Don't Buy from Cameraworld - DPChallenge Forums

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

01/05/2007 09:47:34 PM · #1

Well, you already knew that didn't you. So did I, knowing their low resellerratings since they were bought out by the .com company that runs the Wolf camera and Ritz camera sites.

But I didn't think I had much to lose, protected by credit cards and GoogleCheckout. So I ordered a Nikon 18-200 VR lens December 2nd, for $749 and a $20 checkout discount, for $729. Sure, I didn't have a Nikon yet, so I could afford to wait at that price. They also claim not to sell any gray market items.

Well, they just showed their ethics to me. I ordered on December 2nd. I was surprised to see it ship (!) on Dec 21st. I've been unable to get a tracking number for the shipment though, because GoogleCheckout doesn't provide one unless the vendor does. When I went and tried to enter my info on the CameraWorld site, it gave me an error. I let that go, until today. It dawned on me that the camera might not really have shipped, and they might have said it did in order to bill me.

So tonight I called. The person I spoke to said that the lens is backordered. He then told me that Google would have billed it when they sent the order to the vendor, which is an obvious lie because of the Dec 2 order date and the Dec 21 billing date. And the Google checkout message from the vendor that it had shipped:

# Dec 21 - Your credit card (DISCOVER) was charged for $729.99. "GOOGLE *CameraWorld.co" will appear on your credit card statement.
# Dec 21 - CameraWorld.com shipped your order.
# Dec 2 - CameraWorld.com received your order.
# Dec 2 - Your order was sent to CameraWorld.com.

Now given this obvious lie, I told Lee to cancel the order. We shall see if it is indeed credited back to my card within 24 hours. If it's not set by Monday, I'll just call Discover and contest the charge.

It shouldn't be a problem for me, but I want to emphasize that companies like Cameraworld with low resellerratings EARN them. I took a small chance--it could have been worse, they could have shipped me a broken piece of crap and then I would have to deal with them from a support point of view. I did kind of also expect "Google" to protect me, since the transaction was through them. I've notified them as well, and we'll see what happens!

Now I am back to square zero. That gives me some time I guess to see if the new Pentax K10D is enough camera to sway me from joining the world of Nikon!

Thanks for listening!

John Pahl

Nikon Coolpix AW 100

01/05/2007 09:57:42 PM · #2

Thanks for the info.

cryingdragon

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

01/05/2007 10:05:11 PM · #3

Sorry you had to go through this, but thanks for sharing.

pottersclay75

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 35-80mm f/4.0-5.6 III

01/05/2007 10:08:37 PM · #4

That lens is hard to get a hold of right away. It took a friend of mine nearly 6 months to get his.

island_girl1

Nikon D70s

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6D ED

01/05/2007 10:13:39 PM · #5

that just sucks! I hope things work out for you.

bassbone

Nikon Z8

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120 f/4 S

01/05/2007 10:16:23 PM · #6

Sorry to hear about your problems with Cameraworld. I ended getting the 18-200VR through B&H. I checked every morning at about 6am EST US for about two weeks. One morning they suddenly had them in stock - I picked one up. I checked back 15 minutes later and they were sold out. Stay persistent and you will get one - hopefully they refund your money soon!

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

01/06/2007 01:38:28 PM · #7

Well GoogleCheckout sent me an email saying that CameraWorld has issued a refund. It hasn't yet shown up on my credit card activity, but that's to be expected, at least until Monday.

Still, I will write CameraWorld up for resellerratings, since taking money for the lens with an indefinite ship date is against credit card policies, as far as I understand.

Also, lying about the fact that it shipped and lying about why it was charged to the card are not good signs, in my book.

But at least they didn't play games (I think) with the refund.

fotomann_forever

01/06/2007 01:45:27 PM · #8

Thanks for the heads up. I'll stick with B&H :-)

aliqui

Nikon D300s

01/06/2007 01:50:40 PM · #9

Originally posted by pccjrose:

Like pccjrose says here, that lens is really hard to get ahold of. I'm not saying Ritz should be given a second chance, because quite obviously they don't know how to handle such a backorder. I can however understand how there could be a screwup and why it's taking so long for delivery.

ButterflySis

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

01/06/2007 01:51:28 PM · #10

Neil, this sucks. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Definitely write it up on resellerratings.com and I would also send Camera World an email letting them know you are leaving negative feedback. Maybe it will speed up your refund in hopes of winning you back.

edit: grammar

Message edited by author 2007-01-06 13:51:54.

aliqui

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

01/06/2007 01:51:51 PM · #11

Originally posted by nshapiro:

I bet refunds is something they do well since they piss off so many people, heh

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

01/10/2007 01:30:57 PM · #12

Just a quick update. They did post the refund yesterday, so nothing is lost but time. And of course, I'm back to square 1 camera shopping.

Bugzeye

01/10/2007 02:28:40 PM · #13

not sure if they still have them but a few days ago I noticed Bestbuy.com showed them in stock. I finally got mine for xmas. my wife had it hidden here for 3 months without me knowing. She found one at a local shop when they were lucky enough to get 3 of them in. Funny thing is 2 days after she picked it up I was in the same store asking about that lens also went back a few times after that. was there a few days ago (first time since xmas) and the guy said he had a hard time keeping a straight face. He said he wouldnt have sold me one even if he had gotten more in.

zaflabout

Nikon D300

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

01/10/2007 02:32:09 PM · #14

Well no matter what happens, that should not sway you from joining the Nikon world :)

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

01/10/2007 02:45:06 PM · #15

Originally posted by nshapiro:

Just a quick update. They did post the refund yesterday, so nothing is lost but time. And of course, I'm back to square 1 camera shopping.

