Broadway Photo RipOff

[sandrafilm]

THANK YOU to everyone who posted your experiences with Broadway Photo. I was skeptical about their offerings and my research led me to this forum. I will not be opening that can of worms!

[Frog]

Glad you found it, sandra. Now stick around and join in.
Fiction, might help a little but don't get yourself in trouble.

[LightBright]

I actually almost fell for their scam. Back then I really wanted a k20d and couldn’t believe how low the price was. There a bunch of jerks! I was so close to making the order online. Thank god I didn’t because of forums like this one. But why the hell do photography magazines that claim they want to help us be better photographers put lousy ads like Broadway photo in there magazines? As for those mags, the person or persons in charge of selecting ads for there issues are jerks as well.

[emotd]

Some anwers to yoyr "grey market" questions:
#1 Canon USA is not the manufacturer of your Canon camera bought in the USA, they only import the camera into the US and then offer warranty and other services for only those units that they imported. Grey market refers to units that are bought overseas,ie Signapore,Hong Kong, even Japan and then resold in a differant distributors country. If you buy grey market, then you will have to send the iteam back to that source country for service.
#2 Canon USA does control their distribution in this country(usa), they have no control over what is bought and imported into this country (this is still a free country). and if you travel overseas and buy a camera from a Canon dealer, they will inform you that the warranty will only be honored in that country, not the USA, otherwise, do you want customs to search and ask for proof of purchase whenever you return from a overseas trip with camera gear, just to make sure you aren't importing grey market goods?
#3 I doubt if Broadway is a Canon USA dealer, they buy from a USA dealer or bring in grey market goods and resale with the huge mark-ups applied under pressure sales tactics.
#4 Never ever buy a high end DSLR grey market, you will not get it serviced in this country, Canon USA , or Nikon, will direct you to the country of orgin for warranty repairs. no questions asked!!! You will have to mail it overseas for service. Again, grey market has nothing to do with where the camera was mfg, only with who imported the camera !!

How about the camera manufacturers who simply deny warranty because the camera came from the so called “gray market”? What ridiculous answer is that? What is a stupid gray market camera? It doesn’t matter if it is made in China, refurbished or came from a Gray alien shipment. I bought a Canon camera and didn’t get the state-of-the-art piece of technology Canon advertised on the same magazines containing BP ads. How can they allow a corporation like BP sell their brand? Don’t they control the distribution of their own products? Are they dumping refurbished garbage through BP under some cover-up “gray” operation or what? I don’t want to make assumptions but if I’m denied warranty because I was a fool and bought a Gray camera then I’ll start thinking of all possible reasons for being in that situation. If I was Canon I would promptly address the issue and give a camera to everybody who was a victim of the so called “gray market”. I don’t expect Canon to refund me for buying a fishy camera from some unknown mom and pop shop or some dude in the alley but when I buy from an apparent major corporation advertising on major magazines it is a serious reputation problem for their brand. I’ll contact Canon and post what they say here as well of any progress with the credit card refund.[/QUOTE]

[drensber]

I just ordered a TV from these guys. They were rather inconsiderate when my fiancee called to ask why they hadn't sent a tracking number, but eventually they sent it and the TV arrived. It appears that I actually got a good deal from them (I called Sony and verified that the TV was not used or refurbished, and that the warranty was valid before I even opened the box). I feel that I got very lucky, though and I would never order from them again, based on the stories I've seen in the online forums.

Here's one thing that really burns me up: It doesn't really surprise me that businesses like this exist in some of the shadier parts of NYC, but in the age of the internet, they really have a global reach, and Google is clearly acting as a partner in this:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/camera_scams

Personally, I would have never considered ordering from them if it hadn't been for the "Google Checkout" icon next to their name and the "everyprice.com" endorsement, which is also given increased visibility due to an advertising arrangement with Google (if you read the article, it becomes clear that everyprice is actually part of the scam).

Since Google evidently feels that they are above listening to complaints about this, I would definitely implicate Google as a co-conspirator when reporting incidents with Broadway Photo, etc. to the authorities.

