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AAA Camera Customer No-Service

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Thanks John! I will keep this going too by also mentioning that CCI inc. and Regency Photo are just as big of crooks if not worse than AAA!! I got burned by CCI buying an 85mm f1.8 as well. They sent me a grey market lens with no warrenty card (even though I paid for a USA lens) as well as an off brand filter with the name sand-papered off and a cheep rubber lens hood that screws onto the filter threads that I paid 29.99 for. I even gave the sales jerk the model number of the dedicated lens hood too. Later I bought it from B&H for only 19.95. I had a bad experience with Regency Photo but they didn't get my money because I had the credit card company in one ear and the Regency manager in the other ear as I canceled the the order. (talking into two telephones at the same time!!) Funny thing was that they tried to charge it through the next day. These guys also told me about these so called "plastic mount" L lenses like that of the 300mm usm f2.8 L???!!!. They tried to tell me that it had a plastic mount and plastic all over the lens barrel and that Sigma made a "far superior" lens. This sales dope also told me that "9 out of 10 professional photographers choose Sigma over Canon L lenses". I know this to be bull. I work as a photographer for a living and humbly call myself a professional photographer. I run into many dozens of shooters all over the mid-west who shoot with both Canon bodies and Canon lenses too. These crooks will say anything they can to rip off your money even if it is a flat out lie.

I too had to vent :)
John Riedy said:
Forgive me if this post is inflamitory, but I am so frustrated
right now with AAA Camera in NY that I could scream. About a month
ago I decided to purchase an 85mm f1.8 for use with my D30. I
thought it would be the perfect addition to my lens collection for
my wedding photojournalism. I researched on the web and found that
AAA had the best price at around $329. I called to place the
order. The gentleman on the other end informed me that the lens
advertised has a plastic mount and if I wanted the metal mount I
would have to pay an additional $60. Fine, whatever, just send it
to me. "No problem, it's in stock, we'll send it out tommorrow,"
he said (in what I think was english).

One week later. No lens. Two weeks later. No lens. I call.
Where's my lens. "Oh, it was shipped out last friday. It was
backordered. You'll have it by the end of this week." End of this
week. NO LENS. I call. "We'll put a tracer on it and call you
back." Next day. NO CALL. I call. "Okay, we'll send you a new
lens overnight. You'll have it by 10:30 tommorrow." 10:30 today.
NO LENS. I call. "Oh yeah, we didn't have the lens in stock so we
couldn't send it to you." CANCEL MY F#@ @N ORDER!!!

Meanwhile, I could easily have picked up a perfectly good used one
on ebay in half the time this debacle occurred. The worst part of
all this is that tommorrow morning I leave for Texas to shoot my
first all-digital wedding. So I'm going to do what I should have
done from the get-go and purchase the lens locally from Simon's
Camera. Thanks for letting me vent.

John Riedy
http://www.riedyphoto.com
Click to expand...
 
All I can say is, I'm sooo glad I'm not alone. And if my experience, as well as the stories of everyone else whose contributed to this thread, can keep anyone else from getting ripped off it will all have been worth it. And if we can put these crooks out of business in the process... Are you getting all this AAA!!! I bet you wish you'd refunded my money (or actually sent me the lens) NOW! Keep the thread alive everybody!

John
John Greco said:
I too had to vent :)
John Riedy said:
Forgive me if this post is inflamitory, but I am so frustrated
right now with AAA Camera in NY that I could scream. About a month
ago I decided to purchase an 85mm f1.8 for use with my D30. I
thought it would be the perfect addition to my lens collection for
my wedding photojournalism. I researched on the web and found that
AAA had the best price at around $329. I called to place the
order. The gentleman on the other end informed me that the lens
advertised has a plastic mount and if I wanted the metal mount I
would have to pay an additional $60. Fine, whatever, just send it
to me. "No problem, it's in stock, we'll send it out tommorrow,"
he said (in what I think was english).

One week later. No lens. Two weeks later. No lens. I call.
Where's my lens. "Oh, it was shipped out last friday. It was
backordered. You'll have it by the end of this week." End of this
week. NO LENS. I call. "We'll put a tracer on it and call you
back." Next day. NO CALL. I call. "Okay, we'll send you a new
lens overnight. You'll have it by 10:30 tommorrow." 10:30 today.
NO LENS. I call. "Oh yeah, we didn't have the lens in stock so we
couldn't send it to you." CANCEL MY F#@ @N ORDER!!!

Meanwhile, I could easily have picked up a perfectly good used one
on ebay in half the time this debacle occurred. The worst part of
all this is that tommorrow morning I leave for Texas to shoot my
first all-digital wedding. So I'm going to do what I should have
done from the get-go and purchase the lens locally from Simon's
Camera. Thanks for letting me vent.

