"Bait and switch scam! I placed an online order yesterday for a Canon EOS Rebel Xsi body only for $299, along with a 28-135mm lens that was recommended as a general purpose lens on every review website I visited. Today I got the "you must call to confirm your order" email, so I did so. The hard sell was immediately on! He tried to sell me a battery, which I declined. He then told me it was an import, and I would need to have it "reformatted". I asked how much that was, and he said $299. I told him he had to be kidding me! He then said he'd make me a deal on the Rebel XS, which was pre-formatted, and a battery and the usually included lens. I asked him why on earth would I want a not-as-good camera and a not-as-good lens for more money?? He then got rude and told me I wouldn't get my XSI for at least 8 weeks. I cancelled the order.

I should have known better, with that camera priced at an unheard-of $299, but the attitude and outright lies he told about the equipment, assuming I wouldn't know any better, was reprehensible. I feel sorry for the people who have fallen for it and are out money."

"Bingo--all the reviews regarding Sonic Camera are spot-on! I found a Nikon D80 body there for an UNBELIEVABLE $299--called to find out what the hook was, and was assured that it was a USA model and was in stock, available for immediate shipping. Went on and placed my order online using my debit card. The first red flag went up when I placed the final order and it was immediately "confirmed" without any noticable processing time, and without any confirmation notice or order number. I tried to call to confirm, but they had already closed for the day. I called again on Monday morning, and was told that my order was indeed received, and would be processed ASAP. Red flag no. 2 went up when he asked me if I wanted a 2-hour battery or a five-hour battery--I said five-hour, then said "wait--it does come with a battery, doesn't it?" No the two hour battery is $199! (hmmm, I can buy a D80 battery at my local retailer for under $50) I told him just to send the camera body, I would pick a battery later. He became very confrontational and asked me why in the world I would't buy the battery--I told him I couldn't afford a $200 battery--again, he said why not--then suggested that I buy a D40 instead. A bit of discussion determined that not all of my lenses would work with that, so I asked him just to cancel the order entirely. He informed me that there would be a $35 cancellation fee. (on an order which had not been processed yet!) After parrying back and forth, I finally told him to go ahead and process the order for just the camera body.

And that was that.

By then I had a very bad feeling about the whole deal and did a Google, which brought me to this page. What an eye-opener!

After reading with horror one negative posting after another, I decided to follow up and call "Eric" at x223, as he was "highly recommended" in the SCAM positive reviews posted here and elsewhere. After waiting on hold for an interminable time, someone finally answered. Again he confirmed that my order had been received and would be processed within 24 hours. I asked him if the item was indeed in stock, and he told me that he had no way of determining that--and that he was just a call center. And he got off the line pretty quickly after that.

My next call was to the toll-free number, but without an extension. Waited a long time again, finally got a representative, told him of my concerns, and was placed on hold without an opportunity to say another word. And waited...

That was it--I went to the ATM and zeroed out the debit card that the purchase had been made on, to make sure that they did not get my money.

Once that was done, I called one more time--got the same guy I talked to first this morning--to tell them that the order was to be cancelled and that I had removed the funds from the card. I was matter-of-fact, and told him of my concerns about the negative notices, but was neither rude nor abusive, which I can't say about the other party. He immediately began berating me, said that I had called this morning and had been assured that everything was OK with the order, what's wrong with me for canceling the order now--accused me of being rude and inconsiderate, in a loud and condescending manner. He told me that I had wasted his time, that I had no consideration for others and only think about myself. practically yelling at me! I told him that this simply confirms what I had read online about their customer service. He again began to berate me, and I told him that I didn't care about his opinion and hung up.

Bottom line--I might have indeed received the item I ordered, might have received it on time, but given the correlation between the comments here, the way my order was handled, and their customer service manner, I would say that the chances were very slim.

I will gamble occasionally, but DO know when to fold my hand when the deal just doesn't feel right!

I'll stick with B&H from now on.


