Avoid, avoid, avoid Broadway Photo! They will shake you down and rip you off!
After finding the camcorder I wanted on Broadway Photo's website, I phoned the "customer service" 800 number to confirm the website information before placing an order (i.E., price, model, included accessories, sealed mfg. Packaging, USA Model, availability). The representative confirmed all the information, so I placed an order over their website.
Three days later I received an e-mail asking me to confirm the order (Big Red Flag). I called the number included in the e-mail and was told the price I received for the camcorder did not include a lense? What? No Lense? The representative actually asked me "... How are you going to shoot video without a lense?" He then told me I would need to purchase other accessories, such as a battery and a charging unit, which, according to their website, are all included in a factory sealed box.
I began quoting from Broadway's website, which describes, in detail, the type of lense that comes with the camera and all the other mfgr. Supplied accessories that are included. The representative became extremely rude and hostile and said that the website information only describes what is available for the camera, for additional money, not what comes with it at the low price quoted on the website! When I kept quoting from the website, he said we could go round and round with this and that he was not going to discuss this any further. He then said he was cancelling my order and hung up before I could respond.
During the time I was looking for a camcorder, I came across several lesser known web-based companies (e.G., 1 way Photo) selling the same products for nearly identical prices, with the same freebees and special packages. I have no doubt these websites all are part of the same rip-off company operating out of Brooklyn, NY, with the same rude and disrespectful operators trying to shake down those looking for a deal that get drawn in by the fraudulant information found at their websites.
Save youself a ton of time and trouble and stay away form these companies, especially those requiring a 'telephone confirmation' before processing an order. This is when the shake down occurs.
No reputible business operates in this manner. With the respectible web-based business I have delt with in the past, purchase confirmation takes place when you click "confirm" after reviewing the purchase details. No follow-up e-mails or phone calls attempting to bait-and-switch; only a friendlly e-mail with a tracking link so you can monitor delivery of your purchase.
In the future, I will stick with trustworthy, authorized dealers for Cannon, Sony, and other brand products. I may pay a little more up front, but it's well worth it to know I will receive the genuine article, backed by the mfgr. Warranty, from a business that actually believes in friendly, helpful, customer service.
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