"www.thedigitalhunter.com is a company that indulges in fraud and deception. They defrauded me to an extent of $900 on the purchase of NIKON D7000 KIT but I was able to force a refund from my credit card company. Here is my complaint:

Date of Order: 6/17/2011
Order Number: 56050-DP
Salesman: Rick, H.
Date Delivered: 6/27/2011

I called the Digital Hunter by phone at ***-***-**** on 6/17/2011 to purchase Nikon D7000. Rick H. was the sales person who took my call.

I requested that I want to purchase Nikon D7000 USA model kit with Nikon 18-105 VR Lens as advertised at $1249.00

Rick informed me that there is a special sale on Fathers Day if I want to upgrade my order. He offered the following upgrades:

1. He said the Nikkor 18-105 VR lens is a plastic mount and of inferior quality and he can offer me a superior lens which is VR II Nikkor 18-55 which usually cost $200+ if I have to buy it separately.

2. He also said the USA model Nikon D7000 Camera Kit does not come with rapid charger and the battery so he added that to the basket.

3. He then sold me 2GB Professional ULTRA-HIGH SPEED Error Free Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card With Low Power Consumption which he said will cost $249.99.

4. He then sold me Zeikos ZE-FLK52 52mm Multi-Coated 3 Piece Filter Kit (UV-CPL-FLD) for $299.99.

5. He then sold me 3 year warranty for $299.99.

He then proceeded to tell me what a great deal I was getting and that he was giving me all sorts of discounts. By this time I could not keep track of all the discounts he was offering. I believed all the information Rick disclosed about the items to be true and decided to place the order for a total price of $1732.44.

I received the package I had ordered on 6/27/2011 at 4:57pm. I opened the package and checked the items I received. I discovered that the Nikon D7000 camera body was not the USA model but was Hong Kong Model Serial # 8097011. I called the Nikon and asked them to verify if the serial number is a USA model. They confirmed that it was not.

The same night at 12:49am, I sent an email from their web site about the mistake they had made about my order. The next day I received an email from their customer service telling me that I received the correct model I had ordered. Here is the email:

"the model which you received all the functions are in US that is the one we sell for the usa model if you have any other questions please feel free to call in to customer service after 12 to ext100 thank you.

The next day I called the customer service and I got Steven at extension 100 who tried to convince me that this is the model they sell as USA model and if I wanted the real USA model I will have to pay another $100. Since I was leaving town on a trip, he promised me that after I return, if I still wanted the USA model, he will exchange the Hong Kong model for an additional $100. Since I was too busy preparing for my trip, I put aside the issue and went on the trip.

After I came back from the trip, I took the camera kit to Wolf Camera and began to discover the fraud that was perpetrated on me by The Digital Hunter. I spent the next two weekends researching the web for consumer complaints against this company, and the prices of the items delivered to me only to discover to my horror such a blatant fraudulent business practice on the part of this company.

Here is my complaint against Digital Hunter for fraud and unfair business practice:

I. Digital Hunter did not send me the products specified on the Invoice but delivered inferior products, there by violating their own contract of sale :

1. The Digital Hunter sold me Nikon D7000 USA model ($1399) but sent Import model ($749).

2. The Digital Hunter sold me Nikon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 VR II Nikkor Lens which on their own web site is priced at 399.99 but they sent me Nikon 18-55/3.5-5.6 VR Nikkor Lens in its place which is priced at $149.00 on their own web site.

2. All Nikon D7000 USA model kit comes with the battery and the charger, which Rick said it does not come with the Kit and thus lied and charged me more for the same.

3. Rick lied and misrepresented the facts when he said Nikon 18-55 VR lens ($179.95 at Amazon) was far superior than Nikon 18-105 ($399.00 at Amazon) and there by manipulated me to substitute a far expensive 18-105 lens with an inferior 18-55 lens that costs less than half.

