"We are in USA. How can this happenenenene....????
First of all, when i called their 800 number...someone answered the phone and told me that this number is for Sale use only please call their local phone number for customer services...??? So I Called their local phone number and....same voice again....
He push me to buy a 512MB CF for $90 and he also mentioned that is a high speed CF. Another item is a 2.5 hour battery but without how many mAh power rating. i told him i got those item already. He ask me why i have/had those items?
I told him that I do not want to items...he told me that your order cancel because i didnot order a battery from their story??? This is my first time. After two mins...i got an email from them and told me that to confirm my order? So... i called them again....I got hand up again......I also send them email to cancel my order but ....not reply yet.
Before you order from this store... please think about again and again....
you can also view from http://www.sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/list/dealers-ccifam.html
"
"Fraud Fraud Fraud! Like every other story here, I purchased a Digital Rebel XTi camera body, I don't need the battery or charger, I already have those. When I called to confirm my order, as usual they tried to get me to buy their battery and charger. When I said I didn't need it, suddenly they claimed it was an import model and would be shipped from overseas and would take 6-8 weeks to arrive, even though the site and the person I spoke to on the phone in the sales department said it was in stock. Then when I asked him to cancel my order, he just hung up on me. I have called three times and they just keep hanging up on me. There must be something that we can do to stop this kind of online fraud."
"I ordered a Sony camcorder and accessory pack. The pack has arrived (and my AmEx charged) but there is no sign of the camcorder, and they do not respond to my enquiries. They show the camcorder as 'in stock', and promised it by the middle of this week.Given their reputation, I am certain this is a scam, and they have no intention of ever delivering the camera.
An update - after pestering them by e-mail, I am told that my camcorder is an "import" model, and so on back order, but for only $2899 he can mail me the USA model directly. Sure. I challenged him on the "import" story, and I think things are getting tetchy now. Next stop the AG's of New York and Ohio, American Express's Consumer Complaints Department, the BBB, and the FTC.
An update, as of 12/13/06 - still no sign of the "import" model. I make sure I condict all correspondence with these crooks by e-mail, not telephone, so I have a written record of everyting they say or promise. As of last week they are "still waiting on the order". Since the function that I was purchasing the camcorder for is now over, I can afford to wait them out, and not give them the easy out of cancelling the order. January 1 will be the date that the NY AG's Office gets an official and documented complaint from these swindlers - American Express will be put onto them, too.
Update - February 9, 2007. Finally got over the holiday rush and decided to put the screws on these swindlers. E-mailed them asking them to deliver the camera, and got the stock response that the "import" model was still on back order but, guess what (!), he could let me have the "USA replacement kit" which, by some strange coincidence they had "just received", for $2,999.99, or $1,400 OVER the original order price. I told them no, and that I was going to contact the New York Attorney General's Office, and he came back to offer me a further $100 off! The nerve of these shysters is beyond belief!
Anyway, I hae all the forms off the NYAG's consumer fraud site, and I will prepare and file the papers over the weekend.
These people are the scum of the earth.
As of May 1st, 2007, I have filed a formal complaing with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, and the New York Attorney General's Office. Mr. Shy keeps saying the camera is an "import model on back order". He then told me it was no longer being made ( and, of course, offered me another model at $1,000 more), but was still advertising it on his web site. When challenged he said he was "trying another source". This lying scumbag wouldn't know the truth if it bit him.
OK, as of August 1, 2007, the FTC has responded, indicating that if this liar did not fill the order within 30 days, the order is null and void. I have forwarded this to Mr. Shy by e-mail, but now he won't even reply to it. It clearly must have hit home, since I have probably sent it 20 times without answer. The NYAG has apparently passed my complaint to their Internet Fraud department, but I have heard nothing from them - they seem to be totally incompetent.
MR. Shy is probably the worst piece of human trash I have ever dealt with. There is a special place in hell for people like him.
UPDATE - American Express tried to contact BBC with my complaint, but (surprise, surprise) got no reply. Therefore they held that my complaint was valid, and returned my $943 to me. However, this still means that BBC has scammed AmEx, rather than me.
I was finally contacted by the NY Office of Consumer Affairs, but by now BBC, CC Camera City, and the entire spawn of the devil that they are affiliated with has packed up its tent and disappeared. They are, no doubt, trading under another name, and still ripping people off, but at least we were able to strike one against Mr. Shy, Mr. David Gadeloff, and their thieving ilk.
