"I would never recommend this vendor to anyone. We ordered a DVX100a on Wednesday. We had to fight our way through the order by declining all the overpriced peripherals. They sent us a confirmation email and told us we would have the camera by the end of the week. They actually charged my credit card for the sale on Friday, but could not provide a tracking number. We called them Monday, Tuesday, and when we decided to cancel the order on Wednesday, I went to their website to look up the phone number (they conveniently do not include it on the confirmation email) and their entire website was down! So here we are out $3600 bucks, with no tracking number, and no phone number to call. After searching on the web we were able to find the number and called to cancel the order. When we tried to cancel the order- first they said that they just drop ship the camera, but after being transferred to 3 or 4 people, they could still not provide a tracking number! Then, they tried to claim that they could get us an HD camera right away for just a little bit more in price. We couldn't believe that they were still trying to push a sale! We argued to get a credit issued, which they didn't process for a week. I would never order anything from this company ever again. What a joke. If you're looking for a headache and a whole lot of stress- then yeah order a camera from these jerks."

"I purchased a toshiba computer from US1camera.
I love the computer but they tried to sell me an extended warranty I didn't want, so on the phone, they told me they could sell me an accident protection warranty. I was also to receive a $50 rebate and extra memory. When I received the computer, there was an extended warranty, not the accident protection, no rebate form and no extra memory.
This is October and I've been fighting with them for 6 months and they will not give me or cannot give me what I purchased and refuse to refund my money.
Overall store rating: absolutely none. Extremely poor service and business ethics."

"I ordered this on a thursday got a veriifiction email on saturday. i called on sunday morning talked with the sales rep. Verified my credit card. he asked if I had heard about the promo offering. I told him yes but was not interested. No problem. it took a week to get it processed through the store and a week to get it shipped. No problems very courteous and I got what i ordered no hassles. Would recommend to others"

"Below is an unabridged, blow-by-blow account of my experience with this company, for your benefit and education (if not entertainment).

I was interested in buying a Canon EOS 20D w/ lens kit. After extensive online searches for this item and inspecting the user ratings of the most competitive companies regarding the item in question, I telephoned US1Camera. Once I agreed to buy the camera, the salesperson began pushing a multitude of grossly overpriced items. First was a 28-300 Sigma macro zoom lens, valued at $250 (I discovered this afterwards) including US warranty, for $690. He sold me a 1GB, 36X CF card , an extra battery, the flimsiest card reader imaginable, and a little camera bag for another $280. Those items together are worth $200 or less elsewhere. How many of us research all of that in advance? Thirty minutes after making the purchase, realizing that I had been duped, I called back and asked to cancel the order, to which the same salesman replied “too late”, saying it had “already been shipped”. He became extremely defensive, sternly lecturing me on his right to make a profit, telling me that with my attitude, I was “never going to get that camera”.

I asked to speak with the customer service agent. After being put on hold for some time, the agent picked up the phone and asked what he could do. I was willing to still make the purchase, but did not want the extra lens. He put me on hold. He got back on and said that he could delete the lens, but would have to raise the price of the remaining package. In other words, he could delete the $690 lens, but deduct only $430 from the charge on my credit card!! This also indicated that the salesman had lied when previously stating that my order had shipped. He talked around in circles, listing other complicated and confusing options, not giving me much of a chance to talk, interrupting me, putting me on hold every few minutes, then giving me advice, recommending that I “try” the lens first (i.e., accept the shipment and open the package). Nice one. Note that US1Camera does not accept partial returns, their restocking fee is 15%, and if you cancel your order entirely (or refuse delivery), you face a 10% cancellation fee – even if the item has not shipped! Just one hour after ordering, in my case! I said I would call back in a few minutes. I got off the phone, poured a stiff drink, and pondered what to do. I decided to suck it up, and be done with it. I called back and agreed to the order as it was (much to the agent's relief). When I asked the man if this sort of “bait and switch” tactic was how most online camera outfits operate, his answer was essentially yes, stating that admittedly, their method of earning a profit was to sell and ship their cameras at the price advertised only if the customer was willing to buy peripherals. At least he was being honest.

