old model and probally worth less than $100 compared to the $240 I had to pay, or the $300 price tag he had on the box. The price tags are another scam - they go behind a screen in the shop to get you a boxed model before. they tell you the price. I'd be certain they put a new price tag on reflecting what they think you will pay. When I was in the shop, a guy came in and was quoted $60 more than I was for an identical camera. When trying to find something to exchange the "$500" lense for, I asked to switch it for a Sony camera (that another work mate had just quoted $199 for), and he told me it was $350. These guys give NY a bad name as a place that sells dodgy goods from prime Mid Town locations to unsuspecting tourists. These guys make money by conning people. You get no guarantee material, they keep the packaging (in case you see something on it you don't like), the receipt isn't itemised and they are agressive and rude. I plan checking these guys out as I suspect their practices are illegal. They are in every other civilised country so should be in the US. My advice - buy in circuit city or a well known camera shop. After you buy the essential extras, it won't be any dearer and at lest you won't be ripped off and insulted byt aggressive staff who actually tell you they don't refund because they work on a commission basis.

This review was modified by its author, oolart11, on 10/22/08 4:22 PM.

On Friday September 5, 2008, I was really desperate to get a Canon 50mm F1.8 lens that was required for a high school photography class. Before i came to this place i visited B&H, and since they were already closed i used 42nd St Photo as my last available option. The lens is sold for $85 almost everywhere and even for cheaper on the internet... Before i came to the store i checked their website advertising it for $99, because i needed it I was okay with paying the extra $15. When I'm about to buy it i go to the checkout and the guy there charges my $115 for it. When I begin to question the high price he makes fun of my hair being messy. At this point I'm pissed off beyond belief and show him his own website on my iphone wit the lower more reasonable price. When proven wrong two guys come and begin yelling at my saying they have $50k rent. Since I needed it, I payed and tried to leave, and as i was leaving the sales rep muttered under his breath F***ing polack, which to my is absolutely offensive and uncalled for especially in such a diverse city as New York.

I called today to order a Nikon D300 (body only). Ahead of time, I told the sales person I had 2 questions (one of them whether the product was an import or covered by a USA warranty). Even before I could phrase my questions, he initiated a verbal tussle whether I wanted to ask 1 or 2 questions! I then ask him whether he was going to answer my questions or whether I should take my business elsewhere? He then said please make my day and hung up. It was certainly not a confidence-building exercise. I will not buy from this store.

I will never buy anything from 42nd St. Photo again. Bought cable online, different one sent than ordered. Called and explained I was going to be in New York City and they told me to come to store and exchanged for what we ordered. After two mornings on my vacation, they still were unable to provide what they told me they were sending. Would not give refund. Stay away from 42nd St. Photo, Tom from Arizona will.

This review was modified by its author, TommyV, on 8/4/08 9:42 AM.

If you want to lose you money, then go ahead and buy from these guys, like I did. They gave me a really nice price for Sony HDR-SR12, and after I had agreed to buy it, they started offering me filters, batteries, bags, and other accessories with, what they call it "huge discount". Unfortunately I bought it. When I came home and checked online their "discount price", I realized that they charged me $270 for camera bag, 3 cheap filters and low-quality wide lens, all these accessories are included in one of their Kits for this camera, but its price is just $100. And on ebay you can actually get all the same accessories for just $30. The next day when I came to return "discounted" filters, lens and bag, they just refused to accept them, however on their website they say that they will refund any purchase with 20% restocking fee. So think twice before you go there, and be prepared to be ripped off. My advice: spend a little bit more in B&H, but be sure that you can always get refund for anything you don't like.

I was planning to purchase Canon 40D camera ... Very disappointed by the service of their NYC store saleman. After 4 legitimate questions I was told to leave them alone if I were not planning to buy... When I asked why the warranty offered was 3 months and not 12 months as other stores. Their response was clear "We are here for more than 40 years ...if you don't trust us don't buy"....I left the store and purchased from a well known store 20 mins walk away.