[pafindr]

Out of curiosity I jumped on to Google maps to see where Broadway Photo was located.
Then I did a street view and this is their store front. Would you really want to trust a place like this?

[CT_Ham]

I purchased Nikon D300 online. Got a call the next day to tell me that the camera was gray market. I told them I dont buy gray market goods. They said they have USA Imports at a higher price. When I got the new price it was higher than Adorama and B&H Photo where I hold bought from for years. I told them to cancel my order. They came back at a few dollars less that the above mention retailers. When I got the camera, I called Nikon they told me it was Gray Market. I had to send a few months with Visa to get my money back. I have been buying items from Adorama & B&H Photo for more years that I want to admit to. They are the best mail order houses to do business with.

[chris00nj]

Thanks to everyone who has posted their stories, regardless of whether they seem redundant, this thread is now the #2 link when you google either broadway photo or bwayphoto. Y'all have probably helped many people, like myself, avoid getting scammed.

The beauty of the internet is that people can share their experiences more easily. I find it hard to image that a company with such bad reviews can stay in business for much longer. Unfortunately if it gets too bad, they will close up "Broadway photo" and reopen "Hudson Photo" with the same people and same business practices.

Reading about all the hassle reminds me of the electronics salesmen in the comedy, "Don't Mess with the Zohan." Bait & switch tactics, among other shady methods, are normal business practices in certain parts of the world, regardless of their race, religion, or nationality. It's a cultural thing.

[PhilA]

Wow, wish I would have done a little research and found this forum before I ordered from...you know who, Broadway Photo. My wife wanted to get into digital photography and has been doing DSLR research, decided on a Sony A200. After doing some shopping around, made the decision to buy from Bway solely on price. We place the order, next day get an email and phone call saying they need credit card verification. My wife calls them and they won't talk to here (the order was in my name). So I call them back, it was pretty clear that they already had all the card info they needed (before I gave him anymore I asked him to tell me the info he had, which was all correct). It was an obvious scam to get me on the phone and upsell some stuff. First he wanted me to buy a battery charger, and told me the camera doesn't come with one (it does, and I knew that so said no). Then wanted me to buy an extended life battery, said that the one that came with it was only good for 20 mins (it's not). Then wanted to sell me a higher speed ( = more pricy) CF card than the one I ordered, and basically acted like I was an idiot for ordering what I did. Total jerk on the phone. So I get thru this, they actually do ship the camera and it arrives today as scheduled. It's a great camera, everything as ordered (including the external charger that he said wasn't included). So I look at the invoice, and see that there's an additional $30 for "handling and insurance". This was not on the total price at checkout on the web site, and of course they never sent an email invoice. Can't find anything in their terms on the website about this, but probably not worth the aggravation to try to get corrected.

I will never buy from these guys again.

[Frog]

Chris, glad you found it in time.
Phil, oh well, but glad you got something you're glad works even though its probably gray market.

[Byron Lentz]

I have done business with bway a couple of times in the past, with a few problems but the last time wow what a a--hole I had to deal with, the same stuff with gray market stuff and the cf card and battery, told the guy I already had all the stuff, then the smart ass stuff from them, never again I'll pay a little extra and deal with Adorama or B&H also have very good luck with Amazon.

[ziggy05]

Wish I had known about this site before I bought from Broadway Photo. I didn't mind getting a gray market item, but the accessories were/are a total scam. There was no revealing that I was purchasing a package deal and that I couldn't return a single item without returning the entire package, which would cost me 15% of the total cost to restock, for a DSLR and the crap that I fell for that was a huge chunk of cash. I would love to send all of this stuff back and order from B+H instead. Is there any way to get all my money back, and just ship all this sh!t back to them?

[Grandpaw]

Wish I had known about this site before I bought from Broadway Photo. I didn't mind getting a gray market item, but the accessories were/are a total scam. There was no revealing that I was purchasing a package deal and that I couldn't return a single item without returning the entire package, which would cost me 15% of the total cost to restock, for a DSLR and the crap that I fell for that was a huge chunk of cash. I would love to send all of this stuff back and order from B+H instead. Is there any way to get all my money back, and just ship all this sh!t back to them?