"

"Found them to be a classic "bait and switch" company who low balls a price, then has you call to "confirm" the order. When you call you are asked if you want to buy a better lens, at a higher price. If you decline, you are told your original order will take four to six weeks, but the higher priced unit is "in stock". Classic game. This is the second online company to try this. Beware of these scams! If you order something, and you get a call to "confirm" the order, be prepared to be hard-sold for additional services (warranties) or higher priced similar items. "

"Classic bait & switch operation, as noted by everyone else. And then I was told by the salesman that I was "jerking him around" and that he was cancelling my order when I tried to stick with my original order. Nice people."

"Well, I must admit! I did order prior to reading the ratings on this site about SonicCamera. Lucky for me it was on a Friday. I also didn't get a confirmation email and grew concern. Called, got the automated voice mail about store being closed. Continue to read all the UNSAT messages here. Finally I just canceled my credit card after learning they hadn't submitted my purchase. I'll just pay the extra cash to know I'm buying from a reliable store. I really wanted that Canon 70-300mm lenses they offered for $369 bucks. But will have to pay more. Thanks for all the input. Hopefully they will learn."

"Business Contact Information

Name:SONIC CAMERASAddress:3505 Quentin Road
Brooklyn, NY 11234View Location Map

Website:www.soniccameras.comType of Business:Photographic Equipment & Supplies-Retail



This is NOT a BBB Accredited business


The information in this report has either been provided by the company, or has been compiled by the Bureau from other sources.
Nature of BusinessBack To TopComplaints to the Bureau allege that Sonic Cameras engages in high pressure sales tactics and false claims to intimidate consumers into buying extra items or higher priced merchandise. Consumers report that when they contact Sonic Cameras to confirm their order, they are told that the items are on backorder or not in stock and are encouraged to purchase higher priced items and accessories. Consumers also report that orders are cancelled after refusing to purchase additional items. Reports from consumers who have completed and received their orders indicate that they are overcharged and receive poor quality merchandise.

Customer ExperienceBack To Top Based on BBB files, this business has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau, because there is a pattern of complaints, and the business has not corrected the underlying reason for the complaints.

The company's size, volume of business, and number of transactions may have a bearing on the number of complaints received by the BBB. The number of complaints filed against a company may not be as important as the type of complaints, and how the company handled them. The BBB generally does not pass judgment on the validity of complaints filed
"

"Fraudulent seller. After placing an order for a Cannon lens on-line, this company requires you to call and speak to a sales rep to "confirm" the order. The sales rep said the lens I ordered did not work with the camera I had and I needed to upgrade to the next newer version for $30. I did, but did not receive a Cannon lens, it was another product altogether. When I called to get a return authorization number I was yelled at, insulted and hung up on twice. I have disputed the entire charge with my credit card but I want to make sure NOBODY deals with this fly-by-night operation. Pathetic."

"DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM!!!! THEY ARE THIEVES... nothing else needs to be added... DO NOT BUY FROM THEM YOU WILL NOT GET YOUR ITEM. SOME ONE NEEDS TO SEND THE POLICE AND ARREST THEM ALL"

"The is the worst website to ever order anything from. I placed an order on September 19th and received an order confirmation email. I haven't heard from them since. I called in today and waited for a representative for 20 minutes. I finally got a hold of someone and he put me on hold for another 10 minutes. I asked him the status of my order and he said it was out of stock and hung up. DO NOT purchase ANYTHING FROM THEM!!!"

"FRAUD, DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE.
SONICCAMERAS.COM, Sonic Cameras lied. They are tricksters, scammers, liars, cheaters. MARINE PARK New York. Sales Person (LIAR, DISSEVER) Michael ***-***-**** Ext 222

http://thoughts-of-dave.blogspot.com/2008/02/update-on-sonic-cameras-soniccamerascom.html"

"SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM. I ordered canon xti and paid extra $89 to guarantee next day Saturday delivery. After not receiving my camera by late Saturday evening i researched the web site and found all these horror stories. I called to cancel and they are not open on Saturday(?). Sunday morning i was finally able to get through after being on hold for twenty minutes. I spoke to Michael Henderson ext 222 and he canceled my order. I changed my account number to assure they had no access to my credit card account.
DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BUNK STORE!"

