REALLY GOT RIPPED OFF-HELP NEEDED

[SDBOB]

You are learning.Glad that it worked out. Remember there are a lot of good people in this world willing to do what is right.I try to buy locally.The mom and pop places that need my business.They will help you and want your repeat business.I through the years(past60)have steered away from low prices as I felt 'its to good to be true.I/WE my father and I had a construction business after many lean winters I felt it was time to surrender and geta job with benefits and some stability-at the wife's urging.My father was 70 at the time.So my point its even harder to have a small business today,so if possible I buy from the small business.If I have a problem I want a face and a name to talk too like a friend. it seems thought that all small business's are being pushed out by the big co's with better buying power.Just my 2cts.

[Last Chance]

You have now a taste of Financial Warfare.. it can be most dangerous to experience.

I strongly advice you to leave that 1700 dollars in the bank ALONE, keep adding to it. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

If you put eyeballs on a camera in a store like walmart or a camera shop that you can see, feel, touch and try out before buying... examine it most closely. Try not to get sucked in by the wonderful marketing buzzwords.... example.

A computer with the buzz word "Intergrated Video" That right here was a deal killer because system ram would be scavanged and forced to handover memory to put up a display that is not up to par. really bad.

You are going to get ripped off several more times in life. Hopefully you will learn and document each experience and move forward a hardened shopper who knows exactly what you want and where to find it at a price you accept.

I do hope that when you do find THE CAMERA or whatever it is you seek, you will know it right then everything will be without misgivings and regrets or whatifs. Pay cash for that item if you do find it.

If anything else, try to be cash only in today's economy. Everything else is just a credit application carrying 30% interest, double cycle billing plus universal default which means you fail to pay ONE bill,.... ANY one of your house bills, you defaulted on the credit sale.

Cash rules, Bull gets to walk home. At a young age my first car was a 400 dollar cash buy. that was great. Shop maintaince ate me alive. But that fresh shiney no shop retail 8000 dollar plymouth turned into a 16000 after capitalized interest repo monster that ate me alive for 7 years.

Lesson, dont walk into a dealer ship. You are fresh fish for the filleting. In those days interest was 16% or more with monthly payments plus warrantry etc that really, really, really allowed that sales man to live a VERY good quality of life at my expense. Never again. We bought a car a few years ago. Cash only. Oh boy did they squeal and scream trying to get us to swallow a nice 6000 dollar repair warrantry policy. We walked away without it and just the car that has done quite well thank you.

They still spam us trying to get us to buy the warrantry at the very last minute by mail. LOL. We finally had the Post master refuse those mails. Any more of those will be referred to the AG in our state. That should fix it LOL.

I should have kept the 400 dollar car and endured the shop costs. But no use crying over spilled milk. Cars at my point in life are a dime a dozen these days.

Good luck!

[MJChittick]

coborn35

 Thankfully they sent me and email saying it was canceled, so I have proof. Card was canceled so will see what happens. Thanks guys!

I'm glad everything worked out for you!

[dknelson]

coborn35

 Thankfully they sent me and email saying it was canceled, so I have proof. Card was canceled so will see what happens. Thanks guys!

That sounds like good news Max, and verifying with the credit card company that there is no charge to be imposed should end the matter.  You have had an interesting education* in the ways of the commercial world.  Even where there are legal protections, rememberinging the saying "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) is a wise way to regard any possible transaction.

* Mark Twain defined education as "carrying a cat home holding it by the tail"

Dave Nelson   

 

[Modelcar]

trainfan1221

As others have mentioned, B&H in NYC is great

 

And I add my approval of performance from B&H in NYC.

[tree68]

zugmann

penncentral2002

Also keep in mind that unless you are a professional, you may not even need to worry about a DSLR.    

 Sorry, but I don't agree with the above.  I have 2 DSLRs and am not a professional.  I just enjoy using mine. 

Indeed.   There are thousands of amateur photographers who cut their teeth on a film SLR who will benefit from having the features a DSLR offers.   Even an 8Megapixel point and shoot can't hold a candle to a DSLR.

[trainfan1221]

zardoz

Bergie

As others have mentioned, B&H in NYC is great. 

Agreed!  I've had 10+ years of dealing with them and have had NO problems whatsoever.

