"I was very unhappy with my discussion with Tony Spinomi, x 743. He called to 'verify' my order, then tried getting me to upgrade my warranty, buy new filters, buy a longer life battery and after repeated assurances I just wanted to get my order as placed, proceeded to tell me that AM Photo was out of it, and had no idea when it would ship, might even take 4 weeks to get it. To actually get the one I ordered, I'd have to pay another $75 for the box version of the camcorder--which included a battery that would last longer than 15 minutes. I went back to the website, no indication that it was backordered, I informed Tony, he said the website is only updated every 2 weeks and repeated I'd have to pay the extra $75. I let Tony know your website must be total crap if it wasn't linked to your product database letting you know what was in stock. After repeating the previous a couple times--phone time had to be near 10 minutes, I got his info and hung up."
"This site has unbelievably poor service. Rather than simply place your order, they will require that you call them to verify your order. Then they will get a poorly informed sales person to try to sell you more stuff. I was told that the camcorder that I was buying did not come with a battery. Despite my pointing out that I had researched the camera and my research showed it did come with a battery, the sales person continued to push. So I gave in an ordered the battery. After taking 5 minutes to think about it, I called the site back and asked that the battery be taken off of my order. I was told that was not possible and my only choice was to cancel the order. I cancelled the order and went back to the site to reorder JUST the camera. Again, I had to follow the instructions that were e-mailed to me to call the site and verify the order (this is the order number above). This time I made sure I did not get anything else with the camera. I asked when it would be shipped and if it would arrive in time for Christmas. I was told it would ship in time to be recieved for Christmas. An hour later I checked the website for the status of my order. The site told me that my order was on hold be cause they were out of stock. I called the site back to inquire about how true this was and if my order would actually get filled in time for Christmas. At that point I was told that my order would not be filled until after Christmas. I had the order cancelled. These guys seem very much like a bunch of flim-flam artists. They want to sell you items that you did not intend to buy and then if you don't make the additional purchases, they won't fill your order. They will not spend more than 2 minutes on the phone talking to you about your order unless there are additional sales in it for them. I work for a web site myself and this is absolutely inexcusable. I wish it were possible to give this site a worse review. BE WARNED! Do not deal with this store."
"(NOTE AN UPDATE AT THE END OF THIS REPORT)
This was a horrible experience. A&M Photo World shipped me the camera that I ordered from their website, but they charged me $40.99 more than was advertised or authorized. When I notified them of the overcharge, the company claimed I had upgraded my order and that the camera I received was more expensive than the one advertised. They said the advertised camera was a "gray market" camera that didn't have all the accessories necessary to be fully operational. I NEVER authorized any upgrade nor did my wife. Furthermore, the A&M website makes absolutely no mention of the advertised camera being incomplete or a "gray market" camera. This company engages in misleading advertising, unfair and deceptive trade practices and bait-and-switch tactics among other things. I have placed the overcharge in dispute with my credit card company, notified state and federal authorities and am planning a lawsuit if the company persists in attempting to defraud me. Fortunately my two sons are attorneys so I won't have to pay any legal fees other than court costs.
An A&M Photo World representative telephoned me 5 days ago and after at first trying to repeat the same outrageous claim suddenly told me that a $41 credit would be applied to my Diner's Club account. I told him that if he did that, my complaint would be resolved. So far, no such credit has been applied.
I have researched A&M in the aftermath of this awful experience and have uncovered many, many consumer complaints about similar fraudulent activity by the company. There is some suspicion that A&M is one of several "fronts" operated by the same retailer. No self-respecting e-commerce organization should in any way be a party to such a disgusting and deceptive enterprise.
UPDATE: After threatening to sue A&M and explaining that since both of my sons are attorneys could do so very easily and inexpensively, A&M refunded its overcharge to my credit card. (Actually, it refunded a penny more than the $40.99 I was due.) I assume this is the end of the matter. But I am still sending a letter to Eliot Spitzer, the aggessive New York state attorney general, and asking that he stop A&M from engaging in its tactics. I've enclosed copies of many of the complaints from this website. I have also, by the way, complained to my own attorney general here in North Carolina. Since A&M uses the web, it can be prosecuted in most any state.
I am lucky in that I was ultimately able to avoid being ripped off. But not everyone has two sons with law degrees, a background as a newspaper reporter and enough will to push an outfit like A&M until it finally relents. Good luck to the rest of you."
"Thank God I came across this site before i clicked on CONFIRM ORDER..
Than you..
I was about to click on the purchjase for a Canon D20 $1369,00 Plus I live in Canada so I was skeptical..especially because everyone else has it at about 200.00 more.