"The jury is still out for me on this online store... I called on a Canon 17-40mm L Series and somehow got myself talked into the Sigma 17-70mm with all these extras that they were throwing my way. The salesperson recognized that he was shipping to a military address and nicely offered me a $50 discount for that. But my early buyers remorse kicked in as I researched the Sigma and knew that it wasn't the quality build of the Canon and all the reviews stated that the lens was entirely too soft up to f/8... So I called and after a long discussion they changed my order to what I initially wanted... But they were out of the international made lens that was the lower price... So they got me into the US lens that better have all the correct numbers and be covered through Canon since I am paying a little extra... Stay tuned as I will either report this as a good sale or a bad sale.

I got incredibly scared about the sale and requested they return me my money as they hadn't billed me for the change of lens. Just for the original sale. They cancelled the order and returned my money in 48hrs... "

"I purchased a Canon EOS 40D package. Edward was extremely helpful in answering questions and getting me a better deal. I also asked for and received consideration for being active duty military. When I called back and told Eric that I had asked about a car charger, and one didn't come in the package, one was sent out no questions asked. The quality is high, and the service is excellent."

"These people SUCK!!! Please, do NOT waste your time with these people. Everything you read about them is true. I just got my "sorry, we are out of stock" email after I refused to buy their $300 battery charger. I called Eric at ext 223 (dealt with Micheal ext 222 to confirm my order) and he told me they had tons in stock. When I tried to order another without the charger they told me that they didn't have the $999 camera in stock any more but they had the $1900 retail box camera available. How convenient for them. I hate people that just cannot be honest. Make an honest buck!!!! DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM!!!! The only way to make these types of people go away is to cut off their life line...MONEY!!!!

DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM......DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM!!!


SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM"

"The late morning of 09/16/08, I placed an online order with Sonic Cameras for the Canon HG10 hard drive camcorder with the continental package. The order included free shipping, which I chose. The total was $679.00 on the web site. When I checked out, and confirmed my order on the web site, the total was $679.00.

I received a message from Eric at Sonic Cameras later in the day to “confirm my order” I called him back around 3:30pm PST. He asked for my three digit security code on the back of my VISA card, which I provided (note: the web site did not ask for this information, which I found a bit odd). He then began trying to sell me various products, e.g. a lens of some sort. I told him that I wanted exactly what I ordered online, and nothing more. He then stated that Canon requires him to tell me about extended warranty, as the current warranty only has 90 days for service, then one year on parts (something like this). I told him I was fine with the warranty as it was.

Eric then told me that I “qualified for free shipping through UPS” and that it is Sonic’s “policy” to charge 5% insurance coverage which would bring my total to somewhere in the $730-$740 range (I don’t recall the exact figure). I told him this was not ok, as the web site did not state there was an additional 5% charge for insurance. He argued that the web site did indeed state that there was a 5% insurance charge, and I clarified that my order placed on Sonic’s web site said nothing about a 5% insurance charge, and that the grand total was $679.00. I told him that I was unwilling to pay additional fees that were not on my internet order, and he said that it was their policy. I told him to cancel my order, as this was an additional $50 that was not disclosed when I placed my order. He insisted that this was their policy, and I again told him to cancel my order. He stated that because I was being so difficult he then would cancel my order. And so according to Eric, my order was cancelled.

I looked up UPS insurance rates, and they charge $.50 per $100 of value, therefore any insurance charge should be no more than $3.50. Charging 5% of the cost as Sonic said they would is an absolute rip off, and is unethical.

I just hope that they don't go forward with the charge anyway. I just called today and said that I'd like a confirmation that my order was cancelled, and Kevin immediately stated "I'll send you an email." It's obvious that these guys get A LOT of cancellations. Also of interest, when I received my cancellation, it said the total was $1528, and it charges me for the continental package (which included the camcorder) and again for the camcorder!

RIP-OFF."