Broadway photo - bwayphoto.com

[amp]

DH and I just ordered a digital camera from bwayphoto.com after a significant amount of research on the cameras themselves, and although we haven't yet received the camera, we are not happy.

DH was aware of Broadway Photo, as they have been around a long time and therefore felt comfortable ordering from them. They also had the lowest price of known companies (didn't want to order from someone we'd never heard of so we didn't end up with a gray market camera). We placed the order online. The next day, DH received a phone call from them trying to sell him about 5-6 different things (camera case, batteries, etc). One of the things they wanted to sell him was a 1 yr. warranty from Canon for an extra $15. What!? We looked back at the website and it clearly states that there is a 1 yr. warranty, so he calls them back to tell them this. (Knowing the warranty was clearly stated to be included obviously made us thing this is a great and safe deal, right?) They told him that warranty is only an overseas warranty and that should we require service would have to ship the camera overseas to have it repaired. Apparently they are allowed to sell Canon warranties separately and thus the low price for the camera.

As you can tell, this is not what we bargained for. We sent them an email and they simply replied that they were sorry for our inconvenience and that we could call customer service (Um..we did that before!) While the price originally seemed to be a good one and the company seemed to be reputable, the cost is now going to be pretty darned close, if not the same, as if we had just bought it locally or online at Target. Anyway, while I guess this is an issue of buyer beware, and while we didn't really get screwed in any siginificant way, this transaction does leave a bad taste in our mouths. We told them in the email that we would be spreading the word if we needed to (if they weren't willing to work with us), so that is what I am doing here. Buy from bwayphoto. com at your own risk.

*edited to correct website address. If I'm gonna complain, you'd think I could get the web address right, wouldn't you?!

[flagger]

They have one of the lowest ratings I have ever seen for customer satisfaction.

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1995.html

I know it does not help you now, but for others in the future. I always check out www.resellerratings.com to see if there are any reviews. Like anything I take with a bit of salt, but after awhile you can begin to see a pattern.

[amp]

Yikes! Never saw that website! Thanks for the link. I've bookmarked the website and will review it in the future before any purchase. We thought we did a lot of research, but I guess we didn't do quite enough. Thanks again.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Another place to check is http://www.epinions.com

You can read reviews of the companies as well as the products. There are 209 reviews there saying pretty much the same thing you said here.

I just ordered and received a digital camera from http://www.buydig.com and had a good experience. I found the item I wanted on epinions, and then sorted by price and kept going up until I found a company with a good reputation.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[angusmom]

Just posted this in another thread, but it's relevant here too!

Here's a couple sites that have been wonderful when we just bought a new digital camera:

http://www.dpreview.com/
This site tells you about ANYTHING you'd want to know about any digital camera and it's free to use.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home
This is a great photography store. We ordered our camera here and everything turned out OK. We had a minor backorder problem with an accessory we ordered and I got really ticked off because I dont think their service was good on that point. But we have ordered from them two more times since we had that problem because overall they are very professional and have been in business a long time.

[khakismom]

B&H Photo is where I ordered my Canon Rebel 2000 SLR from. I used to work in book publishing and one of our authors who was writing a book on digital cameras recommended them. They were wonderful to work with!

[vikivoly]

I order almost all of my camera and video equipment from B&H. There really is no reason to look elsewhere. If you find a cheaper price then B&H, I would be cautious. Two other places that are reputable are onecall.com and Adorama.

Someone mentioned buydig.com, but I have heard a lot of bad things about them.

When you place your order, always ask if the camera/equipment comes with a USA MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. Beware of places that try to sell extras and accessories. When I order from the above mentioned places, they take my order and do not try to convince me to buy anything else.

Often times a company will take your order, tell you the item is in stock, then if you do not purchase any accessories, the item is suddenly on backorder. You'll wait and wait and never receive your order.

[gravymommy3]

My DH orders a lot of his equipment from B&H (when he can't get the local pro shops to match their prices.) They have great prices and very good customer service. Vicky is right - if the price is lower than at B&H (I'm talking more than $1-2) then something is fishy.