This review was modified by its author, tgunner, on 6/12/08 3:26 PM.

I called 42st photo & was told that the items I was interested in purchasing (a Canon Wide-angle lens, batteries & DV tapes, camera case, etc.) were in stock & available for pick-up. When I arrived at the store a man named Rafi assisted me. I reiterated to Rafi the items I was interested in purchasing & he brought me different items including Bower Lens instead of Canon & Sakar Digital Concepts batt. instead of the Canon brand that I asked for, claiming that they were a better quality. I purchased the items he recommended with my credit card. As I was leaving the store, Rafi asked to see the items more time. I gave him the lens box & other items & much to my surprise he scraped the price sticker from all the items.  
When I got back to my office, our photographer told me that I had just purchased cheap, low quality products & had been overcharged. I also looked up the exact Bower Lens online & found that that particular lens cost $79.95 as opposed to $450.00 & the Sakar batt. should have cost $29.99 as opposed to $139.99. Reviews also revealed that the lens & batt. were cheap imitation & low quality.  
I decided to return the 2 items, & as I looked at the receipt I noticed 2 things:  
1) No itemized record of what I had purchased.  
2) No Return Policy – Exchange Only within 10 days of purchase  
Rafi NEVER communicated to me about the No Return Policy.  
I went back to the store & asked to exchange the Bower Lens for the Canon Wide-Angle Lens or Raynox Lens (as suggested by our staff if they still don’t have the Canon in stock). Rafi told me that they would have to order it, & offered me a “better” lens. At this point I explained that I was only interested in the Canon or Raynox product as the last recommendation was actually a lower quality than what I was expecting. I pointed at the Raynox lens on the bottom drawer & Rafi says that that lens is discontinued & he is going to give me a better lens than the Raynox along with warranty included. So instead he exchanged the lens with a Digital Optics lens. Rafi refused to exchange the batt. & gave me a Sakar charger for free (worth $19.35). I gave my contact no. & ask Rafi to let me know as soon as he gets the Canon lens in-stock since this is still not the lens that we are looking for. He said that he will get them in a day or two  
I decided to visit the store again, since I’ve never received any update on the Canon lens & learning that the Digital Optics lens is another low quality lens that worth only about $139.99. This time I decided to exchange the lenses & accessories for a Canon XTi DSLR camera + accessories, since on my previous visit it is in-stock & in fact, they told me that they are trying to get rid of their stocks since the new XSi is coming in a month or 2. Prior to my visit I printed a copy of items from their website, complete with the price & availability. I also called the store prior to my visit & was told that the Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens were in-stock & available for pick up & they will honor the price on their website. I did NOT specify on the phone who I was or that I was interested in exchanging merchandise.  
When I arrived, I asked to exchange the Digital Optics Lens, batt. & accessories for the Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens. I was not able to make the exchange that day because: First, they asked me for the itemized receipt, Rafi never provided me with one nor they have any record of that transaction. Secondly, Rafi had already left & they can not exchange the products as they are not sure which items Rafi had previously sold me.  
The next day, I returned to 42st photo to meet with Rafi & exchange the Digital Optics Lens & batt. for a Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens. Rafi told me that he does not have those items in stock. I showed him the copy I had made from their website & re-iterate that I would like to exchange items. I also told him that I had just called & he said they did in fact have the items in-stock. Confronted with this information, Rafi said they do sell a kit with the items I’m interested in. He explained that he would honor the price quoted on 42photo.com, for the DSLR camera + charger = $189.99 & batt.= $139.99. Curious on why, I told him that I’m interested in purchasing the kit so that I can take a good look at what makes the kit that expensive.  
Rafi returned to the counter with the DSLR camera kit, which included in the box the DSLR camera as well as the batt. & charger that he was planning to charge separately. The box itself said batt. & charger included.  
I looked at the box which said contents included: batt. & charger, I then showed him the product information I had printed from their website which states that batt. & charger included in the kit. Rafi’s responded “Then go & buy it from the website!!!”  
I was surprised by Rafi’s comment but politely said to him “Let’s work this out.” At that point he ignored me as if I was not standing in front of him. I then asked “Why don’t you want to work it out with me…” As he walked away from the counter to the backdoor he said “You are wasting my time”  
At this point I left my purchases on the counter & left the store. I kept my receipt.  
Rafi simply refuse to provide me with the items I have specifically requested & paid for… 42st photo had failed to honor their exchange policy to the equipment that we had initially requested. Rafi had also displayed a numerous unethical business practices & conducts by dishonestly misrepresenting their products, quality & pricing. He also lied about honoring the price on their website & the availability of the products requested by us. I hope that this testimonial is more than sufficient to warn potential buyers & protect their investments from unethical business practices & scams that are clearly displayed by Rafi at 42st photo.