You guys beat me to it, I am local to the city so I would go there before anything else.

[zugmann]

penncentral2002

Also keep in mind that unless you are a professional, you may not even need to worry about a DSLR.    

 

 

Sorry, but I don't agree with the above.  I have 2 DSLRs and am not a professional.  I just enjoy using mine. 

[coborn35]

 Thankfully they sent me and email saying it was canceled, so I have proof. Card was canceled so will see what happens. Thanks guys!

[penncentral2002]

It may well be that someone who is under 18 may not be able to legally make a credit card purchase over the internet (a consequence of the fact that in most states a person under the age of the majority (generally 18) cannot legally enter into a contract).

 I would strongly recommend against the strategy of having your father say that the purchase was not authorized - first off, it is apparently a lie, and second off the credit card company may well have you prosecuted for credit card fraud (which is at least in my state a felony).  Don'y mess with lying, tell the truth that you got ripped off.

Also keep in mind that unless you are a professional, you may not even need to worry about a DSLR.    

[MP173]

I purchased a Nikon D40 last Christmas and have been very happy.  The entire package, including two lenses and bag was around $700.  Certainly the prices have fallen in the past year.

Cutting edge camera?  no.

Huge memory? no

Bells and whistles? no

But, the biggest part of taking very good photographs is the person holding the camera...not the hardware in your hands.  At age 17, you have considerable time on your hands to develop your skills.  Digital cameras are great for doing this, offering the ability to try and fail and then succeed at very low costs and time (compared to developing film).

Good luck, both legally and developing your skills,

 

ed

[zardoz]

Bergie

As others have mentioned, B&H in NYC is great. 

Agreed!  I've had 10+ years of dealing with them and have had NO problems whatsoever.

[Andy Cummings]

Max —  I had a similar experience from one of these "low price digital" companies. There are apparently quite a few scam camera and electronics sellers on the Internet. When I did it, the instant I placed the order, I received an email explaining that my item was out of stock, and that they'd contact me when it came back into stock. This seemed really suspicious to me, so I started asking around and found out this is a common scam. As soon as that happened, I cancelled my credit card and asked for a new one. They sent it to me, and there was no problem. I highly recommend you do the same. Thing about digital cameras is that, unless you go used, you're basically going to pay suggested retail, period. There's really no alternative. No reputable company, that I've been able to find, sells digital cameras for substantially below SRP. Sure, maybe $50 here or $100 there, but no more, and for brand-new models, not even that. If it seems to good to be true, it almost certainly is. If you really want a digital, I recommend going used. On the Canon side, the 20D is still a great camera, as are the D70 and D80 on the Nikon side. Granted, they're not cutting edge anymore, and you don't get the same peace of mind as buying new, but generally speaking, a good camera is a good camera. I recently sold my D70 to a friend for $300; I'd imagine you could find a similar deal on EBay, B&H, Abes of Maine, or some other reputable Web site. Another reader's suggestion to google the name of the company you're buying from with the word "review" is good policy as well. When I did this after my failed order, I found many, many people had experienced the same thing. Why somebody doesn't shut these con artists down I don't know, but that's all they are. There's simply no such thing as a deal as good as they advertise. Just doesn't happen. Good luck, Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.

[Bergie]

Sorry to hear about this. I'd contact the CC company and seek their input ASAP.

A co-worker of mine almost fell into a similar trap a couple of years ago. I can't recall the Canon model number at the time, but it was a similar situation... where the retailer was selling a camera at a too good to be true price.

I told him there had to be a catch and to research the company. He did (via Google) and found all sorts of forum topics complaining about them.

As others have mentioned, B&H in NYC is great. 

Bergie

 

[ndbprr]

I might try a different tack that should strike fear into them.  Have your father contact them and say you are 17 and it was an unauthorzed use of his credit card.  The Feds take a very dim view of companies that viollate the laws in regard to underage sales

[CNW 6000]

As was said, contact the CC company.  Make notes on everything: when you called whom, names, etc.  Good luck and I'm sorry to hear this happened to you.

[zugmann]

Before I buy from an online retailer, I take a few seconds to type in the company's name + reviews on google (or any search engine of your choice).  If it is a scam, you will get 50,000 pages saying so. And always stay away from "too low to be real" deals.

