"BEWARE! They are bunch of crooks that run a multitude of related and ever-changing on-line stores based in Brooklyn NY. Their "too good to be true" prices also attracted my attention. However, I did my homework before ordering:

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,107855,00.asp
http://www.viewonline.com/pages/editorials/cameraincident.htm
http:****@****
http://www.donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/
http://www.donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/
http://www.photoreporter.com/091800/features/the_way_it_is.html

My advice: call them BEFORE placing any order and you will find out exactly what I did: if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
"

"My order was made online on Thursday 11/18/04. I did NOT receive an order # at check out, nor was there any mention of "BACK-ORDER"!!!!! NOR was their any mention of no
WARRANTY,
CHARGER ,
BATTERY or
CORDS NECESSARY TO USE THE CAMERA!!!

Next I get an email, again with no order # to CALL and CONFIRM the order!!! Every time I called there was no answer. The 800# does not take messages, but refers you to a toll phone number instead.

I finally talked to some creap on the phone this morning to "CONFIRM". This "Gentleman"??? started GRILLING me as to WHY I hadn't ordered the lens from ROYAL CAMERA. I had already explained that I had snuck in the time to call from work and couldn't be on the phone long. Yet, he persisted in grilling me. He was rude and abrasive-harrassing. He kept asking me WHICH lens I was getting and from WHERE??? Again I reiterated my short-timeframe for this call. Then HE asked ME why "I" wanted to be so rude???? That was a ridiculous question when in fact he was the one NOT RESPECTING the CUSTOMER!!! He never asked my name, only the type of camera I ordered. (Canon 20D for $900.00) Finally he just said, you'll get your camera in 7-10 days! And hung up! (I found out later on a subsequent call that the Camera is back ordered some 20 days!!!)

I was not satisfied with that poor communication and rudeness. so I called back this afternoon when I was driving home from work to confirm all of this. I was then given the order # of HF3924 and told there were NONE of the cameras in stock, and not expected for 20 DAYS!!! Now, I'm sitting on a backorder for something their site never indicated was out of stock when I ordered it. I was given no assurances it would arrive before Christmas. Or, even if the expected delivery of these cameras to your store meant I would be shipped one of them!

I couldn't afford to take a chance that it is not here on time for Christmas so I CANCELLED my order!I have subsequently read on a reviewing site that this is a typical bait and switch and everything I had just experienced was noted in the article. The only thing that didn't happen is that I pulled out in time not to get burned. Not trusting Royal Camera not to charge my card, I contacted my credit card company to instruct them to deny the charge. I am a personal consumer looking for a Canon 20D digital Camera.



"

"Try to upsell over the camara I wanted to buy, when I refused started to insult me, then hang up on me. I check with the Better Business Bureau, this store has more than 50 complaints in the last year, and is also cited in the FBI Internet Fraud complaint center, and the NY DA office. DO NOT GO THERE...."

"When I made the phone call I had no idea that what the price was, was for the non US market package and I almost hung up when the salesman gave me the price for the US market package and it was still cheaper than what basically all other companies had it listed for. So I ordered it and when it came it was in fact the US version and I know this because it had the right code on it and it had a valid US warranty attached. I will buy from them again..!!!!!"

"Summary: beware of bait and switch.

I ordered a Sony DSC-F828 at the low web price. I was told this was a grey market camera and that I should buy a package to upgrade it to a US model (in fact, they just sell you a US camera at that point -- they do not stock the grey market cameras). Their US camera prices are not the lowest.

I told them I was entering the purchase fully aware of what I wanted. After several attempts to upsell, they acquiesced, saying the camera might take as long as 21 days.

On October 27, I called. They told me to wait a few more weeks.

On November 16 I cancelled the order after they could give me no ship date.

I placed an order with CCI Camera City for a similar grey market camera and got the same upsell routine. A quick search yielded an allegation that CCI Camera City and Royal Camera are one and the same... stay tuned..."

"i ordered a d70 that was priced at 619. they called me the next day and asked if i wanted a battery and charger because it didn't come with them. i said how much. he told me 300. i laughed and asked him how you can charge 300 dollars for a battery and a charger. at this point he told me that it was gray market without telling me it was gray market. he then tried to sell me some other stuff at ridiculous prices. i just laughed at him. i said i'll just take my risk and buy the body alone. he said shipping was 80 bucks. i said ok and he said it'd get to me in a month. i called back after a month, he said i'd have the camera in 10 days to 2 weeks. after 2 weeks i cancelled the order and ordered elsewhere. they are pretty rude and i'm pretty sure most of the people on the phone don't know what they are talking about. it seemed like they were reading from a script and had maybe 3 or 4 possible responses to whatever i said. i'd ask four different questions and get 2 different answers worded the exact same way. i can't recommend these guys. it is possible that i was just on a list and they lied to me so that i'd stay on it."