John Riedy
http://www.riedyphoto.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I can t imagine anyone with the gonads to try this one out (ie order the d30 from these guys). As this thread has passed the 50 postings mark I keep reading horror stories. Why don t visa,mc etc pull services from AAA and company, o I forgot the card companys are crooks too!
RichW said:
It's interesting that Cambridge has the D30 for $2649 and AAA has
it listed for 2499. Anybody here have the courage to try to buy it
for that price? That should be an experience worthy of quite a
thread!

And get this, they claim to have been in business for 40 years for
Cambridge and 24 for AAA. Amazing, if its true!

Rich
samy bakon said:
mgd said:
FYI Cambridge and AAA are the same company!

mgd
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Click to expand...
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jason said:
How long will it take the credit card company to take action on the
dispute you filed?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Hey Jason,

I don't really know. We got our next Visa bill and the charge is already gone. I guess it will stay gone until and unless the cc co. sides with the crooks. That ain't gonna happen. I'll certainly let you know when I hear anything more definitive.

And by the way... AAA Camera SUKS!

My two cents (which is all I have left after those crooks ripped me off).

John
 
On the positive side, although I have had several bad experiences with mail order stores, I have spent a LOT of money with both B & H and Adorama and have always recieved excellent service, the correct equipment and at the agreed price. I now purchase only from them.
John Riedy said:
Forgive me if this post is inflamitory, but I am so frustrated
right now with AAA Camera in NY that I could scream. About a month
ago I decided to purchase an 85mm f1.8 for use with my D30. I
thought it would be the perfect addition to my lens collection for
my wedding photojournalism. I researched on the web and found that
AAA had the best price at around $329. I called to place the
order. The gentleman on the other end informed me that the lens
advertised has a plastic mount and if I wanted the metal mount I
would have to pay an additional $60. Fine, whatever, just send it
to me. "No problem, it's in stock, we'll send it out tommorrow,"
he said (in what I think was english).

One week later. No lens. Two weeks later. No lens. I call.
Where's my lens. "Oh, it was shipped out last friday. It was
backordered. You'll have it by the end of this week." End of this
week. NO LENS. I call. "We'll put a tracer on it and call you
back." Next day. NO CALL. I call. "Okay, we'll send you a new
lens overnight. You'll have it by 10:30 tommorrow." 10:30 today.
NO LENS. I call. "Oh yeah, we didn't have the lens in stock so we
couldn't send it to you." CANCEL MY F#@ @N ORDER!!!

Meanwhile, I could easily have picked up a perfectly good used one
on ebay in half the time this debacle occurred. The worst part of
all this is that tommorrow morning I leave for Texas to shoot my
first all-digital wedding. So I'm going to do what I should have
done from the get-go and purchase the lens locally from Simon's
Camera. Thanks for letting me vent.

John Riedy
http://www.riedyphoto.com
Click to expand...
 
That's great news, John. Did the bill show the charge and then a refund, or just no charge at all?
John Riedy said:
jason said:
How long will it take the credit card company to take action on the
dispute you filed?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Hey Jason,

I don't really know. We got our next Visa bill and the charge is
already gone. I guess it will stay gone until and unless the cc
co. sides with the crooks. That ain't gonna happen. I'll
certainly let you know when I hear anything more definitive.

And by the way... AAA Camera SUKS!

My two cents (which is all I have left after those crooks ripped me
off).

John
Click to expand...
 
Agreed. I've found Adorama to be more flexible than B&H, but they are neither company is crooked.

Danny
Bill David said:
John Riedy said:
Forgive me if this post is inflamitory, but I am so frustrated
right now with AAA Camera in NY that I could scream. About a month
ago I decided to purchase an 85mm f1.8 for use with my D30. I
thought it would be the perfect addition to my lens collection for
my wedding photojournalism. I researched on the web and found that
AAA had the best price at around $329. I called to place the
order. The gentleman on the other end informed me that the lens
advertised has a plastic mount and if I wanted the metal mount I
would have to pay an additional $60. Fine, whatever, just send it
to me. "No problem, it's in stock, we'll send it out tommorrow,"
he said (in what I think was english).

One week later. No lens. Two weeks later. No lens. I call.
Where's my lens. "Oh, it was shipped out last friday. It was
backordered. You'll have it by the end of this week." End of this
week. NO LENS. I call. "We'll put a tracer on it and call you
back." Next day. NO CALL. I call. "Okay, we'll send you a new
lens overnight. You'll have it by 10:30 tommorrow." 10:30 today.
NO LENS. I call. "Oh yeah, we didn't have the lens in stock so we
couldn't send it to you." CANCEL MY F#@ @N ORDER!!!

