I think I might've gotten messed with by a Brooklyn dealer...

S

savethestars

Active member
Hi,

I recently ordered a Sony HC1 for a good price from a place I will not name yet until I'm sure they wronged me, because on their website it states explicity,

"All products we carry are factory sealed, complete with all factory supplied accessories, and a full manufacturers USA warranty."

However, I noticed they shipped me a Sony HC1-K and when I look it up online, it seems it is the Japanese NTSC version of the USA Sony HC1.

So is the site accurate in that it will still have a USA warranty or are they flat out advertising falsely? If I try to refuse it, they will charge me 5%.

However, someone told me they got a Japanese version for about $1200 and I just paid about $1500, thinking I was getting a good deal.

Please advise.

(I should've just gotten a DVX100B from Rush at EVS and once I straighten this mess out--I probably will--if he has any left for me to pick up tomorrow.)
 
Greetings!

I've been reading these boards with quite some interest for the last month or two as I've been in the market to buy a new camera, and this site is one of the most polite and best informed places I've ever stumbled across.

And I want to immediately apologize for making my first post here a negative one, but since the question of unscrupulous business practices have come up here, I'd like to relate my own recent experiences with not just one, but two Brooklyn dealers who directly lied to me while I was trying to obtain a new Sony HVR-Z1U.

I spoke to Digital Delivered last Friday on the phone and ordered the camera for $4099.00 after they told me they had it in stock, came with all the supplied accessories and was a totally legit U.S.A. product. Great. I ask them to FedEx it for Monday delivery.

Monday comes but the camcorder doesn't. I check my credit card and no charge has been processed. I call Digital Delivered and they tell me there's nobody there I can talk to till Tuesday morning.

So I call this morning. They have no explanation as to why the order was never put through. Until I push them a bit, and they admit the camera is not in stock, it was never in stock, but if I'd be willing to wait till next Wednesday, it should be in by then and they'll put the order through.

So I cancelled the order, since I don't buy from places that lie to me about stock. These people are filth that should not be catered to.

But it gets worse.

Spoke to a salesperson at Express Cameras earlier today who told me that, for the same price as the other place, the camera was most definitely in stock, had all the supplied accessories and the U.S.A. warranty. Perfect; I'll take one.

And then, the guy who I need to speak to with my credit card information and such, informs me that the camera comes with NO accessories and isn't even really in stock. I tell him that the salesperson told me otherwise, and am told in return that it must have been a mistake. And then I reply that the salesperson is obviously a liar, and once again cancel the in-progress order.

Later this week, I'll walk to Abe's Of Maine in another part of Brooklyn, pay the extra $500.00 and work with a legit dealer (or so I've heard about them). I've never tried to order a camcorder over the internet before, and am literally stunned by the amount of conniving dirtbags there are who will lie to your face (well, over the phone, admittedly).

Okay, sorry to have taken up this much time and space, but just in case anyone else is out there like me looking to get a good deal on a camcorder, these two places are an absolute must to avoid and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau (which I'm hoping to get around to early next week).

Thanks to everyone here for all the good technical advice, and I'm hoping my next post will be something more positive and enlightening.

-Scooter McCrae
 
Unfortunately, most Brooklyn dealers will cheerfully lie and tell you exactly what you want to hear. If you were to mention that you want the DVX with the berylium-coated lens--poof! they'd have it. You'll have to check the warranty and with Sony USA, but don't be surprised if it not a valid warranty.

Scooter--Avoid Abes, I've heard bad things about them.

http://www.resellerratings.com
 
I would always check www.reselllerratings.com for any dealer before buying from them.

The 6 month rating for "Digital Delivered" is a whopping 1.07
That's on a scale of 1 to 10, and no, 1 isn't the high side.
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller7136.html

Express Cameras has a 6 month rating of 0, with a lifetime rating of 1.06
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1805.html

Abe's of Maine has a 6 month rating of 7.01, but a lifetime rating of only 5.75
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1805.html

I would highly recommend reading the reviews on these sites before deciding to do business with any company.

To put it in perspective, a company like EVS (which is active on these boards by the way) has a 6 month rating of 10.0 and a lifetime rating of 10.0

B&H has a 6 month rating of 9.47, and a lifetime rating of 9.12
(and they are considered very reputable by most)

There are good companies out there but you have to do your research to find them.
If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
 
Scooter McCrae said:
Later this week, I'll walk to Abe's Of Maine in another part of Brooklyn, pay the extra $500.00 and work with a legit dealer
Click to expand...
Two things:

1. Don't think for a second you'd be paying EXTRA! The camera with the lower price tag never even existed! Those places never, ever, ever deliver the goods.