I later emailed the same agent twice upon receiving the package, which arrived promptly. The Sigma lens turned out to be grey market (it did not include a US warranty). The camera bag was smaller, of a different material, different brand name, and obviously cheaper overall than the one listed and shown on the web site. (Remember, no partial refunds.) I was so disallusioned that I was prepared to give them their 15% restocking fee as a worst-case scenario, stating that in one of my communications. I never heard back. I inquired about switching out the lens for another one listed on their site. Never heard back. To quote from the Better Business Bureau regarding US1Camera: "Based on BBB files, this business has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau because it failed to respond to one or more complaints."

Had I done my homework, or at least read the reviews of this outfit more thoroughly before contacting them, I would have avoided paying US1Camera $500 too much for this package. Warning: do ALL homework, especially on accessories, before dealing with snakes like US1Camera. They correctly assume that a large fraction of consumers will not have researched the peripherals and allow themselves to be caught up in a moment of excitement and weakness.

Summary: this scam outfit is very aggressive on cheap, horribly inflated peripherals. If you are duped into buying them, as in my case, you are faced with a very difficult process of trying to cancel your order even moments later, resulting in a disappointing and stressful experience whether they manage to scam you or not. In the case of many other unfortunate victims of US1Camera, if you choose NOT to buy the peripherals, your order is delayed, deemed "out of stock", or otherwise cancelled. Stay away from this company. They are rude, deceiving, and interested only in scamming you out of as much money as possible. They couldn't care less about all the negative reviews they get (see below; also check out pricegrabber.com and epinions.com). If I could do this over again, I would have gone with a more reputable company such as B&H Photo, Beach Camera, or 17th Street, even if that meant spending an extra $100 for the camera. I would have been much better off by now."

"BEWARE! Your order is not processed until you call them, and they get a chance to try to sell you additional items! After ordering a camcorder I got a confirmation email saying that orders are usually processed within 72 hours of receiving the confirmation email. After waiting 72 hours I went to their website and logged into "my account" to see if I could find more information about my order. The order information there said "order in process, please call 888-xxx-xxxx to expedite." When I called they tried (in a very high pressure way) to sell me an extra battery and carrying case. After I refused they said "OK, I'll send this order to shipping. It should be processed tomorrow." I ordered on a weekend and specifically selected UPS 3 day so I could be sure I'd get it by the following weekend. This high-pressure sales tactic added 4 days to my order, and now I won't get it till well into the following week. Now I'm nervous if it will show up as promised, and in one piece. I'll never buy from them again."

"I ordered a Sony DCR-PC350 digital handycam from US1Camera on January 25. Their price was the lowest I could find on the Net except for one seller whose ratings were abysmal. Within minutes I received an e-mail asking me to call back. I supplied my credit card security code, and received e-mail confirmation of my order within half an hour. The representative asked if I wanted an additional battery, but applied no pressure when I declined the offer. The order was sent out the next day. I was able to track it with the tracking number supplied, and I received the the camera in good condition (original Sony packaging) on January 28. Shipping rates were reasonable. In the past four years, I have bought numerous items, including other cameras and a couple of computers on the Internet. My experience with US1Camera was one of the best. "

"Placed an order for a Panasonic GS400 on Tuesday 1/4 via internet. Received email on Wednesday 1/5 requesting verification of order. Became suspicious of "bait and switch" tactic immediately. Upon calling to verify, spoke w/ "Kelly" - she informed the product was on back order. Demanded to speak w/ supervisor, transfered to "James". Informed me processing takes 48 hours, my camera was reserved and would be shipped out on Monday 1/10. Called to follow up, camera on BACK ORDER. BEWARE!!!"

"Purchased a Canon EOS 20D DSLR w/ EF 18-55mm lens kit from US1Camera for $1399, one of the best prices around at the time (other places were selling for $1500+). Total including UPS 3 day shipping came out to $1431. I did have to call the store to verify my credit card information, but the salesman I talked to was friendly and although he asked if I was interested in purchasing any accessories for the camera, he wasn't pushy when I politely refused - he only asked once.

My only issue with this company is that they take a little while to ship the order out. I received the camera 13 days after I ordered, but everything was in brand-new condition, in the original box with USA warranty cards. I was able to track my order on their website, which indicated when my CC charge was approved, when the item was packed and shipped, and there was a direct link to the UPS tracking number on the order status page.

