"Do NOT buy from this company. I bought a digital camera and was talked into buying accesories, memory card, extra battery etc. The prices of the accesories turned out to be very high. Also they charged me $100 for overnight shipping. The extra battery did not work. I emailed them right away. They replied that I had to call customer service. I was leaving for a trip and came back 10 days later. It took me 2 days to get them to answer the customer service number. They usually hang up on you. They told me the return time was 14 days, so I could no longer just return the battery. They also informed me that I had bought a package deal (news to me),so I couldn't just return the battery. In order to return the battery for a replacement I would have to call yet another number. I finally told them I would never buy from them again, hung up and threw away the defective battery."

"They called to "confirm my adress" and then tried to sell me batteries and charger and upgrade to the "American version" so the warrenty would be good. It ended up costing me about $450 more than I had planned and could have gotten a better deal somewhere else. When I tried to cancel my order, they were going to charge me a $150 cancellation fee for an order that had "already been process" (never mind the fact that they were trying to get me to change the order). Will never shop here again - they are crooks."

" I was a little concerned when I read the reports on this store.. but I had no problems. They do use some high pressure sales but it did not bother me... I talked them down on a few things. Bought a Canon A80 and it arrived in 4 days with all paperwork.
No problems here!"

"Placed order on 5/20/04, never recieved order confirmation as promised! Have called numerous times to get tracking number or status of order and keep getting disconnected or put on hold forever! I had to Cancel my credit card in order to cancel this order! A & M's customer service is NON-Existant, they answer the phone as if they were at their home and you can never get anyone for customer service! Some little girl answers the phone if you dial "0" and transfers you to nowhere land! I think this company is a SHAM! SAVE YOURSELF A LOT OF HEADACHES AND TAKE THE NEXT HIGHEST PRICE!!! THEY ARE NOT LEGIT!"

"These people advertise low prices, then try to sell you unnecessary and over priced extras. It is very difficult to cancel an order. I was finally successful in canceling the order after leaving a voice mail that the order would be refused and a dispute filed with my credit card company.

Bizrate listed this company as the lowest available price for a Kodak DX7730 camera, printer dock and memory card. Emails required me to call to confirm the order. When I did, I was pressured to buy "extras" that nearly doubled the price. It was very difficult to try to cancel the next day after realizing I had been talked into a over priced and unnecessary package. "

"I ordered a camera, was talked into buying additional items. WIthin 12 hours I didn't feel right about the purchase and tried to cancel it. I was told it already shipped and I would have to return the complete package because I had purchased a kit. I never purchased any kit whatsoever. I purchased a camera and (stupidly) two extra components. (at inflated prices). I am trying to return the two items and am running into roadblocks. Terrible company!"

"I ordered a Sony DSC-P93 Digital Camera from A&M Photoworld. At the time I did not know they had such a bad rating and now I know why. I get an e-mail asking me to call them to confirm my order. I thought this was odd. I call and the guy asks me if I want a memory stick I replie telling him no. He then asks if I want a 1 or 5 year warrenty. I had called them before to makes sure it was retail and was told it was. Well if the camera was retail it would have a warranty from Sony so I wouldn't need one from A&M Photoworld. I then find out it is a grey item, which basically means they ship it from some country overseas and it can be configured in any language. I could see where this was going so I cancelled my order and to my suprise the guy said okay and that was all. So please skip this site it isn't worth the trouble!!!"

"Horrible seller. Don't be tempted by their "good prices" as I was. Basically you pay for what you get, and in their case, you get nothing.
First they emailed me to confirm my order. After that they called me to confirm it, but strongly suggested getting over priced accessories for the camera I wanted. When I said I didn't want any of them, they said "Your camera is on back order and will be available in 10 weeks." I didn't really realize what they said to me. I mean I heard it but it didn't sink in that this is unacceptable for a camera which on their website says is "available".
It's now been 4 weeks, I haven't heard a word from them. So I called them today, and they didn't tell me any new date, so I canceled my order. I decided to get my camera from amazon, because although amazon has the camera for a good deal more money, I trust their service and I know that I'll get my camera quickly instead of 10 weeks.

It's not worth it."

"BUYER BEWARE. I made the mistake of ordering before I read the reviews on this site. When customer service rep called to confirm my order I told him to cancel it. He said "Well you are getting it anyways" and hung up. I will let you know how it goes."

"CAVEAT EMPTOR: ABSYMAL SERVICE, Unbelievably TRANSPARENT and FRAUDULENT Sales Tactics, WHOLLY UNRELIABLE, In-A-Nutshell: GODAWFUL.

