It is a scam. My story is similar to everyones-- an unbelievable deal online for a digital SLR, then a bunch of extra accessories that cost $234, so the total was $834 for the advertised "$599" camera. Then I was ignored for hours on their phone line. Both US1Photo and ShopDigitalDirect have professional sounding answering messages that instruct you to call back at another time.  
During the whole ordering process they make it seem real, and in the end you will not get any product. And fight to get your money back.  
 
 
I am pissed and definitely going to the Better Business Bureau. Let's shut down this slimy operation! Let's get our money back!  
 
 

This is a total fraud and scam. Do not give them your credit card information. They do not honor orders accepted and claim they are out of stock when they give you the lowball price to try and upgrade you or sell you other items that are already included in the standard package.  
 
See other independent complaints at http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/fraud-and-scam-c164948.html and related messages at this site

I purchased a Sony HDR-SR12 back on 1/2/08. hen item asn't delivered I sent email. No response. I called the company. Waited 45 min on the phone. Someone answered then hung up. Called back again and waited 30 min. Finally I was told the item was back ordered and would be in 4-6 weeks. I called 2/11/09. Waited again. Finally spoke to someone who told me the item was discontinued and they had sent me an email 2 weeks ago. That was a lie. When i accused the of false advertising I was told the web site never said it was in stock. My reply,"It never said it wasn't or that it was backordered". I have a printout which states,"Your order has been processed". I then went on their web site and lo and behold, the same camera is still being advertised, for $50.00 more. I called back. The only thing they say is "It never says it is in stock". My answer, "It never said it wasn't in stock or that it is on back order". This company is a scam artist. I accused them of false advertising and they said false advertising is when you put it on a billboard that states it is available now. Buyer beware.

This company operates a scam. The website displays products with incredible pricing, where I found a camera and placed an order. I received a confirmation email shortly thereafter, and expected to get a shipment email confirmation within the next day or so.  
 
Instead, I got a voicemail stating that I needed to call back regarding my order. The direct line I was given to call was 1-888-313-7468, ext 283 for Ken. The order number was vastly different than the order number from the automated email confirmation.  
 
I finally got through and verified my order # and name and asked to cancel my order after reading reviews on internet. I was told that my card would be charged $44 for cancelation.  
When I sad that I will call FBI if there is going to be any charges made to my card. I received very unusual response: Just because what I sad now I will be charged double $88. And was asked if Am I stupid to call FBI.  
 
The website shows no disclosure of extra fees for items that come included from the manufacturer. Nowhere does it say "battery not included" or "battery extra" or "extra battery purchase required" or anything similar. The policies and email receipt make no mention of it either. Also, previous customer reviews suggest that, with all my credit card information--including my security

I am so sad that I didn't check the ratings of this scam organization before ordering. When they tried to bait and switch me by selling me the battery and charger separately (nice) on the phone, and tried to cancel the order for my camera, they said "No, I was trying to help you, but if you don't want my help, I will ship it anyway." They are a TOTAL scam... the positive response is from my sales guy who was stupid enough to use his real name, so don't believe there are any positive transactions here.  

Never, ever, order from this company. They are a bunch of crooked, munipulative crooks! They hook you into buying with the "low" prices listed and then don't tell you that really nothing is included with that price and you have to pay twice as much to get anything. When confronted, they tell you "it is just business." We bought a "package" and when our shipment came, nothing from the "package" came. We called them and they tried to deny that any of that was included, even though we had the print out of it. They finally agreed to send us a camera bag and memory card, which we have been waiting for, for 2 1/2 weeks now. All I can say is stay as far away as possible. They are liars and there is no such thing as customer service!

ShopDigitalDirect THE BIGGEST SCAM EVER. DON"T BUY FROM THEM

This company operates a scam. The website displays products with incredible pricing, where I found a camera and placed an order. I received a confirmation email shortly thereafter, and expected to get a shipment email confirmation within the next day or so.  
 
Instead, I got a voicemail stating that I needed to call back regarding my order. The direct line I was given to call was 1-888-313-7468, ext 202 for Victor. The order number was vastly different than the order number from the automated email confirmation. I tried calling daily for 5 days at various times. But the line went straight to a message stating that they were closed, and it was not possible to leave a message.  
 
I finally got through and verified my order # and name. He asked for the security code on the back of my card, which I (regrettably) gave. He reviewed my order, which was for a camera (body only) and external flash. He asked me which battery I wished to purchase with the camera, and gave me the option for one at $139 or $149.  
I said I didn't need an extra battery. He said it doesn't come with one. I said I know it does, because my purchase was to replace a previous camera that had broken recently. He said that was the store model, this was a "studio model." This is what explained the low price for the camera--they require you pay extra for the battery. I repeated I didn't need a battery, and had already purchased a replacement battery from a different source. Instantly, I was hung up on.  
 
The website shows no disclosure of extra fees for items that come included from the manufacturer. Nowhere does it say "battery not included" or "battery extra" or "extra battery purchase required" or anything similar. The policies and email receipt make no mention of it either. Also, previous customer reviews suggest that, with all my credit card information--including my security code--I am now vulnerable to unauthorized purchases as well.  
 
Knowing this, I instantly called my credit card company's fraud department, closed that account number and requested a new account number and card to be sent.  
 
DON'T BE A VICTIM! DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!  
 
