Re: off topic warning about purchasing cameras online from ***holes

Chris,

While you are at it, you should call Nikon for two reasons:

1. Report this company for "un-bundling", which I believe is illegal, if
not a violation of the company's vendor agreement with Nikon.

2. When you contact Nikon, give them the serial number of the camera and
ask if this is a legitimate camera for sale in the United States. When I
bought my Nikon D1x when they first came out, there were cheaper offers on the web
for the camera, however they were "Gray Market" versions of the camera which
means they were cameras distributed by Nikon for sale in other countries, not
the US—so, if you bought a Gray Market D1X at that time, non of the Nikon
warantees were any good in the US—this is a BIG ISSUE—if there is a recall on the
camera, you may not get it fixed.

Sorry you had this problem.... I am logging that company into my list of
"***holes Not To Be Trusted". I hope you didn't order the Polaroid Back they
offer for the D200.

Best Wishes,
Mark I. Nelson
www.MarkINelsonPhoto.com
www.PrecisionDigitalNegatives.com
PDNPrint Forum @ Yahoo Groups

In a message dated 2/18/06 2:40:18 PM, zphoto@montana.net writes:

> Dear List,
> I feel that the below is necessary to share for those of you, like myself,
> that are buying camera equipment and searching for a good deal, even if it
> has nothing to do with alt. Sharing it is very embarassing for me, but I
> hope it will profit the group.
>
> I normally purchase large items from B and H, but B and H still does not
> have the D200 in stock.  I need the camera by March 10.
>
> I found,on kenrockwell.com, the cheapest site to order the Nikon D200
> body--$1549 I think it was. www.thecamerapros.com
>
> I called them to order. I did the mistake of asking "What else might I
> need?"  He sold me the high speed battery and charger, as "the battery did
> not come with the camera". He sold me a 5 year warranty for quite a bit of
> money.  He sold me a lens that he said was cheapest anywhere on the web for
> around $500.  He sold me some superior 1 gigabyte card for another
> exorbitant price.  Actually, I am not even sure of what prices I paid for
> anything.
>
> I agreed to the sale, figuring that the bill would detail everything and if
> I
> wasn't happy I could return it. I was in a rush to go to work. I also have
> no recording of the call., and can't find my notes on it, either, as they
> were on the back of some piece of paper.
>
> When the camera came, the battery as you are probably all aware, is the one
> that comes with the camera anyway--the company apparently broke Nikon kits
> apart and sold items separately so the $1549 price is not really true. The
> card was a cheapy.
>
> Nothing was itemized on the bill--it said "bulk camera package" and the
> total price.  I called them to find out the prices of everything and they
> would not give them to me as they did not know either.  No record.  At the
> bottom of the bill, it said "Returns are subject to AT LEAST a 10%
> restocking fee".  He quoted me, when I said I was returning it, a 25%
> restocking fee.  I tried to get a return authorization code out of him and
> he was not forthcoming.  They finally called me back a couple hours later
> with the return authorization code, reminding me of the restocking fee.
>
> I called the Visa fraud unit, and the dispute process is lengthy with lots
> of paper work.  Aside from the fact that legally I did agree to the
> purchase.  What happened to me is termed "slamming" and the dispute officer
> was well aware of it.
>
> The clincher is that when i priced B and H for comparable items, the lens is
> a $200 lens, the card is a $75 card, the warranty is maybe $150...you get
> the picture. I estimate I overpaid anywhere from $400 to $700 (still can't
> figure it out). But being caught between a rock and a hard place, I am
> keeping the camera and losing the money.
>
> I feel that my best recourse is to "spread the word" to prevent others from
> having this experience--to my students, to the alt list, to everyone I come
> in contact with. As my husband says, at least I have the camera I want, even
> if I overpaid for it (he's grasping at straws trying to make me feel
> better...)
> Chris
>
Received on Sat Feb 18 14:53:49 2006