I kept hearing the voice in my head.."too good to be true"
As soon as I read the first pages of reviews..I closed the window and dicthed the order...thank youuuuuu"
"This is the "If it to good to be true, it probably is" complaint. A&M photo world advertised a Casio EX Z40 digital camera for $219., delivered. It was advertised as "In Stock"
I received a confirmation e-mail which asked me to call them by phone. I called "Marcus" and all he tried to do is sell me a bunch of excessories at inflated prices. I asked if the camera was in stock and he said "yes" When I declined the extras he seemed irritated but said he would ship the camera. Several hours later I received an e-mail saying the camera was back ordered.
Steer clear of these crooks. It's the old bait and switch."
"I also found this site after placing my order, I received an email indicating that I had to call them so that my order could continue being processed (supposedly for verification purposes). Immediately they started trying to sell me a battery upgrade and told me the camera does not included a battery and charger. I then downloaded the manufacturer handbook online and it said battery and charger are included. I believe there are only a man working there because I called a few times and the same guy answer the customer service, order department and sales department. He even said he know I called before. There are no way you can file this problem to A&M company because the rude person is the owner. I'll never do business with this company because they can not be trusted. Hope this rating help many consumer out there. "
"I was extremely pleased with this company and the product they delivered (2 Pentax Optio Dig. cameras. The delivery was extremely fast, esp. for the holiday season. My son's talked me into buying a Sony DVD camcorder from another company and I have been having nothing but trouble from them. I did not check their ratings before I purchased which were all extrememly negative. Any future purchases will be made with A&M Photo World. I highly recommend them"
"Purchased two refurbished Kodak cameras, I found the price very good, and the shipping was lighning fast. I had in the next day from confirmation. The only trouble I had was I made the initial order online and was advised via email to call to confirm the order. The gentleman I spoke with was professional and courteous, thou he tried to sell me a few other items before closing the deal. If you feel you can handle that type of deal, I would recomend them, as I will most likely use them in the future."
"Although my Birthday isn't for a couple weeks, my parents let me check out
my new camera which we purchased from you last week. I am thrilled with the
product and appreciate you helping my mom order the camera.
"
"HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THESE LIARS! I ordered an Olympus C60 from their website because it was the least expensive brand new model I could find. They called me the next day to try to sell me accessories and I declined. Well, what do you know, I got a back order notice the next day. Only when I agreed to buy an "extra battery" was the camera in stock, and when I finally received it, it was a used camera. I called to complain and they basically told me I was stupid to think I could get a brand new camera for the price they were charging. The customer service guy went so far as the say my name and address in a threatening tone when I told him I was going to call the BBB. The BBB has been contacted, and my bank has been notified that any charges by this company are fraud!!! Do yourself a favor and do not buy from this company."
"Do not order from A&M Photoworld. They are bait and switch, high pressure sales. I started an order then stopped before placing in a credit card number. Then came a email offering free shipping if I complete my order. I thought this camera normally goes for 999 and they are selling it for 486 and free shipping. Then I received the email saying I had to call and comfirm the order. This is when I found out want HIGH pressure sales is. They called me names and were as rude as they could be. I was so taken shocked by how rude they were (beyond rude - crude and obnoxious) I had an order of 1800. Four times my original order. I called to cancel the next day and I received more name calling and they had already shipped. If you want to return they are going to charge a restocking fee of 25%. That is around 400. I have to pay to restock things I didn't want. Then they want you to be happy with your order and offer you a discount and free accessories to make up for the rude behavior. They had a four out of five star rating, but I found out that is a phony rating company they created. "
"I, too, wish that I had found this site before placing an order with A&M Photo World. Upon placing my order, I received an email indicating that I had to call them so that my order could continue being processed (supposedly for verification purposes). Immediately they started trying to sell me a battery upgrade. After I refused, the salesman continued to try to sell me the battery. I again refused and he became irate and rude and hung up on me. A day later I get an email indicating that the product I ordered is on back-order (despite showing in-stock status when I placed the order).
PLEASE, PLEASE, FOR YOUR OWN PEACE OF MIND. . .DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO BE SOLD WORTHLESS UPGRADES THAT WILL COST YOU MORE THAN BUYING THE PRODUCT ELSEWHERE AND UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO WAIT INDEFINITELY FOR BACKORDERED PRODUCT.
READ ALL OF THE EXPERIENCES HERE AND YOU WILL QUICKLY UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COMPANY TRIES TO DO BUSINESS.
CAVEAT EMPTOR"
"DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS STORE !! Purchased a Nikon D70 and was assured it was a US product. It was not. They use bait and switch and did not and can not provide US products. They are NOT an authorized Nikon distributor. These guys are the worst..
"
"Very satisfied with this seller. Delivery was fast and packaging was good, Salesman on phone was helpful and suggested other items without being pushy."
"I had a very bad experience with the sales team (Tony) in this company but i still ordered my camera and when i saw my invoice i was even more shocked. Then i spoke to a customer service rep named Richard and he took care of everything made my experience with A&M Photo World Much better.."