 For cameras, stick to the big well known guys (B&H _the ONLY place to buy cameras from NYC, Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Max or direct from Amazon - but be careful of the "associated" sellers - always check their ratings and if they're from NYC - stay away.)

I'm sure these scam outfits **** off The big camera makers to no end, but there probably isn't much they can do about it.  I doubt they are 'authorized' sellers...
 

PS>> There are DSLRs for under $700.  Now they aren't the "top of the line" but unless you are a professional you probably don't need one of them. And if you don't have the good glass for them, you won't be able to take full advantage of them anyhow.  You have the Nikon D40s and D60s, all the Canon rebels, and the sony alpha 200, and 300.  But seeing as you already have some canon gear (I just read your other post), KEH.com (a reputable company, I've bought from them) has some used 20d and 30d bodies for under $500.  Sure not the latest... but it will get you into digital... and from everything I've ever read about KEH, they won't sell stuff if it is junk. Esp. if they give it a "new" or "like new" rating. B&H also has a used section on their website.

[dknelson]

Every aspect of your experience is exactly as reported by others on this website

 http://www.resellerratings.com/forum/merchant-discussion-shopping-advice/134824-can-i-trust-shopdigitaldirect-com.html

If I read the posts correctly they open up the boxes, remove all the extras that come with the camera and then try to sell them separately.  There is also discussion of the "do you want the plastic body or the magnesium body" question.  The indication seems to be that they have gray market knock offs.

Note that one poster mentioned they have a 20% restocking fee for cancelled orders! 

It really seems to me it is Canon that should be most concerned about their good reputation being damaged by outfits that do this.

Famous art critic John Ruskin put it best back in the 19th century: "“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.”

Dave Nelson

[tree68]

What MJC said.

Also, if the package does show up, refuse it.

I had a similar experience, but I don't remember the on-line company.  They tell you you can buy the camera for X, but that's with a cheap lens, no batteries, etc.  By the time they got done it was more expensive than what I finally paid at a well known office supply store for my Digital Rebel.  I told them to stuff it.

[feltonhill]

 The fact that you're under 18 may be relevant.  Be sure to check that out.

[MJChittick]

If it was my son, I would do two things immediately:

1. Attempt to contact the seller, preferrably by email so you have a written record, and inform them you want to cancel the order.  If you can get someone there to answer the telephone, tell them you want the order cancelled.  Also instruct them to not ship the order.
2. Call the credit card company immediately, explain to them you've been victimized by a fraudulent company and that you want the charge cancelled and blocked if it hasn't posted to the account yet.  In the more likely event that it has posted, request that the charge be reversed and the account credited.

You'll likely find your credit card company will be greatest ally in this matter, but you need to attempt to cancel the order first.

[BNSF & DMIR 4Ever]

Get in touch with the CC company, since it's a scam, chances are you're not the only one that was trapped, and in the event the company in question pulled some **** with your number, you may get some money back. If the company calls you back once again, cancel your order, and if they say they can't, tell them you're calling the CC company, as well as your state bureau of the FBI. That usually changes their tune awfully quick. Definitely file a report to the Better Business Bureau.

 

 

Also, in the future, be wary. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That, and watch for Phishing.

[coborn35]

So I finally bit the bullet and went digital by buying a Canon 40D from shopdigitaldirect.com for $319. I figured that was a hell of a deal. Then after I placed the order I got a call from a representative and he told me I should buy batteries and such for it and that it was an import model plastic body. At the time I thought ok, I guess that sounds right. Turns out Canon doesnt make plastic bodied cameras. Then I found a site which reviews business's. Turns out they are a huge scam business. I dont know what to do now, should we (only 17, its my dads crediot card) notify the credit card company? Cancel the order? (very hard to get ahold of people) See if they do end up delivering it and then dispute the delivery? Im also really bummed at this point becasue this was my Christmas present and my parents said they would split the cost with me becasue they know im saving up for a car too. Im afraid if this doesnt work I wont be able to get a digital SLR becasue my parents simply cant go halves on a $700-$1000 camera. Ive got about $1700 in the bank but really dont want to drop $1000 on a camera...

Max (who is very depressed)