"Don't let the PRICE fool you!
I was so pleased to find a "deal" on a Canon DSLR, and ordered it immediately. I got the usual "confirmation call" to try and sell me tons of extra junk. I also got the same slick, "okay, that will ship in 6-8 weeks", and after some dickering about canceling the order, I called the company twice over the next 9 WEEKS LATER to finally have a verbal match in which I found out they "are no longer carrying that model." "DID YOU EVER PLAN ON TELLING ME THIS???" Anyway, after the rep refused to give me his supervisor, I told him to cancel the order, and he HUNG UP on me. I never knew what they did with this order (since they had my CC#), but my bank spontaneously sent me a new card a few months ago..."

"**UPDATE**

As you'll see below, this seller assured me that I would have a FULL refund by Monday. By Wednesday that refund was still not showing up on my credit card, so I called the company to find out what was going on. They told me that there is a freeze on their bank account and they cannot issue any refunds! I have now had to file a dispute with my credit card company. A $1400 charge is still sitting on my credit card and I have NO CAMERA from Photo Dynasty.

Horrible, HORRIBLE experience!


I have never, ever, written a bad review but this will be my first - to add my voice to all the others here who say: DON'T DO IT!

I found Photo Dynasty on the web, and their prices were amazing. Being a trusting person, who has never had problems with internet orders before, I never researched their business or thought to make sure there were an authorized Nikon dealer (I'd never even heard of the "grey market" before.) I know better now! I placed an order, and the total came to right about $1200 for my camera, my lens, two batteries and the "extras" that they give with the camera purchase.

The next day, I was contacted by a sales rep to confirm my order and the man I spoke to informed me that I needed to buy a battery charger and some extra equipment in order for the camera to work. Adding all of this onto my order would cost me an additional $200, and I would only receive ONE battery. I told him I would have to call him back, and he told me I couldn't do that. I told him to cancel the order and he told me there was a $150 fee to cancel. Under presure, I placed the order.

I then contacted a battery store to find out how much a battery and charger is SUPPOSED to cost and found out, of course, that I'd been overcharged. I immediately called PD back and the rep was extremely condescending and told me that the $200 was for the charger and the "equipment" to make the camera work - that other camera stores would charge me $1400 for the camera kit, and that I was only being charged $800 for the camera and the rest was part of the kit I needed to work the camera. I'm totally new to SLRs, so I didn't know what to say.

This experience continued to bother me, and so on Friday night I got on the internet to research the company and found discovered all sorts of HORRIBLE information about them. I've since learned that they TAKE THE NIKON CAMERA KITS APART and sell the pieces seperately, with a bunch of "warrenties" and other things that aren't necessary. I also learned that because they are not an authorized Nikon dealership, Nikon will not honor any factory warrenties on products sold through them, and will often refuse to even work on a camera that is from an unauthorized dealer.

Obviously, I didn't want that!

Because I placed my order on a Friday, I had to wait until Monday before I could call to cancel my order. Based on some of the other reviews here I was expecting a fight, so I also contacted my Credit Card company to alert them of a possible fraudulent charge by this company, if they did not allow me to cancel the order, or if they tried to charge me for canceling.

Thankfully, when I called to cancel my order today everything went smootly. Because the item was already shipped, it will be Friday before I'm given the refund, so I'm praying that the money actually WILL be refunded, and I'll come back to give an update then.

As you can see from others here, this company has been reported to the BBB and their practices border on criminal activities. Watch out for their sister companies, as well (listed here: http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?pid=44&page=1&id=12668) Instead, find an authorized Nikon dealer (http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/Authorized_Dealers/Nikon_AuthDealers.pdf) and order from them. I just placed an order through B&H Photo and it was a wonderful experience, and their prices were very low."

"Purchased a Canon Rebel XSi online and opted for 3-day delivery (an extra $30). Received an email requesting a call to "verify" my order. Called "Mark" at PhotoDynasty and it quickly became obvious this was to sell more components at very steep prices, but luckily I had figured the camera would come stripped and had already purchased the battery, battery charger, lens filters, etc... from a different vendor - so all I wanted was the camera. After I refuse any additional purchased, Mark tells me it'll be 6-8 weeks for this to be delivered. I finally ask if I can just cancel the order, he says "yes" and hangs up the phone! No confirmation of canceled order or anything - he literally hangs up on me. I've now moved on to attempt a purchase from Broadway Photo - I wish I had found this site before. Wish me luck on the Broadway experience."

