Colletive guilt-- online NYC-based camera dealers

[ChrisBrewster]

I've heard so many horror stories about 47th St Photo, 86th St Photo, Adorama, Abe's of Maine ("Maine" here meaning New York), and all the rest, the I've come to think that these dealers are all crooks. I've taken refuge buying from Amazon because I know they handle orders according to obvious recognized common-sense standards. Are any of the online (usually NYC-based) dealers legitimate? Or are they all gray-market bait-and-switch sleazos?

[TheWengler]

B&H and Buydig are good. I haven't had any problems with Adorama.

[Visual Reality]

I think you're mixed up on some of your retailers. Adorama is good, as are B&H & 17th Street Photo.

I usually just order from Amazon though.

[lukeap69]

I am in Dubai and I ordered my 40D from Adorama with no problem.

[ChrisBrewster]

Thanks for the responses. I've had bad experiences with a couple of these dealers, and heard of plenty more, and didn't want to try any of them again. I'm glad to know that some of them are legitimate.

[RonnusTwo]

Being that I've grown up in and still live in Long Island and work in Manhattan every day, I know Manhattan pretty well. Personally, I would not even consider EVER buying anything here, ranging from food to digital equipment to autos to whatever.
Even simply buying a sandwich is always a hassle, top dollar, and never is exactly what you want.
Plus Manhattan has this general feeling of because this is the big city, everything is a LOT more expensive.
Maybe just my opinion but save yourself the hassle and go with Amazon, I did.

[JTL]

Adorama may experience a shipping issue once and awhile because there seems to be an occasional "disconnect" between their Manhattan showroom and their NJ warehouse operation...BUT THEY ARE AN HONEST RESELLER. Don't go randomly besmirching reputations...because that's not good for any of us...

And, while you're at it...don't go insulting New York...New Yorkers don't like it and know how to hunt you down...:eek::D;)

[JTL]

Being that I've grown up in and still live in Long Island and work in Manhattan every day, I know Manhattan pretty well. Personally, I would not even consider EVER buying anything here, ranging from food to digital equipment to autos to whatever.
Even simply buying a sandwich is always a hassle, top dollar, and never is exactly what you want.
Plus Manhattan has this general feeling of because this is the big city, everything is a LOT more expensive.
Maybe just my opinion but save yourself the hassle and go with Amazon, I did.Why don't you just work on Long Island? We don't want you in our city anyway! Where do you live...Hicksville? :p

[David Metsky]

Maybe just my opinion but save yourself the hassle and go with Amazon, I did.
I've heard plenty more problems with Amazon then I've ever heard with B&H.

[JTL]

I've heard plenty more problems with Amazon then I've ever heard with B&H.Very true.

I've spent over $10K at B&H...not a single problem...not one. The best return policy in the universe...you don't like it...bring it back. And, they let you play with anything you want...want to play with a 1Ds with a 600mm lens on it? No problem. Plus, I've sold tons of gear there and always got a fair price. It's the standard that all retailers should live up to.

[RonnusTwo]

Apparently you aren't allowed to express your opinion on this forum. But I'm also on many other forums, and there are always childish "senior members" that look to cause trouble with their nasty comments.
Trust me - the day I can give back "Your NYC" I will be happy to do so.
The quality of life in the city has dramatically declined within the past ten years. The murder and crime rate is back up again this year. The number of homeless has increased. Soup kitchens have closed or have been reduced. Wall Street has collapsed and most major firms, many anchored here in NYC have either went under or have been or in desperate need of a bail out. Corporate scandals are at an all time high, including one of the biggest fraud cases in the history of the world. Transit fares across ALL boards are rising at huge costs to the average commuter. The Twin Towers are gone due to our nations greed, with NYC of course being the Capital of Greed, and those towers are being replaced with an daily over-the-budget new Tower and memorial that is so severely delayed that it slowly eats away at the hope of any family or friends of lost ones in the disaster. Gangs, poverty, unaffordable housing, illegal immigration, overcrowding... the list goes on and on.

Many thanks to the one member on this board who was kind enough to help me out with my choice of camera.

For the ONE who wants me out, I hope you enjoy yourself with the other weirdos hanging out in Union Sq. thinking that you're all NYC and trendy, arguing every and any point until your blue in the face. I'll be thinking of you from my lovely home in Long Island where I can go into my very own back yard and photograph a real tree, naturally grown and not choked off with car exhaust and dog piss.

[David Metsky]

You did notice that the two responses that were somewhat critical of you had smiley faces at the end? They were joking. :) We do that a lot around here. Hang around a bit and get to know us.

The rest of the comments on the state of life in NYC and the US are off topic for this board.

As to the rest of us - my honest opinion is that B&H is nearly always a better place to buy camera equipment then off Amazon. They know what they sell and have a great, no-hassle return policy. There are some lousy stores in NYC but there are also some extremely reputable ones. It's not hard to find the latter.

[JTL]

NYC of course being the Capital of Greed...Long Island...the capital of....nothing. :D:D:DApparently you aren't allowed to express your opinion on this forum.Of course you're allowed to express your opinion! Just, expect others to express theirs as well! Obviously, you forgot about that part! :p:p:p

[stanj]

I am a native Californian and like Manhatten...something never spoken above a whisper.

The problems with NYC right now are a microscope of the entire country, but NYC is the leading indicator. It used to be either NYC or LA because of them being the media centers where the rest of the country gets its view of trends and "culture". L.A. seems to have fallen off the map however culturally.
But what do I know, I don't own a TV or even live in the US anymore. I like my own new adopted home just fine...St Petersburg Russia. The only problem with being here is that most camera stores will not ship here.
Which brings us back to Camera retailers. B&H gets universal recommendations, there are a number of them that are kings of photography retailing. But at the same time, the area is crawling with bait and switch hucksters like nowhere else. They change names and web sites weekly it seems along with fake referral sites and rating sites.
A good rule: If it is 5% less than B&H or Amazon, it is probably a scam, and 20% you are crazy to consider it. ALL those scam bait and switchers seem to be in NY.
B&H is not really a discounter but the demand for better gear is high so there less reason to discount when you are selling at higher rates than you can keep stock replacements coming.

[HelenOster]

I've heard so many horror stories about 47th St Photo, 86th St Photo, Adorama, Abe's of Maine ("Maine" here meaning New York), and all the rest, the I've come to think that these dealers are all crooks. I've taken refuge buying from Amazon because I know they handle orders according to obvious recognized common-sense standards. Are any of the online (usually NYC-based) dealers legitimate? Or are they all gray-market bait-and-switch sleazos?

I have been passed the following links by Adorama customers on a number of occasions, and would always recommend that you check these out before parting with your cc details:

http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?pid=44&page=1&id=68047

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/photo_stores_2006.html

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews78950.html

http://donwiss.com/pictures/brooklynstores/

It is pretty much agreed that Reseller Ratings is a source of the most honest reliable feedback; if you check out Adorama's feedback at http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Adorama you will see that while our current lifetime rating is only 8.3, over the past 6 months this has climbed to 9.13, reflecting the recent additional investment in customer care and service delivery.

In addition, if you ever experience or a problem or have a query with an order from Adorama Camera, you are very welcome to contact me directly: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adoramacamera.com