4. Rick deceived me when he sold Nikon 18-55 VR II lens, since that lens does not exist in the market.

II. Digital Hunter defrauded me by selling me products at exorbitant prices compared to the market place.

1. The Digital Hunter sold me 2GB Professional ULTRA-HIGH SPEED Error Free Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card With Low Power Consumption for $249.99 which costs $13.50
on Amazon.com

2. The Digital Hunter sold me Zeikos ZE-FLK52 52mm Multi-Coated 3 Piece Filter Kit (UV-CPL-FLD) for 299.99 which costs $14.68 on Amazon.com

3. The Digital Hunter sold me 3-year extended warranty for the camera body for $299.99 but is available at www.techforless.com for $43.

4. The Digital Hunter sold me Case, lens cleaning kit, and tripod for $129.98 but which costs $17.88 at amazon.com

5. I could have purchased Nikon D7000 USA body which I ordered but did not receive; with all the other delivered items for $1468.55 in the market place, instead of paying $1732.44 in spite of the huge discounts included in this price.

Summary:
1. I was sold camera & lens worth $1798.99 but was delivered items different from the Invoice worth $898 as per the prices on their web site violating the sale contract.

2. I was sold accessories where Digital Hunter over charged me by $890.89 as compared to Amazon.com/ Techforless.com through deceptive advertising and fraudulent pricing.

3. The Digital Hunter.com had indulged in fraud and unfair business practices in its dealings with me

Given the facts stated above, I feel this company violated the basic trust with me, its customer. This has led to endless psychological and emotional distress in researching its fraudulent practices, gathering evidence on its price gouging, and the enormous time and effort wasted in dealing with this issue.
"

"Pretty good customer service. And I think I will be back.
"

"I am very impressed with Digital Hunter's customer service. After purchasing a DSLR camera through their website, I had a few questions and wanted to speak to a real person at The Digital Hunter. I called their phone number and within one or two minutes i was speaking with a intelligent,pleasant customer service representative. He answered all my questions and seemed genuinely concerned about me having a good experience with The Digital Hunter. I would recommend them to anyone looking to buy a good camera at a very reasonable price. "

"This is a follow up from my first review and i finally recieved the lens from Digital Hunter. The lens that i recieved was a $399 that i have paid $599 (inc shipping). I have since looked on the web for reviews on this company and found a blog with hundreds of complaints that Digital hunter are bait and switch scam artists, how it works is that i was brought to the their webpage by looking for a nikon lens, the price was the lowest i had seen. The following day i recieved a call to confirm my order, the rep told me that the lens i had ordered was a film lens not a digital but he could recommend this Sigma lans at $150 more that would work better and at a special price. Now i see i was scammed and advise anyone shopping here check out the complaints on the web first"

"I wish i had checked these reviews about this company before I placed my order. This is my story: I placed an order for Canon T3i seeing a good deal for $ 575.00. They did ask me to put in a good review in order for to be eligible for a 10% discount which I felt odd. But never thought seriously about it. Next day they called me saying that the camera doesn't have a battery or charger and offered 5 years warranty for $100, which i took. Now the real story begins. When I received the package, it was T1i instead of my original order and they said I had altered my purchase during the phone call, which I never did. They i had to fight for almost 5 hours with them which included more than 20 calls during which they put me on hold for 10-15 mins. Finally i let them know that i am going to file a claim and they came up with a new offer. $100 more for the U.S model instead of the imported model i placed order for. I agreed upon that and shipped back the wrong one back. Now it's almost 3 weeks after they received the package and whenever i call them, they put me on hold for 15 minutes and the call will get disconnected. A complete trouble to deal with these guys. I see the same problem with almost all people who have complained here and looks like this is a regular behaviour from these people. I just claimed my money from the credit card today, since I don't trust these guys anymore. Complete waste of time and return shipping cost."

"The Digital Hunter (http://www.thedigitalhunter.com) has been in business since December 2010. The domain is privately registered through GoDaddy.com, Inc., using Domains by Proxy, Inc., so they appear to be deliberately hiding their identity. Reverse phone number lookup search shows the number ***-***-**** is an unlisted number in Hollywood, Florida.

