"Hi!

I was trying to buy Canon EOS D40 package #17 (memory card, two Canon lenses some other equipment).

Shortly after I put the order I got a call from them and Victor asked me to confirm my order.

He offered me also some other lenses instead of these included in the package and I was just about to change my order when I realized that Canon doesn't make this kind of lenses!
I refused to buy the lenses that Victor recommended...

So he said that I need to buy a battery and the charger for my camera because it's not included in the package - he wanted me to spend extra 400$ for this!!!
I checked that the battery and the charger for this type of camera cost about 80$ so I said - 'Thank you, but I don't need your battery and the charger'
He kept claimnig that I need to buy the battery and the charger from them because otherwise the camera wouldn't work..
When I refused, he said that without their battery and the charger the operating system of camera wouldn't work...
And when I asked - what the battery has to do with operating system...he said that I am stupid! and that he was wasting his time on me, and if I am not going to buy the battery and the charger - he will cancel the order!

I was trying to explain that I don't want the battery and the charger..and he asked - 'what's wrong with you? Don't you get it? You have to buy the battery and charger, do you need a translator from Russian to English or what?'

And that...that was just enough for me!
I am a foreigner, I do have different accent...but that's not the reason to offend me...

I am just..I was crying after that call..

I've read other reviews, and I wish I had read them before I decided to buy my camera from photodynasty...

Do you think that I should alert my debit card? They didn't charge me any money...but..I'm really worry that they will..even thoug Victor did cancel my order...

God, I feel so miserable...

And did anybody pay attention that they don't recorder the phone calls? That means that you can be offended by them and there's nothing you can do about it!

Strongly - not recommended!"

"Thank you resellerratings.com! You confirmed my suspicions with PhotoDynasty.com.

I placed an order on June 29th for Sony's new HDR-SR12 camcorder. As of today, Aug. 13th, I had not received the camera or any emails from this shady seller. I just got off two 30min plus calls trying to cancel this order. I am still awaiting an email confirmation of the cancelation.

I chose to purchase from this site purely because of the price. Sony's MSRP price on this camera is $1,399; Photo Dynasty had it for $575. It is definitely a "too good to be true" scenario. I've called PhotoDynasty a few times, when I had the patience and time, to check the status of the order. I was repeatedly told it was on a "3-5 week backorder". They were unable to give any more details. So, I tried to stay patient and merely thought that this was a brand new camera and was in extremely high demand. Although this may be true, after the first 3 week waiting period and the extremely unprofessional customer service, I started getting suspicious. Last week I decided to do some additional research on this reseller, and after seeing the disgraceful rating (.38 out of 10) and after reading the reviews, I immediately decided to cancel the order with this ridiculous company and order from a more reputable business. I am willing to pay several hundred dollars more to a legit reseller, than dealing with people like this.

Just a few more details on their customer service and sales department: If you call either department and tell them you want to change or cancel your order, be prepared to be hung-up on. Also, after ordering, a salesperson will call you to "verify the order", when in reality they are only trying to upsell you. In fact, I was told that I would need to purchase a battery for the camera, because the one that was included "did not work". Also, the salesman took it upon himself to add a warranty to the camera without asking (increasing the price from $575 to over $1,000). Luckily, I caught this and had to call back telling them to ship me what I originally ordered. Just this morning, when calling to cancel, I asked the customer service lady to stay on the phone with me until I received the email cancel notification. She said she could not do that, so I politely asked to speak to her supervisor. She said, she would transfer me and immediately I heard a click closely followed by a dial tone.

I’ve worked in telephone sales and customer service for years and these people are the worst I’ve dealt with or heard of. Something needs to be done about the ranking in their “Google search”. If you enter any camcorder manufacturer or model number into Google, these people and their other “alias companies” are always the first to be listed because of their extremely low price. I’ve read too many horror stories about this company (credit cards being charged for non-purchased items, bad customer service, and overall horrible business) to have any respect or positive responses for this sorry excuse for a reseller. Do not shop here!
"

"Ordered a Sony HDR-SR11 after site said it was in-stock. After being told it would be in in four weeks, I called back and was told it would be another four weeks. I then asked for my order to be cancelled. "Ken" told me it would be cancelled and said he would email me cancellation confirmation. "Ken" can be reached at ***-***-****. ext 283. After calling today since I still have NOT received confirmation of cancellation, I was told I was speaking to "Ken" who said he would not send me confimraiton of cancellation. I then asked what his last name was so when I call the BBB I can accurately report the incident. He then said he is "Jason". This place is a joke, rude, and the most unprofessional organization around. You'd be better off paying full price else where then giving these yahoo's your credit card info. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!"

"Ordered a Sony Projector. They had the best price that I could find; however, after not hearing from them for 4 days, I called. They said that what I ordered was on backorder and wouldn't be available for 6 - 8 weeks. On the internet they said it was available and I has paid for 2 day air delivery. I think that these guys are scam artists."

"What a miserable experience! Even returning a camera to a place that offers no return address (nor itemized details in the confirmation email) was an ordeal. Just don't do it. They make their money off the 10% restocking fees, or from people who get too tired to pursue getting their money back."