2. It would be best to stay away from Abes of Maine, if you're asking for my opinion.

Scooter McCrae said:
...am literally stunned by the amount of conniving dirtbags there are who will lie to your face
Click to expand...
Just an fyi, it's really only the Brooklyn dealers you need to stay away from. I think you'll find all US authorized resellers to be some of the friendliest and honest folks you'll ever meet. In a nutshell, don't ever buy camera equipment from Brooklyn. :)
 
Thanks For The Feedback

Thanks For The Feedback

Greetings Again!

Thanks to all of you for the quick and generous replies. I have to say that the Reseller Ratings link was a mind-boggling eye-opener! Almost every single one of the sites I had checked via the lowest-prices rated on another website received uniformly terrible ratings; this is a wonderful resource for future purchases.

Unfortunately, due to my budgetary restraints I'll probably have to buy from Abe's; I'm going to the storefront in Brooklyn on Friday as I'll have no more dealings with mail order companies after all that's gone down so far. They claim the camera is in stock and, despite not having the best ratings, the customer reviews I read didn't complain about dishonesty; I can handle impolite or pushy salespeople, but I want to be guaranteed that the merchandise I'm getting is legit (and in this area they seem to be okay, unless someone has heard otherwise?).

Thanks again, and I'll be sure to post something here if my experience at Abe's turns out to be anything less than copacetic -- and at this point, I'm hoping to have nothing but good news!

-Scooter McCrae

P.S. If I get a bad vibe or things look fishy at Abe's, I'll grit my teeth and borrow the extra cash to get the camera at B+H Photo (the place I've purchased most of my audio gear from).
 
Scooter McCrae said:
Unfortunately, due to my budgetary restraints I'll probably have to buy from Abe's
Click to expand...

If your budget is that tight then I assume you can't afford to lose your money either.

Do yourself a favor and wait until you have the money to buy from an authorized dealer.
 
Tell me something. Why do all the dodgy dealers hang around in one area of New York?

Surely if they want to rip folks off they could move out to Boston and do it, or LA?
 
Thanks Again, Folks!

Thanks Again, Folks!

Greetings!

Just want to once again thank everyone who took the time to help me out here. The end result of your advice was that I went to B+H Photo instead and paid the extra $200.00 (which in the overall scheme of things is pretty minimal when you're dropping nearly $5000.00 as it is!).

The straw that broke my back? The issue of authorized dealership. I used to work at an industrial videostore in lower Manhattan (CTL Electronics) and I saw the difference in treatment given to a customer who purchased equipment from a Sony Authorized dealer. Big difference. Worth the extra cash.

Until you pointed out that Abe's WASN'T an authorized dealer, I didn't realize they weren't -- so much thanks to you, Luis.

It's home now, I've turned it on and -- despite the arguments about HD codecs and whatnot -- it kicks the butt of my old Sony VX-1000 (which will now be retired) and I'm a very satisfied customer.

Looking forward to future correspondance via the forum and THANKS again!

-Scooter McCrae
 
Steve Shovlar said:
Tell me something. Why do all the dodgy dealers hang around in one area of New York?
Click to expand...
Because apparently several of them are interrelated, or are in fact the same dodgy dealer just operating under multiple names. So if one gets an overwhelmingly bad rep, they just start relying more heavily on the other name.
 
maybe by trying to get the lowest prices you guys are asking for it? I just find a resonable deal from the big stores. I once bought a mixer that was sold to me as being professional with cool features beacuase I was young and didn't know what was out there. Shop at J and R music and video world or at B and H photo/video.
 
I've never tried to order a camcorder over the internet before, and am literally stunned by the amount of conniving dirtbags there are who will lie to your face
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, these operations have been around for much, much longer than the internet ordering boom. I learned about them in high school in the 80s. I bet they date back to the late 70s.
 
I repeat, if only the Photo magazines would investigate their clients before they let them advertise in their pages, shady dealers wouldn't have a leg to stand on... I mean don't they read resellerratings.com ?
 
Man - if I lived round there - I'd have to break into all these stores and burn em down...

Would I be in the wrong... I mean seriously... I love breaking into old warehouses and if I'm not mistaken most of these are run out of old sketchy buildings in backalleys of Brooklyn, correct?
 
I would reccomend NOT buying a thing from Abes of Maine. I bought a GL1 from them over 6 years ago. It took nearly 3 weeks for delivery and every time I called I was treated with contempt. They charged me for the camera and something like $150 for delivery. I thought I was getting a good deal but I got a migrane instead. ABES OF MAINE STINKS! Go to B&H. I've bought from them dozens of times and have never been disappointed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top