"I purchased a camera pkg. back in 2008 from these guys and was ready to order another $6,500.00 worth of gear from them. I decided to check them out a little more carefully as the first purchase did not go very smoothly. After reading their reviews I called and wanted to give them a chance to explain all the negative reviews and guess what!!!! I could not even get through to them. Many of the posted reviews mirrored the problems I experienced. I strongly advise a potential customer to look elsewhere for their equiptment needs. "
"On Jan.3,2010 I ordered a Nikon D90 camera for $1049.00. Upon placing the order I was informed I would need several additional items. I agreed to upgrade the battery. By doing so I would get the "two for the price of one" special. Same special was true for the 8GB SD card. I upgraded the warranty for five years at the three year price. At the end of our conversation I was told it would be shipped right out and the final price was $1739.00 !! I told him I wanted a detailed list of each item and my cost. He assured me he would email it to me as soon as he hung up the phone. I waited but it never arrived, what a surprise ! After days of many calls and emails I finally did get an email list of the items, which was incorrect, and again somehow they forgot to list the prices as requested. I have yet to receive the cost breakdown. They did send me two more batteries and one more SD card, which was part of the original order but refuse to list the cost per item charged to me. This was my first dealings with this company and I can assure you it will be the last. Had they treated me fairly I could have been a life long customer but now I will spend my money somewhere else...
Had I checked this rating site first, shame on me, I would have ordered from B&H Photo instead. Go look at their rating and you'll see how a company should be run !!
BEWARE if you decide to order anything from these people, they are probably going to cheat you too...
UPDATE..On 1/21/10 I received a call from US1 Camera. Seems they were upset about this rating! He said he thought we had settled everything when they sent me the extra battery and SD Card. I told him (again) that I wanted a list of cost per item charged to me. Also, that the items he sent were not bonus items but should have beem included in the original order. He wanted to know if I would change my rating if he refunded $100.00 to my account ? Told him refund the money first and we'll see. Today I see they did refund $100. So, I guess this says that if your persistent you may get some satifaction from this company. Until they found out about this rating, they were not worried about customer satisfaction (never returned any of my calls or emails) until it apparently had some negative effect on their sales ! I appreciate the effort they seem to be making but after my experience with this company I'll shop elsewhere."
"Mickey was very helpful and answered all my question. He threw in some extra items for free. He was also very patient."
"very happy with purchase."
"BEWARE!! US1Photo 'Free Shipping' is NOT FREE.
I ordered a Canon 580EX II flash that was advertised at $385 with free shipping on the US1Photo website. I got an order confirmation email inidicating $0.00 for shipping. This was followed by another email asking me to call ***-***-**** Ext. 321 to verify my order. After about 10 tries and leaving messages, I got through and it was just a high pressure up-sell efort to sell me rechargeable batteries. I was told that the flash would drain alkalines after about 10 shots. I refused the offer and as he was hanging up, the US1Photo employee quickly said the price would be $399. I immediately sent an email telling them I did not want it at $399 and not to ship it. They got the message but shipped it anyway and charged me $399. Their next email explained that the extra charge was for handling and insurance, not shipping. As soon as I submit this Review on this site, I will be filing a complaint for the NJ Office of Consumer Protection. This is from their website, including the link to the complaint form.
"If you suspect deception or fraud in your dealings with individuals or businesses on the Internet, you may write to the Office of Consumer Protection, Division of Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 45025, Newark, New Jersey 07101 or call ***-***-****, or if outside New Jersey,
***-***-****, and ask for a complaint form. You may also download a complaint form at:
www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/comp.htm ""
"Ordered zoom lens for my camera on Thursday and paid extra for 2 day shipping, hoping to get by Saturday. Price was lowest and shipping costs were reasonable. Didn't receive until Tuesday, due to the need for verbal confirmation (and a sales pitch) from the sales department. After confirming on Friday, received the lens on Tuesday. Lens was new and in the box, exactly as described. Works great and would use again, but not if in a rush. Also, you need to sign for the package or arrange to leave a written authorization with the shipping company. Seller rating 4 of 5 stars."
"Stay away from these guys! I ordered a Sony a850 DSLR 15 piece kit for $2079. It was described as the factory product with battery cables and camera body on their web + a Sony 18-55mm lens, large and small tripods cases etc. On Sunday I got a call from the "store manager" saying the package price does not include a 3% charge for insurance and for "only" an additional $85 I can lso get the "good" battery in place of the "crumier" battery delivered in the package! I responded that nothing on the web suggests extra charges [they advertised free shipping, a bonus electronic flash, and for 3-days only, a free wide angle converter]. And that the "original" factory box included the premium battery. Then he tried to sell me a tripod [a full size 57" tripod and a tabletop flexible tripod were included in the 15 piece kit. Then he tried to get me to upgrade the memory from the included 2gb card to 16gb for $75. I have on order that same card from elsewhere for $45 new! I responded that if he can't deliver the order as contracted on the web for $2079 then I would cancel the order. He then back-pedalled promising to throw in a deluxe case in place of the case [already included and described as a deluxe case and throw in a deluxe version of the included card reader [also the included reader was already described as the "deluxe" model]. Do these guys really believe customers are that stupid? To my surprise and advantage, when my bank replaced my debit card recently, they forgot to carry forward the $3000 per item limit of my old card, and US1's attempt to charge the account failed. I'm going to leave that order failed and reorder with a reputable dealer. Stay away from all variations of US1Camera [US1photo etc etc]. I've since ordered the camera from a vendor on eBay, and the free shipping was 2-day UPS, and came with an appropriately sized 16gb card and deluxe reader, as well as an extra OEM battery at no charge.
