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Digital cameras: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com
Don't just get mad...GET EVEN!
by jeep-junky - 9/2/05 1:21 PM In reply to: GeniusCameras is Expresscameras new name! by vghpPersonally, I am fed up with the poor customer service of companies like these especially GeniusCameras.com – I have had problems with them as well.
However instead of just complaining to everyone we should report them to the FTC and the BBB. I have done so and had my issue resolved within a matter of weeks. These are two organizations that have the power and ability to protect consumers.
If you go to the Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org – you can look up companies and file complaints. The BBB will then send the complaint to the local BBB authorities who contact the business and help to resolve the issue.
The FTC is even more powerfull and will shut down or fine businesses like GeniusCameras.com – however, they only do it if they get enough reports. You can file a complaint online at http://www.ftc.gov (click on the ‘file a complaint’ link at the top).
If you are wondering what laws they are breaking here is some info on that: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/baitads-gd.htm
It is called bait and switch and it is unethical and illegal. If the FTC gets enough complaints they will investigate and do something about it.
Don’t get mad, get even!
Excellent Post!....
by Psych Doc - 9/2/05 3:44 PM In reply to: Don't just get mad...GET EVEN! by jeep-junky...This is the kind of action that at least has some chance of shutting these rip off joints down.
Bravo.
Excellent
by mrobzo - 9/11/05 11:04 AM In reply to: Don't just get mad...GET EVEN! by jeep-junkyPublic information. Too bad c/net doesn't have a page on these type of activitys seeing as they are so prevelent. Thanks JJ.
Thanks to CNET for this forum on expresscameras.com!
by vespa55 - 12/16/06 1:19 AM In reply to: GeniusCameras is Expresscameras new name! by vghpI am so glad that I came across this forum. I was in such a panic mode and rather than dealing with the consequences, I called my credit card company. I'm glad I placed my order with expresscameras.com AFTER their hours of operation. My credit card company has verified that there has been no peculiar charges whatsoever within the last 24 hours. I got that autoreply email stating that this was an order confirmation but boy will they be in for a shock when they find out that I blocked the existing credit card # I used (of course, my credit card company will issue me a new card with a new number, but heck, that's better than dealing with all the possible nightmare consequences that I've read so far in this forum alone). I should've known better that this was TOO good to be true and followed up on this business before placing an order. Thanks to the post by "vghp" - I did the same preventative measures to block this business from touching my credit card account. The only drawback is I won't be able to charge anything till I get my new card. It's okay. I'd rather buy from Adorama or B&H. You can't go wrong with Amazon.com for their vendors are pretty reputable and I doubt that they would ever have expresscameras.com as one of them. Thanks to all who replied and thanks to CNET for this post
EXPRESSCAMERAS.COM ARE PROFESSIONAL LIARS
by babyturnsblue - 8/14/06 6:10 PM In reply to: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com by Rodaxboy did i have a bad experience with these people. first a salesperson talked me into buying two thousand dollars worth of camera accessories with my video camera, making everything out to be high quality when it wasn't. what arrived was a pile of junk, including a crummy tripod and bag, and batteries and lenses that weren't even compatible with the camera they were in a package with! when i tried to just keep the camera and send back all the extras, they said i couldn't because it was a ''package''. they agreed to send me a new battery and lenses (in exchange for the wrong ones, but why didn't they send the right ones the first time?) and guaranteed that it would arrive by a certain day. i called to see if the items had shipped, was told they had, and when i called four days later to see why they hadn't arrived and spoke to someone else i was told they hadn't shipped yet. when the exchanged items finally did arrive, they sent me the same incompatible battery as the last time and a telephoto lens that was again not compatible with the camera they sold me. in short, they are DISHONEST and the accessories they sell are JUNK and not even compatible with the cameras they come with. don't buy from them- take it from someone who made that mistake!!!
