cameraworld.com sucks

[nitecrlwr]

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

 

[Fringe]

I sympathize with your bad experience, but mine have been different. I've used CameraWorld (formerly "Camera World of Oregon") for ten years. Yeap, I started with buying a VCR from them in 1991, mail-order. My experiences with them have been so positive that I paid somewhere between $25-$40 over several lower-priced outfits to buy from CameraWorld simply because I trust them.

 

[Dan T]

I'm sorry to hear this. I've bought from Cameraworld and it turned out ok. Thanks for the heads-up

 

[WH Yi]

My first few experiences with Cameraworld/Oregon were very good, but recently I was unpleasantly surprised by a bad experience similiar to yours (delay, new delay, no you can't cancel, sell you something else, are you buying or are you just wasting my phone time). Cameraworld had a great reputation but seems to have declined in recent years - maybe due to poorly-managed growth or new ownership. Prices aren't as competitive and sales policies are sleazier. Part of the differences in service may be due to inconsistency of sales reps or busier periods of the year, but it does seem like Cameraworld has dropped a level or two.

B&H and Adorama are leaders in selection, with generally very good service. Canoga Camera and Delta International may not have as wide a selection, but are very good on price and service. Luckily, many non-camera stores also carry digicams, and sometimes offer good deals & specials, e.g. Dell.com, buy.com, Sam's Club, etc. Even with a generally good or bad store, you can luck out by getting a sales rep who's having an especially bad or good day, so it's best to use recent reputations only as a general guide and be alert every time you buy.

BTW which camera are you waiting on? There seems to be a drought on certain models - retailers holding their breath for the big photo show next month? Good luck with you shopping.

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

 

[nitecrlwr]

Thanks for all the info. I am very frustrated. I'm trying to buy a G2. I hate what the online shopping experience has become when buying a digicam. "We can't tell you the price untill you've wasted your time filling out forms and giving away your email." "Our web site doesn't update very often, sorry but we are out of stock." "We might sell to you if you buy our overpriced accessories." "Oh you wanted an american camera? That's going to cost you $200 more." aarrgh! Thanks for letting me vent. Maybe i'm having problems for a reason. The d1 is starting to look better everyday!

nite

My first few experiences with Cameraworld/Oregon were very good,
but recently I was unpleasantly surprised by a bad experience
similiar to yours (delay, new delay, no you can't cancel, sell you
something else, are you buying or are you just wasting my phone
time). Cameraworld had a great reputation but seems to have
declined in recent years - maybe due to poorly-managed growth or
new ownership. Prices aren't as competitive and sales policies are
sleazier. Part of the differences in service may be due to
inconsistency of sales reps or busier periods of the year, but it
does seem like Cameraworld has dropped a level or two.

B&H and Adorama are leaders in selection, with generally very good
service. Canoga Camera and Delta International may not have as wide
a selection, but are very good on price and service. Luckily, many
non-camera stores also carry digicams, and sometimes offer good
deals & specials, e.g. Dell.com, buy.com, Sam's Club, etc. Even
with a generally good or bad store, you can luck out by getting a
sales rep who's having an especially bad or good day, so it's best
to use recent reputations only as a general guide and be alert
every time you buy.

BTW which camera are you waiting on? There seems to be a drought on
certain models - retailers holding their breath for the big photo
show next month? Good luck with you shopping.

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

 

[Dick S]

Caveat Emptor
There is B&H and others!!!!

--**** S, Temecula, CA'Capturing The Essence'

 

[Richard35285]

My experience with CameraWorld was very good. Last purchased from them in March, but I've purchased items from them for over five years w/o problems. Last purchase from them was an Oly B-300 and a spare G1 battery; both arrived in four days via UPS ground.

--rhb

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

----rhb

 

[Bradley79664]

nitecrawler-

i have actually never purchsaed anything from cameraworld. but i have had the same problems with cci (camera city international i think) a couple of years ago regarding a new slr i was going to purchase. first the guy insisted on selling me a sigma or tamron 28-80 lens as a replacement to the 28-80 nikkor supplied with the outfit. he argued that, for only 100 dollars more, it was a much better lens. i was firm about not wanting the lens, only the advertised package. then there was the 'oh...thats grey market price' . and a pitch for some off-brand filters. after i insisted that i just wanted the american model as advertised he told me i was wasting his time and actually hung up on me. needless to say i was steaming... and i wasnt about to cal them back and make another attempt to save 35 dollars over what b&h had to offer.

