"I had ordered a handful of times from Butterflyphoto in the past through my company and never had a problem. So any negative reviews I took as flaming from competitors.

Then I ordered a BenQ PE7700 projector from Butterfly on Friday 10/14/05. I called them to make sure the item was in stock and was routed to George (x211). He told me about a factory serviced model of that projector that I could get for less. He told me they are not refurbished, but instead are bought back by BenQ from retailers that go out of business. BenQ checks them and services them if needed and then sells them at a discount. Butterfly passes those savings on.

However, George told me that it doesn't come with a factory warranty and I will have to get the RepairTech warranty they sell if I want it covered. I agreed. It is a 4 year instant replacement warranty. He also told me that it would ship that day (Friday) and I should see it by Tuesday (10/18/05), because I went with 2-day Fedex air.

The entire time, George was rude and arrogant. I didn't know ahead of time they were in Brooklyn otherwise I would have been prepared for this ;) Anyway, I wasn't there to make friends, so I ordered the unit and gave my card info and e-mail address where they could send the confirmation.

I never got a confirmation e-mail that day, but I did go to their website and was able to retrieve my password and see that my order was "Processing". The total amount was slightly more than he told me over the phone, but it added up properly with the shipping, warranty, and unit price.

The weekend came and went and I decided to check the status on Monday and get a tracking number. I logged in and the status was still Processing. So I call Butterfly to get it over the phone. An automated message said they were closed, even though I called well within business hours. I was getting a bit worried now. I checked the bank and my card was already charged the amount and cleared.

So Tuesday comes. I again called and got the automated message. I tried other departments. Some just rang and rang, others said they were closed. I called and dialed George's extension directly (211) and left a voicemail for him. I also sent an e-mail to their support address.

I have not received a response and have not been successful in calling this company at all. I called my bank at the end of Tuesday after seeing my projector wasn't delivered and filed fraud charges. I wouldn't normally do that and I can be very patient, but if I can't get ahold of anyone and all things indicate they just closed up shop and left with my money, then I want to get the process started ASAP.

Hopefully things work out and I see the projector sitting on my doorstep today after work. Maybe it's just a three-man operation over there and someone had a family emergency. Who knows. I don't have a good feeling about it though. If they would just answer the phone and at least give me a run-around... lol

I will be avoiding this company from now on. Will keep you all updated.

EDIT: Keep in mind that Butterflyphoto also operates www.buydigitaldirect.com. I called that company's number too and wasn't able to get ahold of anyone. Just for kicks I tried George's extension and it worked, forwarding me to his voicemail box -- same as Butterfly.

EDIT 20-Oct-05: Was finally able to get ahold of George. Said I'd have a tracking number by the end of the day. We'll see if that means the end of today or end of Thursday next week.

EDIT 20-Oct-05: Just received a tracking number. Fedex doesn't seem to know about it yet, though. Promising at least. I feel like this is my blog.

EDIT 23-Oct-05: Recieved the projector on Friday! They upgraded my shipping from two-day to next-day so I would get it for the weekend. However, I was a bit upset at first when I received it because it was not the model I expected. I thought I was getting a PE7700, but instead got a PE8700+. This projector is an older model, but damned if I could find any difference between it and the 7700. The 8700+ is actually a new revision of the 8700, so it has the same HD+ color chip and all the same stats. The 8700+ lists for higher than the 7700, so I guess it works out pretty well overall for me.

Changing my opinion slightly of Butterfly with this edit, but still got enough a scare to avoid them next time."

"Contacted the store on THREE occasions (with three very rude reps) to verify they had the silver (not beige) colored Canon SD550. On all three occasions was assured that silver was the only color they carried. Placed the order for my g/f's birthday based on this information and guess what I receive the following week. You guessed it, a beige colored SD550. Called the store again several times and was given the run-around by numerous representatives. Highly unprofessional. In the end my g/f was happy enough with the camera so I didn't bother pursuing any further action. I will never do business again with these unknowledgeable people that don't know the meaning of customer service."

"I ordered on line on Friday the 7th paying extra for 2 day delivery. Then late Monday I get an E-mail to call them. I call them and what they call a "courtesy call" is nothing but a pitch to sell me more items and a warranty. If I wanted that stuff I would have ordered it. They should have been shipping out my order Monday and not waiting for my call. From now on even if I have to pay a little more I will buy from a reputable seller like NewEgg.com or Tigerdirect.com they will send your order without the delay of a phone call. If I had wanted to talk on the phone I wouldn't have ordered online I would have called. "

"DO NOT BUY FROM THIS STORE! I bought ONE camera a year ago and was happily about to buy another one just a few days ago...I was just told that my order was cancelled and I have been flagged a RESELLER! I've bought ONE digital camera in my life! When I asked for an explination, I was told "I don't know" When I asked to speak to someone who did I was told there wasn't anyone who could answer my question! When I asked for a supervisor he said he was one! Thanks, Butterfly, i'll go take my RESELLER BUSINESS TOTALING ONE FREAKING CAMERA elswhere....jerks"

"This is my first and last purchase from ButterflyPhoto.com. I placed my order on a Monday and when I called on Thursday to inquire why my order had still not shipped, I was told I would be upgraded to overnight at no additional cost. I was even told the final invoice amount. Then, they simply charged me for overnight (which I wouldn't have wanted in the first place) and refused with that condescending, Brooklyn attitude (hello??!! It's _Brooklyn_, people...) to hear the story. Pricing can be good, but God forbid you actually need customer service."