Express Cameras is a potential Landmine!
by linnium - 8/30/06 2:27 PM In reply to: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com by RodaxI came this close to getting screwed. I made my purchase after finding them online and the prices were too good to be true. I bought the Canon EOS 30D Starter Kit for $1,149. It is supposed to come with the cam, lens, 128MB CF card, cleaning kit, bag, LCD protectors, cap keeper, and a tripod. I got a call an hour later from New Jersey. This guy Adam Spade was calling to confirm the order. He kept offering upgrades and I kept declining because I couldn't afford more than my order plus shipping. I finally gave in when he offered me an upgrade to the UV lens I bought and a 5 hour battery if I buy the supercharger for 150 extra. He said my total would be $1,299.
Neither of my e-mails gave specific information to the items purchased or the price. I look at my bank statement online, and they charged me $1,363.95. I decided to look them up online, which is when I found the very series of posts to which I am now contributing. I was so shocked and feeling like I just saped with my clothes on, I called my bank and filed a fraud claim. They cancelled my card and I faxed them my info, including copies of these posts.
Today, I just got the camera. I was actually surprised to see it. Here's the scam though: I didn't get what I thought I was paying for. They sent me the kit for the camera (body, lens, charger, etc.), incuded the bag, which was dirty inside from what looks like dried liquid, the UV lens, the cleaning kit (which broke and leaked, may explain the bag), but no CF card or LCD protectors.
Check this out! The tripod? Fits in my front pocket! There is no way this thing supports the weight of the camera! I gave it to a coworker who thinks he might get some use out of it. It looks one of the sculptures from Beetlejuice.
I'm not going to bother calling these guys because from what I'm reading in these posts, it won't do me any good. I honestly think that if I turned down any of the offers Adam Spade was trying to sell me, they would have pulled the whole sending-it-out-late thing or screwed me in another manor.
I suppose I lucked out because buying this kit locally runs around $1,500 plus tax, so even though I didn't get everything, I got a deal. However, it is nowhere near worth it. It's too iffy a transaction to buy from these people. If you want to save money on the kit, order from amazon. They had it for the same proce, no preasure sales, and no overcharging. I will never purchase from a company I've never heard of online again.
How did your claim play out?
by baltoro - 9/13/06 9:50 PM In reply to: Express Cameras is a potential Landmine! by linniumSo what happened so far with your claim?
Unfortunately, I am in the same boat with canceling my card and filing a claim.
their advertising
by newmbr - 9/21/06 12:14 PM In reply to: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com by RodaxIt seems that ExpressCameras, or their clone RoyalCamera, atract most of their customers through pay-per-click advertising displayed on various search engines. Searching for Nikon D200, Canon Rebel XT, or other popular cameras on www.mysimon.com, www.lycos.com, www.flexfinder.com ... will list them close to the top of the sponsored links list.
They probably pay just a dime or so per click, but if they'll receive hundreds of bogus clicks per day from angry customers, maybe they will have to reconsider their advertising strategy??
More on Expresscameras.com
by ghzman1 - 9/26/06 8:41 AM In reply to: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com by RodaxI think I narrowly averted troubles with this company. I wish I'd read the reviews here before I tried ordering from them.
The price offered on a Nikon digital camera looked like the lowest around, so I went ahead and ordered on-line. I got an e-mail asking for me to call to confirm the order. I did so and was asked if I'd like to add a memory card to the order. I have several SD memory cards already, so I declined. I was then asked if I would like a filter. I have a lot of those around too, for several 35mm film SLR's I have, so I declined that. I was then asked if I wanted a battery and charger. I asked if it came with the battery and charger and was told ''no''. That was too much for me. I asked what else it didn't come with. Basically, they don't supply ANY of the things Nikon lists as being part of the boxed package. All you get is exactly what they list on their website for the ''package deal'' and nothing more.