--NOTE: This inanity took place about four hours ago.
--Two days ago, I was looking for a Casio Exilim EX-Z3 and found one on sale ($259.99) at amphotoworld.com; ‘twas the best deal, so I went ahead and bought the item.
--NOTE: I already have an EX-Z3 and wanted another as a gift for someone, but I didn’t check with resellerratings.com first!
--An email arrived with the following: “For verification purposes, please call our customer service department at 1-***-***-**** ext. 713, in order for us to proceed and process your order.”
--NOTE: This is VERY WRONG; “confirmations” are typical, but “call back verifications” are ATYPICAL of GOOD sellers.
--I didn’t see the email because someone else in the house was supposed to take care of it, but an AMPW rep (Brendan) called me the day after and left a freaking FAST msg--it was near garbled and took me three times to get the #/ext he left.
--I called back, he stated that he required “verification” and told me about two different models available: the imported camera and the US version.
--NOTE: As I stated before, I already have this cam and never heard of dissimilar versions; I research before I buy, so he was feeding me BS.
--I inquired about the differences, he said “imported version” has “20-minute battery only” while the “US version” has 2 hour battery. I was in “obvious shock” and said that I didn’t see it at all on the webpage.
--Brendan told me that it’s in the “company policy” section and then told me that even if the US one costs $289.99, he “highly recommend(s)” it because “no one else online sells the US version except (them)”.
--I asked him for the exact page with info stating the US/import versions and if he had proof of them being the only sellers of the US version. (I’m thorough, but I didn’t see it before ordering, and couldn’t find ANYTHING while he talked to me.)
--NOTE: I had Brendan repeat himself constantly because he’s a fast talker and what you don’t know CAN hurt you.
--Brendan assured me that I was getting the lowest price, said that it’s “IN the website somewhere” (“somewhere”!) and was pushing me very hard to buy this US version. (FTR, I have plenty of exp in sales/PR and this guy was a total a**hole and sounded like an INEPT CON.)
--I demanded that he show me the info on the website. I asked if it was in the “Company Info” section because some other sellers online were very upfront about the manufacture label et al.
--Brendan stated that he didn’t know and COULD not because he uses “the back end portion of the server”.
--I asked why he couldn’t just look on another comp or ask someone who knew. He said that he didn’t know, but they get a lot of “GARBLEDBLAH” from “competitors in the mail, so (he) know(s) that AMPHOTOWORLD IS INDEED the only seller of US versions”.
--I made it clear that I was unhappy, so he tried to placate me by offering the INTENDED deal: “Okay, how about I give you the US version for $259.99 but only if you buy the 2-hour battery for $39.99—something that’s usually $60.00 RETAIL, and a camera case for $15.00.”
--I told him to do the retardo math and give me the total; he said $315.00 but didn’t include the shipping and handling. I asked him why I shouldn’t get the import camera if he was only going to drop the US version to $259.99.
--“Well, because it only has a 20-minute battery, and you’ll be getting this great deal with a longer lasting battery and case.”
--I said that I’d call back; I had virtually the same thing happen to me with another company (A-1 Electronics), no camera if you don’t buy the additional crap for more money.
--Luckily, someone in my house found the stuff that came with the original cam and showed me that the extra battery was listed as $30.00 in CASIO’S OWN catalog!
--After three tries, I finally got a hold of Brendan and told him confidently that I wanted to buy the Imported version.
--Brendan: Okay. Well, you’llgetyouriteminEXCEPTIONALLYGARBLEDBLAH. ThankyouforchoosingA&MPhotoWorld.
--Me: WhawhaWHAT?! What did you say again?
--Brendan: IsaidThankyouforchoo--
--Me: NO, BEFORE that.
--Brendan: Oh, youwillgetyouriteminGARBLEDBLAH--
--Me: NO! Please say it slower.
--Brendan: *exasperated sigh* You will GET your item in six to eight weeks.
--Me: Six to EIGHT WEEKS?!! What? HAHA, NO. Cancel the order, cancel it now.
--Brendan: 6 to 8 weeks because we're getting it from overseas. The US version is right from NY, etc.
--Me: CANCEL IT.
--Brendan: ...alright, it is canceled. Would you like—
--Me: No.
--Brendan: Okay, thank you for-- *I hung up.*
--NOTE: How it works if you eschew the alternative deal: you pay, you wait forever, and finally you’re told “out of stock”, “this product has been discontinued”, et al. This isn’t straight up fraud (in the legal sense), but it is still DECEITFUL activity and blatant CUSTOMER ABUSE. AVOID this company."

"What an absolute sham! How DO we put this place out of business immediately? I CANNOT get Customer Service on the phone. Sales tells me I paid far less for the items that I want to return than I know I paid. The invoice conveniently does not itemize. Clearly, from my story and all others listed here, they are in the business of baiting and switching. This place should NOT be permitted to continue doing business. I contacted my VISA card company about them, too.

