Royal Camera & Video, 342 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY - aka CCI Camera.

I saw an ad from Royal Camera on the internet advertising the Nikon D70 Digital with lens for $805. I called Royal to find out whether the camera was in stock. The salesman told me that it was in stock and that the price was correct. I then placed the order on Royal's Website. I noted that it included a $51 shipping charge which seemed ridiculously high but still the price was a good price.

I did not receive a confirmation e-mail. Three days later I called Royal Customer Service (they were closed over the weekend) and was told that they had received the order but said the camera did not include a battery and compact flash cards and did I want to order them. I told the Service Rep that I didn't need the flash cards because I had already owned them and the salesman I had talked to told me that I could use the ones I had and that the salesman also told me that the camera included a battery. The Service Rep told me I was lying because the salesman would never have told me that. Nevertheless I did not order anything else. I was told then that I would receive the camera in 2 to 3 weeks. The time has elapsed and I still have not received the camera. I also checked with Nikon and was told that because the camera has a buffer my flash cards were fine and that the camera does come with a battery and charger.

I noted that the following week when I contacted Royal that the price of the camera had jumped $150 so I suspect Royal had no intention of fulfilling my order at the price given. The camera was receiving rave reviews and supplies were limited because of the great demand and Royal wasn't about to sell the camera at below market rate.

I have placed an order for a camcorder. The next day I received an email stating "please contact us at 800-301-1778 ext 216 to confirm your order". So I called. I have talked to this ridiculeously rude Arabic accent rep. He asked me to purchase all kinds of accessories to go along with the camcorder at a ridiculeously high price. I said no to all of them. Then he hung up.

A few hours later, I called about the shipping status. I talked to a woman, another liar there. This liar said that the camcorder will be shipped 7 to 21 days because they have to order it from oversea. So I told her to cancel, then I check with my credit card company.

This kind of business practice only happen in third world countries. Never thought that it's here in the US. Why do they allow this kind of bad business exist for this long.

Before buying any products on-line, do some research regardless of price. These scammers are opposite of Newegg.com. Take jackjack's advice and stay away from them.

http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff106380.htm

http://www.complaints.com/directory/2004/june/5/3.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=+site:www.complaints.com+royal+camera

You are correct. Royal Camera is a crook. It made me upset that a business that I purchased a great camera from in the past how treated me so poorly. About 2-3 years ago I bought a Nikon F100 for a good price. Came quickly and still works great. I just tried to purchase Nikon D70 for $787 including a Nikkor 28-70mm lens. This was quite a bit lower than most places and then I saw they made a little bit up with the $80 3-day shipping. Still thought it was a good price so went ahead with the order. As like last time I knew that they would try and sell me a bunch of items for inflated prices. Last time I had a nice rep that gave me the offers which I politely declined (besides a side grip for a reasonable price). This time all I really needed as the body, lens, and cords for file transfer. I called the number I was emailed and spoke to the rudest service rep on the face of the planet. He first was telling me that I spelled the address incorrectly (reason they said they had to speak to me personally which was a complete lie) and then they went into the sales pitch. I again listened to the offers and said that I would like to purchase the body and lens. At this point the rep started speaking in a harsh voice saying that I did not understand and the camera would not work with out these items (i.e. battery for $100 or a 1GB memory card for $500). I politely that I understood that I would need to acquire these items eventually to operate the camera but right now I only need the body and lens. He then started speaking very fast and said he would email me the conformation number and the order would be shipped out in about a month. I said that I would like to pay the $80 for the 3 day shipping and he said it wasn't possible and he would take $10 off the order. I asked why it was not possible to ship a 3.lbs package in 3 days for $80. He then started cursing at me and I asked to cancel my order. He was still screaming when I hung up the phone to call my credit card company.

:mad: I just had a similar experience with Royal Camera, and now I am concerned. I called them up to make a simple order of the Nikon D70 package which included the Nikor lens. This rude sales person immediately told me that, “Lots of people are returning the camera with this lens because it is so cheap, not made in Japan, but we have other lenses, better than those that we can sell you.” I told him I appreciated it, but I was interested in the Nikor lens, but thanks for suggesting it anyway.

He then said something I couldn’t believe. He said, “Yeah, I can tell you appreciate it even though you’re staying with the Nikor lens. Can I ask you why wouldn’t you want to buy the camera with the other lens even though I just told you people are retuning the Nikor lens? You know it only works on the digital camera and no other camera, but these other lenses work with all the cameras” I said, I just want the Nikor lens, thanks anyway.

He then told me that the battery that comes with the camera is very small and that for $199 I can buy a bigger battery and charger. I told him no. He then said what kind of a CF do you want to buy? He sold me a 512 Mb CF for $149, which at the time I thought was a bit expensive, but I just went with it.

He took my info and said thanks. I said, “Wait a minute…I want to know when these things ship, so I will need a UPS tracking number.” He sounded like I was just a big pain to him. So he said, “OK let me have your email address”.

I finally hung up with this dude, and realized no more than 10 minutes later that the prices of the CFs have come down a lot just in the past week, and that I could get a 512 Mb for $49. So I immediately called back, had to wait for some reason for the same sales person, which was interesting (intimidation factor I think is part of their sales methodology), so I waited until the same rude guy came back on.

