Broadway Photo RipOff

[rtomanek]

Thanks for this information. This will keep me away from this business. I also just tried to purchase a point & shoot Canon G9 but from 86th STREET PHOTO & VIDEO. This company is also one to avoid at all costs. They won't honor their published price and waste your time by trying to "up sell" the buyer. In fact, I consider their business practices fraudulent and deceptive. If you think that a fraud has been committed by Broadway Photo, you might want to consider filing a complaint to the FCC at: http://www.econsumer.gov. Unless consumers consistently report these types of companies, they will continue to operate without consequences.

[rtomanek]

Thanks for this information. This will keep me away from this business. I also just tried to purchase a point & shoot Canon G9 but from 86th STREET PHOTO & VIDEO. This company is also one to avoid at all costs. They won't honor their published price and waste your time by trying to "up sell" the buyer. In fact, I consider their business practices fraudulent and deceptive. If you think that a fraud has been committed by Broadway Photo, you might want to consider filing a complaint to the FCC at: http://www.econsumer.gov. Unless consumers consistently report these types of companies, they will continue to operate without consequences.

[soflaphoto]

Ditto, ditto, ditto! This is the WORST company i have ever dealt with...impossible to get thru to customer service...they call and leave a message to return the call but they never pick up...they send an email requesting you to call and they never answer! i had ordered the Nikon D80....got the email to call about the order...tried on numerous occasions, tried to email, to no avail...i finally had to send 3 emails canceling the order and threatening to contact the credit card company. i finally received and email from THEM saying that, due to my lack of response, they were canceling my order! What a joke! I am just glad that i never did receive the order after reading the comments on this site...wish i had seen this site earlier and hope this helps prevent anyone else from the misery of this company!

[AERIALBOY1]

Total Scum Bags, Called To Inquire About A Canon Ids Mark3 Said Had In Stock $2,000.00 Less Than You Can Get On Ebay.. Just Was Checking For A Friend Because The Camera Is No Available At Any Reputable Dealer Because Of Demand. Was Treated Like Nebr Been Treated Before. I Have Been In The Business 25 Years Always Buy From B&h. This Guy Jumped Down My Throat For Asking A Question. Where Are The Cops When You Need Them. They Are No Different Than The Guy Robbing A Convinence Store, Un Freaking Belivable. Exchaged A Few Words And Hung Up On Me. Total Scammers. Don't Even Fall For It If You Do , You Get What You Deserve

[SkipBroadway]

Don't wait your time with Broadway Photo. Here is why.
I ordered a Sony HDR SR11 camcorder from them 2 days ago. Their reply email asked me to call them to confirm the order (what?) but they called me today to up-sell me a 2-hour battery for $149 which I could get for $60. I told the salesman that I didn't need it because the camcorder came with one even though it may last for twenty minutes. (We had a fight of whether I need one or not. It was one of those "Yes you do, no I don't" kind of fight.) I asked for his name several times, but he did not reply. He then tried to sell me the extended warrantee, which I turned down. He asked me whether I wanted the camcorder in Japanese or English. "English," I replied. He said the price for that was $100 more. (The web site did not mention that it's a Japanese-language version. This is America; why would they assume that they were selling the Japanese-language version.) I refused to pay the increased price. He asked me whether I want to cancel. I had no choice but to say yes. (Even though he did not use any foul language, he was rude most of the time when I turned down his up-sell.) Please check them out on the BBB, and don't waste your time with them.

[Byron Lentz]

I have some of the same experiences, my first deal with them went well, when I tried to order my Nikon D300 from them, I got this line about the battery and how I needed to up grade to their better one, told them, just send the camera, I don't need there batteries memory cards or any thing else. That's when the sales man got real snotty with me, so you know all about what you need? Yeah I said. B&H Photo and hung up on them and will never take that kind of crap from someone I'm trying to give my money to.

[br3934]

Horrible! Nightmare! Criminals!

DO NOT USE!!!!! Unless you are looking forward to people taking money from you and you spending hours and hours on the phone trying to get your money back.

I can't believe these people are not locked up. Their business is about coning the customers. Why these people are not in prison is beyond me.

STAY AWAY!!! STAY VERY FAR AWAY!!!

Thanks to this experience it will take me a looooong time before I order anything on-line again. I'd rather pay 20% more and at least get what I pay for.

Companies like these are giving the honest on-line companies bad reps.

You have been warned about theses crooks.