In the meantime, I ordered the Sony HD-FX1 from B&H Camera for ~$3,000, and received it within the week. Stay with B&H, and avoid Brooklyn."
"STAY AWAY!!! Same old bait and switch,try to upgrade you saying camera is gray market,the camera is not complete etc. Wasnt advertised that way. Save headache and dont buy from them."
"STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE. I'm writing this review because I have just become a victim and I do not want any of you to lose your money on this scam. BananaBoatCamera.com is absolute cheats. They have taken my $1500 for camera and accessories, but when I chase them for my delivery no body is ready to attend me. and the person on the phone was exteremely rude. I live in London, UK and they promised me big for international shipping before taking my money. I was told I can track my order through FedEx website. But there was no such tracking number provided neither I got any confirmation via email as they promised. I can't do anything except pulling my hair. Please stay away from this scam. Never ever put any money and don't get influenced by their talks. Don't trust anyone from this company. Don't even talk to them. "
"Great price for a camera body, but also sold my husband an expensive battery that cannot be used by the camera and an overpriced memory card. It states very clearly in the user manual not to use those batteries, but my husband didn't know that. When I called back another salesman was extreeeeeemly rude. Told me they didn't care about my money, they drive BMWs!!! Can you believe it? Their customer service is awful. Did receive a package a few days later. It did not contain the camera, of course. It contained batteries and a card that you can purchase for a total of under $50. But, on the receipt they charged my husband the price of the camera for the card and the batteries. When I called for a return authorization number, they of course tried to tell me I needed them, tried to offer a lot of deals. Since I wanted the return authorization, I controlled myself and did not say what I was thinking "You are either an idiot or a scam." I just kept repeating over and over that I did not want the batteries or the card (probably a total of 12 times I had to repeat it). When they gave me the return authorization number I told them to cancel the whole order. Thanks to our great credit card, we made sure that the whole charge will be erased and they cannot charge us a restocking fee (since they sold us the wrong items). Don't trust them."
"SCAM!!! SCAM!!! SCAM!!!
They advertised a digital camera for a great price, which I ordered and I also ordered an additional lens for the camera. I even paid the extra money for expedited shipping. They also had 5 star reviews from another online store rating site. Immediately after ordering I received a confirmation email listing my order. The day after I placed the order, I received an email stating I needed to call them to "confirm" my order. After being on hold for 10 minutes I was confronted from a high pressure salesman who wanted me to buy every accessory under the sun. Each time I refused each of the offered accessory, the salesman would interrogate me as to why I didn't want that accessory. He also lied to me about the camera not being able to function without a "Professional" compact flash card that they sold. We argued this point for several minutes. After 20 mintes of talking to him he told me the lens I ordered was junk and tried to get me to upgrade. Tired of arguing with this guy I relented and agreed to purchase a different lens for $10 more. He told me many facts and figures about how much better this lens, which is how I fell for the deal. When I finally hung up, I was quite upset about how awful I was treated for many hours.
2 days after talking to this guy I called to see if they even shipped my order, and they confirmed everything had been sent out. Almost a week after my initial order, my shipment arrived. They had deleted the camera from the order without informing me and had only sent me the lens. The lens was not what I expected and could be bought from any local camera shop for half the price I paid.
I called to complain about my order and said I wanted an RMA # (which they require for all returns) so that I could return the lens. He asked me if I tried the lens (How can I try it without the camera???). He then said there was no reason to be unhappy with the lens and assured my I would be happy with it when I got around to using it, so he rejected my request for the required RMA number. When I asked about them sending me the camera I ordered, he said he could send me the one I ordered for a price of $275 more than the original order price. I asked why he price was suddenly higher he said the one I ordered was an "import" version and they are out of stock. The new camera is the US retail version.
I am still fighting this almost 2 weeks later trying to get them to accept the return lens and give me a refund.
STAY AWAY FROM BANANA BOAT CAMERA. I have learned they have several different internet store fronts and they operate under several different names. They operate out of the Brooklyn, NY area. Use extreme caution when ordering a digital camera online from any online merchant from the Brooklyn area."
"This is CCI Cmera who just told me they had the digital rebel xt body in stock, cancelled my purchase the next day with no communication. Then when i calle dthey told me i could have the usa model for 550 or i have to wait two weeks for the imports to come in. Ive heard this before... dont waste your time!"