I explained that I realized I had lots of CFs and I want to cancel the order for the CF. He said, “Can’t do that. It’s already in the UPS system and we can’t take it back.” I said, "That is the fastest system I have ever experienced”, sarcastically. He said, “Well, just don’t accept the package, UPS will return it and we’ll refund your money” <Right, like that may happen. I think I will just accept the card and call me a LOSER.>

Anyway, I am concerned that you can’t even check the status of your order on the web. But overall, I can’t say that they didn’t deliver, since they told me it takes 7 – 14 days before shipping (huh? What can possibly take that long? Either it is IN stock or NOT), and then another 5 days to receive it.


In conclusion, I have once before used the Better Business Bureau to complain about a company. Tthey actually wrote to that company within a week, and the company sent me their product within a few days of that call, UPS, 2nd day, when they told me it wasn’t going to be in stock for another eight weeks. Funny how you can put a fire under them if you need to. So if this company doesn’t deliver, I would say all of us should write to the BBB and make a complaint. It’s easy, and the more we have them listed in the BBB files, the quicker they either improve or hey will go out of business. For me, it’s wait and see.

We too, ordered a camera from Royal camera.We had to call them to confirm the order and got thru to "Larry" Probably the ridiculously rude arabic accent mentioned in a previous tag. He told us that the camera need an extra $99.00 of gear to make it work we said just send the camera. He got irate and told us he was giving us a great deal and if we didn't like anything he sent we could return it. We told him to just send us the camera as advertised. The camera came late, 4 days late. When we opened the box itwas just the camera and the 4 batteries, strap and 16mb data card, as advertised. The invoice was for $200.00 more than advertised though. They lied and tried to bully my wife into buying more than she wanted and then still had the gall to charge more than the advertised price. STAY AWAY from these jokers. :mad:

Holy frigging crap I can't believe this. I ordered a camera on December 22nd. Its 1/3/2005 - camera didnt ship. I call them - I forgot my order number - this rude dude yellls at me and says in these words "why the hell did you call us without an order number"

He finds the number says camera is blah blah - u want batteries, flash card etc. But he doesn't tell me tthey're extra until im like so whats teh total and its liek 12341234234 more than advertised.

FInally he quickly said you'll get ur camera in a month enjoy and I'm like wtf? I live in NYC - i said can I go pick it up .. NO GOOD BYE and stop calling us - click

Finally I call and say I wanna cancel and he goes yes we'll cancel it ass bye

Please help put these people out of business by making as many people aware of them as possible. I have started a site called http://www.royal-camera.com and it mirrors their site. However the difference being that I plan on telling everyone I can about them and their bad business. Send out this link to as many people as possible and you can email me at consumers@royal-camera.com so I can post your stories.

Thanks,
Jim

I'm all for letting the public know what these types of companies are doing, but is this legal? Also, it appears that your site has actual links to the real royalcamera.com site... I like the idea, but you better make sure it's not something than can come back and bite you in the butt.

These guys are scum bags. I tried to buy a Canon 20D through them and had a horrible experience.

After searching the net Royal Camera had the lowest price by far. I called in a placed an order. I was told they had the camera in stock. I requested overnight shipping because I needed the camera quickly. The next day I got the "confirm your order" e-mail and was asked to call in. After being treated rudely and asked a bunch of questions that had been answered in the orginal call I was told the camera wouldn't ship for 3 - 4 weeks. I abuptly said "Cancel my order." This guy came unglued on me. He said "You don't have to be rude. Maybe you can talk to your wife like that, but you can't talk to me like that." I asked to speak to his supervisor and he said he was in charge. I tried to cool down, and politley asked him to cancel my order. They did cancel it and there were no charges on my account, but the lies, deciet and rude treatment was beyond belief.

These guys are classic bait and switch. My advice is to stay as far away from Royal Camera as possible.

I'm all for letting the public know what these types of companies are doing, but is this legal? Also, it appears that your site has actual links to the real royalcamera.com site... I like the idea, but you better make sure it's not something than can come back and bite you in the butt.

Of coarse it is legal to write about what these companies are doing. It comes under freedom of speech. When companies like Royal Camera continue to act the way they do it is our morel responsibility to alert our community members and save them from being lied to and taken advantage of. Remember we’re Americans and the threat of being bitten on the behind comes with standing up for ones self. That threat is what Royal Camera and companies like them keep in their tool box of dishonesty and deceit. :cool:

hello,

I just wanted to chime in alongside the chorus of displeasure for royal camera. Like many others, i was led in by the sucker price. i have never before felt such disdain for a retailer. i felt sick after i spoke with "larry". In the end i did purchase a camera from them (Fuji s5100 - my first camera!), but i would sooner be eviscerated than deal with them again.

i would implore anyone looking to buy online to take the time and actually do some research on the shop. i wish i had.

rob

I called about the Nikon 8800 and it was the worst customer service I have ever had in my life! They guy was basically a butthole. The camera was at a very good price but no battery, no cables, no manual, nothing... just camera in a bag I guess. If I baught everything I needed for the camera to work plust their expensive shipping It would have cost almost double the advertised price. I hope they go out of business!