Also, you too should fill out a Better Business Bureau complaint. That's the best way to put these guys out of business. File your complaint easily online at:  
 
Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York  
(New York, NY)  
257 Park Avenue South  
New York, NY 10010-7384  
Phone: (212)533-6200  
Fax: (212)477-4912  
Email: inquiry@newyork.bbb.org  
Web: http://www.newyork.bbb.org

True story... I made an internet order successfully. I received a phone call within 2 hours from a rep at this online store saying that they did not accept Discover, when clearly, on the website and on the phone it stated that they accept Discover. He asks for another credit card, and I refused to give him another one because I want it on the Discover (It has a lower APR). He said, and I quote, "You're wasting my time..." then hung up.

WARNING !!!! This is the same company:  
www.86photovideo.com  
www.ontimedigital.com  
shopdigitaldirect.com  
soniccameras.com  
myrtleelectronics.com  
digitalsfuture.com  
lensesnmore.com  
www.closeoutgenius.com ( GENIUS )  
slrgenius.com  
camcordergenius.com  
projectorgenius.com  
plasmagenius.com  
allpcgenius.com  
cellulargenius.com  
receivergenius.com  
navigenius.com  
cameragiantsinc.com

This review was modified by its author, faa, on 2/2/09 5:06 AM.

72 ratings on this Reseller Ratings site as of 1/26/09 demonstrate a common scam:  
1. Price the digital product far below any competition. The deal is literally to good to be true.  
2. Call to verify the credit card and try to sell you inflated extras like batteries (3 fold hike in battery price compared to Amazon or other reputable sites).  
3. Put your order on the bottom of the list when you don't buy extras.  
4. They do not update on the anticipated ship dates and continually tell you that it is backordered (these are just ways to get you to finally to cancel the order, which most will do when they finally get frustrated enough).  
5. The truly concerning part is the reviews on the Reseller Ratings report that people had unauthorized charges after transactions with Shop Digital Direct. This is not isolated to one or tow reviews. This moves the company from extremely poor business practices (scam selling practices) to potentially criminal practices by selling credit card information that needs to be investigated and stopped).  
 
Please go the The BBB that will handle business complaints against this company:  
Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York  
(New York, NY)  
257 Park Avenue South  
New York, NY 10010-7384  
Phone: (212)533-6200  
Fax: (212)477-4912  
Email: inquiry@newyork.bbb.org  
Web: http://www.newyork.bbb.org  
 
If enough complaints are generated this will generate action. It takes only 5 minutes to stop this type of scam resell operation.

Beware of this merchant. They are dishonest and theifs. I put in a order for a new Sony Camcorder with a 4yr extended warranty from Repair Tech. They did not include the contract for Repair tech in the package shipped but still charged me. I tried to contact them within their 7day policy good luck to that. I was forced to put in a dispute with AmericanExpress for protection(thank god) to try and get some recourse. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS MERCHANT ***CARPE DIEM***

I ordered a camera from ShopDigital Direct at the same time I ordered a lens from Sonic Cameras. Both sent me an email to confirm the order and asking for the credit card's security number. I called ShopDigitalDirect right away and got the hard sale for buying overpriced accessories that would normally be with the body, all of which I declined. I found out the camera would be a few weeks before it was delivered. Near the end of that time, I called and found the expected delivery time was even longer than it was at first. And, later, it wasn't getting any better. About 1/9, I called and canceled the order.  
 
With Sonic Cameras I had immediate misgivings about the order and thought I might want another lens so I did not call to confirm the order. Later, I found my first choice was the better so I did call to confirm. (Despite emailing a request to cancel, requests to confirm continued.) When I did call, they tried to sell me a filter I didn't want, tell me the lens only had a plastic mount (totally untrue, the lens isn't available with a plastic mount and offered me a different lens for $50 more although the street price is about $200 less.) So, I told them to cancel the order. I wrote them an email and told them what I thought of them. I got two emails from them. One, to call them back and they would make it good. The second saying the order was canceled due to nonavailability.  
 
Now, somewhere in all this during mid-December, I got charges to a drilling company in California for over $13,000. Wonder which one did it.

Do not patronize Shop Digital Direct. On two occasions I made purchases with different credit cards. I used neither of these cards for purchases prior to and subsequent to my purchases from Shop Digital Direct. Immediately following my purchases from Shop Digital Direct fraudulent credit card activity was posted to both of the cards I used for my purchases from them.  
 
Because of their bad service and misrepresentation of products, I had decided I would never shop with them again or recommend them. When the fraudulent activity appeared on my credit cards, I felt that I needed to make others aware of the risk involved in shopping from them via a forum such as this.

!!!!PLEASE REPORT THEM TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF BROOKLYN NY LIKE I HAVE!!!!  
www.newyork.bbb.org  
I would NEVER use this company EVER again. This is a scam company. If you order an item, you will be contacted by a sales person to let you know that your item is on back order. I was told that the item I purchased was of low quality and may never come in. They claim that the item on their website was an International camera that was a poor quality. But yet they are still selling them on their web site and they never disclose that information. I was sold another package, which was a whole lot more. No problem, when I got the order I was overcharged and did not get what I ordered over the phone.  
After more research I found out that I am not alone. When I call customer service they hung up on me several times and I was told off. Take your pick. If you like this kind of treatment then by all means deal with this company. If not PLEASE report them for their selling practices like I am.

This review was modified by its author, morreen, on 1/13/09 5:43 PM.