Here's my story: I called about the Pentax Optio S4i, a very small and fantastic digital camera. I asked the price, and he ("Travis" at ext. "777") told me $279 though looking online, they offer it for $269). So far, not so bad. Then he started going through the accessories. Did I want a camera case? Well, how much would that cost me? $24.99 Is that the case that goes with the camera? Yes. OK. What about a battery, the battery that comes with it will not last very long. Well, how much will that cost me? $59.99 OK, I guess I do need an extra battery. He went on to ask about other accessories, I asked their prices, and declined. Then he asked about the extended warranty. I told him no, I was not interested. What would it take for me to be interested? He dropped the price of the warranty by about $20.00. I still did not bite. He said my camera, case, and battery would arrive in about a week. I received the email confirmation of my order, and I received the items on time. HOWEVER, the camera case is too big for the camera and the battery is in a Digital Concepts package, but is not EVEN the Digital Concepts battery. I finally called Sales since I could not get through to Customer Service (try getting them to tell you their REAL customer service hours -- what a joke!). Sales told me that I bought "the USA package", which translates to the camera for $299 (vs. the $269 online price or the $279 price told me by phone) and the case + battery for at total of $59.99 (vs. the $84.98). That is, IF I were to return what I believe I paid $84.98 for, and IF I could get my money back from them, it would only (in their opinion) be $59.99. You know, at this point, I would even take that $59.99 if I thought I'd ever get it. Right now, I can't even get through to sales any more. I can only hope they're not answering because someone FINALLY put them out of business!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"How can this company be legally in business?
I had ordered a Canon S1, based on their low price, and before reading this site. Anyway, I called up, after receiving the email, spoke with Travis, and just asked if UPS Ground meant 7-10 days for my order. He then verified my address, and moved right into the accessories questions. He told me batteries would only last 20 minutes, but I told him I would purchase batteries later. He then said what about memory. Again, told him I would test out the 32MB and purchase memory later. He said it would only hold 6 pictures, which I know is absolutely false, so then he raised it to 15 pictures, trying to make his stupid point. Again, told him I'd check it when I got it. He abruptly says "your camera will show up in 4 - 6 weeks". I said "what about the 7-10 days you told me earlier", and he says "that's if the camera is in stock". I said "cancel my order", and he quickly says "sure thing". Bait and switch to perfection I'd say. What a joke. Hope they rot in hell."

"Absolutely the worst experience in internet shopping. I went for the lowest price on a Canon S1-IS camera . I got confirmation of the purchase but was asked to call an 800 number for verification. When I did I was offered an extended warranty which I declined , I was then offered extra rechargeable batteries which I declined. Then I was told that I would get the product in 15 - 20 weeks. At this point I knew that this was a bait and switch hoax and I cancelled the order. My advise to anyone shopping here , pay a little more and get the service you deserve."

"Went online shopping and compared prices on shopcartusa.com found the camera I wanted at A&M for considerably cheaper price. shopcartusa listed them w/ favorable ratings so I went to the A&M website and placed my order...than as everyone else has reported the nightmare began. I received the email to call to confirm and I did, Elliot asked if I needed the batteries and I told him no, he didn't push to hard and said that he would go ahead and process the order. Minutes later I received another email saying that the camera was on back order. I went back to the website only to find that the same camera was not only advertised in stock but at a lower price. This raised my suspicions and thats when I started reading about everyone elses horror stories. I called my credit card company to make sure that I wasn't billed and than called and emailed to cancel. So far I have received two emails confirming the cancelation but i will follow w/ the credit card company just to make sure. This is definately a dishonest online business and should be brought down ASAP."

"I placed an order for a Sony Handycam on May 2 through their website. I got a confirmation letter saying that I should call their office to expedite the processing. As I needed the camera to get to me on May 7, I did call and a service rep said that the camera does not come with charger and battery. So I agreed on another package for $638 which included the camera and shipping charges. On the morning of May 7, I get 3 email messages saying that my order was canceled. I called them again and a Ricky from customer service said that I or someone from my house canceled the order. I insisted that I did not do that and no one from my house would do that as I needed the camera on May 7. This Ricky was quite blunt showing me his irritation and was raising his voice at me. My guess is, the first person who I spoke to canceled the 1st order and did not enter in their system my final order.

I would say then that the staff of A&M Photo World are incompetent and arrogant since this Ricky was saying that they could not have made the mistake.

Now I am in a bind, taking a trip with no camera. The management of this store should re-evaluate their customer service policies and tell their representatives to deal better with their customers. If their attitude is worst than an irate customer, they should not be in customer service.

I advise buyers to think 10 times about buying from A&M Photo World.!"