Royal Camera has struck again!!!! I just got off the phone with my Mastercard disputing a charge that was $400 higher than what the salesman said it would be. I called for a Nikon D100 and He said I was stupid for not buying a D70. He tried to shove every accessory down my throat and told me that I was stupid to not by memory cards ($300 higher than every where else on the web) from Royal Camera. It has been two days since he promised that I would receive my overnight premium shipped camera so that I could take it on vacation. No camera and $400 in extra charges on my card. The Credit Card companies should ban Royal Camera's charge machine. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT ROYAL CAMERA. THEY ARE A ROYAL PAIN!!!!!!!!

I ordered a Canon 20D in May 2005 from Royal Camera because of their very low price on the body alone. However, I also ordered a 1GB CF and a battery upgrade at the same time. This put the price up to the amount other companies were charging. I asked for 2nd day delivery and was told this was $30 more. My credit card was over-charged by $191 so I called Royal to complain. As it turned out I was charged $147 total for shipping in addition to being over-charged $69 for no reason. The camera and equipment arrived on time, but they had substituted on off-brand CF card. I called to complain and they would not take the card back for credit. They did offer to send me another card free along with a camera case. I received the free 1GB CF card and camera case. The case was off-brand and the camera would not fit inside it.

A friend of mine from my city ordered a Canon 20D two days before I ordered mine. She did not buy any over-priced, off-brand equipment. A month later she has not received her camera. You could say that I was "lucky" to receive the camera from Royal, but it turned out to be a poor deal, actually higher than other companies. I would not recommend anyone order anything from Royal Camera, based on my experience.

:mad: Hello everyone -

I searched around the internet for 2 weeks and finally found Royal Camera - which promised me a great deal on a Canon Rebel XT. $419.00 for the body. I requested 3 day shipping and two days after placing the order online, I returned to work with an email that asked that I contact Royal Camera at extension 201 to confirm the order. My wife called and immediately the jerk (oh sorry, sales rep) started trying to shove other products in her face. He claimed the battery charger for the Rebel was not included, which I'm not certain is a lie but seems fishy to me. He wanted to charge us 200.00 for that. He wanted me to buy the "Kit" with the standared 18-50 mm lens but since I have one for my 20D I declined. What originally started out as being a $600.00 order (Also had a 200 mm telefoto on order) ended up turning into over 1,000 dollars by the time I hung up. A deer in the head lights - I realized quickly I'd been had and my wife (taking the reigns) called back and asked to talk to the same extension(201). He answered and my wife explained that she wanted to cancel the order because the price had gone up too high and it was a spur of the moment thing. He rudely wanted to know "WHY?!" she was cancelling and when she told him we were going to do some more shopping around and we may be back he quickly cut her off and said, "Don't give me this you might be back crap - I don't have time to talk to you." And he hung up on her. She immediately called back and let them know how rudely she'd been treated and asked to talk to a supervisor, they transferred her to someone else and it wasn't a supervisor. She wanted to make sure that the order was cancelled and the person told her it was. She called back later to check and make sure it was cancelled - the person told her it wasn't - but they would cancel it. We've contacted our credit card company and warned them that this may not be the end of it.

Not only is the customer service non existant with this company - but of the 4 people we've been in touch with. 100% of them have been jerks. I'll be buying a camera locally for about 300.00 more - but I'd rather pay extra and know what I'm getting.

BE AFRAID - BE VERY AFRAID of this company.

All,
I too was dupped, but I think I may have caught it in time. I placed my order yesterday on the internet for a Nikon D2X. Thought I was getting an amazing price. They followed the usual MO and called to "confirm my credit card info" then tried to sell me numerous things I did not need, I turned them down on everything but a different lens. "We have had a lot of returns of the lens you ordered." As usual, the camera did not come with the software, battery, or accessory cables. Thinking my camera would be useless I agreed to six hundred dollars extra for those items. They caught me at work so I was not eager to have a lenghty discussion. As I was driving home I decided to do some research, I went to a few webpages and discovered what a bunch of scam artists these guys are. The exorbinant prices of accessories and the really low price on the body should have tipped me off. I called American Express and informed them of the days events and discovered that they had tacked on an extra $1000.00 to the price quoted over the phone. I supplied AMEX with the details from this site and the BBB and recommended that they pull their affiliation with this company. The charge has been placed in dispute. Hopefully, I will be able to turn off the shipment in the morning. based on the comments about their shipping practices, I doubt the order has left the building.

Because of where I happen to find myself on the face of the planet, I
discovered not many marchants want to extend their online sales this
way. For this reason I've been through some pain getting a seller of the
Canon Photo Printer CP710 who will ship to my end - Nigeria - until I came across
Royal Camera. I just placed my order barely 15hrs ago and now I'm reading all
these terrible shortcomings of this particular dealer. Now all I want is
to reverse the entire process. How do I do this? What if after calling
them they still go ahead to use my card information to get my money...I
would gladly have left my card company out of this since this will be
my first complaint about card transactions.
Advice'll be appreciated.
Ed.

First off when I ordered the camera I was told that it was brand new. When we received the camera we realized that it had 900 photos that had already been taken and the mirror and body was scratched. Also, we were told that the total charge would be $4000 for the camera and $89 for expedited shipping (as my fiance had planned to use the camera to shoot a wedding that weekend), however when I received the invoice there was an extra $320.98 that had been billed to my credit card. When we asked the salesman what the additional charge was for he said that they automatically tack on 8% to the price of the camera, this was clearly a bait and switch because we were NEVER told about the extra charges. After arguing with the sales person who was incredibly rude to my fiance and called him a liar saying that there was no way the camera was used, he said “ok send the camera back (which of course I had to pay the shipping to do so) and I will send you a new one within 4 days, well it has been well over 4 days and I have not received any camera. I warn all your photographers to stay away... I still to this day cannot believe that they are aloud to conduct business in america....I am completely disgusted!!!
:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

OMG! There is an abundance of justifiable rage for this place, read my email to RoyalCamera.com below!!!