Meanwhile, I could easily have picked up a perfectly good used one
on ebay in half the time this debacle occurred. The worst part of
all this is that tommorrow morning I leave for Texas to shoot my
first all-digital wedding. So I'm going to do what I should have
done from the get-go and purchase the lens locally from Simon's
Camera. Thanks for letting me vent.

John Riedy
http://www.riedyphoto.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I agree. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not impugning all New York based photo stores. I know there are several very legitimate operations. I am only saying that AAA Camera is an absolute scam. I've been to B&H when shooting a wedding in New York. Man, what a great place. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I wish whoever mentioned earlier in this thread about the storefront of AAA would follow through and post a picture of it. I would LOVE to see what these crooks look like.

John
Daniel Lauring said:
Danny
Bill David said:
On the positive side, although I have had several bad experiences
with mail order stores, I have spent a LOT of money with both B & H
and Adorama and have always recieved excellent service, the correct
equipment and at the agreed price. I now purchase only from them.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
John Riedy said:
jason said:
How long will it take the credit card company to take action on the
dispute you filed?

Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Hey Jason,

I don't really know. We got our next Visa bill and the charge is
already gone. I guess it will stay gone until and unless the cc
co. sides with the crooks. That ain't gonna happen. I'll
certainly let you know when I hear anything more definitive.

And by the way... AAA Camera SUKS!

My two cents (which is all I have left after those crooks ripped me
off).

John
Click to expand...
VISA credit removed the $1,500.00 AAA charge from my account just today, 4 months after I had placed the order with AAA. However, as soon as one files a disputed charge complaint with VISA, it changes the charge to a "conditional credit." One doesn't have to pay a "conditional credit" and no interest is charged, so the 4 month time period is only an insult, not an injury.

mgd
 
morries p said:
John Riedy said:
John
Daniel Lauring said:
Danny
Bill David said:
On the positive side, although I have had several bad experiences
with mail order stores, I have spent a LOT of money with both B & H
and Adorama and have always recieved excellent service, the correct
equipment and at the agreed price. I now purchase only from them.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
After first checking their ratings with the New York Better Business Bureau and a consumer website, I just made two major purchases from Focus Camera and all went well. The prices were excellent, significantly below Adorama and B & H. Focus shipped promptly the in-stock item and the out-of stock item was shipped exactly when promised. The merchandise arrived in factory fresh boxes and exactly as ordered. Based on my experience and their positive ratings in the resources cited above, I would recommend them to one and all.

mgd
 
John Greco said:
These crooks will say
anything they can to rip off your money even if it is a flat out
lie.
Click to expand...
People here have tried calling AAA crooks, liars, thieves etc etc and they (of course) won't start making legal noises to have people stop the abuse - since it sounds like it is all justified...

How about ringing them up and asking for details of some lens and then recording their statements - about plastic mounts, factory A vs factory B etc - which is all either just nonsense or a clear attempt to defraud the customer.

A few tapes like that played to eg Canon, the magazines where they advertise, Better Business Bureau etc might get some fur flying.

I'm not sure if it is legal to record your own conversation with someone - but then what AAA are doing isn't legal either.

Baz
 
To make it legal (like it matters), they need to be told that you are recording the converstaion before you begin.

Rich
Barry Thomas said:
John Greco said:
These crooks will say
anything they can to rip off your money even if it is a flat out
lie.
Click to expand...
People here have tried calling AAA crooks, liars, thieves etc etc
and they (of course) won't start making legal noises to have people
stop the abuse - since it sounds like it is all justified...

How about ringing them up and asking for details of some lens and
then recording their statements - about plastic mounts, factory A
vs factory B etc - which is all either just nonsense or a clear
attempt to defraud the customer.

A few tapes like that played to eg Canon, the magazines where they
advertise, Better Business Bureau etc might get some fur flying.

I'm not sure if it is legal to record your own conversation with
someone - but then what AAA are doing isn't legal either.

Baz
Click to expand...
 
I'm curious, what equipment did you buy? I went to their website and most of their prices are higher than what I've seen at B&H and Adorama, but maybe I was just looking at the wrong equipment..
mgd said:
After first checking their ratings with the New York Better
Business Bureau and a consumer website, I just made two major
purchases from Focus Camera and all went well. The prices were
excellent, significantly below Adorama and B & H. Focus shipped
promptly the in-stock item and the out-of stock item was shipped
exactly when promised. The merchandise arrived in factory fresh
boxes and exactly as ordered. Based on my experience and their
positive ratings in the resources cited above, I would recommend
them to one and all.

mgd
Click to expand...
 
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