Tristate Camera

[MJS]

I just got off the phone with Avi Boroch, Customer Service Manager for Tristate Camera in New York and he was great. Last week I ordered a Nikon Cool Pix P5000 and found it lacking in focus and shutter release time, just too slow for event work. I did love everything else abouit the camera but the speed was a deal killer. After a little research with the help of Photo-John and the reviews, I've decided to go with the Canon SD850IS. In a nutshell, the Nikon is going back to NYC tomorrow, no restocking fees, Canon is on its way, no hassles, not to mention great prices. What else can you ask for?

Thanks Avi!

[chromatic_aberration]

Glad they worked out for you - I bought several items from them, and when I received the shipment, not only were items missing, they had also replaced one item with one of significantly lesser value... they were hoping I wouldn't notice. I found their customer service to be slow and abrasive - we fought for three months until they finally shipped me the correct item that I originally bought, as well as the items they had "forgotten to include" in the shipment!

Needless to say, I will never buy anything from them again - and to anyone who is considering purchasing from Tristate, I urge you to save yourself the hassle, and buy from a company that's on the "safe" list on this website!

[Frog]

Sounds like you got lucky, Michael.
I'm curious as to whether you got a manufacturer's warranty?

[cpiontek@yahoo.com]

BEWARE - THIS VENDOR DOES NOT HONOR WARRANTIES AND DEALS IN DEFECTIVE MERCHANDISE.

I purchased a digital camera (FujiFinePix E550) from Tri-State Camera & Video and a 3-year warranty for $345, with memory card and other essential accessories the total cost was about $600. This was a large investment for me and I took great care in making this purchase. I thought I was buying a quality product from a reputable and legitimate business. However, my camera broke during a trip within the first year. It was still in the warranty period, so I sent it in for repair. After paying $15 to pack, insure and ship my camera to their repair center, I was also made to pay an additional $10 for the repair center to receive my merchandise. Tri-State Camera then sent me a bill for $150 to fix the camera. This is, incidentally I found out later, $10 less than the purchase price of a new manufacturer refurbished camera.

When I questioned being charged for a repair covered under the warranty, Tri-State Camera then returned the camera unrepaired and wrapped up in masking tape. They cited numerous, completely false reasons for denying my claim – warranty void as of invoice date, unit returned unrepaired due to no response to the estimate, excessive force applied, need to replace lens block estimate $150.

I lodged a complaint and spoke with various Tri-State Camera representatives and managers over the phone, through e-mail and the regular mail – all to no avail. Needless to say, I’m in a bind now. With the memory cards, camera case and other items, I can’t afford to lose my $600 investment. Yet, I certainly do not want to give Tri-State Camera any more of my money. I also just want the warranty I paid for honored. I did nothing illegitimate to the camera, it simply broke on a trip – most likely because it was substandard quality or defective.

When I pointed this out to Tri-State Camera representatives, they just ignored me and reiterated I needed to pay $150. I wish I would have checked out this vendor as thoroughly as I did the camera I chose to purchase. Tri-State Camera & Video offers a series of toll-free numbers to order merchandise, but has a long-distance number for customer service. Various company names are printed on their invoices and company materials, which is suspicious - -Tri-State Camera & Video, Tri-State Camera Exchange, Inc., Tri-State Inc., and Mack Camera and Video Service. Tri-State clearly feels it can get away with dismissing customers once they have their money. There is certainly no level of accountability or legitimate customer services being offered. I’m in the process of lodging official complaints with state and federal agencies.