To whom it may concern,

This email is in regards to the recent call I made to your business (718 336 4632 ext.201). I initially called 1 week ago to verify a purchase on my credit card in excess of $2000. The gentleman that answered wanted me to purchase a new type of "Japanese" lenses, instead of my original lenses, running me $90+. Seeing as the camera isn't for myself, I had to consult a friend.

I then called back 27 Oct. at 2pm Eastern time to confirm the order with the "original" lenses. The gentleman that answered said that they were out of those particular lenses, and said that they only have the new ones (That we spoke of on the previous occasion). I respect this, as I have waited over a week to confirm the purchase. He told me, again, that the new lenses would run me $90+. I then said that I had to do the math and check my bank account, he replied back:

He "What math? I told you $90, there is no math"
Me "I have to see if I have the $$$ in my account, and call the person that the camera is for"
He "Listen, you've called here before and I need to know whether to place this order or cancel it. Why are you going to call him again, you already have"
Me "Listen, I'm going to have him call you, and you can explain these lenses to him"
He "Yeah, that's a good idea man, whatever" And hung up the phone.

This is one of the highest examples of unprofessionalism and lack of customer service that I have EVER experienced from one single person. During the whole telephone conversation, I didn't go 5 seconds uninterrupted. Instead, it was full of criticism, arrogance, and negativity. This was/is unacceptable. (END EMAIL)

Moral of the story, DONT PURCHASE A THING FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!

Here are a few more of their websites...It's all ROYAL CAMERA
Camera City, Inc.
CCI Camera City
Royal Camera
Royal Camera, Inc.
The Camera Source Inc

Yep...I encounterd all of the things posted below. I was conned into making an order, received no email confirmation number so I calle them today. What a hoot! They were rude, indignant and in the middle of my question, asking about what came with a gray market item, they telephone speaker went DEAD. I called back, dialed in the same extension and asked the guy the same question. He said that my "question" was the reason he hung up on me....about gray market items. The funny thing was that he never said good-bye, or anything. I was on a cellular phone and it just went dead when he found that he couldn't con me into buying about three other devices that would make my original order even WORK. I can't reveil at this time what I ordered because my wife reads this column and it's a birthday present, but I cancelled my order...that required another call. Even when I cancelled my order all I received was an email to that effect, nothing in the way of a cancelation number or anything. I suspect they will bill my credit card and I'll have to put it into dispute. Oh, well, live and learn. My recommendation is avoid these jerks, they don't appear to me to be legitimate in any way.

BWB :mad:

I could not agree more with all the negative reviews. These people are a real bunch of jerks.

I really find it hard to believe some of these places are still in business.
Just like any other shady dealer, there's always someone getting caught in their traps. The bad part is, if they would try to be reputable, they'd probably have more customers and a better reputation.

Concerning:

Royal Camera and Video
342 Kings Highway
Brooklyn, NY 11223

I contacted the above by telephone to order a camera as a present. I specifically identified the camera and the associated kit of accessories. During the call, the order taker suggested I include other items such as filters, a year warranty, a larder battery, battery charger, and a larger memory card. When I declined some of the items, he suggested a slightly more expensive kit than the one I ordered that included the items I did not want. However, the kit he suggested had lenses of lesser grade and I declined. I indicated I wanted the original kit as I had ordered. The sale being complete, he took the appropriate information and ended the call.

I received the merchandise. The camera was not the one I ordered and the kit was the one that I refused with the inferior lenses. The larger battery and charger was not included. I immediately contacted their customer service department and identified myself and discussed the problem. The person became abusive and indicated that they made a decision to substitute the inferior lenses for the ones I ordered because they were lighter. I said I wanted the original lenses. I also indicated the camera was wrong as well as I did not receive the separately ordered larger battery and charger. He became more abusive but indicated that they would need to replace whatever was not right. I indicated I did not want the merchandise and would like to return it for a refund. He indicated there would be a 5% restocking charge and the shipping charges that were free would now be deducted from the credit. I indicated I should not be charged anything since they made all of the mistakes. He indicated it was company policy. I indicated that was not good customer service. He gave me a return authorization number and indicated he was the owner and that was the way he likes it since he makes a lot of money that way. He then began cursing me and indicated he would “come after me�. I indicated he was a crook and hung up the phone.

I returned the merchandise as was described on their website. I have not received the credit even though the merchandise was returned.

I am currently in the Missouri area. I recently had a photographer friend phone me and tell me her unbelievable experience with Royal Camera and Video. Basically, when she called to cancel her order because she found a better deal elsewhere, a young man named Peter called her a f*cking liar and hung up on her.
Needless to say, it was much like the experience most everyone else up here posted. My friend ordered from these people because they were listed in Popular Photography Magazine...a well trusted source. She now, feeling very upset and worried about her bank account, wants to write a certified letter to the magazine telling them exactly who they represent.
I would really appreciate it if any of you could send me an email regarding your experience, and possibly allow us to send your feedback in the letter as well. We know we cannot stop the company from treating people this way, but we can definitely stop magazines from representing their business.
Please e-mail in regards to this... photography-reviews@hotmail.com
Thank You!!!