"Nikon Camera was grey market so no usable warranty. Upgrades to the package were additional fees that were not actually upgrades (e.g. $100 to upgrade the lens to a lens worth approx $110). Bait and switch tactics, such as charging $250 for a battery pack that is part of the standard boxed product. Supplied software for the product was Japanese.
Refused to answer any emails though they acknowledged getting them. Emails stated (on the advice of my attorney) that the correspondence must be made in writing and not via phone converstations.
Refused to send an RMA #.
"

"I ordered a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi with the kit lens.
I called today and "Chris" said because I didn't order a $100 battery it would be 4-6 Weeks.
THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE....I called back and cancelled the order and Called MasterCard and put an alert on my dad's credit card.


SUCH A FAKE WEBSITE"

"These guys are bozos - just like those from Sonic Cameras. Let's DO SOMETHING! I have requested the Sonic Camera Customers to email me and permit me to send their complaints to our congressmen. I ask you the same. Send me emails of your "success" with these scammers and I will include it in my letter to my congressman. My name is Fletcher Spears and I am in Michigan. My email address is ****@****. We NO LONGER have to put up with this crap!"

"I did not buy from this company. I wanted to purchase a Sony HDR-HC9 and they had the best price by far. I called them and as I was waiting for an answer, I googled the company and discovered this ResellerRatings. The rating was very low but so was the price, so I decided to ask them about it and see if I could be convinced to buy from them.

I first asked if they had the camera in stock and was assured that they did. Then I mentioned that I had googled them and saw this site with a lot of bad remarks about them and instead of getting any reassurances, the phone just went dead. I might have risked it if they could have sounded convincing but it is obvious that they know that the word is out and they are not interested in dealing with informed consumers."

"I ordered a Canon EOS 40D over the internet in the early hours of July 2. Later in the morning I received a phone call from Chad (salesperson) with a serious effort to upsell the package I ordered with much higher-priced lenses, overpriced battery packs (2 batteries and charger for over $200) and on and on. I did not change my order even after he pursued various avenues to convince me of the value of these high-priced additions.

Having received nothing in the mail by July 10 I called Customer Service. After waiting well over 20 minutes listening to their loud and obnoxious messages and music I finally had an answer. The person would not identify himself until I pursued a name a few times. He indicated his name was Shawn.

I asked about where my camera was. He indicated it was back ordered. I asked why no one advised me of such. Not answering, he indicated that the camera body I ordered was plastic (when ordering, their website gave no indication of such) and that it needed to be upgraded to the metal body to give me good photos. With seriously inflated prices he tried to upsell me with the metal-body version, better lenses, different specials and on and on. What a sales job! In the end I indicated I wanted to cancel my order. He continued to try to make a sale. After several additional attempts, he finally provided me with a confirmation number for my cancellation.

This is an unscrupulous group of bandits. Never do business here."

"PLEASE HELP...I AM A VICTIM OF PHOTO DYNASTY .I BOUGHT 6000 DOLLARS OF EQUIPMENT AND THEY SENT ME 2500 DOLLARS WORTH, THEY SWITCHED EVERYTHING ON ME .THEY SENT ME PLASTIC CRAP. THEY SENT ME A 2X THAT MY COST 50 DOLLARS I WANTED A CENTURY 2X THAT IS 1200 DOLLARS. ANYWAYS I`VE TRIED TO WORK THIS OUT WITH THEM,THEY SAY DONT WORRY WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU .I`VE CALLED THEM ABOUT 20 TIMES.THEY LISTEN TO ME THEY ACT VERY NICE AND THEN THEY PUT ME ON HOLD, AND THEN YOU GET DISCONNECTED .I`VE BEEN ON HOLD FOR ABOUT 5 HOURS TOTAL. BY THE WAY I LIVE IN MEXICO AND THE CALLS ARE NOT CHEEP.I`VE LEFT MY CALL BACK NUMBER MANY TIMES AND ONLY ONCE DID THEY CALL ME. SOME GUY NAMED BILL OR NATE THEY SOUND THE SAME.THEY WANTED TO GIVE ME A AUTHORIZATION NUMBER TO SEND BACK THE EQUIPMENT AND ALSO TELL ME I WILL LOSE 1750 DOLLARS FOR RESTOCKING FEES AND A WARRANTY THEY WILL NOT TAKE BACK .THEN THEY TELL ME THEY WILL GIVE ME 1000 DOLLARS BACK BUT I HAVE 2 MINUTES TO DECIDE, THEY WERE SERIOUS. ANY WAY I`M GOING TO LOOK FOR LEGAL HELP IN BROOKLYN ,NEW YORK VIA INTERNET. IF I HAVE TO, I CAN GO TO NEW YORK.THEY ARE NOT GOING TO GET A WAY WITH THIS IT`S JUST PLANE THEIVERY. IF THERES ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE WHO HAS BEEM DONE WRONG BY PHOTO DYNASTY PLEASE LET`S COMMUNICATE . SO WE CAN GET TOGETHER AND FILE ACTIONS AGAINST THEM . PLEASE CONTACT ME ..mike levy.....AT........****@****......... please help.. if theres a lawyer out there who wants to help please e-mail me"

"I ordered a Nikon D80 kit with all the trimmings, but began to smell a rat when I got a confirmation email that required me to call them, since it contained two typos (an old trick to them, apparently). Was told the camera was BO'd for five weeks, but they had a 'Platinum Package'... I didn't want to hear about it, since they also tried to sell me the battery separately (it and the charger would have been over $200 extra!).
Canceled both the order and the credit card, since they have been known to charge hundreds in restocking fees. So far, so good though. New credit card arrived, and a new D80 came from a reputable source."

