Almost bait and switch? Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me...

Dlovitt Loc: Texas Hill Country

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

Allen Hirsch Loc: Oakland, CA

Dlovitt wrote:

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

You must not have done a search on 42nd Street here.

There have been other threads warning that their deals were too good to be true. You'd either get gray market goods or be upsold for accessories or legit product at a higher price.

Sounds like their practices haven't changed at all.

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

Cancel the order, if you haven't already. Otherwise, refuse it when it arrives and call your credit card & explain the situation to them. You should get your money back. Then order it from B&H, Cameta, or Adorama.

Dick Z. Loc: Downers Grove IL

nicksr1125 wrote:

Cancel the order, if you haven't already. Otherwise, refuse it when it arrives and call your credit card & explain the situation to them. You should get your money back. Then order it from B&H, Cameta, or Adorama.

Exactly.... :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

nicksr1125 wrote:

Cancel the order, if you haven't already. Otherwise, refuse it when it arrives and call your credit card & explain the situation to them. You should get your money back. Then order it from B&H, Cameta, or Adorama.

Agreed.

tomeveritt Loc: Fla. + Ga,NY,Va,Md,SC

I made the same mistake once. I called the credit card company and told them I lost the credit card, they cancelled it immediately, told them it was same day I ordered. It Worked.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Dlovitt wrote:

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

Bad idea to buy from them. They have your money, and good luck getting it back. Yes, that is a total bait and switch scam. They are famous for that.

There are many reputable national and local camera retailers - stick with them. Avoid the "great deals" from lowballers - they are seldom as great as they appear on the internet. Sorry you found out the hard way. Cancel the transaction, if they already charged the card, dispute the charge. If no product was delivered, then you should get your money back.

OviedoPhotos

Adorama, B&H and Cameta

Amazon is OK if direct from them. Roberts is also awesome.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Dlovitt wrote:

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

That's the way 42nd operates. They could have included a warranty from a third party, and they could certainly accept a return.

How did their original price and the USA price compare with other sellers?

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Definitely not "ALMOST" bait-and-switch. So many places claim that the equipment comes with a "Warrantee" but they take advantage of those who do not understand that a "warrantee" is not necessarily a US warrantee.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Dlovitt wrote:

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

Ha! They've always done that. I recall ordering a bunch of Nikon lenses from them in 1981. It was a phone order. They gave me the upsell right on the phone. I took the gray market goods and never had any issues with any of the equipment. I saved enough on three lenses to buy a fourth.

That was a company purchase. I would order USA warranted goods now.

OldEarl Loc: Northeast Kansas

Back in 1972 I ordered a used Nikon F from an outfit called Olden's in NYC. I got a letter suggesting that I upgrade to a new Nikkormat or Photomic as I would not be happy with a Nikon F. I took the letter into work and showed it to the Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection. He made copies and sent them to the Attorney General of New York who was working on a Cease and Desist. Olden's is no longer advertising in national publications, but I have a feeling about 42d Street. The Attorney General of New York is a political animal and might be amenable to doing an investigation--there are legit dealers in New York who might not be unhappy to see 42d Street lose business.

I am not ready for a crusade.

I would note that while Ehrenreich would not do warranty work on the stuff from Hong Kong, they supplied parts to independent repair shops.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

sb wrote:

Definitely not "ALMOST" bait-and-switch. So many places claim that the equipment comes with a "Warrantee" but they take advantage of those who do not understand that a "warrantee" is not necessarily a US warrantee.

They often say it's a US warranty because it's offered by another US company, Square Trade, for example. With a new Nikon camera, I want a Nikon warranty.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Dlovitt wrote:

Ordered Canon body and lens from 42nd Street Camera. There was no information on whether goods were "USA" or Gray Market. Got call next day from 42nd. Told me that I had ordered "Gray" and therefore NO warranty or return if not satisfied. Phone call's purpose was obviously to "upgrade" me to USA goods at about 20% more $.

I don't believe they could upgrade you to "USA goods at about 20% more" or at any price because to the best of my knowledge they are not an authorized dealership.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Run from this transaction as fast and as far as you can. Do NOT accept the package, and notify your credit card company immediately. Then, but form one of the legit stores listed in other's posts.