Angelina B. (Missouri)

I shopped around and then I called Royal Camera, already knowing what I needed.

I spoke with a man named Randy and the information he gave was very helpful and he offerered me a "Phone in order only" package.

Based on information gathered from friends that knew what I had to have to operate the camera it sounded like a good deal. I thought about it for a few days and called back to order.

Randy wasnt available and I got on the phone with a salesman and I explained what Randy had offered me and he said no problem.
I gave him my credit card and before I could give him info on where and how I wanted it shipped he started trying to sell me extended warranties and a bunch of other stuff I didnt want.

I kept trying to tell him No Thank You but he wouldnt listen. I guess I must have raised my voice finally because he said Dont yell at me and enjoy your camera when you get it and he hung up the phone.

I immeditely called back and got a supervisor and went over everything and he apologized and we got everything worked out.

He told me everything was in stock and it would ship that day, a Friday.

Then I found this site and read the reviews and got sick to my stomach.
I called my credit card company and they asured me they would not hesitate to challenge anything if there was a problem.

On monday I talked to customer service and they told me everything had shipped on friday and a tracking number wouldnt be available until wednesday.

On wednesday they told me it would be thursday before I could get a tracking number

On thursday I got a tracking number and when I went to check it it was invalid.
Thursday night it did show up as Just being processsed to ship that day.

It did go thursday and they shipped it UPS NDA air saver which is next day by 3:00 PM

I received the package and everything was there except the 18/55mm lense that was supposed to ship with it. I had bought a sigma 28/300 mm lens also.
The 18/55mm lens was not on the packing list so I was starting to get worried.

It was too late to call them until monday but I talked to Ronnie at extension 200 on monday and he said no problem he would ship it out tuesday.

He said it so nice with no argument that I was really concerned that he was just giving me lip service.

Yesterday Wednesday I was too busy with my job to check on it and I called customer service this morning. They gave me a tracking number and the 18/55 mm lens is scheduled for delivery today. I checked it myself on ups website.

If I get the canon lens like I am supposed to everything will be fine.

This has caused me quite a bit of concern and worry.

Talking to supervisors is the only way I have been able to get things done.

These people are liars and I would never buy anything from them again but The price I paid for everything is still a good deal after comparing other sites and ebay.

I guess the whole point of my post here is to not give up calling and confronting them and they will eventually do the right thing.

Mike

These bastards are located in New York City. So, the New York City Dept. of Consumer Affairs should be able to handle these guys and put them out of business! Everyone who had a problem (that is, everyone who posted on here) should file a complaint against them with the New York City Dept. of Consumer Affairs so they get the message that these guys need to put down like a rabid dog.

How about if everryone sticks it to Royal camera. Why not order the camera, receive it and call to return it. They are so stupid they won't return it, so dispute it on your credit card. Maybe a free camera from them. Why not turn the tables on them.

Do that and you'll be no better then they are.

If you use the forum as a way to avoid places with a bad rep and not to start vendettas we'll all be better off. Sooner or later the scammers will feel the pinch of lost business and you won't get this site a lawsuit in the process.

Royal Camera is also CCI camera city, Broadway photo, Digital Liquidators, and a few other storefronts. If the area code is 718 you can bet it's the same people. This operation is located in Brooklyn, N.Y. I live in Brooklyn and had seen these incredibly low prices and had thought about buying a lens a few years ago. The merchandise they sell is called " gray market " items which means they were intended to be sold in another country. They usually carry no manufacturers warranty, sometimes no instructions, or other accessories that might be had with an U.S.A version. Hence the low prices. I had called them thinking I would go in and pick it up myself and save the shipping charge. I was told that I had to make an arrangement and schedule a specific time that I would be there and had to bring cash. I also discovered that there is no store. This operation is run out of a private home, with the stock being kept in another garage down the road. There is no storefront. This is a totally shady operation and I'm not sure how they are around under all these different names. In my opinion, even if you can ultimately buy something and it comes to your door ok and you saved a few bucks, I feel I would not want my money going to support these shady characters, who are most likely not paying much or any taxes to the city. I rather keep the good guys in business.
Personally, I get all my gear and film from Adorama. I go to the store, located in N.Y.C and buy everything there. Great service and prices. They also have a very good website/store for online shopping. I have a link to them on my website, because i think they are worht recommending. Support the good guys and down with the bad.

I thought I had dealt with bad customer service people in the past, but this tops it all. I ordered two cameras, then received an e-mail asking me to call and confirm the order. The person I spoke with said I hadn't given them the correct phone number, repeated what I had given them, and I told them it was correct. He said he called it yesterday and was told there was nobody here by that name, which is completely impossible unless he dialed the wrong number.

He then tried to sell me all sorts of things I hadn't ordered and didn't need. When he asked what battery and charger I wanted for the digital camera, I told him I had already ordered them. He said no I hadn't, and I said yes I had. He said it wasn't on the order and I told him that was because I didn't order them from Royal Camera but directly from Sony. He then actually called me a liar and said that wasn't even possible. I told him yes, it was possible, and I already had the order and shipping confirmation. He told me I had no idea what I was doing or what I had ordered because it wasn't possible to order them other than as part of their package. I knew he was wrong, so I told him that was fine and I'd deal with the aftermath myself if Sony didn't send what I had ordered from them, and I wasn't interested in ordering the same things from Royal Camera.