Sorry to hear about your problem with a vendor. I have been meaning to ask you why you are switching brands of camera. I always like to hear why people do that. I have seen it done before for a number of reasons, and I have done it myself. When I entered the world of the digital SLR, I has been shooting with Nikon 35mm gear. At the time I entered the digital SLR market, Nikon didn't have a viable camera in my opinion. They do now, but they didn't in October of 2003.

fotomann_forever

01/10/2007 02:50:25 PM · #16

Originally posted by Bugzeye:

I finally got mine for xmas. my wife had it hidden here for 3 months without me knowing.

You must have felt some kind of "presence" ... ;-)

Bugzeye

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

01/10/2007 03:17:10 PM · #17

Not the slightest, She had it packed away with a bunch of her scrap booking stuff which I am no longer allowed to touch because I used some of her paper as a backdrop for a challenge last year and ruined it, Turns out it was 3 dollars a sheet. I used 8 of them. In the end I entered a different photo in the challenge. So it was a 100% waste.

Originally posted by fotomann_forever:

Originally posted by Bugzeye:
I finally got mine for xmas. my wife had it hidden here for 3 months without me knowing.

You must have felt some kind of "presence" ... ;-)

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/10/2007 03:18:32 PM · #18

I am going thru a similar run-around with 42nd St Photo over a Fuji S3 body Re an ad placed early Dec. Orij adv price was $US 1,129.99.
I called and reserved it with $300 on Visa Dec 12 th, then sent full payment by Pay Pal Dec 13 and included the extra for a 5yr warranty.
They refunded the $300 retainer per our agreement. Dec 22, they called me and said that the ad was for a "floor model" and asked if that was Ok with me, so I said yes at that price.
Dec 28, I called them to see if it was shipped, they said they would "look into it" and call back.
Jan2, I called them back, "it is at a warehouse" and they would see about getting it to the store to be shipped.
2 days ago, they called me with "We found it at the warehouse, and have tested it for function, and find some functions not working." "Would I be interested in paying more and getting a new in box one?"
I told them that since it had the 5 year "crash and bash" warranty to just have it fixed and send it. The reply was "We already sent it back to the place that we got it from" Yeah, right.
I told them I would think about it and call back.
Today, I called them back and told them to refund my cash to my Pay Pal acct. Now I'm waiting to see what happens next.
This looks like a classic example of "bait and switch" sales tactics to me. I'm really miffed about not having a good camera thru the holidays : P and : P
The S3 Fuji that I had for a year is just now being shipped back to me from the repair station, which was one of the primary reasons to order the new one. I knew that it would take at least a couple of weeks to repair.
I would still like to have a second S3 body as a back up so this does not happen again, and leave me shooting with my old P&S. The best thing so far from all of this is that I am getting much better at shooting with the P&S, and learning all of it's features : )
Anyone with a good used S3 Fuji body for sale?

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

01/10/2007 03:37:01 PM · #19

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

Originally posted by nshapiro:
Just a quick update. They did post the refund yesterday, so nothing is lost but time. And of course, I'm back to square 1 camera shopping.

Sorry to hear about your problem with a vendor. I have been meaning to ask you why you are switching brands of camera. I always like to hear why people do that. I have seen it done before for a number of reasons, and I have done it myself. When I entered the world of the digital SLR, I has been shooting with Nikon 35mm gear. At the time I entered the digital SLR market, Nikon didn't have a viable camera in my opinion. They do now, but they didn't in October of 2003.

To make a long story short, I originally thought about switching because of the 18-200 VR lens (my hands are not very steady). I really only need two lenses for what I shoot: an ultrawide like my 10-22, and a good general purpose walkaround lens. The 18-200 looked like just what I needed; after my Sigma 18-125 broke mechanically, I was thinking twice about the new Sigma 18-200 OS for my Canon.

But most importantly, when I tried the Nikon D80 I really liked the feel and most importantly the bright viewfinder. My Rebel XT viewfinder is very dark in comparison.

But Nikon isn't making becoming a Nikon user easy with the hard to get, and being "scalped" 18-200. And the new Pentax K10D, which seems comparable, but weather sealed, supporting DNG, and with built in VR seems like it might be a better buy anyway. The main problem is I would have to go with the Sigma or Tamron 18-200 for my walkaround lens. And of course, so far there's no replacement for my 10-22 (hence I would have to keep my Canon until there was; though! (But with two bodies I would not have to switch lenses at all).

My reservations about the Nikon is the expense and limited selection of VR lenses, which would be my preference, due to hand-shake. (Yes, I do use a tripod when I can, but not always, since I like to bike and shoot.)

Ozzie

Nikon D90

01/10/2007 03:49:17 PM · #20

Gosh, I have ordered one of those Nikon VR lens thru Ritz (early Nov. and it is still not here) , but am watching B & H at times but not regularly enough.

Mmm, maybe I should cancel my order and try elsewhere then.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

01/10/2007 03:54:03 PM · #21

Originally posted by heatherd:

I wouldn't cancel unless they charge your credit card before shipping. Then you've "paid" for a lens you may not receive for a looong time.

Also, it's not within most credit card company rules to charge for something before shipping it.

Ozzie

Nikon D90

01/10/2007 03:58:27 PM · #22

Ok, at least we've been warned, I'll have to tell the hubby to keep an eye on the CC statements. Forewarned is forearmed. :-)

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

01/10/2007 04:12:24 PM · #23

Originally posted by nshapiro:

And of course, so far there's no replacement for my 10-22 (hence I would have to keep my Canon until there was; though! (But with two bodies I would not have to switch lenses at all).

I'm using the Sigma 10-20 for Canon. That lens is also available for Nikon mounts... have you looked at that one?