"Placed order for item which showed as "in stock" on their web page. I was a little concerned with making a purchase from this vendor due to the "bait and switch" complaints I found online.
Well I got the dreaded phone call "There is an issue with your order"
I was told that the Canon 430ex II was on a 3 week backorder. Then the sales rep suggested I "upgrade" to a Vivitar flash unit that was in stock and could go out tomorrow. He was very nice but then proceeded with a rather lengthy sales pitch. I told him I wasn't interested in that flash and I wouldn't mind waiting the 3 weeks.
I hope I get my flash, but do your research. This is apparently a common issue. I have found several complaints of the exact "The Canon 430ex ii flash is on a 3 week backorder..." One of which was dated two weeks ago... So the worst case scenario I was expecting to hear was of a "1 week backorder"
Anyways, I hope to get my flash... but I made sure I used AMEX to make the purchase.
Just a heads up, I will post an update when I know more. Three weeks isnt a big issue with me.
***10/18/2010 status: still waiting on flash, credit card was charged at day one.
****Refund requested and granted. I can not recommend nor will I ever shop with accessorycircut again.
Caveat Emptor"
"I hesitated to order from Accessory Circut after reading the reviews but needed a Nikon SB-600 for an upcoming trip. I decided to try them. Conclusion: They have top line merchandise and the best prices anywhere. However, delivery is really bad and you can't believe the web page "In-Stock" or the "Ships in 1-2 Business Days" claim or the FAQ about when they will charge your credit card.
Sept. 14th. I ordered the flash and received a phone call from Michael later that day informing me that, due to holiday closures, it would take 5 days to ship. That wasn't the 1-2 days advertised but was still acceptable. I mentioned that other reviews had stated up to 5 weeks delay and he repeated that it would only be 5 days.
Sept. 20th The order status still says "Ready to Ship" so I call customer service to check. I am told they are waiting for it to arrive from their supplier. When I tell the rep that the web page lists the flash as "In-Stock" (as it has every day since I placed the order), he then tells me it is in stock and will be shipped in 2-3 more days. Apparently he doesn't understand that "In-Stock" and "Waiting for arrival from the supplier" are NOT the same thing and that waiting for something to arrive from a supplier is a backorder.
Their FAQ says "your credit card is charged when your order is finalized in our shopping cart (and we plan on it shipping within 24 hours). If your item is on backorder, your credit card is not charged until the item arrives". So I check the credit card and surprise, surprise - it was charged the day I placed the order.
Sept. 28th. I call again and talk to Richard. Another story - they have been so busy they are behind on shipping but the flash will definitely ship in 3-4 more days and I will certainly have it within a week.
Sept. 30th -- After posting the above with a "DON'T KNOW" rating, I received a call from an irate Michael Stevens. He says that, if I wanted the flash (that they had charged me for two weeks ago), they would only ship it if I cancelled my review. I agree to revise it pending receipt of the flash. (This is currently the third version of the review.)
Oct. 3rd -- Received a call from Michael Stevens informing me that he had shipped the flash and that UPS would pick it up the next morning (Monday). He also requested that I change the rating for the review to five stars.
Oct. 5th -- UPS status check still shows the flash as not in their possession. I call customer service and talk to Steven. He tells me that they have 65 units coming from Nikon that have been delayed but should be there any day. The UPS paperwork has been prepared in advance to minimize shipping delays.
I ask to talk to Michael. He tells me that the flash is in a box ready for UPS pickup but UPS picks up on Tuesday. He still claims I will have the flash by the end of the week.
Oct. 6th -- I get an email from Rebbeca. The flash has been picked up by UPS and I can start tracking it after 10PM that night.
Oct. 12th -- DELIVERY!!! 22 days to ship, 29 days to delivery."
"After two months, two returned lenses that did not fit (costing me $21) and assurances from the CEO Richard that he would "make it his business" that I get the ordered equipment by last Friday....I got a refund on my charge card for the item in question yesterday. I guess my merchandise isn't coming. Thanks for letting me know so that I could pursue it elsewhere! I will make it my business to let everyone I know how crappy and shady your business is.