He became very angry and said I should have my order within 7-10 business days. I told him I had paid a lot for two day shipping to make sure I had them before I went on an upcoming trip. He actually told me that was my fault for asking for two day shipping, and I was the one who chose to pay extra for it, and that they didn't force it on me. I told him that I had never said anyone forced it on me and I was willing to pay the additional fee to get it quickly. He then told me to shut up and that my "problem" was that I never listen to anyone, and that these items are only available by ground. I asked him why the web site offered two day shipping if that was the case, and I also told him he was the rudest customer service person I'd ever had the displeasure of speaking with. That did not improve his attitude but, at that point, I was fed up. I told him just forget it and cancel the order. He said no, and I told him that if he didn't, I would decline the charge on my credit card.

He then accused me of trying to use a stolen credit card but said he was going to put the charge through anyway to see what happened and, if it was a valid credit card, he was going to charge me a $500 cancelation fee. I told him to give it his best shot and hung up, then I called my credit card company to explain what happened and they canceled my card and are overnighting me a new one.

I don't even have words for how infuriating this experience was, and I am going to complain to both the BBB and NYC as soon as I finish this message. I hope everyone else will do the same.

I would like to add to the growing chorus of people that have expressed their displeasure with this company. First of all... go to the Better Business Bureau web site. As of this writing, Royal Camera has 188 complaints against it and most likely growing. Luckily, I read this forum and posted canceled my order before the mayhem ensued and I will also be double-checking my credit card.

Imagine you are walking through any given major city and you see a hole-in-the-wall electronics store with boom boxes blasting and lights flashing and blaring. Do you ever go in there? You immediately think of walking and getting mugged... or worse. Well, that is this store... complete with barely speaking english salespeople, shoddy sales practices and endless bureacracy to return items. Except that this store is on the internet so it has a nice clean look.

But don't be fooled. Unless you are in some sort of seedy profession that you don't mind driving to Brooklyn NY and kicking some major a$$, then I would suggest taking your business elsewhere.

Here is how my transaction went:

Saturday night: Placed my order... never received any e-mail confirmation or anything
Following Tuesday morning: checked on Google to see what folks said about the service. Found this forum and countless other stories about bad sales practices. Checked on BBB to see the laundry list of complaints.

Waited until 10:30 AM (seedy places are only open for 4-5 hours a day like this one) to call customer service. Told the nicely speaking lady that I wanted to cancel my order. She asked me if anyone called me yet or contacted me through e-mail. I said, 'no.' She said, ok... I'll cancel it right away. Of course, cancelling right away means giving it to the infamous 'Larry' as others have mentioned.

Around 2:30 PM a message is on my answering maching at home. It's good ol' Larry and he would like to confirm my order. (As if this operation is so large that he didn't know that I canceled the order) I call him back and leave and message on his voice mail and explain that I canceled my order. (This, of course sets the stage for the infamous call back) He calls back and my wife answers... here is how that went (note that all of Larry's comments were made while yelling at my wife):

Larry: Want to speak to xxx xxxx.
Wife: He's not here right now, but we have already canceled our order.
Larry: Why you cancel the order?
Wife: Because we didn't want the camera.
Larry: But, why you not want the camera? WHY?
Wife: Because we didn't want it with all of the negative complaints.
*CLICK*

So, there you have it... another great experience with Royal Camera. I think they are also list as Camera City and a couple of other fake names. Please check the merchant rating on Froogle before you work with any of these companies. Luckily I got away with just a scolding from Larry, but you may find yourself in deeper if you place an order with these morons.

I made the mistake of trying to buy a camcorder from this company. I felt conned! The advertised price was just for the camera! Everything that you would normally get with the camera, like a battery, charger, software, etc. you had to purchase. Their site was very misleading, and their customer service was extremely rude! They're an example of a bad Internet company!

I found this web site AFTER I ordered. However, I was faced with the same results others have had. They charged my $70 for 3 day shipping. I received no confirmation email. SO I called. Thern they tried to sell me a battery and charger, both of which are already included from the factory. They insisted that I was wrong. Then the guy got mad at me for insisting that it did come with it. Then he said fine well enjoy your camera in a month. BUT WAIT I replied. I paid for 3 day shipping. He chuckled and said ok well I refund you $4 and make it a ground delivery. SO, here is a company who's tactic it is to delay your shipment if you don't fall for their scam and pay $100 extra for something that's already included. SO ANYWAY I cancelled my order immediately. AVOID THESE PEOPLE AT ALL COST. PAY EXTRA SOMEWHERE ESLE. AVOID THEM. ROYAL CAMERA IS A RIP OFF AND A SCAM.

ATTENTION:

ROYAL CAMERA IS A SCAM ROYAL CALMERA IS A SCAM

After ordering a 2,500 camcorder from them I recieved no confirmation email which I thought was a bit stange. I called them and they shoved other expensive products in my face and said I had to ship the camera to panasonic to get it changed from Japanese to English. ($600 cost) I told him that his website did not say anything about that and that it was misleading and he told me that I could not read. I asked to cancel the order and he said he would charge me $400. Avoid these people they are scam artists...