Try contacting your credit card company and see if they can do anything, Jeff

[bigmaster]

oh wow! thank you so much for all your contribution to this thread! I was looking for a reasonable deal on Canon 5D mark ii, to my surprise a google search brought an sponsored listing from these guys: EOS 5D Mark II $2464

after looking at their site, I decided to do the research before taking any steps, and boy am I happy to have found this thread.

I am glad I clicked on their google sponsored listing and caused advertising cost without giving them my business. You should do the same!!! keep these suckers out of camera business.

- Moe

[Frog]

Now there's a thought, Moe.
Glad you did some research and found this site.
The thread just keeps getting longer and longer and thankfully more seem to be finding it before buying now.

[Dog]

I really wish I had known about this review site before I bought from Broadway Photo. Similar story than everyone else here, in my case I was looking for a DSLR camera for my wife as a Christmas present. So after browsing around I decided to buy a Pentax K20D from this company since the price was good. What can I tell you all, the same modus operandi; they offered me a higher capacity battery and other accessories. I was a complete fool and I agreed with their suggestions and end up spending more that what I originally intended.

My mayor concern during this purchase was the warranty, I wasn’t aware of the such named “gray market” products, I just wanted to make sure that the camera had a warranty with a local dealer, so they even sold me a 5yr extended warranty has part of the “bundle” that according to the sales representative will be valid with any local dealer.

Finally I did receive the camera with all the original accessories and also the cheap overpriced accessories they convinced me were needed. The shipping was fast, I guess just because I agree to buy their overpriced bundle with the extended warranty and also got charged additional $90 on the invoice for ship fees, handling & Insurance they never mention. Talking about the warranty well I got a warranty card from a company called REPAIRTECH, that was odd to me since I thought I was paying for 5 yrs warranty with the manufacturer, so I started researching about this company to realize that they are out of business now, so I was screw with what I consider one of the most important item I bought from them.

Gladly during my post purchase research I found that Pentax was offering a free upgrade to 3yrs extended warranty on any K20D purchased between October 12, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Since I bought this on November 08 I had contacted Pentax customer support few weeks ago and they send me the extended warranty code and I was able to register for this program. They even mention that they had extended this free upgrade until around June this year (not sure the exact date).


STAY AWAY from this crocs.

[Frog]

Sorry you didn't find us first but thanks for adding to the list of experiences

That's good news about Pentax updating the warranty...Surprises me that they would.

[apogee]

I got a good deal from Broadway Photo!

I was in the market for a camcorder. I decided that I would get a SONY HDR-XR200V. I went to BestBuy and there it was. The cost $899.99+tax and an additional $199.99 for a four year service plan. I bought some accessories too. A HDMI cable that is just for the Sony, an extra battery, a carrying case. During the trans action I used $150.00 worth of rewards certificates. Keep in mind I have spent over fifteen thousand dollars on various electronics from BestBuy in the past two years. The salesman is going to apply the rewards certificates to all the items but tells me that this will affect what I can get back from BestBuy if I find the camcorder for sale at a less expensive price online, so I buy all the accessories using the certificates, and purchase the camcorder on a separate transaction. Three days later I find the same camcorder for $715.00 on line at Broadway Photo, and print out the site. I go in and they said no, it has to be from OUR website and it has to be local. I said but that's not what the salesman told us, he even rang it up separately to not involve the accessories. Sorry no can do. Okay then, I want to return this camcorder. That will be a 15% restocking charge, for a total of $135.00. You got to be kidding me! Oh yes it is our policy you see, we would have to sell it as an opened item at a reduced price. So let me see here. I can get it from somebody else for $184.99 cheaper and they are making a profit, so BestBuy feels it is okay to not cut me any slack at all for being the money spending customer that I am. Got it. Loud and clear. I gave them back the camcorder, and they kept $135.00 of my hard earned money. I am still ahead by 50 bucks on the deal plus I did not have to pay tax which was another $75.00. To top it off the guy at Broadway Photo was curt, but efficient. I asked for the memory stick, lens filters and the total came out to more than what a package deal they had. So not only did he inform me of the better deal, 3 dollars less, I got a firewire and a four hour battery, AND three day expedited shipping at NO ADDITIONAL COST. I have a tracking number, the whole shebang. Maybe I was lucky, right now I feel good....