Second Update: The end of the week has come and gone and still no lens. I have never had such an unpleasant buying experience. This has been beyond bad.
Update: Currently working with Richard to resolve this issue as stated below. He assures me I will have the lens by the end of the week if write this update.
I am totally appalled at the way I have been treated by Accessory Circuit. I have NEVER felt compelled to write a negative review about anyone before.
I ordered a Canon Lens from them on 8/7/10. I too was called by Steve and told it was on backorder and they could upsell me a lens that could ship right away. Reluctantly I agreed to do it. When it arrived, it didn't fit my camera. I called Steve, who didn't believe me and who clearly thought I was doing something wrong, until he called his supplier who apparently confirmed what I said. He said he'd send a replacement. 3 weeks later...still no replacement. "it was lost" in the mail and they send me another. When it arrives....it is the same f'n size as the one that didn't fit. I tell Steve that I am livid and want the original Canon lens that he talked me out of and to call me and let me know if he is able to obtain it for me. He never calls back. A few days later, I call customer service and run down the situation. Michael promised to look into it and call me back. He did, but I missed his call. I called him back and left a message, only to get no reply. I called today to see what was up...and Michael snapped at me, saying it'll take a few more days to ship it out and the reason they didn't call me to let me know what was up was because the were closed from three days. So....what's your excuse for not calling today?
I will be shocked if I ever get my lens and I am out $20 for returning their wrong fitting merchandise.
Will never do business with them again and I'll be sure to pass on my experience to all my techie friends. "
"Steve was very patient with my questions and kindly offered to send me replacement equipment and to help me over the phone to be sure I use it correctly.
THANK YOU STEVE!!!!!"
"In the end, I got my high end brand name flash for the advertised low price, so I'm happy. They did try the bait and switch, but I called them on it and they made good on the order. I'd do business with them again, but I'd phone in the order so there are no games."
"So, here I am about a month after I wrote my first review for AcessoryCircut. Initially when I had first placed an order with AcessoryCircut, I ordered the Sony HVL-F42am. The reason I placed the order with AcessoryCircut over the next guy was for the fact that their prices were exceptionally lower than the rest. The day after I placed my order I received a call notifying me that the flash was back ordered. They offered me to upgrade to the Vivitar Pro-648 for an additional $20. I accepted.
While I waited, I thought about my decision and talked to Richard about it. He assured me that if I did not like the flash I could return it, despite the no returns on flashes policy. Roughly 5 days later I received the Vivitar flash, and tested it out a bit. I have to admit, it is a nice, solid flash. Almost everything about it was great, I just did not want to regret not getting the Sony HVL-F42am. I kept the flash for a good amount of time, just to make sure I was positive I wanted to exchange flashes. After a little more discussion with Richard, he informed me he could offer a $45 discount for my trouble on the HVL-F42am. At this time, I inquired the possibility of getting the same discount on the HVL-F58am, and after a bit more discussion we came to an agreement.
I ended up shipping the Vivitar flash back, and after a week I received a refund. A few days after that, they shipped out the Sony HVL-F58am. Another 5 days after that and The Sony HVL-F58am finally arrived. Although the entire process did take some time, I am happy that I ended up with an upgrade to the flash that I originally wanted. Not only are their prices excellent, they ship with expediency, and have excellent customer service."
"I ordered the SB-600 and was contacted by Mr. Stevens immediately after placing my order to tell me that it was on backorder for 4-6 weeks, but he could send me the Vivitar 648 for only $10 more. I really didn't mind switching up to a new product, as long as it was of higher quality.
Upon receiving the Vivitar 648, I realized that it was, in my opinion, made of poor materials and the flash didn't have much of a difference in brightness, no matter which setting I used. I contacted them this morning and he told me that I could return it, but had to wait until October 13th for the new shipment to come in. We'll see what happens. He kept trying to talk me out of returning it, stating that I could have a Vivitar rep. contact me. But honestly, that won't resolve the poor construction.