This review was modified by its author, H8Scam, on 5/26/08 12:37 AM.

I ordered a Nikon D300. Worst experience I've ever had with vendor. They were hard sell, misleading, rude, and when I got the product it was a gray market camera, and the shipping charges were three times what the price on the website said it would be. The battery I ordered was not a Nikon battery, which is what I requested. The manager also lied to me when I asked him a direct question. It took numerous telephone calls and emails, and my being relentless, to finally get them to agree to credit my account with the full amount and not charge the 20% restocking fee they wanted to charge me. This is the most shady company I have ever dealt with. BUYER BEWARE!

I ordered my camera on March 10th with 7-9 day free shipping. The order was not shipped/processed until I called in a week later on March 17th. I needed it for that weekend so I asked them to send in 3-day UPS. I come to find that they charged me $88 for shipping. What leads me to believe that they did so was b/c the Canon 5D I bought was priced at $2,699. It then went up in price by $50 to $2,750. The sales guy just added on the add'l $50 plus the cost of 3-day shipping to make-up for that price difference. Is this unethical or what?? I'm still trying to get my $50 difference back and no one will call me back or answer me directly. One guy gave me the excuse of...it was extra cost for insurance. Yet another guy said it costs $88 to ship 3-day which is a bunch of crap. Stay away from these guys!

This review was modified by its author, fobbette, on 3/21/08 7:04 PM.

Don't be misled by the ads or salesmen at this store. I ordered a Canon camera and was sold a vastly overpriced kit to go with it (yes, shame on me for being an uninformed consumer but they have no business ethics). When the camera arrived, it did NOT have a warranty and the kit contents were cheap items that would have cost a fraction of the price elsewhere. Avoid these people!

Stay away, far far away! Don't let the low prices dangled in front of your face entice you, They will be yanked away faster then you can say #%*@.  
They do have many "very Satisfied" reviews here but I'm suspicious after my experience, Most are by single reviewers and I'm convinced they are posted by 42 photo. Read all the reviews before purchasing from this company. The last page is full of Dissatisfied customers, I believe that's when 42photo realized they have to put up fake reviews.  
I purchased a Nikon D300 from this store, Like always high pressure sales tacits to up-sale. I don't blame them for that. I do not like the "Bate and switch" game they're playing, Advertised on their site for $1799.97, my wife called to order it for me for Christmas. She was told there is only a 30 day warranty, "we can add a three year warranty for $199 or 1 year for $149". My wife, not being wise to the shysters in the NY based electronic sales world chose the 1 year.  
I called later to inquire about extra money for warranty, I informed them that Nikon provides a year of warranty with all USA models. I was told "$1799.97 was for the International (Grey Market) camera". "The USA model is $1949.99". That's $149.99 over retail. Unfortunately it had already shipped or I would have canceled on the spot.  
They also offered free shipping. The catch, 7-10 days. We all know ups will get a package from NY to CA in 5 days using ground service. So they basically hold you package several days before shipping. To get it shipped out immediately will cost about $20, So much for free shipping. My wife wanted to make sure it would be here by Christmas so she chose 3 day select at a cost of $28.86 (I admit that's fair) It showed up 5 days later and was shipped ground!  
Bottom line this camera retails for $1799.99, the classic "Bate & switch" got an extra $149 from an  
unwitting housewife and it's dishonest people like this, why I love this (resellerratings)site to expose this scum.

