"Thank you very much Digitalmonster.com for this product(scanner). I have been searching for this for a long time at this price and finally i found it. I had searched on Amazon also, but i can't find at this price. And also I was too happy for receiving it very fast. What a fast delivery!!! finally, Scanner works superbly without any fault. This was excellent service by you. Hope this will go on like this and I was very interested for my future purchases at here."
"Everything was great from the product right down to the service. I was blown away by the exceptional customer service and how quickly my lens was delivered. I will definitely use digitalmonster.com in the future. Excellent!"
"I looked all over the web, but Digitalmonster sold the camera I wanted at the cheapest price (as far as I could find). Ordering was a breeze and shipping was very quick. When I received the camera, both the camera box and the shipping box were smushed on one side. I assume however that's the result of UPS putting other boxes on top of it, since the shipping box was in the same condition. Luckily, the camera is undamaged.
I've had a good run with the camera and the photos are clear as day. Camera has met all my expectations to date. Overall I'm really satisfied with ordering here, and I would definitely recommend it to others!"
"Lens was in great condition. Shipped faster than expected. Very satisfied."
"My experience with Digitalmonster has always been very good. I have purchased several items from over the years and have always been very pleased with the response and the quality."
"Good customer service, and my product arrived on time and in good condition!
I am so happy with Digital Monster, I will definitely be ordering from them again in the near future."
"Terrific experience. Great customer service, good prices and speedy delivery... and oh yeah... the equipment received is in great condition as well. Very pleased."
""I ordered a camera on Sunday and received it accross the country on Friday. Very satistified.""
"Warning! You may get a call trying to sell you something before they will ship your order.
I recently ordered a Canon 6D from digital monster. The price was $2-300 lower than anyone elses. Their website indicated the item was in stock and available for delivery. (it still does a week later) I received a call from them where they tried to sell me a more expensive version of the same camera indicating the listing was for an import model from china.
I told him that I didn't want an import model and that I never saw anything in their listing indicating this wasn't a US model. He said the item I ordered wasn't in stock, it would be 6-8 weeks before it could be shipped from china. The $300 more expensive model was available now and there were some other things he wanted to sell me like a warranty. When I told him to either cancel my order or send me the item I ordered for the price I agreed to he hung up leaving without giving me a cancellation # or information on closing my order. This is ridiculous!
Follow up.
I received a call from Digital Monster today. (a week or so later) He said they were sorry for problems with my order and indicated the problems were growing pains. He sent me a cancellation email (finally!) and offered me a free warranty for the camera I have now purchased elsewhere. He then asked that I change my review. I asked him if he would modify the listing on digital monster's website to more prominently indicate the canon 6d as an imported model. He made it sound like that wasn't going to happen, something about being very difficult, having to go through marketing other departments.
He pointed out that I hadn't read through all the tabs on the listing before I purchased and also kept reminding me that they hadn't billed my credit card so it wasn't a scam. He is correct, I didn't read through all the tabs.. but I feel that they tucked away a very important piece of information so that people wouldn't see it. Based on other reviews here it seems i'm not the first person to get a phone call after a purchase. I told him if they update their website i would change my review to reflect that. I checked the site and it seems the same or very similar. It may have changed from -import- to **import** but is still tucked away on the last tab.
He kept insisting on sending me a free warranty to make up for what had gone wrong. I told him I didn't need a free warranty and felt that it would be weird to accept something from them with him asking me to change my review and ratings. He sent it anyway.. I guess that's kind? I don't know how to feel about it.
I have modified this review to just reflect my interactions with this one failed purchase and removed some generalization's about the company. Also I changed the rating for the cost of products category to low priced.. however that gives them 4 stars. I also changed shipping and return/refund categories to NA.
"
"8/27/2013 UPDATE: I was promptly emailed the promised warranty information. I'm not yet able to activate it given that the warranty requires a lens serial number and the lens I ordered is still en route, but I'm updating this review to three stars to reflect the genuine efforts of the business owner to remediate the frustrations that arose earlier.
8/26/2013 UPDATE: I got a call from the owner of DigitalMonster.com today. He explained that he's been on vacation for about a week only to come back to a number of very negative reviews. He called, I think, in an effort to repair what damage he could between his company and myself and in an attempt to reverse some of the damage done to his reputation by my review.
He was polite and explained that their checkout system is not currently capable of automatically calculating shipping insurance by weight and zip code. I explained that the big issue here is transparency with customers - that this shipping insurance deal needs to be up front and visible on the product pages, during the totaling part of the checkout process, and on the invoice emailed out to customers (which currently has no mention of shipping insurance whatsoever). I also explained that I have no desire to damage his business, but that this lack of transparency, unintentional or not, is going to do mortal damage to his business if it continues.