[PCwik]

And the hits just keep on coming!
I just got the same bait and switch. I ordered a Canon 720IS last night and got an email this morning that I needed to call them to complete my order. After 8 minutes on hold I was met with a rude gentleman that tried to up sell me on everything from AA batteries to filters. Then he gave me the total price that included shipping and handling, the site had free shipping. I said to cancel the order, he argued that shipping is always included, I said cancel the order, he gave in and said since I didn't know about it they would waive it. I stupidly said fine. Gee I can't wait to see what I get...
Avoid these guys!:mad2:

[discordia]

I can honestly say that I've never felt so stupid. This all happened earlier today.
You see, I was looking for a new camera for my birthday(which was March 2nd, just a few days ago). I first found it at Best Buy, but it cost a little more than I wanted to spend; so, I decided to look around online to see if I could find a better price. After a little searching, the first place I came across 86th Street Photo & Video, and they had the best price. They had the camera I wanted listed as $163, plus shipping, which was over a $100 less than Best Buy was charging. I, of course, jumped at the offer. Then we got the whole confirmation email about having to call them, (exactly like what later happened with Broadway Photo), then they did the whole sales pitch to get us to buy accessories. We declined, then got a mysterious email right after that said the camera was out of stock. After calling them back, they said that it was in stock, but the version they were selling us that was cheaper was the "gray market" version, and that the US version would cost more. So, we went ahead and did the smart thing and cancelled the order.
Then, a few hours later, I found Broadway Photo, which charged $204 for the same camera; and I, like a very unintelligent person, went ahead and told my mother I found it again and sent her the link, and we ordered it. Well, we got the same confirmation email about needing to call them to confirm the order(which, by the way, has never happened to me when I've ordered online, and I've ordered tons of things off the internet), and when we did, yet another sales pitch. My mother was the one speaking to them, but she told me they once again told her that it was not the US version, but either Japanese or gray market. But then they switched it to the US model, and we were so tired of digging around that we just went along with it. So, it ended up costing us $260 something instead of the original $204. The card we used to order it was almost immediately charged. Unfortunetly, we waited until after we ordered to snoop around to see if we could find any stories about the place, and sure enough, we stumbled onto this site. When we called back, we got nothing but an answering machine and hold music. I was finally able to get someone to answer my phone, and my mom told them she wanted to cancel the order. They told her some ******** story about how, since they've already charged the account, it would be a 15% restocking fee(which would have been about $75) to cancel the order, even though we'd placed the order less than 30 minutes prior to the phone call. When we'd been digging around on the internet for dirt about Broadway, we'd found the exact same camera for $240 at Walmart, so we were going to just go get it there. But after we told Broadway about Walmart's cheaper price, they gave us that price(after claiming several times that a price that low was "impossible"), and didn't charge shipping.
I'm extremely upset, and I'm sure you can guess that my mom is too. The people we talked to were so, so rude. They'd belittle you and talk to you like you were 5 years old, as if you didn't know what you were talking about. I wish I lived by these people so I could go give them a piece of my mind, face to face; lucky for them that I live in Texas.

Stay away from any shady online dealer; it's better to just pay a slightly higher price from a wellknown place you know you can trust than risk getting ripped off from somewhere like 86th Street or Broadway. I'm nervous about getting my camera in and having something go wrong. That'll be such a huge disappointment.

[FLCoyote]

After shopping for a Garmin GPS on EBAY for two weeks without winning an auction I decided to go ahead and buy a new one. I surfed the web and found the lowest price at Broadway Photo. I've never had a bad experience ordering on the internet until yesterday and it may not turn out to be a problem at all. When I received an email from Broadway Photo stating that I had to call to confirm my order I thought it was kind of unusual. I did call them and got a hard sell for unneeded accessories and some outright lies. I will have to wait until I receive my GPS to see if I've been had or not. The email from Broadway and my reply follow:

I returned the requested phone call at 3:15PM EST. The customer service representative told me he had to confirm the shipping address and we did that. Then he tried to tell me that the Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX did not come with a memory card. It does! It comes with a 128MB memory card, a USB cable, A lanyard and seveal other accessories. He then told me that it only comes with a hard drive. As I am very familiar with this unit I assured him that it comes new in the box with a 128MB memory card. He then tried to tell me that this wasn't sufficient memory. Thats not even close to the truth. 128MB is more than adequate for handheld GPS use. He then tried to sell me an extended warranty. I declined. His last try was to offer me free annual software upgrades for the unit. These are already free from the Garmin website.

Becoming suspicious I googled Broadway Photo and immediately wished I had done that before I placed an order with you. That said I expect a New in the box Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX with all accessories. I clearly told the customer service rep that I did not want a refurbished unit and he assured me that it would be new in the box.

If you do not intend to deliver as advertised please advise me immediately and I will cancel the order. If the unit is delivered and is not as advertised I will dispute the charges and file every possible official complaint. Please advise of your intentions. I certainly do not want to receive a unit for which the accessories have been stripped or the operators manual is in a language other than english.