Is there any place that I can report these people for their fradulent activities?

I think everyone who posted their story here should file a complaint here

http://www.ic3.gov/

maybe it makes a difference and can help future internet shoppers and get this scam company off the internet. Thanks

Thankfully google led me to this thread on your site and I noticed this - I have just placed an order for a Canon 500 EF and was a bit taken aback by the very aggressive sales pitch of the phone salesman in a follow-up phone call, and the bullying routine when I tried to back out, so I smelled a rat. I will immediately cancel the order, and assume that the threat of a $500 dollar cancellation fee is a hollow one.

Oh No! My bank has already approved payment, so this guy now has the money ($6000) for a high quality Canon 500 f/4L EF IS plus offer of two filters thrown in.

I'll let you know what happens next. Am I right in thinking that the main complaint is the high pressure sales pitch and he will actually deliver stuff? Or should I call Interpol now?

This company is the worst. They are so rude and hung up on me twice! First i cheched if the had the HDR-HC3 they showed for $629.95 + $40 shipping and they had it in stock wow great deal right? So i ordered it online and heard nothing so i called to check on it and got a rude brooklyn *sshole who said he was adding all this stuff to my order so it will work. I said NO i just want the camcorder period. He got even more rude so i said just ( cancel my order would have been the answer ) and he hung up on me. I called a sales rep and he was eating smacking his lips while talking to me and just transfered my to another sales rep that just said call customer support and hung up. I finally got it canceled but hours of BS. Don't shop with these fools they will just rip you off.

Well I wish I had Googled 'Royal Camera' before placing my online order! And I wish I hadn't been so stupid during the 'confirmation call' to allow myself to be suckered in by this outfit! I called to order a Rebel XT body only for a great price, and a decent Canon lens. During the call to confirm the order, Alfred talked me into a newer, better lens for only $20 more, and stated that it was a 'body only', so I also had to order a battery and charger! He asked if I wanted the 2 hr or the 5 hr battery, so I thought, well, I would like a higher capacity battery, so I said OK to the 5 hr. As soon as I got off the phone, I checked the Canon site, and surprise, Canon doesn't make a lens like what I was sold. I immediately called back, and asked Alfred who makes the lens - Sigma was the response. I said I didn't want that lens, I wanted the Canon lens that I originally ordered. He said fine, it would ship that day. And, of course, 11 days later, the body arrives, with it's normally supplied battery and charger, as indicated on the box! And, a Sigma lens. I sent them an email, outlining what had transpired, and indicating that I wanted to return the Sigma lens, with no restocking fee, and I want the Canon lens originally ordered at no additional charge, and I want credit for the battery that I had already paid for with the camera body. I also immediately launched an inquiry at the American Express website. Hopefully, I will get justice eventually.. I can't believe these guys can get away with this kind of stuff, but as they say, there's a sucker born every minute!:blush2:

I read reviews on here this morning concerning Royal Camera. I decided to call and place an order for the Canon Digital Rebel XT anyways b/c I figured most companies have both good and bad reviews based on the volume that they have. So I call and talk to a completely HORRIBLE sales rep who you can barely understand. He starts by saying that I don't know anything and that what I want to purchase doesn't come with a battery or charger and that I need to buy one for $249 dollars and the speed of the 256MB card is only 40 and I would need to upgrade to the 1G-2G if I buy this camera. I decline on both and state that I just want what that certain package is and that's it. I kindly state again that I just want what is listed on their site. He tells me I cannot buy that unless I add on these other special features, I decline and he continues that these items are gray market anyway and still come in a sealed Canon box but that the buttons and manual are in Chinese. I completely decline placing the order and he yells at me to NEVER call his store again B***H ever again!!!! And then hung up!!! I am appalled. Needless to say I will be buying a Canon Digi Rebel XT on ebay. How does Royal Camera stay in business???? And how do premier photog mags endorse such horrible, distasteful service???

BEWARE, do not buy from Royal Camera!!

I placed an order over their web site for a Canon Powershot S3 at a fairly low price. Shortly I received a call on my answering machine from "Eric" who said he was calling about my order. He left an extension number. When I returned the call, I got a message that "the person" (no Eric) was not available. When I punched in "0" I got someone who said they could help me with the order, then tried to sell me memory cards, batteries etc. When I pressed further I found out the offering was the camera only, not the camera with included accessories as packaged by Canon. I cancelled the order. This outfit is obvously a low-ball operation trying to suck people in with misleading offers, then selling them items at high prices that should be included with the basic item. What sleaze bags!

I too had a bad experience with Royal Camera..I ordered a Canon Mark II 10D camera body and the next day recieved a call from a representative trying to get me to upgrade to a full package with accessories. When I told him I only wanted what I had ordered he remarked "Fine, get your camera somewhere else.I am cancelling your order" And he did. I called back and spoke with the manager who didn't seem to concerned and stated "If you want the camera you can have it but it is a Japanese model and not what you would want anyway". But ahh...He was kind enough to recommend the USA model and you guessed it...the price was a couple thousand more.Stay clear of this website.

