5/5

posted May-24-2012

The way we like'em: quick, cheap and easy!

Cameta Camera had the absolute best price on a factory demo Canon Vixia HF M301 HD camcorder at only $199.95, and even better deals on this camcorder as part of a kit with memory card, camera case, etc. And there is a Cameta 1-Year Warranty on the camcorder. Since Canon only offers a 90-day warranty on refurbished equipment, this was a big deal for me. And the kits also had free shipping.

So after checking resellerratings.com and seeing Cameta was a stellar retailer, I placed my order on Thursday. After a bit more research on using the camera, I place an order for another kit on Friday as well. They both shipped on Saturday, though didn't really enter the FedEx Ground/Home system until Monday. Today FedEx delivered the first order, and tracking shows the second order will be delivered tomorrow (it ended up on a different truck I guess).

But I am thrilled with the one that did come in. There's no way for me to tell that it's not brand new other than it came in a white Canon box marked refurbished.

The camera is clean with no scratches or wear marks on it at all. Lens and LCD screen are pristine as are the buttons and handstrap. It looks like, at the most, someone may have unboxed it and inspected it but that's about all.

The camera started charging the battery once I plugged it in. With wall power hooked to the camcorder I put a memory card in it and powered it up. It asked for the date and time and then I went into the menu system and changed the timezone and initialized the memory card. I played around with it for a while on wall power to get used to it and then left it to charge.

After it charged up I took it outside and shot some footage of my dog chasing a cat. Camera handled very well, having optical IS is pretty sweet. No problems with operation, all the controls worked fine and the movie came out nicely. It's hard to believe this was a factory Demo/refurb, I would swear it was brand new!

I'll likely post an update when I get the other one tomorrow. Last time I ordered 2 camcorders that were refurbs, one was brand new and the other was "gently used" (they were JVC DV camcorders around 8 years ago, I forget from who though), so we'll see if that's the case here.

But I'm REALLY happy with this purchase, it's an excellent value at price that no one else came even close too. And the fast shipping and 1 year store warranty on the camera really put Cameta Camera head and shoulders above their peers.

James

June 1, 2012 Update: I got the second one in and that camcorder was as nice as the first, the difference being the features sticker on the side of the camera was removed. Otherwise it would impossible to tell it from a new camera. Both cameras work flawlessly.

I very happy with my purchase and would not hesitate to recommend Cameta Camera to others looking for good deals and good service all in one.

This review was modified by StressLess on June 01 2012 03:02:39 PM

comment on review | report?

Is this review?… Helpful Cool Share

5/5

posted Feb-24-2011

At a local astronomy club star party, we were comparing different eyepieces that various members had acquired in recent months and one member pulled out a Meade Series 5000 SWA 34mm eyepiece and mentioned that he had gotten it at the bargain price of only $99 (it's a $200 eyepiece). I tried it out in my Meade Lightbridge 12" telescope and was very impressed at how well it worked out on my particular telescope.

So after I got home that night I went to work online to see what kind of the deal I could find on that eyepiece. The next day I finally hit pay dirt with Berger Bros Camera! Not only did they have it in stock but at the incredible price of $99 with a reasonable $8.95 shipping fee (it's a large, heavy eyepiece).

I placed the order right then and there and the next day I got a call confirming my order and validating my credit card (smart way to do things on their part). A few days later the eyepiece showed up just in time for the next star party (we have 2 different star parties around the new moon, instant gratification!). It was fantastic!

I'm a very happy camper and am so grateful to find it not only in-stock but still at the sale price from last fall. Ordering from Berger Bros Camera was real simple and I liked that they validated my credit card transaction before running it, I'll certainly be making future purchases with them!

comment on review | report?

Is this review?… Helpful Cool Share

5/5

posted Feb-24-2011

I ordered a Mossberg 100 ATR rifle with a Mossy Oak camo stock in .30-06 from these guys. Placing the the order on their website couldn't be easier!

