1/5

posted Nov-05-2007

"I should have visited this site before making my purchase, but I have learned a lesson. It's very apparent what this company tries to do.

1. I made an order for a flash unit for my camera.
2. The company contacts me two days later saying:
"Dear Customer,
Thank you for your order. Please give me a call so that i may discuss and confirm the order with you.
Thank you
3. I call the company, and they say it's out of stock.
4. THE REPRESENTATIVE HAS THE NERVE TO TRY AND SELL ME A PRODUCT I KNOW TO BE INFERIOR! ALSO, WAY OVERPRICED!
5. I request a refund, and a week later, still no refund.
6. In the end, I had to file a claim with Paypal and waste time while at it.

Conclusion:
It's clear to me that this company tries to take advantage of unknowing consumers where they try selling things you don't need and junk products. If they get the chance to upsell a customer, then they'll ship out the products.

So final verdict: Don't waste your time, and don't shop with this company."

This review was modified by minhimum on November 05 2007 12:33:18 AM

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1/5

posted May-02-2008

"I purchased a camera from Tri-State Camera & Video and a 3-year warranty for $345, with memory card and other essential accessories the total cost was about $600. This was a large investment for me and I took great care in making this purchase. I thought I was buying a quality product from a reputable and legitimate business. However, my camera broke during a trip within the first year. It was still in the warranty period, so I sent it in for repair. After paying $15 to pack, insure and ship my camera to their repair center, I was also made to pay an additional $10 for the repair center to receive my merchandise. Tri-State Camera then sent me a bill for $150 to fix the camera. This is, incidentally I found out later, $10 less than the purchase price of a new camera.

When I questioned being charged for a repair covered under the warranty, Tri-State Camera then returned the camera unrepaired and wrapped up in masking tape. They cited numerous, completely false reasons for denying my claim – warranty void as of invoice date, unit returned unrepaired due to no response to the estimate, excessive force applied, need to replace lens block estimate $150.

I lodged a complaint and spoke with various Tri-State Camera representatives and managers over the phone, through e-mail and the regular mail – all to no avail. Needless to say, I’m in a bind now. With the memory cards, camera case and other items, I can’t afford to lose my $600 investment. Yet, I certainly do not want to give Tri-State Camera any more of my money. I also just want the warranty I paid for honored. I did nothing illegitimate to the camera, it simply broke on a trip – most likely because it was substandard quality or defective.

When I pointed this out to Tri-State Camera representatives, they just ignored me and reiterated I needed to pay $150. I wish I would have checked out this vendor as thoroughly as I did the camera I chose to purchase. Tri-State Camera & Video offers a series of toll-free numbers to order merchandise, but has a long-distance number for customer service. Various company names are printed on their invoices and company materials, which is suspicious - -Tri-State Camera & Video, Tri-State Camera Exchange, Inc., Tri-State Inc., and Mack Camera and Video Service. Tri-State clearly feels it can get away with dismissing customers once they have their money. There is certainly no level of accountability or legitimate customer services being offered. BUYER BEWARE. I am lodging complaints with numerous agencies for illegal business practices.
"

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1/5

posted Oct-30-2008

"Terrible customer servicee.. i have been waiting for now 2 months for credit to show up on my cc. I sent two items back to them on 08-28-08 with confirmation via USPS. I was told on 08-29-08, that i would receive my $238.00 back on my CC. Well two emails and 3 phone calls( 33 minutes average wait time and it's NOT toll free) to customer service , still nothing . I have now filed a complaint with NY BBB with all information.
JUST POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.. They get your money, and they don't want to give it back.. STAY AWAY.. Read the other reviews if you don't believe mine..
NOT to Be TRUSTED"

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1/5

posted Jul-22-2009

"THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST COMPANY I DEALT WITH. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE ARE RUDE AND UNFRIENDLY. THEY DONT WANT TO HELP CUSTOMERS.

AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COST.
"

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1/5

posted Jul-03-2008

"I ordered a Nikon camera battery after reviewing lots of batteries, seeing lots of super cheap generics and deciding I wanted a Nikon brand battery. I ordered one from TriState Camera but got a call at work the next day asking me if I wanted to substitute the generic battery at half the price of the Nikon battery. I was told the Nikon battery was on back order and would be at least three weeks for delivery. I said I didn't want the generic battery and would wait for over three weeks to get my item. About four days later, I get a generic battery delivered by UPS and the enclosed invoice shows I was charged the full Nikon battery price of $49.11. I had seen generics available for as little as $9.95. I complained and was told the Nikon battery was discontinued but there was a replacement version made by Nikon. I bought the Nikon replacement but the company would not absorb the costs of shipping and handling for the generic battery they sent me after I had told them I didn't want it.

It's amazing how fast the money for my purchase was taken from my VISA account. On the other hand, when I returned the generic battery and waited three weeks to see it credited to my account, I had to contact them and they, of course, said it had been credited that day. I waited about four more days to finally see the credit. This company is about one thing, getting your money and hanging on to it... with as little as possible provided from their end."

This review was modified by Junewild on July 28 2008 07:20:24 PM

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1/5

posted Jun-26-2006

"Beware:

Sales personnel is not knowledgeable and rude. I bought a wrong Nikon lens ( based on the sales person advice ) and asked to upgrade to a different one DX 18-70. Since they have no refund policy I was stuck with the store credit. They have charged me $40 more than both B&H and Adorama which are a few blocks away.
Would advice to avoid them"

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1/5

posted Jan-19-2004

"Tri State tried to rip me off! They advertised an item on their website. I purchased it with my credit card. Tri State sent an invoice and order confirmation to my Email address. It included the advertised selling price, customer #, order # and an Email adress where I could track the order. Three days later Tri State called me and demanded an additional $169 above the advertised price. Don't buy from these RIP OFF ARTISTS!"

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1/5

posted Apr-21-2009

"I ordered a digital camera lens and filter from them and after receiving the lens decided to return it. It was in the original box with all paperwork and like new condition. I was emailed an RA number and I returned the items on March 17. My UPS tracking number shows they received my return on March 20. I contacted them on April 10 (over 3 weeks later) and was told my "refund was approved," but as of today, April 21, an online view of my credit card activity shows no credit has yet been issued. I contacted my credit card company today to dispute the charge on my account."

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1/5

posted Dec-13-2009

"Did not receive what I ordered. Description on website said "open box". I called twice to clarify what this meant and was told both times that the camera had been removed from the box but it did not change the warranty in any way. When I opened the box, the lens was wrapped in a paper that said "factory reconditioned". I sent them an email and they did not respond. I plan to call.
Also, they called and tried to get me to switch to an inferior lens after I had placed my order. The salesman tried to tell me that he was giving me a "special deal" that was hundreds off the regular price.
Please read plenty of reviews of this company before you decide to place an order. I read more after I got my lens and realized that I was not dealing with a reputable company."

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1/5

posted Jun-10-2008

"Ordered a Tamron 17-50. The lens arrived in good condition but have a light front focus. I decided to repair at the nearest Tamron service center but can't do this - I got a grey market (made for Japan) version of this lens. I can't register it at the official Tamron web site. Stay away from them!!! They don't mention this on a site."

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