If you're looking to save some money and you're not in a big hurry to receive your order, I would recommend US1Camera. Originally I was skeptical ordering from this company (I normally buy my photo equipment at B&H), but after this experience I would most likely order from them again."

"Item (Canon 20D) was delivered promptly. However, this store has no policy of exchange for material defective out of the box. You're on your own. Stay away from the "extras" they try to sell you .. high priced"

"High pressuree sales, online invoice is bogus , hidden and extra charges appears afterwards , threaten to place 10% cancelation charge , final invocie thousands over wht email confirms before "

"o Unprofessional
o Rude
o Very slow
o High pressure sales

Ordered a camera on Monday that was in stock. One week later, they still had not shipped it. Every time I called to ask what the delay was, I was 'greeted' with rude, hard to understand (accent) people who didn't care at all about my plight but just wanted to sell me a "all sales final" $500 warranty and various other accessories I don't need.

So I canceled my order, fearing that I would not get my camera before my trip out of the country and/or it would be abused at their warehouse because I had not bought their extended warranty (I've seen this happen several times before at a _major_ retailer), because that's the type of people they struck me as in my numerous (5+) conversations with them.

Yet I continued to have problems. They did not release the $1300 that had been "authorized" on my credit card, lowering my available credit and ability to buy the camera elsewhere. They said it would take just a couple hours. I'm still waiting. . .

Followup: I received the $1300 of available credit on my ccd 3 days later. Purchased the camera at B&H (for the love of god buy from these guys instead) and am currently tracking my package across the country to me via UPS's website. I'm a happy camper now."

"Filed Complaint with Better Business Bureau and I suggest everyone to do the same at http://www.bbb.org

On May 6th, 2004, I purchased a digital camcorder from US1Camera taking into account that the website says that it will ship in 1 to 2 business days. After 2 business days have gone by, the website still says that my order was pending. Because of the urgency of this purchase, I went ahead and made the purchase of this camcorder at a local electronics store. Knowing that my purchase was still pending fulfillment, I went ahead and called in to cancel my order. Upon asking for a cancellation, I was told by the customer representative that they just received the items that day from their manufacturers and my order should ship soon. I asked why I was not told that they did not have the item in stock when the website said that it will ship in 24-48 hours. The customer representative did not answer and just told me that I will get my order soon. I then told the customer representative to cancel my order since I already made the purchase elsewhere. Then to my suprise, they said that they would charge me a 10% cancelation fee. This was in no way stated in their 'Policies and Services'. Upon further reading of their 'Policies and Services' I came across this statement that states: "In the event of delays, every effort will be made to contact you by phone or e-mail. If the delay is due to backorder, you will receive notice and be given the choice to remain on backorder, substitute to another item, or cancel your order." US1Camera in no way notified me that they did not have the item in stock and no way stated that there was a cancelation fee on their policy page. Then I requested to speak with a supervisor or a manager. The manager was extremely rude screaming and yelling when I was trying to explain my situtation. I asked to simply cancel my order and he would tell me how stupid I was ordering on such a short deadline. Now he deliberately shipped my item to make it seem like I cancelled after the item was shipped, making me pay the restocking fee."

"Ordered a camcorder on Thurs. Sent email Mon when tracking said had not shipped. Got email back saying credit card rules require I phone. Got the hard sell to buy extras. Was told the sony battery was not good enough and if I did not order an extra battery now it would be twice the price later. Kept saying "no". The status of the order changed but still did not ship. Sent email again. Was told there had been an error with the order and I needed to phone. I cancelled the order. Their web site said this could be done by sending email to sales. Got email back saying I could not cancel by email but had to phone. Ordered lots of stuff from web venders and never had problems before. Bought from bestbuypcs.com"

"I have ordered a digital camera & DVD recorder online and have never had such a terrible experience before. In addition to delaying my order until I called, they tried the hard sell (mentioned by many others). After I refused, they delayed my order again by saying that my credit card had been declined - which is impossible. I have cancelled my order and am now leary about purchasing online. Meanwhile, we have missed recording 2 months of our new baby. What a disappointment!"

"After several days there was no shipping information, several calls, several days, several promises to ship, all to no avail. Finally canceled."