The ordering process includes a list of local FFLs so you can select who you want to do the transfer with, and they contacted the local FFL to arrange the transfer, all without my involvement (though I still called the FFL anyways to ensure things would go smoothly, which was good because the local FFL lost Centerfire Gun's fax number, so I gave it to them again).

I was sent an update email once the rifle was shipped and a final invoice after that as well (though there was no initial order email, but logging onto their website allowed me to follow the order as it progressed). I ordered on Friday the 21st and they shipped via FedEx Ground it on the Tuesday 25th, not a bad turn-around.

The rifle was as described and everything one would expect from a brand new in-the-box item. The price was the absolute best I could find on the Internet or locally for the rifle model I purchased, and with the free shipping and no tax it was an INCREDIBLE deal!

I'm a very happy camper, this online purchase went perfectly, I intend to make future purchases from these guys as well!

comment on review | report?

Is this review?… Helpful (1) Cool Share

1/5

posted Aug-11-2008

I ordered a Rebel XTi body (and nothing else) at an incredible price from these guys. I did do a cursory look into this company (though no on resellerratings.com) and they were highly rated on a couple of websites.

After I ordered I decided to do a little more research, as the order confirmation didn't include any details on what I ordered! I found that these guys are actually low rated on most of the ratings websites!

The one thing I noticed on the ratings sites that these guys got high ratings on is that none of the reviews are available to look at. On any website that rates them low, you can read the reviews and see what people are actually saying. Moral of that story was, find a reputable ratings site and bookmark them (for me resellerratings.com fits that bill), and check before you buy!!

I had ordered on a weekend and was on pins and needles after reading the horror stories from their previous victims... err customers. But come Monday morning I got an email that said they were out of stock and no more are due in for 7 or 8 weeks and that the order was canceled. What a relief!

I did cancel that credit card though, and the authorization they had on the credit card from when I placed my order has finally dropped off (they could still charge that authorization despite the CC cancellation because it was made before the card was canceled). It was a debit card so any monkey business would have screwed me over pretty bad.

I'm usually pretty anal about purchasing on the Internet and let my guard down this time. Luckily it wasn't a disaster. What I learned from this is that Internet scammers have become more sophisticated and they now run websites that misrepresent their customer ratings in an attempt to attract new customers. You need to select one or two reliable ratings websites with which to cross check the company's reliability.

Second thing I learned was to use single-use secure cards for online transactions with vendors you've never bought from before. I started doing this thru Pay-Pal, via their plug-in. I'm sure that there are other ways to do this as well though. A single-use secure card will limit the potential damage if something goes wrong and is much easier to cancel if the need arises.

Third thing I learned was if it's too good to be true then you have to take that extra effort needed to verify it and not get greedy hoping for a good deal. Being lax could cost you a LOT more than a few minutes of due diligence!

Needless to say, I will never place an order with Shop Digital Direct again. On top of the blatant misrepresentation of customer satisfaction and the lack of order details on the confirmation email, they did exactly what other reviewers said they would do in handling my order. They were true to form of a predatory company with little to no scruples.

This review was modified by StressLess on August 11 2008 06:10:02 PM

comment on review | report?

Is this review?… Helpful (1) Cool Share

5/5

posted Aug-07-2008

I ordered a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens during a 1-day sale for $125 with free shipping on Monday. The lens shipped the next day and I received on Thursday. It came with a USA warranty, though it was a generic white box and not retail packaging.

During this I received both a confirmation email detailing what I ordered with total cost and a shipping notice with tracking number. I was also able to go on their website and view my order for status updates. I did not have to speak to a customer service rep at all as everything I needed was provided online and thru email.

This was a textbook perfect online purchase- low price, free shipping, status email with tracking information, online review of my order at any time and the product was as described with a USA warranty.

This was definitely a good experience!

comment on review | report?

Is this review?… Helpful Cool Share