"Wonderful company. I have used Butterfly once before, and was 100% pleased as well. My first package came with no issues, so I decided to use Butterfly once again for a more expensive Nikon D50, thinking that I would be equally as happy. Not only was I happy with the customer service, but for some reason they EVEN UPGRADED ME TO SECOND DAY SHIPPING FOR FREE! Needless to say, everything was 100% brand spankin' new and well packaged."

"I ordered a Canon EOS Rebel XT kit from Butterfly last Thursday. Their price was $200 lower than anyplace locally and $50 to $100 lower than other sites. The next morning I got a call to confirm my order and to ask if I needed other accessories. I said "No" and that was that, no hard sell. Not friendly sounding on the phone - they are in Brooklyn, NY so think Goodfellas - but they were polite and quick. My camera arrived yesterday - and it is beautiful. New in the box. They delivered what they said, when they said at a better price than I could find anywhere else. What more could you want."

"I bought 3 Minolta Dimage cameras from them and everything went perfectly. I ordered 2, and before they shipped I ordered another one then realized my credit card didn't have enough room for the third camera. I called to cancel and they did so without any problems at all. I got the first 2 and everything was perfect, and the next month when I ordered the third one, it showed up without a hitch. I also referred a friend to them to buy an A2 of his own, and he said it was a great experience. They called to confirm the order, and asked me if I wanted any additional accessories, but they believed me when I said I already had everything I needed to use these cameras. Most places would try to tell me that my curreny compact flash cards won't work for some ridiculous reason, but they just said, "OK, enjoy your cameras!" I love this store, and can't wait to buy a pair of Nikon D70's from them."

"Stated my item is in stock when I ordered. Obviously it is not. Website still claims the item is in stock. In response to their emails, my attempts to call customer service during published operating hours have proven futile: "We're currently closed. But you can order online 24 hrs a day!" Um, thanks but no thanks.I paid them via Paypal transfer from checking acct, which has already been debited. One begins to wonder how much they earn on the float. Why, oh why did I stray from the egg?"

"This place is a nightmare to buy from. If at all, pay extra and buy somewhere else. From the beginning they lied and said anything they could to get the purchase. Never once were they truthful with me and actually lied about a couple of things. The problem with their company is that they back there bad service up. If you try to cancel the order because of an issue, they charge you restock fees or they don't credit you the correct amount and then give you a story why they did what they did. Everything is about giving you the "run-around" to keep your business with them. I had a problem and to help resolve the issue, they indicated to me that they upgraded shipping to three day so I could have my order by that Friday. Well, I didn't receive it til next Friday. No emails or calls were ever returned, even though they promised. Not once was I sure what was going on during the whole process. Some issues are yet unresolved and I wonder if I'll ever get anywhere. I will never do business with this company again, as this was the single most worst experience I have ever had with a mail order company. STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I purchased a Canon ZR-400 miniDV camera from Butterfly Photo. When it arrived, I noticed that it did not match the description on the web site, so i returned it. They sent me an e-mail promising to refund my credit card within 14 days, but now two months later I have still not received the refund. When I try calling, I am put on hold for long periods on time and encounter rude customer service agents. I would just like to get my refund, and then I would never deal with this company again."

"GREAT Experience...
Service,Price,Delivery...Victor called to confirm order, no high pressure to buy ad-ons when I said "no thanks". Samsung Digimax I5 received in four days. "

"I took a huge chance and orderd a 50" Plasma from them (Panasonic TH-50PX500U). My overall experience was great. They have great prices on Plasmas so you know there must be a catch. They called me shortly after ordering and tried to sell me a few other accessories (cables, mount) and an extended warenty. I never felt pressured to buy any of it and turned them down. My item was deliverd in 4 business days (I had ordered 3-5 day shipping). The box did come with a couple of dings in it, but nothing damaging. And although I orderd FedEx 3-5 day it came via a freight company called Seko (my guess its some kind of FedEx affileate since there was 1 fedex invoice stuck to the box. And since I live in CA and the TV shipped from NY it wasn't bad at all. Anyhow I am very pleased with the service."

"WORST EXPERIENCE EVER. FIRST THEY LIED ABOUT INVENTORY TO TRICK ME TO PLACE MY ORDER, THEN THEY LIED ABOUT SHIPPING AND MADE ME WAIT LIKE A FOOL. WASTED 14+ DAYS OF MY TIME."

"Ordered Panasonic camcorder on Monday, received call on Tuesday, package arrived Friday, no problems, no hassles, saved $50 after paying the shipping charges. Would not hesitate to order again."