"This is my story of buying from Photo Dynasty:

On 6/21/08, I selected a package with 40D + Canon 28-105mm/f3.5-4.5 + Canon 70-300/f4.0-5.6. This package was listed at $729 on their web site. A 4G CF card come with the package as well. An email was sent from Photo Dynasty to "confirm" my order. I noticed the shipping address had a typo and called back. The rep answering the phone said to me that I need to get the battery and the charger, at $199 and $120, respectively. They are expensive because "made by Canon" and the battery holds 5 hours of charge. I OK'ed the deal.

Then, he told me the lenses will be discontinued by Canon because of faulty design. If I buy a super high speed 4G CF card at $173, he would give me a different set of Sigma lenses which are specifically designed for the cropped frame body like the 40D. I OK'ed. In addition, I was charged 8.9% of "insurance".

On 6/22, I called back to change the lens to Sigma 24-70/f2.8 and Sigma 70-300/f4.0-5.6. (On the web site, this package is $1099.) But I'd drop the CF card. The rep would not let me drop the CF card. Saying canceling the previous order will be charged 15 - 20% of penalty. I was unhappy but OK if I can get a "super high speed" CF card to go with the 6.5 fps of 40D.

On 6/23, I found out the CF card was a rip off and called back to "complain". A different rep offered a 3 years of extended warranty.

On 6/25, I called to find out the status of my order. I was transferred from person to person then disconnected. Three times the same story. (Every time I call, I spent at least 15 - 20 minutes.)

On 6/27, the package arrived. The battery charger was missing. On the box, it says "camera made in Japan, charger made in China". I called again. The customer service rep said the charger should have come with the camera. I may have to talk to Cannon. I said I was charged $120 for the charger. He then offered to ship a non-Canon "rapid charger" but it will arrive on July 1 because of the weekend.

July 3, the battery charger with an extra battery arrived. On this day, I noticed that there is not warranty/registration card come with the camera body. The wrapping material also looks "used". I strongly wonder this is an open item or a returned unit. In the mean time, items like CF card reader, lens pouch, wrist strap, & cap keeper did not come with the first shipment, either.

An earlier review says there are 1008 complains files at BBB. Question is why are they still in business? "

"DO NOT DO BUSINNESS WITH DY- NASTY. Total Scam. Attempted bait and switch. Purchased Camera and then they CALLED me and insisted I buy accessories which I refused. One week later while trying to get status on the order was told the item was on back order and I should have gotten an email stating that. I told "Victor" (after I was put on hold for over 5 minutes) I never received an email other than the original order confirmation. He said I have sent you one. I then asked how long for the back order to ship and he told me 6-8 weeks. When I said that was unacceptable and I would cancell the order, he told me Ok it is cancelled. I checked my email immediately and discovered he (Victor) had sent me and email stating the back order AND cancellation AT THE SAME TIME, WHILE I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH HIM.
Obviously, this was not Victor's first rodeo. He knew what was coming. It is apparent they never expected to ship the camera body(a Sony a200)withiout my buying the accessories.
DO NO BUSINESS WITH THESE SCAMMERS>
"

"I purchased a Nikon 18-200 vr lens, a 72mm filter and a 5 yr warranty from Photo Dynasty.
1st)The sales rep sold me a 5 yr warranty.
2nd)Lens arrived in a Nikon Box that included a 5 yr warranty from Nikon.
3rd) Called customer service at Photo Dynasty and was told that I was sent the wrong lens that I should have had a black market lens that was not made to the same quality. They told me that I was rich so I should just be happy with my better lens. The customer service rep said Photo Dynasty was a small company and they couldn't afford to reimburse my warranty insurance and again since I was rich I should just be happy with what I got.
4th) Being worried about the rest of my order I looked on their web site for a 72mm filter. I and was told I was getting a top of the line glass filter. I was charged $99 for this great filter. Today I called their sales department and asked about the 72mm filters and was told that the carried one made by the Mercury optics for $69.00. I asked the sales rep how the Bowers filter compared with the one from Mercury optics and I was told that it was of less quality. So basically it was the old bait and switch. I asked the sales rep to talk to the owner of the company - he had no idea who the owner was and that instead of a sm family business it was a multi-international corporation.
5th) I called customer service dept 3 times and after waiting on hold for extended time the phone started to ring and then went dead. I would assume that when they saw my telephone number they just hung up the phone.

BOTTOM LINE - DO NOT TRUST PHOTO DYNASTY"