There is no corporate or mailing address listed on the site but they are associated with a residential / business address in Brooklyn (Bensonhurst area) from where product is shipped to / from (The Camera Shop (TCS), 6605 20th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204). It is the same business address once used by Thunder Cameras, a now defunct but notorious "bait and switch" operation (a brief history of Thunder Camera: Stop & Shop Digital did business as StopAndShopDigital.com, StopnShopDigital.com, a/k/a Smart Choice Cameras, SmartChoiceCameras.com, a/k/a The Camera Shop (TCS), Save Here Digital, SaveHereDigital.com, a/k/a Thunder Cameras, ThunderCameras.com, a/k/a pricenshop.com). According to ReMax the property is up for sale. The storefront lease expires in November 2011. There are options to renew but the listing agent was as of this date uncertain of the merchants plans in the matter as of this date.

This company's activities are scandalous if not outright fraudulent. The technique is a classic bait and switch operation. Lured in by a great price on a camera or lens (the bait) the merchant then sends a low-cost budget item attempting to pass it off as a high-end upgrade (the switch). An element of the scam is to claim the item is a "gray market" model without warranty and / or everything is written on the item in Japanese (Nikon technical services, for one, disavows their being such products) and that you should upgrade. This might not be disclosed to the buyer at the time of purchase, but will handed off in the guise that, for example, a rapid charger and battery will be included in the sale (meaning the switch is being made to the higher cost "domestic" model). No mention may be made at all of there being a price differential.
-- The bait: Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera Body
-- Quoted price from The Digital Hunter: $549.00
-- This would be the "gray market" model variant. Price for their "domestic" model is not listed, but was quoted at $799.00.
-- Average Internet price for this camera is $625.00 to $650.00.

Some prices are just beyond belief. Memory disk's are marked up five fold so that a Class-6 8GB card -- which would sell anywhere else for $20.00-25.00 -- sells at TheDigitalHunter.com for $125.00.

Some items are just flat wrong. According to Nikon technical services, there is no VR II model of the Nikon 55-200mm AF-S lens and no meaning to the designation "Steel". Nor is there an extended life battery of any kind.

To further hide the deception the invoice will likely not list the price on any individual item in a multiple item purchase, showing instead the "special package discount" total price only. Shipping is free but don't overlook the incredible 6% insurance fee on all items, the 35% order cancellation fee, 15% restocking fee, the 60-day wait for refunds, or the claim that no refunds can be made on discount packages!

The Digital Hunter lost their Better Business Bureau accreditation and was given an "F" rating (on a scale of A+ to F).

There are also reports of buyers being compelled to leave "five star ratings" at http://www.resellerratings.com/ in order to obtain a refund (the company no longer participates in this rating forum). In a recent transaction dispute with a customer, the company representative identified as "Ben Thomas" threatened: " ... I will destroy you ... I will ruin your credit rating ... you don't know who you are dealing with ...".

Criminal conduct complaints against the merchant are on file at the New York Attorney General's Office, New York Department of State Division of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

Links at the bottom of the page to PriceGrabber, Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, Shopping.com, etc., are image captures and non-working links raising obvious questions about their corporate associations with these..

According to the site http://www.scambook.com/, $11,963.00 in damages have been reported in just twelve reports filed as of November 6th, 2011. Other reports of their fraudulent activities can be found at:
-- http://www.webutation.net/
-- http://theyscam.com/company/the-digital-hunter/
-- http://thoughts-of-dave.blogspot.com/
-- http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/base?hl=en
-- http://www.ripoffreport.com/cameras-video/thunder-cameras/thunder-cameras-this-is-a-tot-7f632.htm "

"This is simply an initial review, neither positive nor negative, which I really hope that I will be able to change to a positive one, should I receive my order.

Positively, the CS rep was courteous and not pushy. What worries me is that I was told that I would receive my order within 15 business days. However, minutes after turning down the upsells during "the call", I received notification that my item (which is a base for many of their discount packages) is out of stock and would not be sent out for another two or three weeks.

I was told that I would not be charged until the order ships, which is a definite plus. The e-mail also stated that I can cancel my order at any time, free of charge, since it is on backorder.

I am looking forward to a trouble-free experience with this company, and will have no problem changing my rating when I receive my order. So far, so good, other than the backorder issue."

"Digital Hunter is the worst shop I have ever used before!!
Don't buy from this shop!!