I said to cancel the order and also sent an e-mail telling them to do the same. I received an e-mail telling me they'd cancelled it. My only concern now is that they have my credit card info and I hope they don't do any charges to it. If they do, I'll refuse them through my credit card company and file complaints.
BTW I ordered what I wanted from Calumet Photo, who I've been doing business with for over 20 years. Should've done that from the start! They're one of my favorites.
I suspect these people have a nifty, totally fabricated website. All those glowing customer comments were either totally fabricated or done by people who were paid to do them. Or they picked a few individuals to give good service to, as long as it didn't cost them too much. I don't know, but I sure don't trust them now.
I guess the moral to the story is if it looks too good to be true, it most likely is. Now, I HAVE gotten some incredible deals on eBay but I always use their rating system. I don't buy from anyone with a feedback less than 99% good, and I have only had trouble once out of hundreds of purchases there. Too bad these goofs have managed to avert such a system for the most part.
Don't buy anything new on eBay. Cameras included.
by Kiddpeat - 9/26/06 3:00 PM In reply to: More on Expresscameras.com by ghzman1You will always pay more than the item(s) you receive are worth.
New items on Ebay
by Derek R - 9/28/06 3:07 AM In reply to: Don't buy anything new on eBay. Cameras included. by KiddpeatFirstly I am nothing to do with Ebay but I now purchase vertually everything on the net. Examine sites carefully and huge savings can be made. I have purchased hundreds of new items from Cameras to small batteries with savings of up tp 75%, it takes time and effort but there are reliable firms out there. The best deal was for Maxell Cr2032 batterys which sell for £1-99 each in a proper shop. I buy them on an Ebay site from Hong Kong (feedback in the thousands), they appear to be genuine items, importantly they perform and last as long as the original batterys, I use a great number of these in my business. Now the price, 47 pence for 25 batterys, yes thats less than 2 pence each compared with £1-99!! Choose a site with paypal protection and there should be no trouble. Two times I have had any trouble with a purchases, one lost in the post - full refund from dealer - one private non delivery, full refund from Paypal.
An ebay customer
by dlewis927 - 5/3/07 10:02 PM In reply to: Don't buy anything new on eBay. Cameras included. by KiddpeatI am an ebay shopper and I have found alot of good deals. You have to check their feedback and ask questions that is very important. I have not had any problems so far (100% possitive feedback), but I do my homework before making any purchases. I have bought a digital camera, which I made payment on a Monday, and it was in my hands on Thursday. It was alot cheaper than if I would buy it at any of my local stores(almost $100 cheaper). The camera was brand new as stated, am very pleased with my purchase.
Just Simpy avoid them
by cheezungritz - 1/10/07 2:03 PM In reply to: More on Expresscameras.com by ghzman1their site says it all expresSCAMERas!
my own experience
by fayleigh - 4/25/07 2:21 PM In reply to: More on Expresscameras.com by ghzman1I also was someone who had just placed an order and then stumbled across this and other forums. I was horrified and sick. This lengthy (sorry) post is to offer SOME iota of hope to anyone in the same boat.
I placed my order on 4/18..a Canon Rebel XTi package at a steal price. I too was fooled by all the 'seals' of approval and fake customer comments. Sure enough, I got the email making me call to confirm. An intensely pushy guy talked me into "better" sigma lenses (implying they were WAY WAY better), a 5-hr battery and rapid charger (compared to the supposedly-piece-of-crap 20-minute battery that came with it.) I even told him I'd read the battery that came with this model was good, but he told me no way. I was crazy if I didn't want the STEAL of this upgraded battery. Going against all instincts, I let him talk me into over $300 of more stuff.