"Nice to know not all camera stores online arent all the same! I was trying to buy a camera for my daughter for 3 weeks, and I was lied to by so many other shops. They all said in stock and then a few days later told me otherwise. Not this place though, they had it and shipped it with in a few days time. They got my business for good!!"

"Hopefully there is no purchase from these bait and switch artists. I just called them to make a purchase by phone because I do not trust my card on the internet. I asked to purchase a Canon XL2 camera and inquired about the accesories inluded.. THe sales person told me it came with the Lens, the Battery Manual, Warantee and the strap.... it was a US not Grey market Camera. I said great lets do it.... Gave him my credit card information for the order... as soon as I finished that he said..... now wich lens do you want? I said the ones that comes with it is fine. He informed me that one didn't come with it. I said you just told me it did! He told me I was mistaken.... I said cancle this order.. he then replied.. have fun with a camera with no lens and hung up on me!"

"I was treated like crap, the hangged up the phone when I told them I don't need their expensive accesories. They take batteries and other stuff off the original Canon package..

watch out!"

"This is the worst I have ever experienced.. This bait and switch company was not happy with me only wanting to order the canon eos 10d body, and they told me NO?? and said that I should never call again.....?"

"THIS COMPANY IS A TOTAL SCAM!! I PLACED AN ORDER WITH THIS COMPANY B/C THEY ADVERTISED A CAMERA FOR $499 ON THEIR WEBSITE, WHICH IS LOWER THAN ANY OTHER RETAILER OUT THERE. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I DIDN'T RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION OF MY ORDER AND I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE RUDDEST PERSON I'VE EVER TALKED TO, NAMED MAX, AND HE SAID THAT THE CAMERA WILL NOT OPERATE UNLESS I BUY THEIR KIT, WHICH WAS AN ADDITIONAL $400!! I SAID I WANTED TO TALK TO MY HUSBAND AND HE SAID HE WOULD CANCEL MY ORDER IF I DIDN'T CALL BACK IN 30 MINUTES. BECAUSE HE WAS SO RUDE AND TALKED OVER ME, I TOLD HIM I DID WANT TO CANCEL MY ORDER AND I ASKED FOR A CONFIRMATION OF MY CANCELLATION WHICH HE COULD NOT PROVIDE ME. I ALSO ASKED TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR AND HE STARTED YELLING AT ME AND TOLD ME I WAS RUDE AND THAT I MUST NOT HAVE A LIFE IF I WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLAIN. HE ALSO SAID, "YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME. IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE A HUSBAND, YOU WOULD WANT TO GO OUT WITH ME." I AM SO DISGUSTED WITH MAX AND WITH ROYAL CAMERA. BOTTOM LINE - HE WOULD NOT TRANSFER ME TO A SUPERVISOR AND I NEVER DID GET CONFIRMATION OF MY CANCELLATION. I CANCELLED MY CREDIT CARD BECAUSE OF OTHER COMPLAINTS I READ ON THIS WEBSITE ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING CHARGED AFTER THEY CANCELLED."

"I found them one of the best online merchants. I did my reseach and decided on Royalcamera.com. I purchased a Canon Power Shot SD110 on a Friday out of NY and it arrived at my house in WA the next Tuesday. I was able to talk to sales person and their customer support at their toll free number.I am very pleased. I saved $100 over Best Buy price and did not have to sales tax on top of that."

"Stay Away. They indeed attract you with incredibly low price but I have not figured out how you can purchase just the low priced item. They will always try to sell you accesories that are way overpriced. If you start asking questions, they will hang up on you!!! It happened twice to me."

"Royal Camera is run by miserable SCUM BAGS! Stay away from these crooks. I'm not going to put anyone out there to sleep with the details of how I was hijacked by their classic bait and switch SCAM. The bottom line is that they will hook you in with a price that's too good to be true on a piece of hot hardware (e.g., the Canon 10D or 20D digital cameras), and then insist on selling expensive peripherals or they will not take your order. Even if you order thousands of dollars worth of peripherals, they will still not ship you the "bait" at the low price. Some really smart person once said "CAVEAT EMPTOR" -- let the buyer beware. Since it's Latin, maybe it was Julius Ceaser! In any event, I reported these jerks to the Better Business Bureau -- but of course to no avail. If you are looking for a reputable seller of camera gear, go to B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com) or CircuitCity.com or Bestbuy.com. Good luck and peace."

"Placed an order online for Nikon D70 and Speedlite 800 Flash. I received a voice mail to call to confirm the order. When I called the rep (#201) first told me that I should get the Sigma Flash because they had alot of returns on the Speedlite. Then he moved on to memory. I listened to his spiel on the 120xspeed memory at $199. Told him it was too much for an impulse buy and didnt want it. At which time became upset that I didnt want to buy and CANCELED MY ORDER!! Never had this experience before on any of my previous online orders! DO NOT BUY FROM THEM."