Stay Away From Royal Camera

[naknak]

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.

[mrzippy]

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.

[dmm96452]

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.

[gahspidy]

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.

[jadecomputergal]

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.

[camera_fumbler]

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.

[rkbush]

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!

[nolaphoto1]

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.

[naughtygeorge]

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?

[naughtygeorge]

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

[Zep]

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.

[Zep]

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?

[xosux]

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.

[The Mad Canoeist]

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:

[parkerosu]

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!!

[peakham]

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!

[sharlet]

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.

[Sky]

I was going to buy from Royalcamera but after reading all his
no way I'm going some where else Thanks for the info (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

[henryp]

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.

[Wolfeye]

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"

[ddd]

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

[mniew]

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.

[fotoman4u2]

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.

[mvincit]

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.

[Tel]

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