The owner listened very well and was polite even after my rather straightforward observations. Despite the fact that I ended up buying my lens elsewhere, he is sending me a 3 year warranty on my lens for free. Because he took the initiative to call, was polite, and is sending me a warranty as a peace offering I am upgrading my review to 2 stars. If/when it arrives, I will upgrade to 3 stars.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
When you see prices as low as DigitalMonster's you're wondering if it's a scam or if there's a catch, which is probably why you're here. In short, I think DigitalMonster is ethically underhanded, even if they are legally in the clear. Read on if you really want to know what you're getting yourself into:
On first look I thought DigitalMonster.com looked like a scam, but after checking the other ratings on here I felt a little better about things. So, I went ahead and ordered a lens I'd been looking at, the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II.
As you're likely aware, photography equipment costs no small sum and at the time of purchase this lens was listed at $1918.00. This price beats out most resellers by a fairly significant margin. I end up ordering the lens, get an email with a grand total confirming the $1918.00 order, and go to bed.
The next morning I get a call at work from an unknown number. It's DigitalMonster calling to "confirm my order" (Trying to sell me accessories I don't want). Upselling is annoying, but I figured this was the "catch" I was expecting. A few minutes of annoyance is worth $300+ dollars in savings, right?
I explain that I've already ordered my accessories and am waiting to buy a camera body, so I'll only be purchasing the lens. The guy tells me that's fine and that now all we have to do is settle the 60-something dollar shipping insurance fee...
Everywhere else on the internet "Free Shipping" means "Free Shipping". Not on DigitalMonster. This shipping insurance fee was completely out of left field. The caller kept trying to direct me to their shipping info page so I would acknowledge and pay this shipping insurance fee, continually interrupting me until I threatened to cancel my order.
The product page says free shipping. The grand total on my invoice says $1918.00 with $0 shipping, and nowhere on my invoice does it mention shipping insurance. It felt like a bait and switch and I explained that they could either waive the fee or cancel my order.
The representative continued to interrupt me and talk over me, trying to get me to read and acknowledge their shipping policy. This policy, by the way, is located via a tiny link at the bottom of their webpage.
All of this is happening while I'm at my office. While the caller continues to talk over me I explain again that they can waive the fee or cancel my order then have to hang up because he won't stop talking and I'm at work.
What DigitalMonster does is get you on the hook with a low price and "free shipping" then they try to slip in additional costs after the fact, hoping that you won't cancel your order. It's unethical and infuriating. The saddest thing is that I'd have paid the shipping insurance if they'd just been honest about it and included it in their checkout process and invoice.
Their sales rep was rude, aggressive, and their business practices are shady. My excitement of having purchased a lens quickly turned to frustration after finding out about their hidden fees. It very clearly says "Free Shipping" on their product pages, but nowhere on the product page is there any indication that shipping insurance will later be applied. Additionally, and more importantly, there is NO MENTION OF IT ON YOUR INVOICE! The invoice shows a grand total, but that "grand total" does not include these extra fees. "Grand Total" should mean "EVERYTHING you're being charged". ...not for DigitalMonster.com
My advice is to AVOID THEM EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO PAY MORE ELSEWHERE. In all of my 100s of online transactions I've NEVER had a business try to pull a stunt like DigitalMonster did. They ended up (presumably) cancelling my order, but didn't even do me the courtesy of sending an order cancellation email.
I ended up buying my lens from a reputable dealer elsewhere and the final price was less than it'd have cost to go with DigitalMonster anyway.
Frankly, I question if the other ratings on here are legitimate. As for me, I won't ever be shopping there again and I'm saying the same thing to all of my media associates."
"What I liked most about Digitalmonster was the quick shipping and the phenomenal customer support. It helps that the website is really easy to navigate/search, and also makes it easy to place an order, even on call. Definitely recommended! A++++++++++++++"
"Buyer Beware! This company is yet, another, scam operation that does "backdoor" or after the sale pick-ups. When you call to "confirm" your purchase you get hustled with "oh, that's not a U.S. model. You need to buy a warranty. You won't get any service without it.","It only comes with the import battery, only lasts 20 minutes, you need to buy another battery and a charger", (which it comes with), then the Big Kicker - I'm in Hawai'i, they tell me "$49 to Ship to Hawai'i". When I brought it to their attention that their website says NOTHING about extra charges to Hawai'i, they put their web guy on the phone and while talking to me he actually CHANGED the website.
If some is this unscrupulous - STAY AWAY!!! They look less expensive Upfront but, they end up More Expensive because they're hustling people with their pressure after-purchase techniques. "
"They are a scam. You do get product but they pull the classic bait and switch. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. As consumers we have a global responsibility to ensure that places like this do not exist, if we stop buying from them they will go away. Digital Monster sells under false pretenses, they misinform you just so they get to make a purchase."
"I was very satisfied with the product and fast delivery. I will shop here again in the future!"
"It is very easy to order, the price is competitive. Will buy again."