1. I ordered Nikon D7000 lends kit on the web.
2. After a while, they called me and they said "Your Ordered model is import model from Germany. Is it Okay with you? Import model language is only German. But US model cost is higher than import one. Reluctantly, I told him I'll buy them.
3. After this talking, I change my mind immediately. I called them again, " I would like to cancel." But they said, "It is final sale item. So you can't cancel it. If you want, you must pay 15% additional fee."
it means I have to pay aprox. $300!!
4. I decide to buy (I don't want to pay extra $300!).
5. I received these item. But the camera is in the box which is not Nikon box (just like a white box), and there are no maker warranty card!
I think it means these might be from Gray Market!!
6. I send email to them, please give me maker warranty card! not additional warranty!
7. They have not respond....that's all... "

"STAY AWAY!
Bought a D 7000 for what I thought was $904.00. After I called them they told me battery and charger was not included; that was for the grey market version.
Then I asked if I could cancel before the order is placed he said 6% fee. So I capitulated and went with the $1,200.00 price for their American model body and battery (Amazon offers the America Model with battery and lens for less).
They offered to send me a 4MB UHS Speed Class 1 SD card that matches the D7000 and that it was a $179.00 value. When I challenged the cost he quoted, shameless false-claims about how he has the best SD cards, SanDisk (the maker of Class 1 cards) was sub-par, and taller lies. The card that came was a 4MB CLASS 4 cheapo card.
I saw that I was trapped and he was going to take a pound of flesh as he steered me to notices of all of the charges buried behind small links under different headings.
The guy gave in and said he would expedite shipping…ok I feel better. It shows-up in three days; only problem is that is used…someone returned it. The boxes were all opened and there were scratches on it. The FREE SHIPPING was offset by a 7%‘INSURANCE FEE (add $72.00). I had to accept it with a smile on my face because my wife really wanted me to have a D7000 for my birthday and she worked hard for me to have it. I kid you not; this is true story.
GO WITH A REPUTABLE COMPANY that has sound business ethics.
"

"I have been in the market for a camera for sometime,when I stumbled upon Digital Hunter OMG, the prices are amazing and true. I had the pleasure of working with Ben, like I said on the phone "Ben you rock". Ben's knowledge of the products and his friendly nature have made me a lifetime customer, in fact I ordered my camera on a Sunday and just 3 days later I sent him another customer and much to my surprise Ben and his manager were able to give my cousin the very same sale and friendly service that was given to me. I will make sure to spread the word that THE DIGITAL HUNTER IS THE PLACE FOR GREAT PRICES.

Thank You Ben and Your support staff,,

Inez P. "

"I would stay away from this group of Brookklyn NY. I bought and paid for a Camcorder the last week of Aug and it was supposed to be delivered by Sep 10. Evey time i called in in search for the delivery tracking number, they produced one lie after the other. One time, that it will be emailed to you shortly, the other time it is in the shipping process and it was delayed due to weather for couple of days, the other time they will advise shortly and no real true answer. Two weeks post the delivery date, i called and they advised that it is on back order and that i can cancel the order if i want to and they will refund in full wich i did but no refunds for couple of weeks. I filed a case with Visa and they finally refunded my Visa. About twelve names of personnel who spoke to me and they seem to be the same person impersonating twelve people. In a nut shell, stay away. "

"This was finaly resolved. package seems to have disapeared."

"Buyer beware!!! I had some major problems with this company in the beginning. I returned some items, but did not receive the credit. An employee by the name of Ben said that it would take 60 for the credit to appear on my card. In October I talked to Josh and he said that Ben no longer works for the company. A check would be issued to refund the money that I was owed. He stated that the check would arrive in 7-14 days. It is now January 8, 2012 and NO CHECK EVER ARRIVED! What a crooked company!"

"I purchased a camera lense & decided after continplation of a couple of hours to cancel the order. I was notified about 1 week later that the oder was cancelled via e-mail. My order was never sent.

The amount of $399.99 was billed to my credit card on the 15th of Sept. I'm now being told that it will take up to a month to be re-imbursed. I feel this is an injustice as to the time frame & am still awaiting being credited to my credit card. "

"The order process was outstanding your staff was very helpfull. But several days since my order and I dont know if my order was fulled or shiped?"