"EVERYBODY PAY ATTENTION NOW!
THERE ARE A COUPLE OUTFITS IN NEW YORK/BROOKLYN THAT ARE BASICALLY SCAM ARTIST THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THE SAME GIMMICK FOR YEARS.
THEY OPERATE UNDER SEVERAL DIFFERENT NAME AND WEBSITES, LIKE EXPRESS CAMERAS, BEST PRICE CAMERAS, EXPO CAMERA AND OTHERS.
I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THE WEBSITE SHOPCARTUSA.COM WHICH GIVES THE APPEARANCE OF A SHOPPING PORTAL LIKE NEXTAG IS RUN BY THE SAME THUGS WHO RUN THESE CAMERA STORES, SINCE THERE IS NO WAY THE THOUSANDS OF POSITIVE REVIEWS LISTED THERE ARE LEGIT!!!
SAVE YOURSELF ALOT OF AGGRAVATION AND STAY AWAY FROM THESE RIP OFF ARTISTS. "
"I ordered a Canon G9 that was offered at a very attractive price. The following day I received an email stateing I had to call them to confirm my order (what's up with that?!?). When I called, I got bounced from person to person. Number 3 confirmed my shipping address and product ordered, then tried to sell me accessories. When he got to the battery, I said a battery was included. He said it wasn't included because this was an OEM version. I told him to cancel the order, to which he said "order canceled" and hung up. I think he was not willing to sell the camera at the advertised price unless I purchased other expensive items. When I didn't buy anything, he was just looking for the thing that would cause me to cancel. I looked at the web site a day after I ordered and the price of the camera went up about $75."
"Their phone number is ***-***-****. Getting a hold of a Service Rep is unbelievably difficult. "please hold. please hold" is the norm. Finally you get the person putting you on hold to actually deal with you and it turns out that Prior post is correct.
Typical bait and switch. They will tell you bogus stories. Camera is discontinued. There is not battery with the camera. The battery is a starter 15 minute battery. The lens is plastic. Lens is different brand. They do not accept american express (which the site clearly states that they do). Finally, they offer to hook you up with something else that is just slightly more expensive.
Never order anything from them. Others have had to cancel their cards to avoid charges.
They apparently have an open law suits filed by the State of New Jersey. In November, 2006, The State of New Jersey filed suit against the corporate parent of this group of dealers for "allegedly violating the state’s Consumer Fraud Act and Advertising Regulations..."
As noted in this press release, the suit "alleges that Save Here Distribution used bait and switch tactics, failed to deliver merchandise and misled consumers in the advertising and pricing of items."
Special Note: according to customer reports on ResellerRatings, American Express has cancelled this group's account as of February, 2007, due to the number of complaints.
http://sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/list/dealers-expressfam.html
Company is noted as known as
ExpressCameras.com 1-***-***-****
GeniusCameras.com 1-***-***-****
RoyalCamera.com 1-***-***-****"
"This merchant is a known scam operation that exploits online shoppers in multiple ways and their tactics have been around for many years now. They tried to bait and switch me when all I was wanting to purchase was a Camera Lens listed on their site: Expocameras.com (they also have many other names and sites to deceive people) for $799. A day or so after the order, I was contacted by a man named “Steve” who was ready to confirm my order. Steve was pressuring me over the phone to purchase a new camera and which we talked about prices and packaging, but I turned his offer down several times. “Steve” said he would put a discount on the lens I bought a new HD Camera. Although the model and package he was pressuring me to buy was too expensive for me, I settled for a $2199 package deal with a “rebate” he could redeem. I authorized him to use my card for what I was told that charge.
After that, “Steve” called back and said it was going to be $236 extra for shipping and insurance. The website listed “free shipping”. When I inquired as to why I had to pay for shipping, I was told it was because I did a special deal with the package and the camera lens. He was quick to hang up before I asked to get an invoice. That was a red flag right there.
Immediately I called back and asked to speak with a sales representative, I was transferred to someone named “Daniel” who sounded an awful a lot like “Steve”. Infact, you could swear it was the same person that answers the call and transfers you. I told “Daniel” that I recently made an order with them and I would like to check the status and possibly make changes to my order. He said the only way he would send me an invoice is if I upgraded to a more expensive package and that he could expedite my order with free shipping. I declined and politely asked for my Tracking Number or at least an Invoice. Daniel got pushy with me and eventually hung up.
Doing internet research, I found many accounts of these merchants scamming would-be online shoppers and that they operate out of the New York and New Jersey area. I found out that the Attorney General of New Jersey is pursuing an investigation with the fraudulent company.
I called back several times to cancel my order completely in which I was hung up on or transferred for 20-30 minutes. After that period the machine just hangs up on the customer. In the meantime, I made several emails to request an invoice. I made a final call on Thursday, August 29th to attempt to cancel my order in which a man named “Peter” answered the phone (who also sounded like Daniel and Steve also) and I threatened to contact the Attorney General of New Jersey if he did not cancel my order. “Peter” insulted me by calling me an idiot and that the Attorney General couldn’t do anything because he was legit. And I was once again hung up on.
I will be declining any packages that this company will attempt to ship or has already shipped. They have not yet provided me with a tracking number. "
"I had the same thing happen that everyone else did! From both expocameras.com and expresscameras.com! DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! Something fishy is definitely going on. This is the e-mail that I recieved. I did place and order through 1wayphoto.com...so far so good and they have the best REAL prices out there.