Respectfully

John Miller


On Tue Mar 11 15:10 , sent:

>Dear John Miller, We thank you for choosing bwayphoto.com as your choice for all your photographic equipment.In order to further verify your order #W1674330, we will need to speak with you on the phone. Please call our processing department at 1-800-307-1148 Extension 296 so we may verify and process your order.
>Store Hours:
>Sunday: 10 am to 7 pm EST
>Monday - Thursday: 8:45 am to 9 pm EST
>
>Friday: 8:45 am to 5 pm EST
>
>Saturday: Closed
>Once again, Thank You for choosing bwayphoto.com.

[you saved me]

I don't know how much i can thank you guys.

As you can see, I appreciate this help so much that I created an account just to thank you.

Thank you so much.


Josh

[frittle]

:frown2:

Called to buy a camera a told them what I wanted. They "bait and switched" me to package that they said was only $19 more than my total already and would get additional items. It turns out they lied about what was in the package, lied about the shipping costs and when I tried to work it out with them they where rude and would not give me a fair settlement. I ended up paying $300 over what the value of the package they gave me. Stay away!!!!! Bad people!!!!!!

Ripped Off

Hey Guys, Hate to break this to you, but before you purchase something you may want to consider checking the Manufacturer Webpage Nikkon, Olympus,Cannon, Fuji and others. They all have web sites... Theses guys rip you off by selling you accessories at rediculious prices. Your dumb if you don't research it first. I work as a tech rep for Olympus and I have heard these stories all too often!!! Once you make that choice ro buy from these losers there isn't much that can be done from our stand point...

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY!!! :mad2:

[Ichigo55]

Now I am extremely worried. I ordered an Olympus Stylus 1010. I got the same deal as everyone else. I did go for the package though. I spoke to them to confirm on Sunday, so I figured it would be shipped Monday. The place was in Brooklyn, NY and I live in Nassau County, NY, so I was like 2 days max it would take to get here. Here it is Friday and I have not gotten it yet, so I went to check the website, I was going to e-mail them. And the website does not come up, it says it can't be found. I am really worried. I spent over $400 and I want my camera, I am going to give it a few more days. Next time, they are open is Sunday, so I am going to call and verify at least the place is still there. The reason I found this place is I was searching for the cheapest price, as this is a new camera and it doesn't seem to be in any stores. They did not say that this was Japanese or anything (it better not be). I guess I will try to put an update if it gets here ok.

[schlotz]

Wow,

the first time that i did buy something expensive over the internet and did not read forums about the reseller.

I ordered last week at Broadwayphoto.com a camera for over $1000. And yes the ydid an up selling, which is fine this is usual. I am not sure they lied about the battery, but i am sure i would not really need a bigger battery.

I got a shipping confirmation and the camera should be on Monday arriving.
After reading all the posts, i am worried that i bought an expensive SLR camera with no real warranty (which i should need my first camera bought at ritzcamera went out of business after 3 years).
Second i saw as well that their website is off-line since Friday.

I hope i did not make my biggest mistake ever. Does anybody has an idea when the latest point is to inform the Credit Card company to cancel the payment?

i can not afford to have no warranty, this camera Sony DSLR A350 is too expensive.

I was so stupid, to save some money i ordered here instead at Ritzcamera, which is great Service and good products.

Saving money most of the time costs more, this i learned.

[Ichigo55]

Well I am calling them tomorrow. If I can't get in touch with anyone I will be calling my credit card company and canceling the order, because since the website is down and seeing all these horror stories I am really worried

[plugsnpixels]

I lived in NJ in the '80s and actually visited some of these NYC camera stores in person to pick up a zoom lens. The feeling you get is the same as going to a used car lot--or a shark-infested pool.

At that time (and it's probably the same today, if these stores are closed on Saturday), they were run by a certain ilk of people who can be quite nasty, possibly above and beyond the usual NY attitude. Now, I'm not trying to be nasty myself--some of my own family members are of the same race--but what is, is. To them you are an outsider, and are treated as such. Bad-mouthing customers, lying and hanging up on them is no way to do business.

I had a similar experience in a souk (market) in the Middle East a few years later with a different group of people, and the disrespect was just as blatant.

It's much safer to pay a little more from a trusted vendor such as major electronics chain stores in your own neighborhood that you can revisit than to try and save a few dollars by mail in the back alleys of Gotham. If the price you see onlnie is too good to be true, well Duh!

BTW, Google "Broadway Photo" and you can read these same types of warnings in the results...

[Bigcity]

I feel stupid too because I just ordered from these guys too, and didn't stumble into these reviews until I saw gray market come up and was researching what that meant. I thought I would be smart by going with a cheaper price and spending the savings on buying the warranty - which I'm sure now is worthless.
It was too late to cancel the order, my question is now 'should I take my chances at returning it right away when I get it and take the screw you fees or be better off opening it up and seeing if it is as stated'?

