Amex Electronics

[Naomi Kramer]

Has anyone purchased from Amex Electronics?

[Zack Rhino]

AMEX Electronics is not listed with an consumer / business bureau and has no ratings or information to be found anywhere on the internet. The prices listed are extremely suspect being up to $500 below well know listed camera retailers/wholesalers who are very competitive in their prices. Prices are tempting, but losing big bucks on a fly by night operation not something most of us can afford to do.

[Kenyada]

Has anyone purchased from Amex Electronics?

Caution. Amex Electronics appears to be a storefront operation set up at Yahoo. amexelectronics.com takes you to a "Shopica" page, listing different equipment with more links. One thing's for sure, Amex is in no way connected with American Express. I'd avoid the tempting prices. They may be dealing in gray market equipment.

[nwpoland]

Interesting...this same question was asked in this same forum yesterday. Maybe AMEX has been spending some more $$$ on advertising and getting a little more attention.

[madcasey]

AMEX Electronics looks very much like a classic "bait and switch" website to me. For more examples of this, check out RoyalCamera (http://www.royalcamera.com) and USAPhotoNation (http://www.usaphotonation.com).

These websites have a lot in common. Everyone who buys from them is either contacted or asked to make contact with a salesman, who then tells them that they need to buy the accessories (battery, charger, etc) necessary to their camera, which was mentioned very inconspicuously on their site, and they charge outrageous prices for them. If one were to purchase them as well, the price of the camera would be conveniently right at market level. If one declines the accessories, they are told that the camera they want to buy is suddenly out of stock, and they need to wait some huge ammount of time (ie. FOREVER) before their camera is shipped. The company then waits for the person to cancel their order, either then and there, or after weeks of waiting.

BUT! There are some key differences between AMEX and the others. Amex lists a legitimate-seeming physical address, which neither of the other sites do. Also, the other sites have huge legal pages riddled with shady parameters. AMEX is relatively simple, and the only thing they stress is that your order is guaranteed with the USA manufacturer's warranty. Also, AMEX doesn't have the shady "body only" parameters that other sites will use to mean "you don't get everything you need."

Bottom Line: I was about to buy a Canon GL-2 DV camera from AMEX because I felt like it was a safe bet. If they tried the bait and switch, I would just cancel; and if they charged me and sent me something other than what their site promised, or nothing at all, I saw no strong, professional legal language on their site that would prevent me from suing them if they rejected my return request.

In any case, I read on the legal page that they DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS, nor do they accept checks. They only except Western Union bank wires for payment. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I would say this company is more shady than the others, for that reason alone. It is worth the risk, just to find out if they're bait and switching, so we can tell everyone, but since they ask for money wires directly, I do not trust them in the least. I'm wary of them taking my money, and then never hearing back from them, never being able to contact them, etc.

[patdc]

I've baught in september a HDR-FX1 Handycam in their shop. I've sent the money and no news from them. The phone doesn't work and they don't reply to my e-mail.
Is there anyone that could give me a tip what to do.
Thanks.

[Hope Media]

I would like to know if you ever got your product.

I have been in touch with these people and almost bought the camera but they gave me the wrong information on the wire transfer so the bank did not let it go through. Then contacted me again with the right information but I decided I would not take the chance again. The wire trasfer is into a person(s) name, not a company. It was a woman's name. I am wondering if they might use different accounts for different people.

At this time, the webpage www.amexelectronics.com is not working but the email still works.

According to all the information I could find from my bank is that I could lose the money once it is wired to them. It is a miricle that my money did not go through.

Kevin