[Grandpaw]

I got a good deal from Broadway Photo!

I have a tracking number, the whole shebang. Maybe I was lucky, right now I feel good....

I wish you luck. You better be sure and check it out good when you get it to see if it is grey market or not and if you received what you ordered. Good luck again, I think you might be needing it. Broadway has probably got the worst record of any company on the net, Jeff

[Elskipo]

These are badguys. I ordered a Canon 5D MkII which they sent. I'm not sure it isn't grey market and I purchased an extended 3 yr. warranty. Instead of MAC warranty which they promised they sent one fron Consumer Priority Service which it doesn't take much research to find out that is totally bogus. Since I have not yet paid the credit card charge I have informed Broadway that I will contest the charge with American Express to get them on my side. I have demanded a MAC warranty or a refund. I have also stated (not threatened) that I will contact the NY state Attorney General's office. They have messed with the wrong person.

[boneman335]

What a nightmare! I'd like to add my horror story experience to those already posted. However, it's too unbelievable to bother posting here. Suffice to say, I'll never go near them again, no matter how attractive their offers seem to be. DON'T EVER BUY FROM BROADWAY PHOTO!!!!

[honestabe18]

I bought a NIkon D40 at Broadway Photo. (I know, ignorance costs.) My first complaint is that like all the posts above this one say, they tried to tell me I needed something different and more expensive. But what really ticked me off is that I checked out online and the GRAND TOTAL was $435. When I receive the package it has additional charges on the bill for something they call insurance and handling and the total is $460!! I never asked or settled for something like that. How can they afford to do something like that? How come they haven't been closed down yet? What can I do about it besides regret that I ever gave them business?

[apogee]

I wish you luck. You better be sure and check it out good when you get it to see if it is grey market or not and if you received what you ordered. Good luck again, I think you might be needing it. Broadway has probably got the worst record of any company on the net, Jeff

Wow, i must of slid in under the radar. My product arrived on time, in perfect condition, with USA serial numbers, and a four year garrantee that was easy to contact and confirm. After reading all of these horror stories I will never buy anything again from this place, but, with that being said. I got a good deal from Broadway Photo, and they were very helpful at all intervals of the transaction. Yes their tone was a bit rough, but so am I......:thumbsup:

[smithymeng]

Having read all the other shopper's experiences at Broadway Photo, I wish I had researched here before placing my order! Bottom line, I got the same bait and switch tactic and cancelled my order. However, this was the 3rd place I had gotten the same treatment from and I decided I'd had enough. I filed complaints with the FTC, NY Attorney General, NY Department of Consumer Affairs, and the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. I've heard back from the FTC and the NYC DCA. Folks, these scammers are going to keep screwing the unsuspecting public until enough of us get fed up and report them to the authorities that control their business license. I recommend filing a complaint with the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/home/home.shtml or www.nyc.gov/consumers
Document everything! I copied the webpages that showed Broadway Photo's deceit and mailed the whole package to the DCA. If they get enough complaints - they'll act!

How can those guys do business this way? I Have to thank all of you above for leaving such an important and useful information. You guys help a lot, help me away from those liar. I really planned to buy a camera from that website. Now I knew those Xxxx...

thank you all

[JAMESKARLMERRI]

I ordered a refurbished Fuji hybrid slr. No problem except no strap or lens cover. ok

Although advertised as free shipping there was an undisclosed $15 additional charge on my credit card bill. Their CS explained this was for 'shipping insurance'. They agreed to send me a free case and the missing strap in lieu of a credit. We'll see.... I will never order from them again!!!!!!;