I'll gladly change my rating if they follow through on the order.
Their website still mentions that the SB-600 is in stock and will ship within 1-2 business days.
**Edit 9/20/2010
I must apologize for a piece of information that I was wrong about. I had listed a price for the Vivitar flash, but after being contacted by Rebbeca, I realized that I had grabbed the wrong product from the website when doing my searches online. I had done the 'ol copy and paste from my order page and for some reason, the 383 came up, instead of the 648. I will say that their price on the 648 is quite competitive.
I was also told by Rebbeca, "I will get you the sb-600 if you want in 1 day once I receive the vivitars back if you like". I would greatly appreciate if they make this happen."
"BEWARE!! I saw their info on Nextag.com & plaaced an order for a Speedlite 430EX II. Their claimed price was 219.99 with free shipping & I used VISA. Two days later, I received a tel call from an agent from this store "AccessoryCircuit.com" and was informed they would not have the Speedlite for 3-4 wks & said they would bill my VISA immediately. This agent then suggested I change my purchase to a flash by other mfd's. I declined, & cancelled my order. This is a BAIT & SWITCH store. Do not waste your time or money ordering from "AccessoyCircuit". Again BEWARE of this on-line seller."
"After carefully researching flashes, I placed my order for a Nikon SB-600 on September 4. Two days later, Labor Day, I received "the call" while at a Round Rock Express game. I told the man I didn't want to exchange the SB-600 for the Vivitar. I'd done my research and was willing to wait. When I got home that night, my hair stood up when I read all of the negative reviews about Accessory Circut and wrote a note requesting immediate cancellation. I received both a phone call and an email. I responded to both and had a conversation with a man named Steve, who, in essence, said that AccessoryCircut fills thousands of orders annually and sometimes has difficulty filling orders for some of the more popular items. People with bad experiences write messages, while happy customers don't. He asked me to give him a chance to prove himself and the company to be an honest one. With some trepidation, I agreed. My new Nikon SB-600 flash arrived today, ten days after my original order. I'm a happy customer. Thanks, Steve!"
"Great company to do business with. I ordered a Nikon flash which they did not have in stock at the time I ordered online. They called me to explain and gave the option of waiting a week or shipping a simimlar product. I opted to wait. In less than a week I recieved an email that the product was shipped and then a follow up phone call to make sure I recieved it. Very good business practice. Thanks, David Janikowski. Honolulu Hawaii."
"Unfortunately the flash I ordered was on backorder for 3-4 weeks, so I had my order cancled. Michael called me stating that it was a missunderstanding, and it was only 7 days, but I had already placed an order for the flash on another site, so he appologized and is sending me a battery at no charge for the misunderstanding.
If there is ever a problem with an order is seems that AccessoryCircut will make things right and go above and beyond to do so."
"Shipping could've been a little faster. Great product, excellent response, overall very satisfied!"
"I love this site. The digital camera battery charger that i needed was out of stock. THe Rep (Steve) called me immediately and let me know it was on back order. He recommended another model-- although more expensive, he worked with me on the price and sent it to me..free shipping. I'll be back for any of my accessory needs! Thank you..Linda"
"SB600 was delivered promptly
However the promised gift for my positive review was never received!!!!
Today Movember 1st still nothing came in, so this company really doesn't deliver !!!!
Stay away !!!!!
November 28, I haven given up on this terrible company. This was my worst internet deal ever.
BAD BAD BAD for business!!!!!!!!"
"i ordered Nikon 600 flash unit, got the lowest price on this web site and got the delivery as they specified, the flash was in perfect brand new condition as specified and the customer service was very prompt in returing the emails. will recomend eveybody to shop from accessorycircut.com, as i will from now on.
thank you for your service accessorycircut."