This review was modified by its author, Micallef, on 12/23/07 4:53 PM.

CALL THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING FROM THESE CROOKS!  
 
Seriously... call the Better Business Bureau or another official consumer agency before you buy anything from this store. I ordered a number of items from them, online. One very expensive one didn't work and 2 were not the brands I ordered. I called to say I wanted to return them and was treated with hostility. I went to the store, in person, and they refused to take anything back even though I was still within the terms of the agreement. While I was there someone else came in with an upcharging complaint, but they yelled at him (literally) until he left. I'm not sure if I am allowed to mention, here, other sites with reviews of this store... but do a lot of research. There are a lot of positive reviews about this store... Be supicious. For your own good, contact the BBB or another government agency before trusting this operation.

This review was modified by its author, Camera130, on 9/10/07 4:57 PM.

THIS IS A TERRIBLE COMPANY.  
 
With all of these “great” reviews, I’m suspicious they aren’t real customers. Please read ALL of the reviews  
 
Here’s my waking nightmare:  
 
I ordered an HV20 camera with a “pro shooter” pack, plus an extra set of "Tokina" lenses. Ralphy tried to up sell the lenses and a battery charger. I told him no on the lenses and that I wanted to look locally for a charger and he said ok.  
 
The lenses I received were "Merkury" and I also received a $15 "Merkury" battery charger, which I was charged $89.99 for. I wanted to return them and get my money back.  
 
I researched the return policy and they give you 10 days from when it arrives to return (and pay a 20% restocking fee). You have to call and get an RMA number. Since they arrived on Thursday that gave me until Friday or Saturday to have it shipped back. I wasn’t able to call until Sunday to get an RMA number. And when I did call, I got my sales rep guy, Ralphy again, who told me he wouldn’t be able to give me an RMA then, and I’d have to call back Monday. But this was customer service and after I explained what I wanted to do he still told me I’d have to wait until Monday to receive one by email. Not only that, he told me that I had indeed ordered the charger. What a liar.  
 
Monday. No email. As soon as I got customer service and gave them my invoice number, I was routed to Ralphy’s voicemail. No return call. But I did get his direct extension.  
 
Tuesday. No email. I called in the morning and left a message with Ralphy again. No return call. In the afternoon I did get hold of him. He said for being “such a great customer” he spoke with his manager and they were going to give me a $200 rebate and I wouldn’t have to send anything back. I agreed simply because I wanted them to have as less of my money as possible, even if I would have gotten more back from them from simply a return. ( I should have received $380 back even after the ludicrous 20% stocking fee). I asked for an email confirmation and he simply said that it was being processed and not to worry.  
 
And guess what day the refund would be showing up on my credit card? Friday.  
 
Did it show up? Even on the following Wednesday? No.  
 
And when I call back to Ralphys direct line, I immediately get disconnected.  
 
THIS IS A TERRIBLE COMPANY.  
 
p.s. When I originally ordered the pro pack, it comes with a tripod and carrying case. Since I already had a tripod, I asked what I could trade for. Ralphy said he’d send a very nice upgrade case. The tripod I bypassed sells for about $70. So, I would think that an included case and a bypassed tripod might come out around $100. They sent me a $30 case.  
 
When I called them, still thinking innocently of them I thought they may have messed something up and so I thought maybe they could send me something else and I had been looking at microphones. Before I could finish my sentence I was told that they were sold out. Sold out of every microphone because of a rush the Memorial weekend before (they have 21 of them). I was pretty floored by that statement. He could only offer to send me the original tripod.  
 
I don’t know what I was thinking by not comparing prices. Every accessory is terribly overpriced and I have paid for it.  
 
