42nd Street Photo almost got me

[Richard Crowley]

I almost got screwed by placing a big order with a vendor that I should have known better.

I keep seeing ads from 42nd Street Photo for Sony HXR-NX5U cameras at a very low price, presumably because it is a discontinued model. I had a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that 42nd Street Photo was a sleazy vendor, but the deal was so good....

So I place an order for two of them, and they call me back asking about whether I wanted to specify signature required for delivery. I told them it depended on what day it was being delivered (since I work normal hours at the office).

Then the guy says: Oh, by the way, you know this is a discontinued model. Yes. I knew that.

And These are "demonstrators which have not left the showroom". Well, OK, but why do you have multiple units for "demonstration in the showroom"? But the ads and the sales listing never mentioned that.

Oh, he added, they don't include any accessories. Well, reputable vendors keep the boxes, paperwork (including warranty), accessories, etc. for their "showroom demonstrator" gear. I was prepared to buy the cameras even without the accessories because I don't need them anyway (except for the proprietary power connector which is also missing). But the ads and the sales listing never mentioned that.

Then he said, Oh, and they don't come with warranty because they are discontinued. Well, no. That is not true, even discontinued models are covered by full Sony warranty as I know from multiple first-hand experience. Like from who?, they said. Like from B&H, for example. Oh, they said, B&H is an authorized dealer, and we aren't. So who knows what these things are, and why they seem to have as many "demonstrators" as I want to buy? Shame on me for not checking if they were authorized. And for assuming that they came with warranty.

Well, that was the last straw. Sleazy vendor, questionable provenance, missing accessories, un-authorized vendor, and no warranty. It all added up to NO SALE, no matter how good the deal sounds.

Then, just now I got an email questionaire from Bizrate and I am letting them have it with both barrels. Yes, Bizrate, feel free to share my feedback with 42nd Street Photo.

[Darren Levine]

good. don't let anyone get away with sleaze like that

[Gary Huff]

You dodged a bullet there.

[John Nantz]

Richard - you are lucky!

These sleezy dealers have been around for decades, not just 42nd Street, but many others. Learned my lesson years ago (pre Internet), more than once, unfortunately. “You ordered a camera, the lens cap and case are extra!” was just one of the lessons. Guess I’m in the slow learner category. New York, New Jersey, and Chicago were addresses for places to watch out for but now they’re all over. Tried to find my problem dealer list but “Finder” couldn’t locate it (I had some computer changes last fall).

For starters, check with Amazon and see what customers have to say. If they’re not listed on Amazon then I’d be really, really careful.

Reluctantly bought some batteries for our home phones off eBay and used one of the main credit cards or PayPal (I think it was PayPal), don’t remember which, and the batteries were not as advertised (OEM). Instead they were generic. Saved a copy of the web page with their ad and that really helped. Got the charges canceled in less than an hour after reporting the problem. Unfortunately, eBay and PayPal seem to be separating so I don’t know how that will affect resolving problems.

They’re all out to get your money so “buyer beware”. You can’t be too careful. Glad you survived and get to live … er, spend, to another day!

Thanks for the heads up.

[Bill Koehler]

"I had a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that 42nd Street Photo was a sleazy vendor, but the deal was so good...."

The deal was to good to be true which confirmed the sleaziness of the vendor.

The only NY store I trust is B&H, I've never had a problem with them.

[Darren Levine]

Originally Posted by Ed Arszyla

The only NY store I trust is B&H, I've never had a problem with them.

you should get out more ;)

Adorama is probably the second largest of the good guys, then there are numerous smaller dealers that are good.

[Jeff Pulera]

I recalled seeing a website about the NY camera stores years ago and Google helped me find it again - Brooklyn Camera/Electronic Dealer StoreFronts

Interesting stuff

Jeff

Originally Posted by Darren Levine

you should get out more ;)

Adorama is probably the second largest of the good guys, then there are numerous smaller dealers that are good.

OK, maybe Adorama, but I did have a return problem with them once.
Could you name some of the numerous small NY dealers where you would gladly give them your credit card number for say, a $10,000 Sony FS7, and not worry that they're shipping a brick in a box instead? ;-)

[Helen Oster]

I was sorry to read that you once experienced a problem, Ed - we care tremendously about your experience with our products, and take great pride and work very hard on delivering you the ULTIMATE in quality and customer service.

If you ever need after-sales support or advice with any aspect of an order from Adorama Camera, I want to assure you that if you email me directly: Helen@adorama.com, you will be taken care of.

[Greg Boston]

Glad to see Helen chimed in here. But the true lesson here is to BUY from DVINFO Sponsors, like Adorama.

A. Because they are reputable companies to do business with.

B. Because they make DVINFO possible.

Also glad that a scam transaction was averted in time. There's been a bunch of them around, as was mentioned. They even call them "Crooklyn" dealers, because the majority are located in Brooklyn.

If you ever have a question about a dealer's authorization, call the manufacturer, they'll gladly let you know if said dealer is authorized or not.

-gb-

[Steven Davis]

I was looking at 42nd when I bought my last batch of Canons. So I called up Canon and asked about them. Their opinion wasn't a ringing enforcement so I strayed away. Glad you dodged the bullet.

I've ordered most of my stuff from B&H, and while a few of their staff forgot their 'friendly pill' for the day, It's hard to argue with their delivery. I've also ordered from Adorama without a problem.

None of them are perfect.....we we are of course.....jk

[Robert Benda]

42nd Street Photo is so scummy that when you Google "42nd Street Photo Scam", the first YouTube video is clearly an ad by them, posted by something called Wiz SEO. They're obviously paying someone to flood the web with positive reviews to try and hide all the complaints.

I was trying to find this great blog post about them I read a few years back, but can't find it. It talked about how they operate several business fronts, though I don't know if they're all still active:

378 5th Photo Corp
42nd Street Photo (NY)
47 St. Audio & Photo
Ahava Inc.
Emunah Inc.
Forty Second Street Photo
Forty-second Street Photo
Picolino