42nd Street Photo

Review: Okay, so I purchased the Nikon D7200. I saved a lot of money. It was only $800. Then they called me and asked why I wanted the International version. I said "I don't, of course." But on their website, nothing was mentioned about International. So they upgraded me to the "English version" which I now know isn't an actual thing for $200 more. They gave me $100 off because they were still planning on playing me and wanted to keep me sucked in. So I paid the $900 and my camera came. Oh, and the original shipping quote was $20, but that somehow went up to $30 when I called them.

Then I found out that they deal gray market. Yes. They deal gray market. I was told so by the billing guy. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing if you're okay with not having the Nikon warranty. All gray market means is that the equipment was imported by someone other than Nikon from another country. It just wasn't intended for sale in America and therefore isn't under Nikon warranty anymore. So 42nd offers their own 3 year warranty. So I said "Fine, I'll keep the camera and pray I don't have to send it back to these [redacted].

Then, for my trouble, they sent me a free battery. Yay! Right? Wrong. It was an "Ultra Power" brand battery, which after some research, I have determined is owned by 42nd Street Photography. The address on the packaging is phony and the wording was written by a 6th grade drop-out. It is my prediction that this battery is intended to break my camera in order to force me to send it back to them for fixing, therefore giving them the opportunity to con me out of even more money. I will not be using the battery.

Yes, the camera works great, but that's thanks to Nikon, not 42nd. It's just a tool for them to squeeze money out of suckers like me. Well I am no longer a sucker.

Will I test this battery in my camera to prove that it's defective? No, of course not! This whole company is a scam. So if you can't shut them down, at least do a few things, mentioned in my desired outcome.Desired Settlement: 1: They need to let everyone know they are gray market dealers.

2: They need to advertise the two different types of camera (International and non).

3: Their "Ultra Power" and its "Ultra Optics" counterpart need to be investigated and determined if they are legitimate.

Business

Response:

In connection with Complaint ID# [redacted], 42nd Street Photo requests the customer return the item to 42nd Street Photo Attn: RETURNS-RMA #...[redacted]

[redacted]Todd W[redacted]Reputation Rhino LLC[redacted]

[redacted]p: ###-###-####e: [redacted]

Review: On 12/**/15 I ordered a high end Auto focus Flash for my Nikon camera which I also purchased from them. A man named Adam said he would get me a great deal on a flash that was normally over $200 for about a $160 and a backpack camera bag that was about $40. As I bought the camera from them I assumed they would send what they agreed. Instead I got a $45 Flash and a $19.95 camera bag. I complained to them and they had Adam call and say that he would send me the original flash, again with no model numbers given after I returned the cheap one. I did so on 1/*/2016 via [redacted] 2nd day air. As of now 1/**/16 I have received nothing.Desired Settlement: I don't want to deal with them any more. I just want a refund for the flash which should amount to $179.99 plus NYS sales tax. They keep trying to stuff you with over priced hardware and give you no itemized listings on their invoices. I run a 48 year old marina in upstate NY. This is not above board sale practices. These guys are rip off artist.

Business

Response:

In connection with Complaint ID #[redacted], 42nd Street Photo has sent the customer a new flash to resolve the issue. The tracking number is below: [redacted] Todd W[redacted] Reputation Rhino LLC [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

They never responded on this until I made the complaint. They shipped another flash on 1/**/2016 as shown on the ups tracking number supplied. I am not interested in doing business with them. I would like to refuse the flash and get a credit. Please let me know if this is possible. I do not trust these guys. they offer no part numbers on their invoices so how do I know what I originally paid for. please just credit my account.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

In connection with Complaint ID # [redacted], 42nd Street Photo has agreed to accept a return for a full refund to resolve the customer complaint.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: On 8/*, I placed an order for Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 VC lens for Canon for $849.

They called me the next day and said that what I ordered is international lens so it is coming from overseas and it will take 3 to 4 weeks to get it, and it doesn't have any warranty and can't be returned or exchanged. None of these was stated on their website. (their website still says it's in stock and ships within 24-48 hrs.) Then they said I can switch to the USA retail version with full warranty for $950, and it'll be shipped right away and returnable. (their website doesn't have any information about international vs USA retail version.) I said I would go for the USA retail version, so they charged extra $100 on my order.

After this call, I checked Tamron(manufacturer)'s website, but I couldn't find this store in their authorized dealer list. I began to worry, so I called the store to cancel the order, but they said they can't cancel it because it's already shipped out. They told me I still have 10 days to return it. I asked for tracking number, and they said they would send it via email, but I didn't receive it until 2 days later. (The actual shipping date was a few days later than when I asked for cancellation.)

On 8/*, I called the same salesman who firstly contacted me and asked about their return policy. He told me they would charge 20% restocking fee for all returns. We had some arguments on the warranty and the restocking fee, and he sounded annoyed and told me "you are taking too much of time." Then he suddenly hung up on me, and he didn't answer again. I thought this is ridiculous, but can't help but wait for the item hoping it's in a good shape.

On 8/**, I received the lens. It didn't come with the manufacturer's 6 year warranty(which doesn't make any difference from gray market version from my point of view) but with a 3 year warranty of third-party repair shop. When they firstly called me and talked about USA retail version, they didn't mention at all about a third-party warranty or they're not an authorized dealer. What is a point of being "USA retail version" if it doesn't have manufacturer's warranty?

In addition, the lens had a functional problem. In detail, whenever the Vibration Compensation(VC) starts and ends, the display through viewfinder jerks or jumps quite a bit. I understand that VC mechanism can shake a little bit, but in my case it was too much. I contacted Tamron(manufacturer) and explained about the problem with a video showing that, and they confirmed that it's abnormal and needs a repair. (the possible cause is VC locking mechanism being loose internally.)

Today (8[redacted]) I called 42photo store and told about this problem and requested for return. Now they refuse return or refund. They said I have to send it to the repair store. They said that they sell it, not make it.

I just bought a brand new high-end lens for $950. Why should I send it to third-party repair shop where I can't trust?

They didn't provide proper information about warranty when they upsold over the phone, and they now refuse to accept return even though the item has a defect. Through the whole process I felt cheated and fooled.

I don't think this is a fair trade.Desired Settlement: I request for full refund without any restocking fee.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I purchased a Canon EOS 6D body from the 42ndPhoto.com website on July [redacted]. Two days later (7/*) I got a phone call from their rep stating the camera which I purchased was an international version, all the manuals and camera menus are in Mandarin and there is NO WARRANTY if I were to purchase the camera. I immediately told him this had to be a mistake because NO WHERE in the product description on their site was there any mention of this being a grey market/international model. The rep then told me he has a US model with warranty for $165 MORE and if I were to order right then and there he’d ship it out the same day. The package arrives almost a week later and once AGAIN 42nd ST Photo has been deceitful. They shipped me the Canon EOS 6D with 24-105 f/4L lens bundle, REMOVED the 24-105 f/4L lens and sold me the camera body without informing me I was purchasing an OPEN BOX at a new market price. This is text book “Bait and Switch”! I’ve called the store several times today and no one has answered. I called the customer service number listed on their site and was told "they’d be happy to accept the return but there will be a 20% restocking fee”. This business has the nerve to charge me for returning a box they’ve removed the original contents from and resold as brand new! This is terrible business practice! I'm demanding a refund.Desired Settlement: I am requesting a FULL refund. This is absolutely the worst treatment I’ve ever received from any camera store in ** as a customer.

Consumer

Response:

I have received a response made by 42nd Street Photo to complaint ID [redacted], the business has agreed to a full (100%) refund upon returning the delivered item and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,