"Terrible experience. I ordered the projector on 12/18- paid extra for 3 day shipping. 12/23 (when I was expecting delivery) I got an email from "Ken" at Photodynasty.com. Ken advised that I should call to confirm the order. When I called, Ken said that my projector was set to ship, but the order didn't include a BULB. He needed to know if wanted a bulb included for an additional $199. I told him I couldn't answer that question, I needed to review my order and see if there should have been a bulb included. Ken told me I could NOT call back- it had to be resolved NOW. I said I wouldn't do that. Ken said: You either authorize a bulb at $250, or cancel the order. I said what happened to the $199 bulb? Ken advised that the price went up. (This happened in about 10 seconds). I said "Cancel it!". Then I spent 20 minutes on the phone with Discover making sure these thieves didn't try to charge my card."

"HORRIBLE-IF YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME CALLING YOUR CHARGE CARD COMPANY TO CANCEL CHARGES THEN USE PHOTO DYANASTY. They called to tell me my projector did not come with a bulb,but for 399.00 they would get it right out. I canceled the order then was told about the 250.00 cancel fee. RIP OFF-HOW CAN THESE PEOPLE STAY IN BUSINESS?? I might even call a lawyer about this!!"

"I ordered a Nikon D90 camera with a #8 lens kit for $869.99 Total When I called to confirm the order I was told it would be over $1100 dollars "with the Firmware" and it could not be used as it would not work without it. Also around $200.00 + for a battery and charger. Why do they allow business to try to scam people? This is the forth time I tried to purchase a camera online. I paid for one on EBay and paid with Pay Pal. It was a rip off and I traced them down and had the local Sheriff,the FBI, County business license, local police and the sellers family members all involved. Out of fear that the world was coming down on them they paid back my money and I for Two other people who were also cheated. DON'T allow them to get away with it! Take whatever actions and NEVER give up till you get everything resolved."

"Avoid - they're playing the "you have to call to complete your order / now you need to buy a bulb" game for video projectors even though the manufacturer clearly states on their site that it comes complete with a bulb."

"I was shocked at the blatant bait and switch tactic used by this company. I placed an order online from this company for a projector because they had the best price by about 15%, and they advertised "All products brand new and include manufacturer warranty". After placing the order I received an email asking me to call in as part of their "verification process". The rep verified my cc info and stock availability, then asked me which warranty I wanted to purchase, 1-yr $149, 2-yr $199... When I asked about the manufacturer warranty, he said it did not come with one, and if it did they would have to raise the price, so I had to select which warranty I wanted to purchase. I said that was misleading and cancelled my order immediately."

"I searched online for a replacement lense for my canon rebel camara. I found it on Dynasty.com for $89.00 with a free lens cleaning kit. I needed the lense right away, so I had it shipped over night. The lense was shipped the same day and I did recieve it the next day. The lens that was shipped was not the lense that I ordered, but was in fact a better lense. The lens cleaning kit was not included, but as they gave me the better lens, I was not complaining.

While I had no problems with this company, it gives me food for thought when I read all of the comments from unsatisfied people who have had dealings with this company. Because of what I have read, I will look else where for any further camera needs."

"I purchased cameras and lenses for what appeared to be an excellent price on to find them involved in a bate and switch scam. After negotiating a reasonable price for the items I wanted I made my purchase conditional on overnight delivery. They failded to satisfy the delivery condition then saw fit to charge me $400.00 more than the agreed to stated price. They promissed to send me an E-Mail confirmation of my order which I have yet to receive some 5 days later. I cancelled my order Saturday evening after it became evident they weren't going to deliver as was the precondition for the sale. On Sunday I restated my cancellation by E-Mail to their addresses. Monday after reading the cancellation notice they elected to ship my purchase which I have since returned. They do not act in good faith by any streach of the immagination. I would NEVER deal with them again and don't encourage any one else to deal with them. The state of New York seems to tollerate their practices which doesn't speak well for them either. My advice is pay a little more and deal with a reputable company. All my attempts to contact them resulted in being put on hold forever. No one ever did answer my calls except their automatic answering machine."

