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Please share the following with your friends: Be careful where you shop online!
Recently my son was looking for a digital camera online, and found what we thought was a bargain at http://www.hdcameraworld.com. We submitted our order, received an automated confirmation e-mail, and waited for the follow up e-mails that usually inform that the order has been processed and shipped, but none came. When I reviewed the original e-mail, I noticed a strange instruction to “call to confirm your order”.
I called and was put on hold for 15 minutes. When someone finally came on the phone his mannerism was rude, to put it mildly. He informed me that they had not processed the order because I had not ordered any batteries. If I wanted to purchase the camera from them, I also had to purchase batteries from them. All the warning signs that I should have noticed before suddenly came into clear focus. (For example, the website listed no mailing address for the company).
When I informed them that I am cancelling my order, he told me that he would be charging me a 15% cancellation fee. I told him he would get nothing from me and that I would stop the payment. My next phone call was to the credit card company to cancel my card and order a new one. In retrospect, he may have only been saying that to pressure me into buying from them, but better safe than sorry.
After being burnt, a quick search on the internet showed that many others had suffered from this same website in similar ways. According to information listed on the BBB website, this business also operates under a variety of other names (including “The Camera Professionals”) and also operates a number of storefronts.
WHAT IS MOST SHAMEFUL IN ALL THIS IS THAT THESE SCAMS ARE BEING RUN BY SHOMER SHABBOS JEWS, AS IS EVIDENT FROM THEIR BUSINESS HOURS (they open late. Maybe after a Shiur?)
I fear that one day this will all come back to haunt them, and as fellow Jews I pray that they don’t end up in prison. I am saddened by the fact that people could be so desperate for money that it would cause them to stoop so low.
I am writing for one reason only: I thought it would never happen to me, but I was sucked into what looked like a good deal. It is amazing what we allow ourselves to believe when we think we are getting a bargain. Please encourage your friends to be careful where you shop, and do not purchase from websites that are not run by a reputable firm. You might think that you are saving a few dollars, and end up paying much more in the end. It’s worth the extra few dollars to actually get what you are looking for, not having to buy anything that you don’t need, and save yourself the aggravation. Umesaymim Betiov.
P.S. You don;t have to take my word for it. Do the research for yourself. Google “HD Camera World” or “The Camera Professionals BBB” and see what you find. Listen to the recorded phone call on YouTube. Better yet, just for “fun”, order a camera from HD Camera world online, and see what happens. It is sickening.
yes
there are MANY such “stores”
almost all are in new york
always check out an online store at “resellerratings.com”
i just checked out hdcamera world there, try it, extremely low rating.
also
“profeel” is a frum online store, cameras and electronics, usually close to the lowest price anywhere, highly reliable.
You go to B&H!
When ordering camera equipment online, stick with B & H Photo, which is run by the Satmar Chassidim.
It is the most reliable place and one of the largest camera stores in the world.
As an serious amateur photographer, let me give you some simple advice… if you see a price for a camera that is too good to be true, then it is. It’s that simple.
When I look for camera equipment, I *only* go to places that are reputable and well-known. I highly recommend using B&H, Adorama or J&R for just about all your camera needs (and I’m not just mentioning them because they’re all Jewish-owned). All of these places have well-earned reputations among photographers worldwide.
My last camera was purchased from Circuit City (simply because they had it in stock when the others didn’t). Since CC is a well-known establishment, I didn’t have any problems purchasing from them. I buy lenses, flashes, filters, etc. from the B&H or J&R.
Don’t fall for these scams. Only shop at stores that are known to be reputable. It may seem like it’s costing you more, but it’s not… you weren’t going to get the camera from these “bargain basement” places at the advertised price anyway.
The Wolf
Just wondering, how do you know that this is run by shomer shabbos yidden? Do you know this as a fact or is this based just on their opening hours?
Also… just to add this: Whenever you want to purchase something online from a “lesser-known” place, check out ResellerRatings. It’s an invaluable resource for weeding out scam artists.
The Wolf
If you’re in Europe then you should be ordering photography equipment from
which is by far the most trusted and reliable photography store on the web.
I suppose it is possible to determine if it is a Shomer Shabbos store by going to the adresses (there are several) for the store listed on the BBB of NY website.
B&H delivers to Europe (and almost anywhere else.)
no proof whatsoever that this is run by yidden at all!! Chillul Hashem to write and post such…
joseph- do u work for b&h by chance. my brother joseph does! is that you by chance?
I worked in the photo business for a chassidishe fellow 30 years ago, and
I can tell you that such geneiva was widespread. We were pressured to sell the batteries and cases (that came with the camera) separately.
After a cash sale, the owner would joke that the tax was “gravy” (because he had
no intention of reporting it).
So for those of you that think this doesn’t occur by yidden,
you are sadly mistaken.
muchcommonsense – Why not call you brother and ask him if he is me? 🙂
You base your feeling that these are frum Jews by the HOURS of operation (“Maybe after a shiur”)?????? So fraudulent NON-Jews don’t keep weird hours? Maybe the person who ran this scam has ANOTHER job. Unless you know for a fact that your suspicions are correct, you should not make such a comment, in my opinion. And if it turns out it IS owned by Jews, shame on them.
I haven’t seen any set proof that this is by frum people… but either way, always do a BBB (or even Google) search for some out-of-the way website and see what they have to say. The better choice would be to search through Froogle, Yahoo! Shopping, etc. that usually rate merchants that fit their search results.
For cameras and stuff, though, I agree with the aboves: B&H and J&R are the ways to go! (Which, you’ll notice, are also Jewish-owned, and get amazing ratings….)
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