[Grandpaw]

I feel stupid too because I just ordered from these guys too, and didn't stumble into these reviews until I saw gray market come up and was researching what that meant. I thought I would be smart by going with a cheaper price and spending the savings on buying the warranty - which I'm sure now is worthless.
It was too late to cancel the order, my question is now 'should I take my chances at returning it right away when I get it and take the screw you fees or be better off opening it up and seeing if it is as stated'?

I myself am not in a position to give you advice one way or the other but someone else might come along and give you an opinion on your situation, Jeff

[Ichigo55]

It was too late to cancel the order, my question is now 'should I take my chances at returning it right away when I get it and take the screw you fees or be better off opening it up and seeing if it is as stated'?

I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking though, I will open the package when I get it, not the actual camera box and if there is any indication that it is not an American product (I mean it was meant to be sold in another country) as someone had stated that they said the guy on the phone said the manual is not in English or something, I will be just sending it back. But I guess if everything looks ok, I will probably keep it. I'd like other peoples opinion on ths as well.

[Bigcity]

I went to my bank right away to see what they could do. The money was being 'held' and not drawn out yet, but I had no way of stopping it. I would have withdrawn my money to keep them from getting it, but my overdraft protection would have let it go through. I asked the bank managers opinion on how to handle it in regards to filing a claim with my bank Visa card. She thought it would be best to document everything and try to return it without opening it. Sort of sounds like the only hope of getting my money is going to be through Visa and not Broadway.

[Ichigo55]

Well I got my camera today. I opened the package and everything looks good. The only thing I did not like was the Olympus box wasn't sealed shut. Meaning it possibly had been opened before. Though the camera looks in perfect condition and so do all the other contents. Although they told me the camera didn't come with a battery charger, that I would have to plug the camera itself in to charge the battery. So I had bought the charger. Well it did come with a charger. Since everything looks ok, I am not going to go through a hassle of trying to return it. But I will know not to buy from them again.

[RJF]

I got the same "bait and switch - upgrade" pitch after being told to call to verify my order for a Sony T300 -- I had a bad feeling about it at the time and should have cancelled. Of course, their price online was for an "import" version "did I want the USA version? DUH -- of course. So they upgraded to that for a price but then as you are all finding the "shipping and handling" which is not stated on their website entered in.

Although my order did ship the next day and appears to be fine, they still charged me $20 more than it should have been and the extra battery is not a Sony battery and the camera says it's not compatible.

I usually check these reviews carefully before I buy, but didn't do it this time. My mistake.

They are not worth the hassel of arguing with, but definitely do not buy from these guys.

[ergoetc]

I was on the Broadway Photo site today and saw they had the Canon EOS Rebel XSI listed as "in stock" and available for two-day delivery. The camera isn't slated for U.S. release until late April. I googled Broadway Photo and found this site. Thus, I guess the camera is either "gray market," an international version, or Broadway Photo is just up to its old tricks. Thanks to all previous users for saving me the headaches. It doesn't erase the frustration you have all experienced, but you saved a fellow traveler. That is worth something, right?

[Bigcity]

That's a success story at least.
My camera got here and I sent it back figuring it would be better to take the hit than have no warranty on it or all the other problems. 15% restocking fee on an overly inflated price to begin with hurt.

[MPinNOVA]

Broadway Photo RIPOFF
I did an internet search last night of the best price on a Pentax A40 camera. Boradway Photo offered the camera for $234.00 plus free ground shipping. Perfect this was $40.00 less than the next best site.
Today I received a call from Boradway Photo thanking me for my order and confirming my address for shipping the camera. Odd but OK.
Salesman: Do you want to purchase the Lithium Battery for the camera as most customers do? (The camera according to him only came with a 10 minute battery.)
Reply: No thank you if I need a different battery I will pick one up local store
Salesman: OK, you will also need to purchase a separate charger for the batter they cost is $79.95.
Reply: No thank you.
Salesman: You will need to purchase a special memory card for the camera.
Relpy: No thank you I have a 4 GB SD memory card.
Salesman: That card will not work properly in this camera and may cause delay or lost photo.
Reply: No thank you
Salesman: Your selection was the international version of this camera is that what you wanted with a United States Shipping address?
Reply. No the website did not indicate this was an international version.
Salesman: If you want the US version, it comes with the Long life Lithium Battery and the power adapter free. The new Total is $299.99
Reply: Cancel my order
I went back to bwayphoto.com to see how I could have been so misinformed. Come to find out I was not. The camera Mfg part number listed 19361 is the same one sold a most US retailers. This company is a trying to defraud customers. Avoid at all cost