I was going to buy from Royalcamera but after reading all his
no way I'm going some where else Thanks for the info :D (does any have a list of all thier names)
has any one try phone-recording these guys to capture the true rude dogs that they are. Once you post that recording and world here's thier voice. people will get the true picture.
:idea: If you can get a good recording of them saying these terrible things and some people willing to talk to a News Show, along with this web site of bad experience Maybe, they will do a story on how they trick people and hide behide a kinds of different names I'm sure NY does want more bad Publicity
It looks like buying any kind electronics from a NY-site is a bad idea

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1895.html should tell you everything you'll ever need to know about Royal Camera. The icing on the cake is here (http://www.donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0009.htm).

I think the real sadness is that there are so many gullible people out there. Without such fodder, places like Royal Camera would never stay open. Isn't it just arrogance that leads people to believe "Ah ha! I alone have found this great camera price on the internet! I rule! Everyone else must be a fool to buy from B&H and Adorama"

I think everyone who posted their story here should file a complaint here

http://www.ic3.gov/

maybe it makes a difference and can help future internet shoppers and get this scam company off the internet. Thanks

Filed a complaint with the FTC today against CCI Camera City

I am now among the many who was scammed by Royal Camera. I started by ordering a Nikon d70 body, they called me and talked me into a Nikon d50, which is a good camera, but when the "complete" kit arrived there was no lens in it. Their web page offered the same kit with 2 lenses for the same price I got for the kit with no lenses. When I called them, the salesman said just send it back, no oops we should have sent the lens which we said was in the kit. These guys are just scam artists, they offer something and then pull "well thats not included and thats extra", crap. To make a long story short, I got my camera out of them with a lot of grief, at a reasonable price, but it is not worth the headache to deal with them. :(

Please don't tell me this is true what I have read...I just spent 1000 dollars on a d80 and it was supposed to be here on Friday...so...here it is Monday...so...I called them...he apologized and said he would send it out tomorrow and send me a UPS Tracking number...so far...no Tracking No. ....now....after reading this....I scared that I may have lost my hard earned money....has anyone that has been ripped off by these people, called the police or filed a claim or filed charges? Please let me know....I paid through my ATM card...so...I don't think I can get my money back....signed: A concerned photographer.

Thank You! Thank You to all who took the time and energy to post comments.

In searching for a fairly expensive camcorder in the $3000 range, I saw a number of sites listing the model I was interested in. Then I caught a listing by Royal Camera for several hundred dollars less that the others.

Not one to pass on a great deal, I clicked to their website, poked around a bit and got very close to oredering the camcorder when. Then some little bell went off and I thought maybe I should do a bit of research first.

I'm very glad I did.

I have no doubt that all of you have saved me and many others a lot of grief, and I am very grateful.

I'm sooooo surprised these fools haven't gotten sued.

I, too, had a very smiliar experience to the below post. I ordered a Nikon N70s with lens from Royal Camera for $468.99. I received multiple calls/emails from Max asking that I call Royal Camera to provide further info. I finally spoke with Max tonight (January 24, 2007). He asks me if I'd be interested in purchasing memory cards, and I responded that I had plenty and did not need any more. Max responded in a weirdly vague manner, so I asked him if we were crystal clear on not ordering any memory cards. Max got angry and asked, "What do you think I'm retarded?!" I was taken aback and tried to assuage the situation by saying that I just wanted to be certain we were on the same page on not ordering any memory cards. Max then asked me if I wanted to buy batteries. I asked him what type of batteries, and Max said a Lithium Ion battery for the camera. I responded that I was surprised to hear that a Nikon digital SLR body did not come with a standard Li-Ion battery. Max angrily replied that he would cancel the order and then hung up. This is one of the most shocking, unprofessional conversations I've encountered with an e-commerce store. I will never shope with Royal Camera again.

Well....my camera came...and they actually overnighted to me after I complained....but....I will NEVER do any business with these (*%*&^$#(##^)!!) again..they were rude, uncaring, and UNPROFESSIONAL...I'll stick to Ebay...I have bought almost all my camera gear there....and have NEVER been ripped off...that's what's so great about a rating system...if Royal Camera had one....they would be at the bottom!

Royal cmaera is sentensed to death in this from....however, they can keep doing business in many other places.....what can we do?.

This forum has sufficiently managed to scare me to death! Horror of horrors, I just placed my first (and probably last) order with Royal Camera yesterday. Of course now I'm petrified after reading some of these posts...however, I have to say that my experience with them yesterday was fine - they weren't rude, but actually helpful. Of course I'll have to wait and see the camera when it comes, but hopefully it will all go off without a hitch and I'll be one of the lucky few who escaped!

WE too have had the same experience but its not only Royal Camera the same people have five or six different store fronts they are also A&M Photo World,digitalliquidators,PrestigeCamera and many more check for the Brooklyn address and read feedback but be careful I am a merchant and at one time used shopcartusa and they allow you to leave feedback for yourself many many times which is way scary it easy to get fooled online but if you think smart and call ahead talk to company we can make it safer:idea:

Don’t buy in Royal Camera or CCI Camera City (same people). I lost 900USD with them (in a purchase of 4100)!!! I’ve asked for Nikon originals and they have send to me Sigma. If you try to return the products they’ll keep a big amount in handling concept. The indicated prices in their web site are false!!!. For example, for a camera: battery, charger, software, manuals, etc are not included in the price. They are really opportunists!! Belief me DON’T BUY at these stores, they will stool you.