Please don’t lose your money to them.  
 
UPDATE. BUYING ME OFF  
 
Concerning the $200 refund I was promised but never came. This past Sunday I received a voicemail from Ralphy with an apology for not calling back and to call him about it.  
 
I called yesterday about it and he was friendly at first and wanted to know why I posted such a bad review. He insisted that the refund had been credited on the day promised and even had a transaction number for it. He started to get a little belligerent, asking if I had “called” my credit card company about it and then when I asked for this transaction number, he then began to bargain with me.  
 
He would only give me this number if I removed my review. I told him that I would only edit out the part about the credit.  
 
Then he began to get really angry. Telling me how awesome he was (if you want an idea of what he thought of himself, read the message 2 posts above from “robertpenn17”, or should I say “Ralphy”?). He also told me that he wasn’t going to refund the money…which is funny since he told me that it already went through. That I was a bad customer and finally when I tried to interject anything into his tirade, he simply said “I don’t have to listen to this Sh*t” and hung up on me.  
 
I was stunned.  
 
Here’s my advice to Ralphy, 42nd St. Photo and your service.  
 
1. You give people what they pay for at fair prices, nothing less and nothing more.  
2. You respect them and do what you say you’re going to do. If they want to return an item, then let them. 3. Don’t ignore their voicemails and try and buy them off with a promise of a refund which you NEVER intended to give me, and still wouldn’t, had I removed my post.  
 
It’s called ethics and why I’m posting these reviews.

This review was modified by its author, dan1000, on 6/20/07 9:55 AM.

Negative experience. They sell gray market products not intended for sales in US, as has been confirmed by the UPC code, the unrecognized registration number on the box and camera, the disks that came in the box, and the lack of a registration card. Because gray market products are not intended for sale in the US, Nikon won't register or support them. In addition, cords, plugs, and software may not work/can cause damage.  
 
42 Street Photo sellers use the excuse of confirming the credit card number to make contact and push overpriced accessories. They also overcharge for shipping, and some employees go by different names (Junior, John). Sales Reps use pressure tactics, mislead and lie about merchandise and pricing - then they repeatedly contact customers to get them to delete on-line negative merchant ratings. It is clear that some of positive comments are 'padding' and are posted by store employees or associates of employees. This merchant gets a lot of business through Amazon.com.  
 
The Nikon package advertised on-line was not what I received. (One lens was different.) It was not what I ordered, or wanted.  
 
The only charge on my new credit card was the camera. But immediately after posting an on-line negative comment about questionable business practices, bogus overseas charges began appearing on my card. I've never been overseas. And I'm very careful about security and credit card numbers. My bank blocked those charges. But potential customers should be aware. I didn't have problems when I'd gotten items from them through Amazon, but when dealing directly with them it's a different reality. They are very adept at what they do and how they do it, and appear 'pleasant and polite' for a reason. It's a hook. I will never do business with them again.

This review was modified by its author, giskin13, on 5/23/07 2:05 PM.

This MUST be the worst customer service I've come across in my life long history of buying online! I am serious, I mean thank god I didnt buy from these people!  
 
I've placed an order for a Nikon D200. 2 Days later I get this email from a rep wanting me to call him to verify my credit card. I was quite busy at the time to call back so I suggested that he calls. Supprisingly he does, after having to cope with his dopey attitude he goes sorry we dont process international credit cards and you are only to pay by a bank transfer, which is fair enough. So I emailed him back after having secound thoughts, saying well if you'd email me the bank details in case I decide to go a head with the purchase. He replies, sure give me sometime to put things together. Well a week goes by with no response so I contacted another rep, wondering if its possible to process my order with a verified Paypal account. She comes back saying there maybe a way to process your credit card on the phone, give me a call. I said fine. I called them up many time and no answer at the other end. A week later still no response, email or otherwise. So I look them up here to discover the crappy service. If thats how things are BEFORE you invest your money, not sure how things will be when you already spent your cash. I am just thankful I didnt buy from them.