Update 1/10/10: I was contacted several times by US1Camera via email asking to contact my card issuer to allow the charges for the order. I responded with my list [similar to above] of offenses and told them to cancel the order. I finally received a call from Rodney, who apologized for the treatment, promised that the "manager" who tried to swindle me is no longer authorized to make phone calls, and insisted he would send a gift to demonstrate his sincerety - a set of 3 filters and a lens hood for my 55mm diameter autofocus lenses - which to their credit arrived the following day. I thought it was fair to report their efforts at reconciliation, but even if I were to naively accept Rodney's explanations and apologies, there are plenty of good, honest vendors on the internet, so I wouldn't likely return to a vendor who created such a lousy experience."
"I just purchased the Canon 5D Mark II package for around $2,752 form us1photo.com last night. I received an email this morning saying that due to the high cost of the items involved I would have to call them to confirm the order. When I called I spoke to Mickey and he told me that they don't take AMEX, so I asked him if they could cancel the order and then I could reorder using my Visa or Mastercard, and he said whatever I wanted was fine. I told him that I would get another card and call him back. I called him back and gave him my Mastercard and shortly thereafter he tried to upsell me on the battery and flash card! I figured it would happen based on all the reviews here, so I politely declined a couple of times and he said my order should be at my house in a couple of weeks. This is certainly not the normal way to do business, but I will update this posting when I know more.
Okay, so I received the package yesterday 1/16/10 and everything was in perfect condition. I was extremely nervous until I received an email with the Fedex Tracking number, then I felt much better. The lens and 5D Mark II look and work great thus far with the 10 or so shots I took today. Most importantly, the warranty is USA warranty as stated on their website. In short, I think that the way US1PHOTO does business is very unprofessional by lying and pressuring people to buy more accessories (Mickey told me the stock battery would only last 20 minutes, which I knew was false). However, I told him that I was already over my budget and that I am not interested in spending any more money at the moment. People, don't blame your ability to say NO on US1PHOTO!! They are unprofessional for sure, but I still received my things as promised, and at an extremely great price. Don't buy from them if you can't say no to someone pressuring you to spend more money."
"Ordered on Dec 11, and on Dec 24 they cannot confirm on the phone if it has been shipped, nor they provide any tracking#. They say that the 24-72 processing time doesn't apply for the Christmas season.
When on the phone I express my frustration, and I tell them I will have to leave a bad review, they threaten me to cancel the order (I guess so I cannot leave my review).
They argue that they are a small company, and "I am not a good man, and they all try to survive""
"It took at least two full weeks before my order was actually shipped. I had to call three times to customer support to retrieve my tracking number, and only the third representative was nice and apologetic about the delay. The first two reps were rude and impatient. Hey, if I were to spend over $1,000 to purchase something from a company, I deserve a cordial attitude. I am not sure if I will order from this company again."
"Poor communication from seller. I paid additional fee for expedited shipping. First they contacted me 2 days later to "verify" my order. What they wanted to do was to sell me more stuff. Two days wasted for an "expedited" order. When I called a few days later to make sure my order was on its way, I was told I would receive it by the end of the week. It never came. I called again, only to find out it was never shipped. A part was on backorder. It wasn't shipped until the following Monday, 2 weeks after the date I placed the order!!! I wanted it for a trip but it was too late. I emailed customer service to refund my extra shipping fee but never heard back from them. Update: They sent the wrong battery and quickly got correct one out to me."
"GREAT SITE, WITH VERY GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE"
"Service was speedy and follow up was great!"
"I made the mistake of ordering from them. I ordered online. A salesperson called me and pressured me into buying more stuff. Said he would send me an email detailing everything. My total went from $1000 to $1600. When I did not get an email, I sent an email requesting the prices. I got no reply. I then called and told them to cancel. Cu. rep. was very rude said he would send me an email within the hour, and that I couldn't cancel since the order had already shipped.(a lie). He suggested I go to the site and fill the shopping cart with what I had bought. I did that and it was less than what they had charged me. His email never came. I called again to the reps direct extension and only got voicemail. I left a message to cancel the order and left my number so they could call me back. No call back. A few hours later I got an email saying that the order had shipped. I was irate. I called and told them I would refuse delivery. The rude person told me I would have to pay shipping charges and restocking fee. DO NOT BUY FROM US1Photo.
BTW they don't even list a company address. Only the state of NJ. I wish I had checked that out. I am contacting my credit card company. According to the rep they always win in these situations. If that is true then we need to let everyone from the Better Business Bureau to the Federal Trade Commission know what scam this company runs. BUYER BEWARE!!!!
"
"Very happy with the purchase. I've received everything what I've ordered in good condition. The prices are chipper then in the other stores. The store offers a good deals and discounts. Very friendly people."