Unfortunately we are currently oversold on the item you have ordered, and it is currently on a backorder for 6-8 weeks. Therefore, your order has been canceled. Please note, your credit card has not been charged.
Your cancellation number is:508762
The email address that you provided to us has been added to our "Notify List" and we will notify you as soon as the product becomes available.
How Does Our "Notify List" Work?
Once the product you ordered comes back in stock, we will email you to notify you that your item is back in stock. If you which to re-place your order you may do so by clicking on the link which will be in the email.
Please accept our personal and sincere apology for any inconvenience you experienced with this order.
We know that you have many options for your camera/photo needs. We appreciate that you selected ExpressCameras.com, which prides itself on superior products and services, and we are sorry that we were not able to meet your needs in this instance.
If there is any additional assistance we can provide, please feel free to email us.
Sincerely,
Shipping Department."
"What you've heard about this place, true. Don't even think you'll have a different experience ... even if the price they list is $100.00 over the rest of the "competition."
Placed my order. 2 hours later:
From: ****@****
"Dear XXXX XXXX,
Unfortunately we are currently oversold on the item you have ordered, and it is currently on a backorder for 6-8 weeks. Therefore, your order has been canceled. Please note, your credit card has not been charged.
Your cancellation number is:508591
The email address that you provided to us has been added to our "Notify List" and we will notify you as soon as the product becomes available.
How Does Our "Notify List" Work?
Once the product you ordered comes back in stock, we will email you to notify you that your item is back in stock. If you which to re-place your order you may do so by clicking on the link which will be in the email.
Please accept our personal and sincere apology for any inconvenience you experienced with this order.
We know that you have many options for your camera/photo needs. We appreciate that you selected ExpressCameras.com, which prides itself on superior products and services, and we are sorry that we were not able to meet your needs in this instance.
If there is any additional assistance we can provide, please feel free to email us.
Sincerely,
Shipping Department."
[ Notice the e-mail came from a different place. Another one of this scammer's fronts. ]
If you call for customer service, they say "OUT OF STOCK" and hang up on you. Very rude, fraudulent store. I'm watching my credit card statements for fraud transactions now. Extremely dissatisfied.
[8-25-07]
Still no word from expo cameras or any info. Still fraudsters. Really, don't even bother. "
"BAIT AND SWITCH!!!!
I purchased a Canon Digital EOS at a good price...too good to be true. After 5 days, I received a call asking to confirm my order. The sales person then told me that the memory card I had needed to be upgraded if I wanted quick pictures. I foolishly agreed to the upgraded package then 15 minutes later decided to cancel the upgrade. I called again and the salesman told me it was too late because the order had already shipped. I told him to roll it back to the original order or cancel the order. He cancelled the order then hung up on me. At least I was spared the agony of dealing with the camera. Again convinced that if a deal is too good to be believed, it probably is."
"I ordered a canon digital rebel xti for $299. They sent me an out of stock e-mail. I called once a week for the next three weeks. I was told it was back ordered, two weeks, then four to six weeks, then six to eight weeks. Expo Cameras stink!! Stay away!!"
"They are a bunch of thieves and liers!
I ordered a Canon XTi, two Canon Lenses, and Canon grip for $1,200. When I called to confirm the order, Jason (manager x 225) tried to make switch the Canon lenses with superior and more expensive Sigma lenses for the same price. They had the Sigma lenses listed for close to $1,000 in their website. What a deal! The problem is that the same lenses sell for around $100 everywhere else. I declined the generous offer. I received my order and there were the cheap Sigma lenses with a receipt for $1,646! I called them and their *manager* Jason (x225) called me a lier and stupid because I did not want the superior Sigma lenses. He later offered to send me the Canon lenses for $1,646, not at my original order price. I managed to get an RMA # and then gave up talking to them. I kept the Canon XTi camera body (good price at $299), documented everything, and returned the rest of their junk. I passed the info to my credit card company and refused any charge over $299. Let them deal with my credit card. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!"
"These guys are fraud. I agree with the other review here, they seem to be collecting credit card info. Whatever product you order, they cancel it saying that it is out of stock.
I ordered a canon camera with a virtual credit card since the site looked very fishy with unbelievable prices. Within a couple of hours, I received the cancellation mail saying that the product was out of stock. The site still shows the product as available.
Another thing I notices is that the "what's in the box" in the product description page does not include the camera. They might have left it out for legal security in case someone complains.
From the cancellation mail I came to know that they are the same guys as "ExpressCameras.com", which is already known for their fraud.
This kind of businesses should be shut down. Does anyone know where to complain?
"
"A guess we did not have enough fraud in retail. Here is one more company. Very good prices advertised. I placed an order for Nikon D200 DSLR camera body. Received an email confirming the order, and one more email a little later, informing that since they are out of stock they are CANCELING my order. A quick look at their web site showed that they still have the camera listed there, albeit at new, slightly higher price. I guess the only purpose of this "seller" is to collect credit card and email information?
Update: OK, I said, let's try another camera with a great price on it from the same store. Rebel XTi, this time. The outcome was identical. Order accepted, email confirmation. A little later comes email canceling the order because the camera is oversold. Quick check of the website - it is still listed there with the same price! Will try EOS 30D next... 8^)
Update 2: Very same result with EOS 30D. This store is OFFICIALLY FRAUD! 8^("