johnnstacy1
2nd of December 2004 (Thu), 12:44
Being new to the camera addiction, I set out looking for new equipment the way I most always do. Froogle, pricegrabber, bizrate, etc. In 100% of the cases, it has proven to be cheaper than purchasing at a brick and mortar store. While I still agree it's cheaper, the camera industry is a different animal. This past week for example, I have bought the 300D four times! Why? Because there is a rash of dealers in the Brooklyn area and in New Jersey that seem to think it is okay to deceive people to make a sale. After the first dealer called me and asked if I wanted to buy the US Warranty which I assumed it had. Canceled that sale. I tried a different dealer. After I made the purchase with the 2nd dealer, I got the same call the next day and this time, being smart, I interrupted him and said, "Are you going to tell me that I need a US Warranty?" He replied, "No, of course not. It comes with the US warranty" I was relieved. That is, until his next sentence when he asked if I wanted to buy the optional battery and charger. I told him no since the camera already comes with it. He kindly informed me that the camera I was to buy, came with no accessories. That is why it said in the ad "Body Only". I thought maybe I was on MTV's Boiling Points. I again canceled the sale. It wasn't until after the 3rd attempt to buy the camera, that I checked out http://www.resellerratings.com. That changed everything. I suddenly realized that sometimes it doesn't always pay to shop around. Read some forums also, including this one and found that it is a widespread problem. Anyways, to conclude, I actually bought the 300D from a Brookly store but the reseller rating was high. Beach Camera for 730.99. Had no problems whatsoever. Bought a Canon 28-135 lens from Digital Foto Club for $390 and a Canon 50mm 1.4 at Digitally Unique for $362.00 which I plan on returning when I found it elsewhere for $300. Anyways, just wanted to vent and hope that I can save at least one person the grief of shopping for camera equipment.