so i called b&h and the service was polite and consistent with advertised prices/equipment. since then i have found nothing to make me believe that b&h is anything less than the single most reputable camera mail order house. even when i ordered my G2 online i got a phone call the same day to let me know that (due to a 15 minute delay in their online real-time inventory) the item was on backorder. then i received a call a few days later to let me know that my item had arrived in stock and that it was going to be shipped the following business day (which was a tuesday due to mlk day.) i called them up and they gave me a tracking number no hassle at all. very courteous and professional.

so i dont know if i will ever try to buy from anyone aside from b&h when it comes to cameras... digital or film. their online ordering process is very nice (even with the email to confirm their lowest price.) and you always have access to the status of your order. and any questions that go unanswered online can easily be addressed via their toll-free service number.

sorry that this has become a rambling testament to b&h photo. just wanted to offer up my 2 cents about online retailers and their service.

bradley.

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

--

--rhb

 

[Johnnycb]

You could always support your local economy and buy you camera from a local dealer IF the online experience is too much for you to handle.

jb

Caveat Emptor
There is B&H and others!!!!

--
**** S, Temecula, CA
'Capturing The Essence'

 

[WH Yi]

From recent posts, it seems that G2 inventories at retailers are very low - whether due to post-holiday drought, firmware re-tooling, or pre-PMA breath-holding I don't know. But patience will be rewarded, as the G2 has surely been a good seller for Canon and they have incentive to keep rolling them out. What's that saying, "Fast, cheap, and done well - you can have any 2 of the 3." Once your camera arrives, life will be good again and you can forget the hassle of shopping for it. Good luck.

Thanks for all the info. I am very frustrated. I'm trying to buy
a G2. I hate what the online shopping experience has become when
buying a digicam. "We can't tell you the price untill you've
wasted your time filling out forms and giving away your email."
"Our web site doesn't update very often, sorry but we are out of
stock." "We might sell to you if you buy our overpriced
accessories." "Oh you wanted an american camera? That's going to
cost you $200 more." aarrgh! Thanks for letting me vent. Maybe
i'm having problems for a reason. The d1 is starting to look
better everyday!

nite

 

[whlil]

Sorry to hear that.

I've dealt with CameraWorld for a couple of years now, with my latest purchase (a Canon S30) just the other night (Wed. 23rd 6pm). I just received the camera today at noon (Fri. 25th). The salesman was gracious, when I asked if I needed any accessories to go with this camera he just said 'no, not now you have everything you need to get you going'. They get a 5 star rating as far as I'm concerned.

Bill

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

 

[Steve Knapp61844]

Best experience I have had both over the phone and the NON-INFLATED shipping charges, has been Pictureline.

Good pricing and cheap shipping.

 

[Jeanna Tahlia]

My first few experiences with Cameraworld/Oregon were very good,
but recently I was unpleasantly surprised by a bad experience
similiar to yours (delay, new delay, no you can't cancel, sell you
something else, are you buying or are you just wasting my phone
time). Cameraworld had a great reputation but seems to have
declined in recent years - maybe due to poorly-managed growth or
new ownership. Prices aren't as competitive and sales policies are
sleazier. Part of the differences in service may be due to
inconsistency of sales reps or busier periods of the year, but it
does seem like Cameraworld has dropped a level or two.

B&H and Adorama are leaders in selection, with generally very good
service. Canoga Camera and Delta International may not have as wide
a selection, but are very good on price and service. Luckily, many
non-camera stores also carry digicams, and sometimes offer good
deals & specials, e.g. Dell.com, buy.com, Sam's Club, etc. Even
with a generally good or bad store, you can luck out by getting a
sales rep who's having an especially bad or good day, so it's best
to use recent reputations only as a general guide and be alert
every time you buy.

BTW which camera are you waiting on? There seems to be a drought on
certain models - retailers holding their breath for the big photo
show next month? Good luck with you shopping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of the camera show....who (besides me) has heard that BOTH Canon and Nikon will introduce a new six mega pixel SLR for only $2000- ?
J
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

 

[Kerry Beverly]

Excuse the intruder from SonyTalk, but the best I have dealt with is B&H Photo. The range of product that they offer gave me confidence on the first purchase.
It's in stock or not. Ships in hours if it is.
Kerry Beverly

I was promised that the camera would be shipped out the 15th. This
Monday I get a message on my work voice mail. Got the standard
overpriced warranty offer in exchange for a camera they promised a
week earlier. Buyer Beware! A few may have had good experiences
but as soon as stock runs low they forget the first come first
serve policy and sell to the highest bidder.

nite

--Kerry Beverly