Order placed, I didn't feel good about it and called back soon after. I talked to who I believe was the same guy (who claimed to be a different one) and I balked on my order. I made him itemize the items for me so I understood what my additional $367 was costing me. Low and behold, my previous "free" shipping was now $60! I hadnt been told about this before and it pissed me off. Why isn't it still free? Because of the higher insurance, I was told. Plus it's now EXPRESS shipping, which meant I'd get my order in 7-10 days instead of much longer. I told him to cancel the whole upsell package and send my original order. He became very agitated. "Over a $60 shipping fee! That's ridiculous! You will never find a deal like this ANYWHERE again!" I'm HIGHLY ashamed to say I was cowed into accepting the whole offer again. I really wanted this camera, and even with the add-ons, the price was good.
Order placed (again) but my spidey-sense still tingling, I started to do research on the company. Oh crap. What had I done! I was just sick. I called the next day to cancel my whole order, but I'd heard people say they will claim its already been shipped. So the first thing I asked was is my product in stock (yes) and what is the scheduled ship date. THe guy fumbled around a bit and said he didn't know, it may have even shipped today! I asked him "well..has it"? And he immediately replied yes, it has shipped. "Ok great," says me. "What's the tracking number?" He replies he won't get that for up to 24 hours. What? Since when? It was shipping UPS!
I told him the first guy had promised to send an email with the line items from my upsold order. He offered to send me a fax, which surprised me. I thought he was trying to get me off the phone. So I gave him a fax number and hung up. About 30 minutes later I was shocked to get a fax. It listed all the items, but the price was just a package price for everything, so you had no idea what they charged you for each item.
I let it go over the weekend, though I checked the credit card online several times to see if I'd been charged yet. (Don't most companies charge on shipping?) I was also terrified fraudulant charges may appear (they might yet. I am still watching.) On Monday I noticed they billed my credit card, so I called them to demand a tracking number. Again to my shock, they gave me one. I thought it must be fake, but when I looked it up it showed scheduled delivery for the next day. Now I lived in terror my order would be wrong or missing items and I'd go thru the next phase of the nightmare. I got my order Tues (a little less than a week after placing my order.) I'm relieved to say everything appears to be accounted for..even got a couple little extras. (A mini tripod in addition to the full-sized, and an additional digital camera bag. Too small for my camera, but might use it for something. The "deluxe" bag for my camera that came "free" looks pretty crappy to me. It's all one compartment, no zippers or anything. I'll be getting a new one.) The expensive 5-hour battery is..low-and-behold...Canon. I'm pretty sure its the one that was supposed to come with the camera anyway. Oh well. At the end of the day, I DO love my camera. I found a similar deal for just about $100 more at sams club, so I think I'm ok with the price with the price I paid. Overall, I will NEVER do business with them again or recommend them to anyone, but I DID get my order. While I was waiting, I was dying for any such reassurance from even one person. So if you're in that boat, May the Force be with You!
if it sounds too good, IT IS!
by photagirl - 11/29/06 7:13 AM In reply to: Online Camera Buyers Beware Expresscameras.com by RodaxLESSON LEARNED- trust your gut and if it seems too good to be true IT IS!!!
My husband was loooking for cameras online and saw the "express cameras" website. It looked too good to be true. But he convinced me that it was a good site. I usually look into these things, but temptation took over. After we placed an order by phone (also got convinced to spend $1000 more than we wanted to) the local news had a segment about an online company that sent a couple a jar of sause instead of a camera. I googled "express cameras" and my stomach turned. I saw "expresscameras= crooks". I immediately called by bank and had my credit card cancelled. Of course express cameras was closed. So I waited until the next morning. I called, customer service was closed. Called right back and pressed 2 to buy a camera, and said I wanted to cancel an order. I was transferred to the guy that sold me the camera. He said he couldnt cancel the order because it had been shipped. I told him that was impossible because my card was cancelled and there was no activity on it. He then tried to tell me that it went through. I told him again I had spoke with my bank and there was no authorization request. He put me on hold. Came back and said, ok miss your order has been cancelled and hung up.
I am SO glad I found CNET! And stopped this scam before it caused me anymore stress. Hopefully no one else will let temptation take over their common sense.
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