"This company is a bunch of crap!!!... I only wish i had known before i ordered my camera. I originaly ordered my Nikon D80 on September 14th 2008. I did it online and did not realize i had to call and confirm my order by phone because it says nothing about doing so on the site. I had ordered the 3 day shipping for an extra price which turned out to be completely pointless. On September 17th i called back and confirmed my order and was informed that the Battery was not included. I told them to send me the camera without the Battery. They however had other plans for me. My camera did not arive in the time it should have. I called again on September 22nd and my order had not even been shipped STILL!!!!!! And i was informed then that the lens that came with the camera were in fact plastic and not glass.. Once again this was info they convienantly left off the web site. My order was FINALLY confirmed and sent after the guy promised to send me the 2 glass lenses for $99.00 a piece. He also promised to send it 3 day delivery for free after i had already paid for it. the guy i talked to also promised me an upgraded memory card free of charge. I finally got my camera on September 26th. 12 days after i placed original order. Along with the camera came a bill for $400.00 more then what my original order should of been. There was absolutely no price break down for the equipment, so i cant even tell if i was charged for the memory card or the shipping that i was promised. The camera did come with a battery and charger, but i had declined even getting them. To call this company is a JOKE!!!!.. You will be put on hold for greater then 10 mins. When you finally get a real person, the left hand dosent have a clue what the right hand is doing and they will transfer you again leaveing you on hold even longer. I will NEVER buy from this company again!!! And will never refer anyone to them... The most hilariouse thing to me is this company's hold message. It states over and over how the value there customers and they do everything to make them happy.. What a load of crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I was eager to buy a Sony camcorder DHR-S12 and this was the first company I tried. I was firstly told that it would take 4-6 weeks for delivery because it was a pre-order. I called to check my order status in end-Aug and was told that it would be available on 9/25. I called on 9/20 for the availability, I was told that that product was not available and there was no date for me. I was very upset because they did not inform me the status of my order and kept me waiting for months. The only time they call me was to try to push me to buy battery and other accessories for this camcorder. I afterwards turned to few other stores for buying this camcorder and I realized that they basically belonged to the same company with MANY different toll free numbers and different store names in New York. I am glad that after 3 months, I found this website to alert people. If you see an order confirmaiton with many details undisplayable (it was not because of pop-up blocking but was created deliberately in such a way to trick buyers) such as no order quantity and amount, it is the first sign."

"A massive amount of complaints regarding PhotoDynasty.com. I COULD NOT FIND ONE GOOD COMMENT ON ANY CONSUMER WEB SITE. These reviews are not just consumer negative, they clearly fall into criminal activity. I actually had the phone in my hand dialing when I decided to check consumer satisfaction. The single owner who is listed below has his hand in everything. Here is what the BBB says:

Nature of BusinessBack To TopComplaints to the Bureau allege that Best Price Cameras engages in high pressure sales tactics and false claims in order to intimidate consumers into buying extra items while they are placing their original order. Reports allege that these extra items are usually not compatible with the camera and consumers are not given an exact total of all items at the time of purchase. As a result, consumers are charged for warranties, batteries and other camera accessories that they did not know they were buying and that were advertised on the website as being included with the camera. Consumers report that invoices from Best Price Cameras are not itemized so it is difficult to know what consumers are being charged for and it is very difficult to obtain a refund. Consumers also detail grievances with the company such as being lied to about order status, cancelled orders without notification, purchasing and never receiving a product, being charged in excess of their original purchase without their consent, and difficulty contacting the company.

Here is who & what the owner is:
BEST PRICE CAMERASAdditional Business Names:Best Price Camera

Best Stop Camera

C.I.S. Brokerage Inc.

C.I.S. Trading System

Century 21

CIS Brokerage Inc.

CityWideDigital.com

Crystal International Services Inc.

Digital EBuys

Enterprise Photo

Hello Camera

INF/MRAC/JF

Infiniti Cameras

Infiniti Photo

Infinity Cameras

J&K Cameras, Inc.

Mr. Accessory

PhotoDynasty.com

Razz Photo

Regency Camera

Regency Photo & Video, Inc.
Address:1938 McDonald Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11223View Location Map

Principal:George Sabato, President

After this short read on the BBB web site, I decided to pay the extra $600 from a well known "authorized dealer" who understands what customer service means.
"

"As the proprietor an on-line retailer, these guys made me feel great about how I run my business. They are rude, and a complete scam. I just happily paid $40 more for my Sony camera at Circuit City"

"Just dug a little deeper and this is what i found http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?pid=44&page=1&id=12668"